“You’re creating your brand, Chrissy. Some students will come running in the door at the last minute—every day. That becomes their brand. Some will actually show up on time, but they’ll look like they just crawled out of bed—then they’ll sleep through half the class. That’s how they’ll be remembered.” Greyson shrugged. “You want to differentiate yourself and build a strong brand.”
“Interesting…” I blinked in surprise. “I never thought of it like that before.”
I followed Greyson to his Maserati, and he held the door open for me. It was a really nice car. I thought the Porsche was amazing, but the Maserati blew it away. It was probably a good thing that Greyson didn’t let me drive it. I would have been tempted to see how fast it could actually go. Greyson drove us downtown and led me into one of the stores that was far too expensive for me to even browse, much less consider shopping there. They had very nice clothes, but the price tags made my stomach twist into a knot. The prices didn’t seem to bother Greyson at all. I spent nearly an hour just looking at clothes while the sales associate followed us with a rolling rack.
“Okay, try all of this stuff on and see what you like.” Greyson motioned to the rack that he had filled with every piece of clothing I showed a mild interest in. “This should be a good start.”
“A good start?” I raised my eyebrows. “There’s no freaking way I’m letting you buy me all of this stuff!”
“I’m not allowed to spoil you?” He tilted his head slightly. “I thought that was part of the deal…”
I guess he intends to be my Daddy in more ways than one…
“Just a couple of things—really.” I looked at the rack.
“If you don’t get to that damn dressing room…” Greyson leaned forward so that the sales associate couldn’t hear what he said. “We’re going to the car to have a discussion about your behavior. Is that what you want?”
“Um—no sir.” I shook my head back and forth very quickly.
He’s serious about this…
I settled into my role. He never told me to call him sir—the word just felt right when it left my lips. I either had to accept his gift and be spoiled by him or face the consequences. I had a pretty good idea what those consequences would be, and I didn’t want him to take me to the car for a spanking. I went to the dressing room, tried on the clothes, and let him buy them for me. Once we were done at the first store, we went to another one—where we bought me even more clothes. He helped me pick out a few professional outfits that I could wear when I gave presentations and possibly even have on hand if I got a job interview down the road. I never really thought about my brand, but I couldn’t deny that he made some good points.
“I’m tired.” I exhaled sharply as we loaded my clothes into the backseat of the Maserati. “I never thought I’d be saying that after a shopping trip…”
“Since we’re already downtown, we might as well have dinner out.” He walked around and opened the passenger door. “Anything you’d like to try?”
“I—honestly don’t know.” I shrugged. “Surprise me?”
“Okay.” He smiled and nodded.
I wasn’t sure what kind of restaurant Greyson would choose, but I really didn’t know what was available in the area. Going out for dinner was pretty rare when I lived with my mother. It was usually reserved for special occasions. After my father passed, it was rare to even get a cake for my birthday—much less a trip to a restaurant. It’s strange how so much of that period of my life faded away without forming memories, but little things like that stuck with me. Greyson chose a restaurant that had a wide variety of options. I decided to just eat like a college student and eat fried food with fried sides. Greyson chose a steak with a baked potato. We were both eying the stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer, so he ordered it.
“I’m definitely going to miss this if I move out in a few months…” I looked down at our appetizer and sighed. “Today has been fun.”
“What do you mean?” He tilted his head slightly.
“I’m—not a charity case.” I exhaled sharply. “I’ve never had anyone buy stuff for me like this. It was fun to feel like I had money for once in my life.”
“No, I meant the other part—what do you mean about moving out in a few months?” He titled his head in the opposite direction.
“I still don’t want to be a bother…” My words trailed off for a second as I tried to focus on what I should say. “I’m sure you’re eager to get rid of me. Isn’t that what Daddies look forward to the most—the day when their spoiled brats move out?”
“No!” He seemed insulted by what I said and reached for my hand. “You’re not moving out. That’s no longer an option.”
“I—I didn’t think this changed anything.” I reached for my water and took a quick drink. “I don’t want to impose…”
Especially if this is never going to be more than two people standing on their side of the line—I just need enough time to find a job.
“Your letter changed everything. You aren’t leaving. You’re going to stay with me and focus on school.” He narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t up for discussion, so don’t even try. I know you want to make it on your own, and you will, but you’re my responsibility until then.”
I didn’t have much of a response. I had been repeating the same thing since I move into his house—I didn’t want to be a charity case—I didn’t want to impose. I might have had the option of leaving before I wrote the letter, but it was clear that the option had been taken away. If he was going to be my Daddy, then I was going to have to stay with him. It would have been rude to leave after he bought me so many nice things—even if I hated the fact that I couldn’t afford it on my own. I had to find a way to exist in my new world. I definitely needed him to be my Daddy and having the option of leaving taken away actually brought my future into focus.
This does make things a little easier. I just have to figure out how to meet his expectations…
The next morning
I expected Greyson to be at work when I woke up for my first day of college, so I was surprised when I saw him downstairs. Apparentl