Tender Billionaire Daddy by Scott Wylder

CHAPTER FOUR

Liam

I looked around Lacy's studio apartment, feeling tense. It was tiny and cramped. A rickety twin-sized bed sat in one corner and a chest of drawers was at its foot. It seemed to hold all of her clothes. I found a suitcase under the bed and carefully started to put her clothes into the suitcase. They were all threadbare from what I could tell.

By the time I was done, I was feeling frozen. It was cold outside. The evening air was reaching below freezing, and it didn't feel much warmer in here. I checked the thermostat, which was set at seventy. It looked as if the heat was broken, too. I couldn't believe she had been living like this. It was horrible. No wonder she had looked so exhausted and stressed. When was the last time she had been in a stable living environment?

Just as I finished filling the suitcase, there was a loud thud. I jumped and turned at the sound of the noise but didn't see anything. Then I heard shouting. It sounded as if the neighbors were fighting. Violently.

"Jesus," I muttered.

I hadn't grown up rich. My parents had always bought Griffin and me second-hand clothes to save money and I was in the reduced lunch program at school more often than not. But, we always had heat in the house and I never had to worry about my safety. I couldn't imagine Lacy felt safe in here. I had convinced her to stay with me, while she recovered, but the thought of bringing her back here, once she was healed, was unbearable.

I checked the dingy bathroom to grab any toiletries she might need. Out of curiosity, I looked in her fridge. I wasn't surprised to find it nearly empty, aside from some leftovers from the restaurant where she worked. When she’d wolfed down that crappy hospital food, I’d suspected it had been some time since she’d had a proper meal. Now I knew it. That was going to change. I would make sure of it. As long as she was with me, I was going to spoil her.

Maybe it wasn't my place, but I didn't care. I wanted to make sure she was all right. She was so sweet and so beautiful. Everything about her brought out the Daddy instincts in me. Even if she couldn't be my Little, I would still spoil her as long as she let me.

On my way out the door, I spotted a small teddy bear on her bed. I smiled at the sight of it. It was too much to hope for her being a Little. It was probably just a childhood memento. Still, maybe it would give her a little bit of comfort while she was staying in a strange place. I grabbed it.

I drove to my home in Queensville. I lived in a small mansion at the edge of town. It was extravagant, but I had just gotten my first big payout, and the money was burning a hole in my pocket, so I bought it. I was an idiot at the time and didn't realize that the bigger the house, the lonelier, and emptier it would feel. But, it was okay. I would have company over, now. At least for a few days. Maybe more if I could convince her to stay longer.

When I got inside, Peppermint ran up to greet me. I smiled and picked her up, cuddling her. "I'm so glad to have you home, girl," I whispered. "Guess what? Your friend Lacy is going to be visiting soon. So don't run away again, okay?"

She licked my face in response.

I carried her into the living room. Griffin was sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table.

"The vet said she was fine.” he said. “Some malnutrition and a few scratches, but she was lucky. She wrote down a diet plan to get Peppermint back to a healthy weight."

"Thank God." I set Lacy's suitcase and teddy bear on the floor and sat down next to Griffin on the couch.

"What's with the bag?"

"You know the woman who saved Peppermint? She got pretty banged up from the accident. Once she's out of the hospital, I'm going to have her move in here until she recovers."

He raised his eyebrows. “Really?” He grinned. “Do you like her?”

“What are you, twelve? I’m just helping her out.”

“Uh-huh.”

“She just needs a safe place to recover. That’s it.”

“If you say so.” Griffin stood up. "I have to go. My shift starts in an hour. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Have a good night. Don't end up in the hospital again, okay?"

He grinned. "No promises."

After he left, I took Lacy's belongings to the guest room right, which was next to mine. I put her clothes in the drawers next to the bed and rested her teddy bear next to her pillow. I smiled.

She would have no idea how much I would enjoy taking care of her.