Daddy’s Timid Girl by Jess Winters

CHAPTER THREE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chloe

I breathed a sigh of relief once I was finally free of that dress. The circulation returned fully to my arms and legs and I didn't have that itchy lace around my neck anymore.

Henry had a huge master bedroom, complete with a canopy bed, a writing desk, and even an alcove with a bookshelf and an armchair for reading. One wall was taken up by a fake fireplace. The entire place felt cozy.

I went into the bathroom and washed my face vigorously in the marble sink. Then, I shook my hair out of the painful bun and looked at myself in the mirror. Makeup-free and with my hair loose, I was finally starting to look like myself again. I smiled a little at the sight. I still felt the relief of not having to marry Eugene. He had always creeped me out and I knew my life with him would have been miserable. I just felt bad that Henry had been dragged into my mess.

Henry had always been nice to me. When I had been forced to attend family parties celebrating Eugene’s all but kidnapping me, Henry had been the only one who had been kind to me. I found myself looking forward to seeing his bright smile and kind brown eyes. Even though he was older than I was, I couldn't help but notice how sexy he was. When I was trapped in Eugene's mansion, I would spend my nights dreaming about Henry taking me in his arms and protecting me. I had never thought that it would come true.

I laid the dress neatly on the bed. I would have to return it to Eugene's family— they’d paid for it after all. I didn't want it anyway. Still, I needed it as undamaged as possible or they might try to sue me, or Henry, for damages. I needed to hang it up. I opened a walk-in closet, looking for a hanger I could use.

Inside, I saw things I hadn't expected.

Shelves full of stuffed animals lined the wall. Stacks of coloring books and puzzles and children's books rested on the floor. In one corner were several packages of adult diapers. A thrill of pleasure raced down my back at the sight of it all. I imagined myself curled up in Henry's bed, wearing a diaper and cuddling a stuffy. He would come in from work, undress, and . . .

I shook myself out of that fantasy. Henry might be a Daddy, but he wouldn't want me as his Little. I was young, a little ditzy, and definitely not as educated or sophisticated as the people he worked with every day. At the end of the day, a Little was a partner, and he would want one capable of intelligent conversation. That definitely wasn't me.

I had fantasized about being a Little for a big strong Daddy for years, though. Henry fit the bill perfectly. It would be difficult not to make a fool of myself in front of him, especially now that I knew he enjoyed it, too.

I slipped out of the closet and shut the door behind me. I would have to hang up the dress later, when the guest room was ready. In the meantime, I needed to get dressed and leave the room, before I was tempted to curl up in his closet with a stuffy.

I went downstairs, and overheard Henry speaking with someone on the phone.

"No, you don't get to talk to her," he hissed. "If she wanted to marry you, you wouldn't have had to threaten her parents in the first place." There was a pause. "Don't try to toy with me," he said. His voice was low and threatening. It sent a shiver through me. Henry was scary when he wanted to be. "You can't manipulate me the way you do others. I'm not so easily fooled."

My stomach lurched. He meant easily fooled like me. He was right, but I wished I didn't have to hear it myself. I crossed my arms over my chest and walked into the living room, where Henry was. He caught sight of me and his expression softened immediately.

"I won't discuss this further with you. Have your lawyer get in contact with mine, if you want to make good on those threats." He hung up the phone and smiled at me. "You look much better. At least more relaxed."

I looked down at the t-shirt and drawstring sweatpants. I was practically swimming in them. "Anything feels better than that dress," I said. "What was he threatening you with?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "Something about kidnapping or theft. He also wants me to pay for the cost of the wedding, because I stole the bride." He chuckled. "He's full of shit. Even if he tries, my legal team is bigger than his is."

"I'm sorry," I said. "That sounds like a huge headache."

"Trust me, this is nothing. I've handled much bigger headaches in the past with my family." He groaned and rubbed his face. "You should have been there when they sued me over my college tuition. That was a nightmare."

"How could they sue you over that?"

He looked away. A muscle in his jaw twitched slightly. "It turns out family loyalty only lasts as long as you enter into the family cult. When it became clear that I had no intention of joining their oil empire, my parents sued me for the cost of my college tuition, saying they only gave it to me on the condition that I joined the business."

"That's awful," I said. "How were you able to get out of it?"

"I had a friend who had just graduated law school. He was willing to take on the case, if I hooked up some solar panels to his house to help keep his electricity bill down. He won the case, of course. I had started college when I was 17, so I wasn't old enough to sign a contract, even if there had been one. As soon as my company took off, I paid back every cent, though. I didn't want them thinking I owed them anything."

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. My parents loved me unconditionally. I couldn't even imagine them doing something like that to me.

He shrugged. "It's in the past now." He managed a smile. "Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

As if on cue, my stomach rumbled. "Yes, please," I said. I had been too full of dread to eat anything all day. Not that I would have wanted to. Every time I ate a bite in Angela's presence, she commented how I should slow down because I wasn't eating for two, yet. Unfortunately, she was always around Eugene and me.

"Come on." Henry led me to the kitchen where a chef was busy preparing food for dinner. The aroma of herbs and spices made my mouth water. Henry nodded at the chef who smiled cheerily at us before going back to his work.

Henry raided a cupboard and brought out a container of oatmeal and a bag of apples. "How do fresh apples and cinnamon oatmeal sound?"

"That sounds amazing," I said. "But, I really don't need anything that fancy."

He smiled. "You're doing me a favor. I like preparing food for others but I don't get a chance to do it often." He led me out into the dining room, which was modest compared to the rest of the house. He pulled a bowl out of the cupboard and started measuring oatmeal into it.

"At least let me help," I said, grabbing an apple. "You've already done so much for me."

"If you want to. But, you don't have to worry about it. It's no trouble at all."

I couldn't understand why he would say that. Not only had I made the relationship worse between his family and him; but now, he was also playing host to my parents and me. Sure, he enjoyed pissing off his parents. But, mostly he was just a nice person and he was being more than generous to me.

I sliced up one of the apples for the oatmeal. I bit my lip as I worked, trying to make the slices even. Cooking was never my forte. I had always preferred just a quick microwave meal. We could rarely afford fresh ingredients like this anyway.

As I made the last slice, my finger got a little too close to the blade. I sucked in my breath at the prick of pain. I held up my finger just in time to see blood well up.

"Are you okay?" Henry grabbed my hand, his eyes full of worry.

"It's nothing," I said. "Just a scratch. I got a little too careless with the blade."

"Come on." He led me into the living room and knelt down at the coffee table. He opened up a small drawer on the inside and pulled out a first aid kit. "Let's get that patched up."

"It really is okay," I said. "It'll close up soon."

"I want to make sure it doesn't get infected. Sit down." His tone left no room for argument.

I sat down on the couch as he pulled out antiseptic wipes and a bandage. He took my hand gently in his. His touch felt so good. I had never had a man be as gentle with me as Henry was. Not that I had much experience with men. I had had a couple of boyfriends in high school, but nothing that lasted more than a couple of months. I was too busy during my entire first year of college for a boyfriend. Then, unfortunately, Eugene noticed me, before I could start my second year of college. I was supposed to be starting school now, but he had made me drop out. He was definitely not gentle with me. It was a miracle he didn't leave bruises every time he touched me.

Henry wrapped a small Band-Aid around the cut. "All better," he said. He dropped my hand and looked away. "I'll finish up on the oatmeal. Just make yourself comfortable in here until I'm done."