Page 58 of Make Believe

He huffs. “Are you disobeying your Daddy, Kadence?”

I’m still too confused, though. “Why would you want anything to do with me now? It was all a sham.”

He tilts his head and raises his eyebrows. “Everything we shared was a sham?” he says in a clarifying tone. “Every scene we did was a lie? You were trying to find ways to film me that whole time, especially when we fucked in front of a literal camera and could have been discovered by my entire board of directors? You stayed beyond the weekend just to have more time to entrap me? You dressed up like a princess this morning just to get another one over on me?”

I bite my lip. “No,” I utter softly.

“No, what?”

I’m trembling. Even shoving my hands under my thighs doesn’t stop them from shaking. “No…none of that is true.”

He grunts in satisfaction. “So I’m right in thinking that the only nefarious thing you really did was see me at the party, realize you might have an opportunity to take some power back from my son, and then seize it?”

I lift one shoulder in a partial shrug. “It was a shitty thing to do.”

“It was tactical,” Rafferty corrects. “You saw me as an enemy. I admire your ingenuity.”

Baffled, I stare at him. “You do?”

It’s his turn to shrug. “Yes. But I guess it also depends on something.”

“What?” I ask immediately, desperate for a shred of redemption.

He studies me a second, and I hope a hundred times harder that my make-up isn’t dripping down my face. “How do you see me now? Am I still your enemy?”

“No,” I groan. The tears flow once more as I grimace and shake my head. “No, of course not. I…I…I don’t want to hurt you. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done. This is all such a mess!”

“The only mess is how this all unfolded today,” Rafferty says practically. “That wasn’t my intention, obviously. I wanted to discuss how you were feeling, but I can see that might be complicated. So let me be straight with how I’m feeling.” He smirks. “Okay, maybe straight isn’t the right word.”

I’m aware my mouth is hanging open. I thought he was furious, that he hated me. I’m not sure what’s happening right now, but so long as he’s still talking, he’s not leaving. I nod, urging him to continue.

“This isn’t a fling for me, Kadence,” he says as he leans his elbows on his knees, looking earnestly at me. “I care deeply for you. I think I might even love you. The light you’ve brought intomy life is incomparable. You’ve awakened sexual desires in me I never knew existed. But it’s not simply that. Your presence in my home is calming. Sweet. Delightful. And yet still sassy and enticing. I am as content watching TV with you cuddled up by my side as I am fucking my gorgeous Kiki doll until we both come our brains out. I don’t want you to leave. If you agree, I don’t want to hide you away, either. It’s true that I’m afraid of how you might be treated by others, but I’m not afraid of coming out for you. Of telling the world that you’re mine. I’ll be your Daddy, your partner, whatever you want. But I do need to know what you want, preferably soon. Not because I need to tell my wife or my son or my staff. But because if I don’t know how you really feel right this minute, I might just die.”

He swallows, his eyes glassy as he stares at me, his gaze unblinking, holding his breath as he waits for my answer.

It’s too much. I can’t fight this battle any longer. I feel myself break down as a sob wracks my chest.“Daddy!”I cry, launching from the bed and throwing myself into his arms.

He gathers me in his lap, hugging me fiercely as I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his back, burying my face into his neck. “Shh, shh,” he soothes me, stroking my hair.

“I love…I want…” Nothing I need to say is coming out of my mouth.

“You can have whatever you want, Kadence,” he assures me. “You can move in. You can be my doll, my boyfriend. I’m all in. I know this isn’t just an experiment anymore. It never really was, I don’t think. I want to give a real relationship a go. If you’ll have me.”

I lean back incredulously. “IfI’llhaveyou?”I splutter. He raises his eyebrows, and I realize he’s serious. “You trust me?”

His shoulders drop just a fraction, and he smiles sweetly at me. “You might have neglected to mention a couple of things,sweetheart. But I don’t believe you ever actually lied to me. Not with your body or your soul.”

I shake my head. He might have a point there. “It started out as something else, but everything I felt was true.”

He brushes back a curl. “I know, beautiful boy. Why else would you have lost your temper with me like that about your town? That argument wasn’t anything to do with our relationship beyond us both realizing how much we care what the other thinks of us. You showed me your heart for real that night. I know who you are. I do trust you. I want to be with you. I want to build something new together.”

I close my eyes. It seems impossible that I have any more tears left to cry, but these feel different than before. They are my relief, my joy.

“I want that too, Daddy,” I manage to whisper, opening my eyes again. “I want to be your boy and your doll. I want to stay with you. I want to go public with you, but only when you’re ready for that. I…I love you, Rafferty. So much. No one has ever come close in my life to getting me like you do. You’re kind and thoughtful and sexy and commanding. I love it all.”

We only look into each other’s eyes a second before we lean in together, our lips meeting for the second time. Last night I was drunk on endorphins, strung out from sex, and high on adrenaline.

Right now, I am clear-headed. I know this is the only thing in the whole world I want. I am committed to whatever bumpy road lies ahead. So long as I have Rafferty by my side, I can do anything.

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