Page 10 of Ashley
Chapter 3
Ashley stared down at her feet. The ride back to the penthouse had been a blur, and now she was sitting quietly in the living room, eyes on her feet, in the quiet apartment as she tried to process what had happened at the party. She hadn't meant to run off like she did, hadn't meant for the sight of her Daddy—one night mystery man—to send her into such a spiral, but it had. There was no helping how vulnerable it had made her feel to see him interested in another woman, one who was everything she wasn't. Petite, lithe, fair-skinned, all of it was too much to bear and had made her feel like the awkward and unloved pre-teen she had never quite grown out of. It was hard to admit, but it was true, and Ashley blew out a heavy sigh. The peace and sense of balance that had started to coalesce was gone again and she dropped back against the couch with a groan.
When was this going to end?
"Bullshit," she muttered, squeezing her eyes shut. Who ran into the one person they didn't want to see on the night they managed to leave their bed? And in New York, of all places? There were millions of people in the city, 8.6 million to be exact, and somehow, she had managed to run into the one person who had the power to send her running scared.
Ashley rubbed her eyes and shook her head. There was no fix for it. She would just have to shake it off, and that was just what she intended to do, perhaps with the help of ice cream or the nearest pizza delivery joint. The door to the penthouse beeped then and made her scramble to sit up and look presentable. She hadn't been crying, but she didn't look great, and the last thing she wanted to do was put a damper on her friends' evening out. Sucking in a breath and willing a sunny smile onto her face, she sat up straighter and turned to face the foyer where she heard Natasha and Silas entering the room.
"Hi! Do you want pizza? I was thinking of…" Ashley's voice trailed off at the sight of them, no, him. They were here, but they'd brought Daddy with them. "…ordering out," she lamely finished when she didn't know what else to say.
"Hello, Ashley," Daddy said, moving into the room. His gaze was on her face, and she felt herself shrink down until she was surprised her feet were still touching the floor.
"Daddy." The title came out before she could stop it and she winced, looking away from him. "I mean, I…just sorry. Sorry," she rushed to say when she saw his eyes widen. "I didn't mean to say it."
"Don't apologize." He stepped forward, and before she could move from her seat, he was down in front of her. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
"But I…" She paused, licking her lips, eyes darting up to meet his before they slid away again. "I called you Daddy."
"I don't deserve it."
She nodded in agreement. "You don't."
"Good girl," Natasha said approvingly from where she stood by the door.
Ashley gave her a shaky smile before she looked back at the man in front of her. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to fix...I thought you deserved an apology," he said, hands moving to touch her but stopping a few inches away from her. When she didn't move toward him, he dropped his hands back by his side. "You deserve far better than I gave, and I'm sorry, little one."
"How did you find me?"
"That was me." Natasha raised a hand and gave her friend an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's just surprising." She looked back at the man in front of her and then scooted away.
He rocked back on his heels at her movement. "My name is James."
"Ashley," she offered, still not meeting his eyes.
"It's nice to meet you, Ashley."
She nodded, biting her bottom lip. "What happened to your friend? Won't she miss you?"
He furrowed his brow. "Friend?"
"The blonde."
James smiled and looked down at his hands. "You saw that, did you?"
She nodded and turned to look at him. "I did."
"She's fine. Off to her own adventures."
Ashley snorted at that but couldn't help the rush of pleasure that flooded her chest at knowing he was here and not with that woman. "What now?" she asked, finally meeting his eyes.
"Can we talk?" he asked, moving to sit beside her on the couch. Natasha and Silas watched from the foyer. It was obvious the couple needed their space, but where they were supposed to go without ruining the moment was anyone's guess. As such, they remained where they were, eyes on the couple and not saying a word.
"I guess so." Ashley stood from the couch and tucked her hands behind her. "You know where my room is?"
