My First Daddy (Dark Daddies 7)

“But you kind of like it anyway?”

“Exactly.” I sigh and lean back. She’s grinning at me. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, what?”

“Well, I just thought you were sort of uptight at first. But now I realize you’re not, just… you have a secret. And it’s making you high-strung.”

“You’re not wrong,” I grumble.

“Look, take it from me. Most people don’t care about that sort of thing, and the people that do… well, fuck them.”

“You sound like Julian,” I grumble.

She laughs. “He’s a smart guy.”

“I know.”

“Look, I get that the business thing is weird, but… I see the way you look at him. Maybe other people notice it, maybe not. But to me, it’s obvious you’re in love.”

I stare at her, blinking a few times. “I’m not… I mean…”

“Okay, sure, whatever. Maybe you haven’t admitted it yet.” She shrugs.

“I’m not in love,” I say.

“Okay, okay.”

“Really, I’m not.”

She laughs at me again and I want to run out of the room like an idiot. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

I roll my eyes at her but god damn it, she’s not wrong, again.

“Okay, can we please get back on topic?”

“Lead the way,” she says.

I turn back to my notes and we get started, but the conversation hangs in the air for the rest of the day.

Haylee thinks I’m in love with Julian. And she’s basing this entirely on the way I look at him, which is totally crazy. I mean, I like Julian. He makes me feel good, makes me happy, and he seems totally insatiable for me, but…

Love? I mean, how could I be in love with him?

He’s my dad’s age. He’s my dead dad’s old friend. My mother hates his guts. There’s no way I could be in love with him. This thing with him, it’s just a fling. It has to be just a fling.

But as soon as we finish our meeting and Haylee heads out, I find myself back at my desk, looking in at Julian while he talks on the phone.

He’s so handsome. It strikes me all over how handsome he really is. I don’t think I’ve ever been with a guy like him before. I go to bed thinking about him, I wake up thinking about him, and I’m always smiling when we’re around each other.

But that’s not love, right? I mean…

She can’t be right. It’s just crazy. I can’t be in love with this man. Everything about him is wrong for me. The whole Daddy thing is sexy, really wrong and hot, but it’s just a game. It’s not even remotely real.

Although he does keep saying he wants to take care of me. I sort of want that, deep down. I want to give myself over to him, let him pamper me, cater to my every whim, spoil me rotten.

I bet he would, if I just asked.

He hangs up the phone and meets my eyes. He grins at me and waves a little bit. My heart skips a beat. It’s such a little gesture, but it’s so… intimate.

I stand up and head over to him. It’s just after five and most people are filing out for the day. I step into his office and shut the door behind me as his receptionist packs up her bag.

“How’d it go?” he asks.

“Still on track,” I say. “Amazingly.” I walk over and sit down in front of his desk.

He comes around and sits next to me like he always does. I don’t know if he does that for anyone else. Actually, I can’t think of him ever doing it with anyone else, now that I think back.

It’s the little things that get me. The way he smiles at me, the way he looks at me. The way he sits near me, touches me, like there’s a magnet pulling him closer.

Oh, my god. This can’t be real.

I can’t be really falling in love with this man.

He cocks his head at me. “What?” he asks.

“Huh?”

“You’re staring at me with this weird look on your face.”

I feel my cheeks turn red. “Oh. Nothing, forget it. I’m fine.”

“Right.” He laughs softly. “Something Haylee said?”

“No,” I answer quickly.

He grins at me. “Okay. I’ll drop it.”

“Thanks,” I mutter.

He looks over my shoulder, out at the office. People are leaving, and soon we’ll be alone. Which can mean only one thing.

He’ll close the blinds. He’ll take off my clothes. And he’ll fuck me until I can’t walk anymore.

“Listen, there’s a meeting coming up with potential investors,” he says.

“Oh, yeah?”

“I want you to come with me.”

“Sure,” I say.

“As my partner.”

I stare at him. “Your… partner?”

“In business,” he quickly corrects. I feel strangely disappointed, but I don’t let that sink in.

“Really?” I ask.

“Really. We can make it official later on, but for now, I want you there. I want you to start learning all this stuff.”

“You don’t really have to do this, Julian.”