“I tried calling, but your phone was off. I came to tell you that your mother is going to be out of town for the rest of the week.” He reached out and caught my books before they slipped completely from my arms. He flipped them over in his rough hands and then looked back up at me. “Who is your friend?”
I could feel Lillian pressing her arm against me when he nodded in her direction, her presence being acknowledged causing something of a stir between my thighs.
“This is Lillian. I've known her since we were kids.” I responded mechanically.
I could hardly control my legs. They were shaking beneath the weight of me, beneath the weight of the situation. I turned to look at Lillian to introduce her to my Daddy and the look of recognition on her face was unbearable.
She knows.
Daddy is fingering the edges of my textbook and looking between the both of us, an idea sparking in his mind that was easy to capture. I knew his features. He was definitely scheming.
“Why don't you invite her over for dinner tonight. We can eat and watch a movie. It could be a lot of fun.” He handed over my books and then turned to walk away,
knowing we were both hooked on his image and practically drooling at the sight of his muscles bulging from beneath his t-shirt.
Lillian grabbed my arm and dug her nails into my skin to break the spell. I yelped and swatted her again, rubbing the braised area.
“Is that…?” Her words trailed off as she made the connection and her excited eyes turned to me. “That's him, isn't it?”
“I'm not saying a thing.”
“Well, are you going to invite me over for dinner?!”
Lillian was practically shrill with anticipation. I knew somehow we were to be involved in a certain scheme, maybe be thrown into a fantasy we'd never experienced before, and that was just too attractive for me to comprehend. The fear and desire mixed as I took her arm and pulled her into the nearest study room. I locked the door and turned to meet her with wild eyes, the kind that I know she's never seen before because I was always the well-behaved and composed one of the group. Myself and Brad were always the better of Lillian, her being something of a rule-breaker and a pot smoker. She was practically a bad girl without being too terribly bad. She didn't do drugs or hang out with the wrong crew, but she was pretty bad for a group of suburban kids who didn't often meet trouble.
And Daddy is definitely trouble.
I waved my finger at Lillian as she backed into the furthest wall, her skirt riding up the harder she pressed against the brick.
“You can't tell a soul about this. Do you understand?”
I didn't mean to be so harsh with her, but I couldn't risk us getting into trouble. The fine balance was being threatened here and adding Lillian to the tight rope just as it was shaking was incredibly dangerous.
I liked it.
“I want you to come over for dinner, and I want you to behave yourself as you would with any father figure you might encounter. Understand that he might ask you to do things. Obey him and respect him. I love him, Lillian. I don't want you to hurt him.”
Her eyes hadn't blinked during my warning. She nodded, seeming to understand exactly what I was saying. It wasn't just that I loved him, it was that her making so much as a peep would set off the balance and I would never be able to see him again. If she messed up, I would probably never acknowledge she ever existed. I might even hit her. I think she understood that. I hoped so because it meant the world that Daddy wanted to meet one of my best friends, and I was sure he wanted to play with the both of us.
As I calmed down from my strange moment of aggression, I pulled Lillian over to the computer and showed her the Daddy/daughter blog. I explained what it meant to be a daughter and how she would have to do certain actions and say specific phrases. We practiced through a few, the excitement in my stomach growing as I essentially trained her to be another one of Daddy's little toys. We could be sisters beneath him and maybe we could start our own blog. I knew that meant exposing our relationship to the world, but it was an enticing idea. Maybe other girls like me would come across it and be inspired. We could help other people. But then I recalled how Daddy had called me his dirty little secret and I relished the phrase in my mind. It sank deep into my gut and settled into my pelvis. Broadcasting our relationship would mean I was no longer a secret, and why would I ever want to do that?
Chapter Three
Lillian and I arrived at my house just after 6:15. I was so anxious that my heart was practically beating out of my rib cage, the bones cracking beneath the skin that was already incredibly thin. I turned to Lillian who gave me a nervous, but comforting, smile. We went into the house where Daddy had set up the table with dinner: a delicious selection of chicken, macaroni, and potatoes along with three salads. Lillian and I set our things down in my room and walked back to the dining room to sit and eat.
“So, Lillian, you work with Victoria at the library. Do you go to school as well?” Daddy asked as he set some food on each plate.
“I do. I go to the community college up the road from here. I want to be a vet assistant.” She said while accepting a plate of hot food. She sat awkwardly next to me, a little ways away from Daddy.
“That sounds amazing. Our lovely Victoria wants to be a teacher. I commend her for that.” Daddy handed me a plate of food. “What else do you like to do?”
As we both eased our way into casual conversation, I'd nearly forgotten what was going on, or what I had suspected was going on. Lillian and I became totally preoccupied by the jokes and laughter that it almost looked like we were a regular family. I felt so comfortable with my present company that I lost track of the time, and we were cleaning before I realized it was well past seven. I rinsed the dishes in the sink and loaded the dishwasher while Lillian wiped down the table. Daddy came up behind me and squeezed my bottom, leaning forward to whisper in my ear.
“You and your friend should change and then come to the living room for a movie.”
I turned to watch him walk away, smiling still as he left the kitchen. Lillian quickly ran up next to me and leaned into my shoulder.
“Vic, what did he say?” She whispered, grabbing dishes to help me load the washer faster.