The Hot Daddy Box Set

by Lexi Wilson

  But it didn’t scare me then, and it wasn’t going to scare me now. As soon as the door closed, there was cheering around the office, as everyone looked at me with a newfound sense of respect. They had never seen anyone stand up to Anthony before, and it was clear they weren’t sure how to handle it. I smiled, glancing around at them with a sheepish grin.

  I didn’t want it to be me versus him, but if that’s how he wanted to play the game, then that’s how we would play.

  He didn’t scare me.

  Chapter 31

  “Look, why don’t you just send me someone temporary? Kellie’s been through a lot with recent health problems, and I don’t want to stress her out with someone permanent. We’ll try someone out for a while, and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll let you know.” I listened as the woman on the other end of the line stuttered something, but I was too aggravated to really pay attention to her.

  I had finally decided to go with a temporary agency to find a nanny for Kellie. I had been talking to the agency I had used for the past few girls, and they were telling me much the same thing they had before. They had a list of girls they thought would be a good fit, but none of them really were exactly what I wanted.

  Sure, I knew there was some room for compromise, but I didn’t want to put Kellie through more than she’d been through already. It was already a guessing game for the poor girl one day to the next, not knowing if her mother was going to be around at all, let alone if she was going to be in a good mood.

  I was getting tired of listening to Maisie pick on Kellie like she did. There were times she seemed to be the girl’s best friend; then there were times it seemed Maisie only wanted to be a mother for the benefits she got from living in the house with the two of us. It was aggravating to say the least, and now I was back to taking out my anger and frustration on the people I worked with.

  I didn’t want to admit to myself that I had liked myself more when I was with Stella. The more I thought about that, the more I questioned the choice I’d made to break up with her. I told myself I had done it for the good of Kellie, but when I thought about how miserable the girl was, as well as myself, I only became angrier.

  Not just with the situation, but with myself.

  Stella was being aggravating. The fact she had stood up to me made me proud of her. I liked the fact she still had the same fire she had when the two of us had gotten together in the first place. I liked to know that the pain I must have caused didn’t affect the way she behaved toward me.

  I also liked the fact she didn’t seem to be playing the victim or going out of her way to get me to fall in love with her again. I could see in her eyes she thought I had made a mistake, and she was going to live her life the way she felt was best in spite of it.

  It was a situation that only made me wish things could be different than they were — to wish that there was a way I could go back and change the past. But without any way of doing that, I knew I was going to have to merely take what I could get from a relationship with her now and realize that I had screwed up.

  I glanced down at my phone when it chimed, still in the habit of hoping Stella would text. Of course, I knew she wouldn’t. She was just out in the other room. If she needed something, she would come in here and tell me to my face that she needed it. If there was one thing I could say about her, it was the fact I knew without a doubt she wasn’t the kind of woman to play games.

  With Stella, there was no guessing how she was feeling or what she was thinking. I knew from the moment she and I had started sleeping together that she was the one I wanted. I knew I wanted her, and I had no doubts in my mind that she was on board with the situation herself.

  I never felt that I was pressuring her to do anything she didn’t want to do or that she was trying to get something out of the situation with me other than love and a family. There was a major part of me that felt bad about the fact I had ruined that for her, and I wished there was a way I could make it up to her. Of course, with the conversation we had recently had, she had made it clear she didn’t want anything from me, at all.

  But I told myself it was clear she wanted much more than she was telling me. If I had my way, I would have gladly gone out into the other room and thrown her up against the wall. I would have happily kissed her senseless right there in front of everyone.

  If I had my way, I would break up with Maisie, and I would bring Stella into my office. I would lock the door, throw her over my desk, and have my way with her then and there. I would show her how sorry I was for the mistake I had made and how much I wanted her more than I wanted any other woman on the planet. I would prove to her that she was my one and only, that I would give her all of me.

  I sighed as I saw it was Maisie who had texted me. I couldn’t for the life of me guess what she wanted, but at the same time, I didn’t even care to know. I would open it, and I would read it for the pure and simple fact it might have something to do with our daughter. But, if that wasn’t the case, then I would ignore her entirely.

  I’m planning on being out tonight. Late. I’m likely going to leave before you get off work, but I’m going to leave Kellie at home. She’ll be there when you get back.

  I set my phone down on the desk with a little too much force. Shaking my head, I sat back in my chair, pushing it back from my desk roughly with my feet, sending it toward the wall a short ways. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to think it was true, but I wasn’t stupid, and I could see clearly the signs: Maisie had to be cheating on me.

  Though she and I weren’t sleeping together, there was the agreement between us that we were going to be together to make things better for Kellie. It was the entire reason I had broken up with Stella, and it was the whole reason she had been sleeping in my bed. Of course, I knew it was difficult for the both of us to even wrap our minds around this situation, but I had thought it was very much implied that the two of us were going to abstain from any other relationship in our lives in order to make it work for our daughter.

