Page 36 of Bound to the Daddy

For several moments, his end is silent, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Are you happy here with me?

Where the fuck did that come from?

Sure.

Convince me.

Heat floods my face as I picture myself showing him just how happy he can make me. “No, dammit,” I cry out to the empty room. “I have a boyfriend.”

I’m as grateful as a person can be. You’ve certainly rescued me from a horrendous fate, and I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.

I guess that’s the best I’ll get from you. Is there anything else that will make you happier?

A job?

Besides that. You need to focus on rebalancing and healing. Rest is paramount.

“Right,” I grumble under my breath. “And you’d probably be happy with me being barefoot and pregnant, too.”

If you must know, I’m a bit bored. Without something to keep me occupied, I’m kinda floundering here.

I see. I must remedy that then. After your manicure, I’ll have some clerical work for you to do. Because I’m so busy with my businesses, I have neglected my house. If I remember correctly, part of your job was expense reports. Correct?

Yes.

Excellent. I would like those reports by the time dinner is ready.

My stomach flops about as I scan the room. Can I even do what he asks? Without seeing the amount of paperwork he has, I have no idea if I can do it or not. Already I feel set up for failure.

Ugh. Why am I like this? I should be ecstatic about having something to do besides looking at the walls. As pretty as they are, it doesn’t make me feel useful.

Before I can stop myself, my hand creeps up to my lips. My teeth glide along the growing nail of my thumb. Not biting, but just pressing down. He can’t fault me for just pressing down, can he?

It tickles that part of my brain that makes me happy but doesn’t fully satisfy the itch. I keep teasing myself, almost as if I’m just edging myself. Finally, I give in. Besides, I have a manicure today. It’s not as if I’ll chew them down to the nubs. Also, it’s just my thumb. No one cares about a thumb.

Try as I might to justify it, I can’t stop with just the thumb. Once that’s chewed down, I start on the others until I’m back to ragged, jagged fingers. What once were pretty nails with perfect pale polish are now chipped and ugly. With a soft sob, I plant my head in my hands as that feeling of hopelessness creeps over me.

Next to me, on the bed, my phone buzzes again, and for a moment, my breath catches in my throat. How can he know already? But when I look at the screen, relief floods my system. It’s just Brody. Daddy Rothsbourne might be many things, but neither clairvoyant nor omniscient are one of them.

Brody

Hey doll. Weirdest thing.

Seems like I got a summons by the governing body to be married tomorrow. Guess that means our fun times are cut short. Bummer, I know. I’m just as shocked as you probably are.

But hey, if you got one too, maybe it’s you. If not, then I guess my wife and I will be seeing you around the house. Please don’t make it weird. I’m going to block this number just in case it’s not you. Can’t have my future wifey getting jealous of my high school sweetheart.

Look. Odds are, it is you. In that case, can’t wait to knot you properly. See you or not down the aisle!

Time stops for a moment, where I just can’t breathe again. It’s not as if I saw forever with Brody, but seeing as I haven’t received a text, that means it’s done. Over. What do I do with my life now?

My fingers fly over the keys, desperate to reach out to him just one last time. It can’t end like this. It just can’t.

Stephanie

Wait!

---