Page 58 of Detention with Daddies

The aghast face emojis fill my screen.

I know. I can’t even process it right now. I mean, I feel like a novelty. You know?

Baby girl, you are anything but a novelty, and if he can’t see that, you either have to make him or shut it down.

Shawna always has my back. I love her to pieces.

What kinds of things does he say?

I give her my list that I can remember, and waiting for her response has me spiraling again. I really hate this.

Those sound pretty damning, and they definitely don’t sound like he’s respecting you as a person. But it’s borderline fetishizing your body. I think you should confront him about it, especially after he didn’t stand up for you with those nurses.

Yeah, I will. But I have good news too, and I’d rather focus on that right now.

Ooo, please, do tell.

So I tell her about making up with Nick and our upcoming date this weekend, which I totally invite her to. Turnaround is fair play. But I also tell her about what happened with Matteo yesterday. Spending the night, and the complete surprise that was.

The last few days have been a whirlwind, and I have no idea how to process it all. Three men. All of them are good in bed. All of them come with their own hang-ups and issues. All of them cause problems for me at the center.

Girl. We need another binge fest and coffee date. When are you done? I’m opening the bottle of wine right now.

I’ll be over after my shower.

Good. The door will be unlocked for you and your glass will be waiting on the counter.

I stuff my phone back in my bag and set to work putting the studio back in order.

As I clean up the space and replace the mats to their piles, I can feel a presence behind me, and tension draws my shoulder blades tight.

I turn to find Dr. Wright hovering in the doorway, seriousness lining his features as he looks me over.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

I cross my arms but nod. He clocks my discomfort, steps in, and closes the door behind him before he approaches. I’ve never seen him look sheepish like this before.

“I wanted to explain about ignoring the trio and their comments.”

My brow shoots up.

“I didn’t want to acknowledge their gossip because I didn’t want to give them any more fuel. It’s always been my policy, and this time it felt wrong.”

“Mmm.” It’s not an apology. It’s an excuse and maybe an acknowledgment.

His hand lifts a little and drops, like he’s thinking better of touching me. Good call on his part. “I realize how it must look from your point of view, and I’m sorry for not defending you.”

“I appreciate that, but I don’t think you do understand my point of view.”

His brows furrow, and he frowns, back to the serious doctor I met when I pitched him my thesis project.

“Do you realize the things you say to me? About how soft I am. About how fat or round my ass is? How well it means I can take you? Complimenting my curves. It’s all physical, focusing on my size, and it makes me feel like a novelty to you. Your first fat girl.”

His mouth falls open, his confusion clear. “I—I didn’t mean to be offensive. Olivia…”

My arms tighten around myself harder. I can’t give in just because he seems contrite.

“I don’t mean to make you feel that way. I’ve never really known how to talk about attraction outside of that ideal body lens.”

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