  I didn’t think it was any secret that if I was given the choice, I would have chosen Stella over anyone else on the planet, but instead, I had broken not only my own heart, but hers as well to make Maisie happy. I had been convinced at the time that I had done it for Kellie, but now that I was faced with this text message in front of me, I didn’t know what to think.

  I had noticed that money was disappearing out of my account. An entire credit card had gone missing, and when I called in on it to see how it was doing, I wasn’t surprised to hear that several hundred dollars had been charged to it. Of course, I had been stupid enough to think that she wouldn’t be selfish enough to take my work credit card. I was frustrated with myself — I knew I was smarter than that.

  That morning when I had gotten ready for work, it had been missing from its usual spot on the counter. I knew she had to be the one to take it. The only reason I ever used the card was for work, and I would have remembered if I had put it somewhere else. Now, seeing that she was going to be out late, I had no doubt in my mind she was going out with someone.

  And, if she was going to take my card to do it, then I felt it likely she was going out with someone she was trying to impress. Sure, she would do her best to get the poor fellow to buy her drinks all night, but I knew the truth. She was going to flaunt what cash she had in front of him, then she was going to flash the card. She would spend my money wantonly, trying to make a name for herself with people she had no business knowing.

  I wasn’t going to dignify the text with an answer. I could argue with myself that it was nothing more than speculation, but in the back of my mind, I knew. I knew if there was a way for her to get something for nothing, then she was going to do it. It was the way she had been the entire time I knew her, and in the brief time she had been living with me again, I could see not much had changed.

  In fact, it seemed that the few habits she had had when we were together the first time had gotten a whole lot worse.

  And nothing about her
had gotten better.

  I sighed once more, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, a new impulse washed over me. I had to see Kellie. If there was anyone on this planet who could calm me down, it was my daughter. She was the one I had done this for. She was the one I would do anything for. I wanted to see her. To wrap my arms around her. I just wanted to tell her that I love her.

  With the impulse surging through me, I got up from my desk and grabbed my briefcase, poking my head around the corner to Stella.

  “I’m going to be stepping out for a while. Keep an eye on things while I’m gone, will you?” I didn’t wait for her to answer. The glaring look she gave me was enough for me to know how she felt about me, but I didn’t have time to care. There was only one female on the planet I wanted to see, and I knew she was one who wouldn’t have any drama.

  I sped home as quickly as I could, wondering what I was going to say when I got there. I didn’t want to see Maisie, but it was worth the drama if I was going to get to see Kellie out of it.

  I unlocked the door to our house and stepped in, bracing myself for Maisie.

  But, she wasn’t there.

  I didn’t know if I should be surprised or angry. There was a part of me that was definitely relieved, but then I didn’t have time to focus on that. Right now, there was someone else on my mind.

  “Daddy? What’re you doing home so early?” Kellie asked when I gently knocked on her door and poked my head inside.

  “Hey, pumpkin. I just missed you and thought you might like to share a bowl of ice cream with me,” I said with a smile.

  She looked confused. “Right now? But it’s only two in the afternoon.”

  “I know, but I thought today might be special. Is your mother home?” I asked. I knew the answer, but I wanted to find out what time Maisie had left without Kellie knowing she was involved.

  “No. She left a little bit ago. She said she wasn’t going to be home until later on tonight, and if you didn’t get her message, she wanted me to tell you.” Kellie got up and followed me out to the kitchen, but I rolled my eyes with my back turned to her.

  I was always careful about my daughter getting involved in our arguments and tension, and I never gave her any more details than absolutely necessary. Maisie did the opposite. The more she was able to get her claws into our daughter and drag poor Kellie into what we were doing, the more it seemed she did it.

  “Thanks for letting me know, honey. We won’t worry about waiting for her for dinner then.” I smiled over my shoulder. I wasn’t going to tell her that I had gotten the message.

  “Daddy? Why did Stella leave?” Kellie asked suddenly. She had often talked of Stella since the girl had left, but this was the first time she brought up the question directly. I winced.

  “Well, honey. I thought your mother wanted to move back in here and be part of our family. Wouldn’t that be nice?” I didn’t know how to answer her question, and the only thing that seemed to make sense was telling her Maisie was going to be involved again. Kellie looked at me with the same look she gave me when I’d first asked her if she liked blonde wigs.

  “Don’t you think if Mommy wanted to be part of the family, she would be here? She’s been gone a lot, even after she moved back,” Kellie said simply. It was difficult for me to read her tone, but I was doing my best to be delicate with her.

  “I know, but I thought you would want your real mom to be part of the family again. You know, like other families are.” I had to admit, the words sounded lame, even to me. Now that they were said out loud, I could sense how foolish they were. But, Kellie was a young lady who was wise beyond her years, and she sent a chill through my heart when she reached out and touched my hand.

  “I know that’s what you want, Daddy. But I don’t think that’s what Mommy wants. And, I don’t want a mom who doesn’t want me.”

  The words hung in the air, and I looked down at the ice cream as I scooped it into the bowl. I didn’t know what else to say to my daughter, and I wished something would come to mind.

