Vicious Daddy by Bianca Cole
Niall
Istare at my best friend and boss, feeling guilt coil through me. The line I crossed with Alicia a week ago was a direct betrayal of our trust. I’ve done it every single night since and I can’t stop. It doesn’t matter how bad I feel about it, Alicia is my kryptonite.
“Sir, how shall we strike back?” I ask, as Malachy has barely said a word since the meeting started.
He is unfocused as he glances at me. “Find out where they are bringing in their merchandise. I need to cut them off at the source.” He cracks his neck, something he only does when he’s really irritated. He doesn’t seem himself and I can’t help but wonder if he knows something is going on between me and his sister. Although, deep down I know I’d know about if he did.
“I’ve got six guys on this. Do you want me to pull more off other jobs and onto this?” I ask.
Malachy just stares at his desk, as if he didn’t hear my question. I clench my jaw, trying to hold together my nerves.
“Sir?” I stare at him, wondering what the fuck has gotten into him today.
He shakes his head. “Sorry, lad. What did you say?”
I can’t help the concern pulsing through me. “I said I’ve got six guys trying to trace the Italian’s transport route as we speak. Do you want more resources on this task?”
Malachy rubs a hand across the back of his neck. “We can’t pull too many guys off the docks after last night. Six will have to do, but I want them working fucking hard to get me my answers.” He cracks his knuckles. “Or else there will be hell to pay.”
I nod, hoping that it’s only the issues with the Italians that has him so out of sorts. “Agreed. I’ll make sure they understand how important it is.”
“Good. I think that’s everything.”
I stand, knowing my cue to leave. Although, I linger. “Is something bothering you, sir?” I frown. “You seem a little…” I’m almost scared to say it as I know how Mal can react when someone asks the wrong question.
“Off?” he asks.
I’m thankful he finishes it for me. “Yeah. Not meaning any offense by it.” Malachy takes offense easily.
He cracks his neck again. “The virgin I bought has been harder work than I expected. That’s all.”
A flood of relief hits me, and I chuckle. “I’m glad I stayed the fuck away from the auction.” He knows nothing about me and Alicia. If he did, this conversation would be different for sure.
Malachy gives me a warning glare. The glare that tells me to back the fuck off. “Normally they are easy to handle, but this girl is different.”
I nod. “Well, be careful she doesn’t get under your skin. Women can be a nightmare if they get their claws into you.”
I know, since your sister has her claws in me already.
She always has. The thought is a perilous one, as I’m not sure there could ever be a future for us. “I’ll give you an update as soon as we get anywhere with the Italian supply chain issue.”
I feel Malachy’s eyes on me as I leave the boardroom, shutting the door on him. I rest my back against the hardwood. My heart is hammering frantically. The longer this goes on, the harder it is for me to look Malachy in the eye.
I know we can’t continue like this forever, sneaking around behind his back. At the same time I know there’s no chance in hell I’m stopping.
Alicia’s half-hearted attempt to put a stop to it five days ago didn’t work. She doesn’t realize that now I’ve had her. There is no end to this. I’d die rather than live my life without her in it. A truth so deeply engrained I know it means there is only one way forward.
Malachy will need to know in the end, even if it’s too early to play our cards yet. Alicia doesn’t know what she wants. Until she does, this has to remain a secret. I’ve known for a long time that she is my future. I want to spend the rest of my life with her, but I have to convince her to spend hers with me.
Dealing with Malachy is something we can figure out together. There’s no other future for me than the one with Alicia by my side. It’s the only future I’ll accept now that she’s part of my life.
I promised Alicia I’d take her out tonight for a proper date, but I know how risky that is.
Malachy isn’t stupid, hence why we have to go to the restaurant separately.
We both need to figure this out, and while I know my life won’t be complete without Alicia in it, I can’t be sure whether she feels the same way.
It will kill me if she doesn’t, but I have to respect her wishes. Although, a part of me knows even that isn’t an option. The sick stalker inside of me knows that if Alicia tells me no, I won’t be able to stop.
I check my watch, noticing it’s almost midday and I need to get back to the house to have lunch with my baby girl.
