Page 31 of XOXO, Daddy
“What about you? What concerns do you have?” he asked, turning me back around to run conditioner through my hair. Thank God, or it would be a tangled mess by morning, even if I brushed it. It could be wild when it wanted to be.
“That feels so good,” I groaned as he massaged my scalp. A moment later, he turned me again, letting the conditioner rinse out of my hair.
“Are you going to answer my question?” he teased. I turned back around, letting the water run over the front of my body. In all honesty, it was hard to be so blatantly honest with those dark eyes looking down at me, making me think of all the dirty things we had done together. Or better yet — the dirty things we had yet to do.
“If I’m being honest, it’s still a little weird that you’re Alyssa’s father,” I admitted. He groaned, but I quickly continued. “It doesn’t bother me to the point of not moving forward. I’m just saying that it wasn’t exactly what I had planned. But it’s not a deal-breaker.”
“The best laid plans of mice and men,” he muttered against the back of my shoulder as the water sprayed over us.
“Donotstart quoting Robert Burns to me.” I turned just enough for him to see my tongue sticking out.
“Then do not worry so much about Alyssa, princess,” he murmured, his lips almost buzzing against the tender flesh at the back of my neck as he brushed the heavy, wet locks of my hair to the side.
“That feels so good.”
“I’m about to make you feel better.”
No other words were spoken as he turned me, lifting me into his arms with the strength of a man half his age and took me against the shower wall.
Well… nocleanwords were spoken.
Only the dirty, dirty words of a Daddy to his little princess.
Chapter Sixteen
I stopped in my tracks,staring at my desk after coming back from lunch. Sitting in the middle, where anyone could see, was a large bouquet of flowers and a stuffed rabbit. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the note sticking out of the bouquet. Forgetting my worry at who might have seen the gift, I rushed over and pulled the note out to read.
Princess,
I was just thinking about you, and I couldn’t resist buying you a little present. I hope you like your new stuffy! Make sure you have it with you next time we play.
XOXO, Daddy
I giggled and did a little happy dance. Quickly glancing out of my office windows, I made sure no one had noticed, then sat at my desk. I had barely managed to set the flowers and stuffy under my desk and out of sight when my door flew open.
Shit, shit, shit!
“Okay, I’ve tried to be patient, but you and I both know that’s not my strong suit,” Alyssa chittered, stepping in uninvited as Itried desperately to hide the panic threatening to strangle me. She could not find Adam’s note.
“Well, hello to you, too, Alyssa,” I managed, brashly as she flopped into an open chair.
“I don’t like when things are weird between us. So, I’m here to get to the bottom of it,” she said with unwavering confidence. “I get that your one night stand or whatever wasn’t great, but that’s no excuse to bite my head off.”
Her chastisement grated on my nerves.
“I wasn’t trying to bite your head off, Alyssa.”
“Then what were you trying to do, exactly?” That know-it-all expression got under my skin, and I sighed. I had reports to focus on.
“I was trying to maintain a level of professionalism.”
“Professionalism, my ass. We are best friends, Willow. It’s not okay to freak out on your best friend like that,” she snapped with a snide look.
“Alyssa, listen. I’m trying to do the right thing here. I am your boss. Technically, I am your boss’s boss. I’ve worked really hard to get to this place and one of the ways I’ve done that is by maintaining professionalism in the workplace. It’s a huge part of my job. One I need you to respect.” I was trying to be calm and careful with her. I truly was. But Alyssa wasn’t hearing any of it.
“Come off it, Willow. I closed the door. It’s not like I’m hugging you in the middle of a meeting again. I get what you meant the other day. But I also don’t think it’s cool for you to just snap at me like that.”
“If we were just hanging out, sure. But we were at work, Lyss. It’s different. I need you to be professional here at work. We can gossip and hang out outside of work, but when we are here, we need to be more intentional in our interactions. That’s all I’m saying.”
