Page 34 of Bound to the Daddy

“No matter. You have all evening to get it done. In the meantime, I hired a nail technician to see to your mangled fingers.”

I want to protest, but I know anything I say will fall on deaf ears. When the door opens up, a kind-looking beta shuffles in with her cart. She’s all smiles as she sets things out and prepares for the job ahead of her.

“Am I supposed to ask what color you want me to get?”

“You can if you wish, but I figured you’re a big enough girl to decide that on your own.”

For a moment, I flounder. Is this a test? Is he trying to get me to pick the wrong thing so he can punish me? It seems ridiculous to be in a panic over something so minor, but I don’t want to screw this up.

“Please.” I glance over at the woman and swallow the word, Daddy. “I would really like to know your opinion.”

“May we see the polishes you have with you today?”

“Certainly!” Beaming, she takes a small basket and hands it to me before going back to her task.

A lot of the colors are ones I wouldn’t choose—pinks, pastels, lavenders. But there, nestled near the bottom, is a dark blue, almost the same color as his walls. I pick it up and hold it up to the light. Small shimmers of silver glitter thread their way through, bringing a smile to my lips.

“What about this one?”

He holds it in his palm and stares at it for a moment. It looks so small in his massive hand, as if he can just barely squeeze it, and it will shatter. That same giant hand smacked my ass, but somehow didn’t break me. Heat rushes over my face as I turn away, not wanting to reveal my thoughts.

“I think it will look lovely on you. Go relax. That is, if you can manage it.”

Nodding, I make my way over to the technician and hand her the bottle. “And what am I going to be doing for you today?”

From his desk, Mr. Rothsbourne chimes in. “Your deluxe manicure and pedicure. Off to the side is a bathroom you can getwater from for your travel foot tub. I want you to pamper this girl like she’s a princess.”

“Very well, Sir! Consider it done!”

I gnaw on my bottom lip as I slip my hands over to her. Instead of judging me, however, she examines each finger closely, a concerned expression on her face. “Do you chew down like this often?”

“I- I try not to. It just happens, and I don’t always realize it.”

“My sister is like that. Once she started getting regular manicures, it helped. The polish doesn’t taste too good, and she hates messing it up. I do her nails, and she hates causing me trouble. Not that it is any at all.”

“In that case, I want to hire you to come out once a week and do her nails,” Mr. Rothsbourne says from his chair, not even looking over at us.

“I can certainly add you to my schedule. Now then, you just relax and leave everything to me.”

My heart thumps in my chest as she lowers my fingers into the warm, soapy water. Does he actually care about me? I mean, rationally, I know he does, but I still can’t understand why. Unfortunately, all it does is make me want to cry. It’s not sorrow, exactly, but more like relief.

For the first time in a long time, someone actually gives a damn about me. Someone wants to take care of me, to soothe me, to hold me. How I wish it was Brody and not his father. It would be so much simpler if it was him.

Now, I have to face the fact that I might very well be falling for this older man, this father-figure I want so desperately I can almost taste it. Forbidden, taboo, and totally off limits.

CHAPTER 12

STEPHANIE

One Week Later

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The sound of my alarm pierces my brain, dragging me out of the dredges of sleep. Irritation rolls down my spine as the delicious image of Daddy Rothsbourne vanishes, leaving me alone in my bedroom. With a frustrated grunt, I pull my hand out of my underwear and flop over onto my back.

---