  I knew she was right, and it blew my mind how she was able to see things so much clearer than me, though she was so very young. But, I perhaps the one thing she didn’t understand was that I didn’t think I could win Stella back, even if Maisie was out of the picture. It was a mistake I had been stupid enough to make, and I now worried that it was one I never would be able to fix.

  There was no way I could bring Kellie into the situation with Stella. It wasn’t Kellie’s battle to fight. If I was going to fix things with Stella, I was going to have to do it on my own — and if I was going to do that, I was going to have to end things with Maisie once more.

  “Come on, let’s go put on a movie and forget about all this silliness for now,” I said with a smile. I held out my hand to her, and the two of us walked into the living room. Stella would figure out I wasn’t coming back to the office and would wrap things up there.

  Thanks to her, it wasn’t something I had to worry about. Now, thanks to her, I could focus on spending time with my daughter. I didn’t want to think about how stupid I had been. I didn’t want to think about the mistake I had made.

  That woman had given me everything.

  Now, I had to figure out how to win her back.

  Chapter 32

  “I just don’t know why you, a straight man, would want to frequent a gay club that often! I mean, I’m not judging you or anything, but I’d think you’d want to spend your time at a place where you could pick up girls.” I shook my head. Jace insisted that I go out with him to his favorite club, but then he told me the name.

  Though I had argued at first Tuesday was a bad day of the week to go out clubbing, he insisted.

  “We aren’t going to get crazy! I just think you could stand to get out for a little while, loosen up, and meet some people! Come on, just because we go out doesn’t mean we have to get drunk or stupid. We are adults, after all.”

  “Adults who have to work in the morning!” I countered. I knew I wasn’t out of my twenties yet, but that didn’t change the fact hangovers were difficult for me to deal with. For me, going out to a club and dancing meant I was going to cut loose and have a lot of fun. I couldn’t see myself being able to get up and function again the next morning.

  “Come on. It’s a special club, and you’re going to have a lot of fun. I promise.” He countered every argument I had, and with time, I could feel my resolve waning. I had told myself time and time again that I was starting to act much older than I really was, and I knew this would be a good thing for me to do.

  Not only would it get me out and let me have some fun, but it would prove to me that I was still young and frisky. I was still able to get out and do things on the spur of the moment. I didn’t have to plan my life down to the letter.

  Besides, like he had insisted, it wasn’t any ordinary dance club.

  I knew it was a gay club, and it confused me. I didn’t have anything against the club. In fact, I had often gone out with my gay friends and had a wonderful time with them while there. But, I’d never met another man who enjoyed going out to them when he himself wasn’t gay or bi.

  “First of all, why would I want to pick up chicks when I’ve got Molly? Second of all, have you heard the music in those clubs? You can’t find shit that good anywhere else.” Jace came back out into the living room, dressed for our night out. I shook my head. I had to admit, he did look good. Though I’d only ever thought of him as a friend, I could see why Molly was so attracted to him.

  “Besides, I know Molly likes to go, and I wanted to take her out tonight, anyway. It’s been a while.” He pushed past me into the bathroom, and I suddenly felt uncertain.

  “I don’t want to intrude on your date!” I called out as I leaned back from the mirror.

  “It’s not a date. Okay, it might be a date, but you aren’t intruding! You know Molly loves you, and I think we’re going to have a great time. You’ll cut loose, enjoy yourself, have a few drinks, and forget about all t
he shit you’ve had to deal with for the past while.” He came back out into the living room fixing the cuff on his jacket.

  He did have a point. Molly and I had gotten along from day one, and I couldn’t see her getting upset about me tagging along. Besides that, I could use some time out. Especially at a place where I knew I wasn’t going to get hit on. Though I didn’t like to think I was still hurting over Anthony, I knew I was. I had to do something to take my mind off him.

  I’d gone out as much as I could over the past few days, but I still felt the pain. It was something I was going to have to continue to do until I felt better. I knew it would be difficult, but eventually, it was going to get better, and the pain would subside. It might be slow progress, but slow progress was still progress, and I knew no matter what, I would eventually be okay.

  Eventually.

  “Come on! I want to get there before all the good spots on the dance floor are taken!” Jace grabbed his keys off the counter and motioned for me to follow him, and I shook my head.

  “I don’t know how you know that,” I teased. He cast me a look over his shoulder and winked, but he headed out the door. My phone suddenly chimed, and I glanced down. I was used to dealing with work emails on the go, even when I wasn’t technically on the clock.

  I was making enough money at my job I knew I could stand to do that. As long as it wasn’t interfering with my real life, it was fine with me. But then, I had to remember that up until just a few days before, I was practically dating my boss, so anything that had to do with work had to do with the both of us, not just my job.

  My heart sank when I saw it was an email from Anthony. I had made it clear to him I wasn’t answering any personal calls or texts from him. If he wanted to get a hold of me, it was only going to be work-related. My first impulse was to delete it, but I hesitated.