Her Daddy’s Special Girl by Mary Potter

CHAPTER SEVEN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rebecca

I didn’t lift my head until I was sure Will had stepped away. Even then, I kept my hands up as I turned to the left to look at her. I felt hot around my neck and tingly throughout my body.

“Oh my God, Bonnie.”

Bonnie half rolled her eyes, but smiled at me. “Would you rather have talked to him for another hour before he wandered off on his own?” When I didn’t answer she nodded as if that was an answer. “Now we can work on finding you someone that’ll actually suit you.”

Will came back over then and I tried not to whimper, feeling hotter as embarrassment crept its way down my neck and chest.

“I actually,” I started. My voice cracked at the end, and I felt another shot of heat run through me. Will put Bonnie’s new drink down in front of her and I cleared my throat. I put my hands down, but didn’t look at either of them.

“I actually think I’m just going to get going.”

“What?” Bonnie said, eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure, Becs?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“We don’t have to do this—” she made a circle motion with her hand between them “— you know. We can just drink, dance, and have fun on our own.”

“No, no,” I said. “I’m just… done for tonight.” Maybe done forever. Maybe trying to find someone to hookup with was just a failed experiment. “I’m going to call a cab and go home.”

I wanted to go home, curl up with my blankie, and try to soothe myself another way, since I couldn’t find a Daddy to help me do it.

“I’ll drive you home,” Will said suddenly.

I looked up to find his eyes trained on me, watching carefully. I got impossibly hotter and swallowed.

“You don’t have—”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Bonnie said. I turned to try and subtly glare at her, but she wasn’t looking at me. “You can make sure Becs gets inside safe and sound, and then maybe you’ll get to have a fun night, like you planned.”

“It’s too much trou—”

“I don’t mind,” Will said. “As Bonnie said, I’d like to make sure you get home. Safe and sound.”

I swallowed again, and when no more words came to me, I nodded.

Will went around to the other bartenders and told them he was leaving and to call him if there were any issues. He was ready in a couple of minutes, which was barely enough time for me to glare at Bonnie even though she was ignoring me and dancing in place with her eyes closed.

“Ready to go?” Will asked.

It was the first time I’d seen him so close on this side of the bar. He was taller than I thought and his broad shoulders seemed more somehow. I could see more red in his beard than in his hair and immediately felt that I was safe in his presence.

“Yeah,” I said, blushing again, wondering how I was going to make it through this car ride without him thinking I was a total idiot.

He led me out the side exit and to his SUV. It was dark blue and big and I felt so small as Will held my hand to help me step up onto the running board and then into the car. Once I was sitting in the seat, he pulled the seatbelt down and across my body, leaning in until he could click it in place. He was so close, I could smell his aftershave and feel the heat of his body. He straightened the belt out, but then suddenly pulled back quickly and froze.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“No,” I said. I didn’t want him to be sorry for that, especially since I liked it so much. “I mean, um, I appreciate it. Thank you.”

Will looked at me for a long moment, as if he was trying to figure me out. Then he closed the door carefully and went around, to get into the driver’s side. I took a deep breath and tried to get my body to cool down.

He got in, asked me for my address, and started driving.

“Did you have an okay time?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. He gave me a skeptical look across the console. “No, I did. Didn’t go to plan, but when does that ever happen.”

He laughed, and I giggled back.

“So… any particular reason you were looking for someone tonight?”

I tried to look away to hide how red my cheeks probably were. “Just. Stressful week, I guess.”

After a pause, he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

My initial reaction was to say no, but looking at him, it seemed like he wanted to listen to me. So, I told him about how stressful work had been recently. How it felt like I couldn’t do anything right, how my boss yelled at me, and how I wished it was easier to handle everything.

Without meaning to, I talked about how sick my mom was, too. How she was having a harder time than normal recently and how I had to go over almost every day to make sure she and my dad were okay.

When I stopped talking, I realized we were parked at my apartment complex. I wondered how long we had been there.

“Anyway,” I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Thank you for driving me home.”

“Of course,” he said, unbuckling his own.

“Oh, you don’t have to—”

“I would be more comfortable if I knew you got inside your apartment safely.” His eyes were intense as he looked at me. I felt myself nod, and before I knew it he was opening my car door and following me through the front door and up the stairs

At my apartment door, I stuck the key in the lock and said, “I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me tonight.”

“Of course,” he said easily. When I looked over my shoulder he was looking down at his shoes, maybe as if he didn’t want to go. I opened the door and looked back.

“Well, goodnight,” Will said. He turned around and started walking back towards the stairs.

In an uncharacteristic flash of boldness, my whole body felt like it was on fire as I whispered, “You too, Daddy.”

He froze, one hand on the railing. He turned his head slowly, looking over his shoulder at me. I took a shuttering inhale as I maintained eye contact. Before I could blink, Will was turning around, walking towards me, and backing me through the door until I was right against the front hall wall.

He leaned down and kissed me fiercely. I moaned loudly and barely registered the door closing behind him, too focused on the relief and pleasure and the absolute bliss of realizing that I had finally found what I was looking for.