Mafia Daddy by Aster Rae

7

Rowan

The next day

My heart murmurs nervouslyas I stand in the doorway of Igor’s place.

I’m dressed in my favorite blue t-shirt with pressed khakis that hug my ass nicely.

I clutch my suitcases in one hand and try desperately not to trip over my feet.

But it's harder than I imagined.

How can I stand up straight when today's the day I start my new job with Igor?

It doesn't help that I'm extremely late, either.

Yes, I woke up early enough to get the ten forty-three bus.

But the Green Line train was late, and I had to fight my way through fifteen streets of obnoxious tourists to finally get here.

Then, it took fucking forever to figure out how to use the doors of Igor's fancy skyscraper.

I've used rotating doors before, but Igor’s were like a multi-million-dollar Rubik’s cube.

Basically, it was an experience from hell.

“The next time a Russian billionaire offers you use of his private limo,” I grumble, "don't be such a pansy. Take him up on his offer.”

I mentally resolve to never let my pride get in the way of a free trip through New York City again.

Igor’s door cracks open.

Inessa brushes a strand of hair over her ear and peers at me from inside Igor's apartment. "Yes?"

I clear my throat. “Hi, Inessa. I’m starting work as Igor's new housekeeper today. He said to be here at eleven sharp. But I had subway troubles. I need to apologize that I'm running a little late."

Inessa doesn't get a chance to respond.

She's barely opened her mouth when suddenly a firm hand appears from behind the doorway and gives way to a deliciously sexy man.

“Good morning, Inessa." Igor's voice is low and deep. "Bring the boy’s bags to his room. Take it to the third-floor suite with the private pool and balcony."

Inessa bows. "Of course, Sir."

Butterflies swirl around my stomach as Inessa disappears with my bags down the hall.

"Thank you." My voice shakes. “Hi, Igor.”

"Hi, Rowan. Why are you so late?" Igor glares at me. "I told you to be here at eleven.”

I let out a sigh. “I got up super early to get the ten forty-three bus. But the subway was running late. It didn't help that I kept tripping over my suitcases. Then when I got to your skyscraper, I couldn't figure out how to get my fucking bags through the doors. I felt like such a moron tripping over my feet in your lobby. Basically, it's been a morning from hell. But I'm here and I'm ready now. I’m excited to be your new employee and get to work."

A smirk pulls at Igor's lips. "Sounds like you've had quite the adventure."

"I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. But I'm here now. That's what matters.”

“Come in." Igor motions for me to follow him inside.

I step into Igor's penthouse for the second time.

Beautiful luxury unfurls before my eyes.

I see the glistening onyx walls, the enormous thirty-foot ceilings, and the bay windows that give way to views of Central Park.

I hear classical music playing, an expensive air conditioning system humming, and the sound of Inessa scurrying away to put my bags in my room.

I smell the scent of fresh flowers and something delicious baking in the kitchen.

I take a deep breath and let the goodness wash over me.

Relaxation calms my nerves.

At least for the next thirty days, this is my new home.

Igor beckons me into the kitchen. "Inessa will assist you with your duties," he grunts as he gestures toward a chair at the center island and motions for me to sit down. "You’ll meet your personal driver Javier and your personal shopper Sebastian this afternoon. Your massage therapist will be here for your first appointment tomorrow morning. Today, I’ll give you the official tour."

Igor cracks open the fridge door. He pulls out a juice box and sets it on the counter.

"For you," Igor says in a deep rumbling voice.

I take the juice box and pop the straw through the top.

"Thank you." The cool liquid is freaking ambrosia on my taste buds.

I sigh and slump backwards in the seat as relaxation whirls around me.

Good Lord.

This is a freaking luxurious apartment building.

And this apple juice is a gift from the gods.

"While you drink, I'll refresh your mind on your duties," Igor says.

I nod. "That sounds good. I tried to jot them down when I came home after the last meeting, but I completely forgot everything by the time I stepped onto the bus.”

"You have to be more observant, boy."

"It's not my fault." I shrug meekly. “There was a weirdo ahead of me in the bus line, and he kept making odd sounds as he fumbled for his bus card. I couldn't concentrate on anything."

“That's not good.”