Malachy is rarely at the mansion during the day, so I always go back to eat with her. Or more like eat her. We’re both so insatiable we don’t have time for food.
I pull out my cell phone and send her a text.
Running a little late after meeting with Malachy. I’ll be over in an hour. What do you prefer, Chinese or Mexican?
I wait patiently for her reply, hoping she wants Mexican as I’ve had a hankering for a taco for days now.
Mexican. Hurry as I’m hungry for you.
I smirk and shake my head, walking out of the city office block toward my favorite Mexican place around the corner.
There hasn’t been a time in my miserable life that I’ve ever been this happy. Alicia makes me feel like a happy ending is still in the cards for me, something I believe died when I was a child. The moment my father crossed a line he never should have crossed.
I think it’s the reason Malachy and I get on so well. We’re the same. Although Malachy is lucky, that people related to him did not violate him sexually. His father beat him, though, for many years.It took a long time for me to realize that what happened to me as a kid wasn’t my fault.
When I ran and ended up on the streets, it was ten times safer for me. I thank the stars every damn day that I found Alicia and Malachy sleeping in the underpass that night. Life would have been very different without them in it.
I head into the little restaurant, feeling my stomach rumble.
Malachy will be angry if we tell him about us, but a part of me hopes he can find it in himself to be happy for us. We’ve always been like brothers, so why not make it official?
* * *
The traffic isbad as I head across town, itching to get to Alicia. Finally, I come to the extravagant electric gates of Malachy’s mansion, driving up to them. My car is programmed in to be automatically detected by the gate as it swings open, allowing me to drive up the drive.
My heart skips a beat when I see Malachy’s Chevy parked in front of the house. The same car he drove to the office today, which means he has returned for lunch as well.
Fuck.
If he finds out I’m here to bring Alicia Mexican and have lunch with her it will look suspicious. Malachy never comes back to the mansion in the day, but I have a feeling that his new virgin is the reason. It will only be a problem if he sees me.
The one perk of him having such an enormous house is you rarely see each other, especially if you want to avoid someone. I try to calm my nerves as I park in my spot, turning off the engine.
The scent of the Mexican food makes my stomach rumble as I grab the takeout bag off the seat and head into the house in search of Alicia. Most days I find her sitting in the library, studying for her PHD. I’m in awe of her intelligence and how far she come considering her lack of education as a child.
I admire her hope to become a doctor. A testament to the kind of woman she is, wanting to help people always. It’s amazing considering everything we went through as kids, but Alicia has always had the brains.
She was smart before she could afford books or education. It’s not a shock that she has the ability to become a doctor. First she got her qualifications as a nurse and now is a trainee doctor, thanks to Alastair’s help. The intention is for her to take over from Alastair as a full time doctor for the clan.
My brow furrows as I walk into the library, finding she’s not there. She has been though, as her reading glasses and a book are on the arm of the couch. I turn around and head for the kitchen, but she’s not in there either. I set the food down on the counter and try her cell, but it goes to voicemail.
Fuck’s sake.
The last place I can think to look for her is in her room, so I head upstairs, passing one of the housekeepers Malachy employs.
It irritates me that she lingers too long in the corridor, making it difficult for me to go into Alicia’s room. Once she leaves, I head inside to find it empty.
As I’m about to leave the room, I glance out of the window.
That’s when I see her, walking across the lawn from the woods. She is wearing a stunning cream dress and her dark hair is wild and blowing about in the wind. My cock throbs the moment I set eyes on my beautiful, wild Gaelic beauty. She looks utterly magical, walking across the lawn as if she was made to be part of the natural surroundings.
Alicia is a picture of perfection.
The pressing need to be close to her overrules all of my senses as I rush out of the room. Patience isn’t something I have when it comes to her. I need to be by her side and can’t wait for her to come to me.
I rush down the stairs and head out of the backdoor, marching toward her. The need inside of me tightens, and I know I have to have her here and now. Malachy may be home, but I don’t care.
Reason doesn’t enter the equation with Alicia McCarthy. I’m insane for her. It’s a reckless part of me that may get me killed, but somehow I can’t cage it.
The threat of death isn’t enough to stop my vicious and insatiable need from determining my actions.
