Page 3 of Pleasing Him

“We fundraised for that sports equipment!” Coach Goni bawls in return while being helped to his feet. “All that shit is new, and it’s probably been ruined by the paint dripping everywhere. It’s something on order of one hundred thousand dollars of equipment”

“But maybe it didn’t get into the shed,” the assistant coach soothes. “It’s fine. I’m sure all that stuff is fine.”

He produces a key from his belt, and unlocks the door to the structure. It swings open unsteadily, and to my horror, there are splatters of paint on what look like football pads, soccer balls, a goal post of some sort, as well as random foam blocks.

“Oh shit. Itdidget on the equipment,” the assistant coach murmurs. “Goddamn, this is a fucking mess. Let me grab a hose. Maybe we can get it off before it dries.”

With that, he scampers off, leaving me and Coach Goni alone, staring at each other with enmity.

“What the fuck were you thinking?!?!”the massive man hisses again. “Do you know how much equipment you’ve ruined with your fucking graffiti?”

“It’s not graffiti, it’s art!” I hiss right back, my face going red. “Don’t you know the difference? I’m expressing myself via a legitimate artistic medium.”

Unfortunately, the tomato-faced coach isn’t having it. Without a second look, he reaches for the walkie-talkie in his belt and speaks to someone. “Administration, this is Goni. I’m coming in with acriminal,” he snaps, shooting me another disgusted look. “Yeah, this woman has just defaced school property on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yeah, I’ll bring her in. No, I have no idea whether she’s a student at St. George’s. She’s just some random troublemaker.”

Then, he clicks “off” and stares at me like I’m the devil incarnate.

“Let’s go,” he snaps. “You have a lot to answer for.”

My heart sinks because I know they’re going to call my stepfather, and Lionel’s not going to be happy when he hears how I’ve defaced school property. My insides quiver as my thighs press together. I haven’t seen the man of the house in a while now, so what will it be like to see him in the flesh again? I should be scared, and I am, but at the same time, I can’t wait to see the handsome man because I know the billionaire can handle the problem ...and me.

2

Lily

Shivers go down my spine as I sit on the wooden bench outside of the principal’s office. My spine curves as my shoulders slump on themselves because despite the fact that I’m eighteen, somehow I’ve been reduced to feeling about six years old. I’m basically a child right now, with no control of what happens next at all.

Even worse, no one’s had the courtesy to tell me what’s going on. Coach Goni towed me into the main office and pointed to this bench before snarling, “Sit.” Then, he disappeared behind the half-door, and I haven’t heard anything since. The principal’s secretary continues tapping at her computer like nothing’s wrong, and random people breeze in and out with barely a look my way. The people whodosee me stop and stare because I look like a deranged clown. My hair’s a rat’s nest, my clothing’s askew, and there are splatters of paint covering me from head totoe. Even worse, my period’s still going, and I don’t have a pad. I only hope that I’m not leaving a wet red mark on the bench.

“Excuse me,” I say in a hesitant voice to the principal’s secretary. “Um, would you happen to have a sanitary pad?” I ask in an embarrassed whisper. “I think my period’s here. Or rather, it’s definitely here, and I don’t want to dirty the furniture.”

The middle-aged woman peers at me over her glasses, eyeing me up and down. She’s got her grayish-brown hair up in a bun, like she wants to give off the vibe of “sexy librarian” but instead is giving off the vibe of “disheveled and overworked admin.”

“Fine,” she says in a bored tone while snapping her gum. She fumbles in her purse before handing me a sanitary pad. “Come right back, young lady. Principal Pontillo doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

I nod hurriedly, but inside, my mind seethes. The principal’s already keptmewaiting for over an hour! Seriously, the bad manners of these people are unbelievable.

But I steal away to the women’s bathroom. Fortunately, it’s empty and I let out a sigh of relief before locking myself in one of the stalls. Then, I do my business and maxi-pad firmly in place, I exit the stall before washing my hands. A glimpse of my image makes me grimace. My brown curls are matted and gross, daubed with paint here and there. There are dirt streaks on my face, and of course, my clothes are torn and streaked with a multitude of colors. I turn in the mirror and sigh with relief. At least my period stain isn’t apparent. Or rather, it is, but you can’t tell its origin.

Relieved, I tiptoe back to the principal’s office, only to be greeted by the gum-snapping secretary.

“He’s ready,” she announces with a jerk of her head. “In there.”

Taking a deep breath, I collect myself before pushing open the heavy wooden door.

“Hi, Principal Pontillo,” I greet with a sassy smile. “Sorry to keep you waiting—”

But that’s when the air whooshes out of my lungs because there’s a man in the office whom I expected, and who always makes me melt. It’s my stepfather, Lionel, and the alpha male looks angry. He’s more than angry, actually. He’s glowering at me, his handsome mien twisted in a mask of rage.

“I was called out of an important meeting to address your delinquency, Lily,” Lionel says in a clipped tone, his blue eyes icy. “Sit down, because you have some explaining to do.”

3

Lionel

Holy shit, the brat’s gorgeous. Immediately, I feel ashamed for even thinking that because just yesterday, I was fucking a random woman and giving it to her good in both holes. Melody (or was it Melanie?) panted, screamed, and wailed before coming so hard that her eyes rolled back in her head, showing the whites. To be honest, the sight turned me off because it made her look like a zombie. I know. Sex is strange sometimes, and I should roll with it. But maybe it was Melody’s bony limbs and sharp knees that made me grimace. Or maybe no woman has been able to capture my attention ever since Lily moved back in. I give a silent snort of disgust. I’m secretly obsessed with the brat living under my roof, and it fucking drives me crazy.

But what was I supposed to do when the teen girl showed up on my doorstep? Refer her to the nearest women’s shelter? Put her up in a hotel? Her mother, Roberta, would have been mortifiedbecause this is no way to treat a young woman in need. But what Roberta didn’t realize is that her daughter’s developed into a curvy, beautiful woman with a naughty streak that makes me clench my fists while biting my lip. My body stiffens whenever Lily’s in the room, and as a result, I’ve been avoiding her. It’s the right thing to do because any relationship between us would be taboo. I was married to Lily’s mother before she passed, for god’s sake! Yet, whenever I catch a glimpse of my gorgeous stepdaughter, I can’t help but experience a natural male reaction because Lily’sthattempting with her long brown hair, sassy smile, and curves that go on for days.

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