"I know," I say. "I should've written everything down sooner. This time, I made sure to bring a spiral-bound notebook to get the notes down while they're still fresh in my mind. I want to do a good job here, Igor. I refuse to let anything slip past me."

I tug my dollar-store notebook out of my pocket and drop it on the marble countertop.

An amused grin pulls at Igor's lips as he eyes my notebook.

But he refrains from speaking as he snaps his eyes up to me.

"I'll start the lesson now."

"Sounds like a plan." I take another sip of juice.

"As I told you last time, your job is to clean up after Inessa. Inessa and her crew are excellent, but they sometimes miss dust bunnies under the couch. Her lack of attention to detail tests my patience. I can't tell you how many glasses I've smashed against my penthouse walls because I see dust bunnies. You must do everything in your power to tidy up after her because her negligence sends me through the fucking roof."

This is mildly disturbing.

I furrow my brow. “Are you sure my entire job is to clean up after the maids? I figured you were joking last time. That's a little patronizing, Igor. I'm capable of far more than that."

"Inessa and her crew are top-notch. But I refuse to live in a penthouse that isn't perfectly clean. Your job is to banish every last fucking dust bunny from my life."

Oh Lord.

"This doesn't sound like a very important job." I make a face at Igor. "It sounds like you don't trust me to do real work. You can have more faith in me, Igor. I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree, but I'm not some dumb kid who works at an ice cream shop who can't function in the real world. At the parlor, I never win Employee of the Month, but I clean it damn well every day and I always leave it sparkling clean.”

"What's your point?" Igor grumbles.

I glare at him over my straw. “I can handle more than picking up dust bunnies.”

Igor stares into my eyes. "Your job is the most important of all, Rowan. Without you, there’s no one to make sure Inessa and her crew get the job done right. You have administrative privileges over everyone and you pick up the slack when she falls short. There's nothing more important than that."

"I can handle more.” I put my hands on my hips. "I’m not a child, Igor. I’m eighteen-and-ten-months. You don’t need to treat me like a baby."

Don’t get me wrong. I love being treated like a baby.

But there’s a fine line between having a regression kink and a gorgeous man patronizing you because he thinks you can’t mop.

The latter is just sad.

Igor lets out a grunt. "I'll speak to Inessa and come up with a trial housekeeper program. I'll warn you that she won't be happy, though. She's a strong woman who doesn't like my housekeepers stepping on her toes.”

“I promise I won't mess up that badly," I groan, rolling my eyes.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Igor pauses. "My previous housekeepers didn’t exactly have the best track record when it came to helping out.”

Uh oh. "What kind of trouble did they run into?"

“Mario nearly burnt down my entire building when Inessa reluctantly let him into the kitchen to make chocolate soufflés. It took weeks to get the smell of burnt chocolate out and his feeble attempt was instant death to my steel pans.”

I let out a snort. "I take it you weren't too pleased.”

“His botched soufflés were the final straw of our relationship. I’d already forgiven him for something unforgivable, but when Inessa told me that Mario almost burned down the apartment, I let him go.”

I nod sagely. "What does this have to do with me?"

"It's best if you stick with cleaning up dust bunnies."

I let out a snort. "You don't have to be dramatic, Igor. I have zero desire to step on Inessa’s toes. Believe it or not, I don't see myself taking the initiative to cook grand meals for you anytime soon. I need lots of rest to function at any respectable level in the real world, and I've never exactly cooked anything fancy in my life.”

Igor cocks an eyebrow at me. “Then I don't see why you're upset with your job description. It'll give you plenty of time to relax and recharge your batteries."

“Fifty grand is a ton of money," I explain. "I don't want you to feel like you're getting the short end of the stick by giving me work this easy.”

Igor's coffee eyes center on mine. Then he lets out a sigh. "There's something I'm not telling you, Rowan."

Curiosity sparks within me. "Oh?"

Igor blows out of breath. “I'm going to be completely transparent. There's another reason I brought you here today.”

My heart rate picks up in my chest. “Oookay.”

“I'm pretty goddamn sure we have a connection. When I saw you at Christian’s engagement party, I was blown away by how confident you were. I've never fucking seen someone rock ducky socks as good as you. And don't even get me started on that adorable pacifier around your neck. I know this is crazy — we've only talked one time — but I think we might click if we got to know each other better. I brought you here to see if we might connect in a more intimate way.”

My racing heart stutters to a stop in my chest.

I take another sip of juice. "Thank you for telling me that, Igor. It's a little much, but I appreciate you speaking from the heart."

"Do you have anything to tell me?" Igor lets out a grunt.

I inhale a deep lung full of air. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I do.”

I stare into Igor’s eyes. "I'm going to be totally honest. When I saw you at Christian’s party, I also felt something in my chest. The truth is that I've been looking for someone like you for a long time. But the men I'm interested in never pay attention to me. They either want a quick hookup or someone to mess around with online. That's not what I want.”

Igor's lips curl. "Go on.”

I suck the last of my apple juice through the straw. “You're exactly what I've been looking for, Igor. You're tall, kind-hearted, and beautiful on the inside and out. You seem like a perfect Daddy, which is what I need. But the truth is that I don't know you and you don't know me. Yes, I'm looking for a protector, and ideally someone to help me start my own ABDL clothing shop on Etsy. But there are some things that have happened in my past that make me reluctant to give myself over to a man so soon. Don't get me wrong — I’m all for beautiful relationships and fast connections. But if I'm true to myself, it's going to take time for us to get to know each other at the level of depth that I need. I also have trust issues that I need to work through. I really want to get closer to you, Igor. But I hope you understand where I'm coming from."

Igor places his hand over mine. He rubs his thumb against my skin. "Thank you for telling me your feelings, Rowan. I get what you're saying, and it means so much to me."

"It does?" I query dumbly.

Igor nods. "My past housekeepers were never good at speaking from the heart. Mario was never comfortable expressing himself. It led to some problems in our relationship.”

"That's not good," I say, leaning closer to Igor to catch a whiff of his delicious cologne.

“I love that you’re confident enough to own your kinks like a boss,” Igor grunts in a deep voice. “But I also love that you're comfortable enough to be honest with me. I hear you when you say that you don't want to rush things. The good news is that I understand exactly what you mean. I want to be your Daddy, but I won't rush things. And I certainly won't force you into anything you're uncomfortable with. I understand that you've been through shit in your past. You've tried to start relationships without success. And I imagine that there are other things you're not comfortable discussing with me yet. But I didn't get this far in life being an impatient man, Rowan. We don't have to rush things. I'll take it as slow as you need."

A fissure of feeling opens in my chest. "Thank you so much for this conversation. I feel so much more comfortable and confident now that we've talked through these issues out loud."

Igor runs the pad of his thumb across my palm. "Open communication is the foundation of all healthy relationships. I'm pretty sure we're both attracted to each other. But I refuse to rush this, Rowan. You're an amazing person from what I've seen so far, and the last thing I want to do is blow it by going too fast. When you're finally ready to tell me everything that's going on in that brain of yours, I'll be waiting."

Igor steals the words right out of me.

All at once, I want to bury myself in Igor’s arms.

I want to snuggle up next to him and feel his giant arms around me while he whispers that everything will be all right.

But at the same time, I know that I can't give myself over to Igor so soon.

Igor says the right things… But the fact that we haven't known each other long enough means that I don't know if he'll back up his words with action.

"I want to suggest something,” I say at last.

Igor nods. "I'm all ears."

"I want to start a series of tests.” I say this shyly. "Daddy tests. I'll come up with little tests and see if you pass them. Each one will be sweet, but they'll get harder as we progress. The ultimate test will be to see if you want to stay with me when our thirty days is up, because I refuse to submit to a man who’s comfortable leaving me as soon as he gets what he wants from me. I have issues with abandonment, but if you pass my tests, we can have a beautiful relationship together. Does that sound fair to you?”

Igor brings my palm to his lips. "Yes, boy. That sounds perfectly fair."

"Thank you so much." My insides turn into a home for butterflies as Igor kisses my palm. "I'm excited to start working for you, Igor. I'm excited to see if this leads to something more."

"As am I." Igor helps me down from the stool and places his palm on my lower back. "Now tell me one thing, cutie."

“Sure.” I beam.

"Are you ready for your tour of the apartment?"