Once Upon a Daddy: A Romance Anthology

by Kelli Callahan

  “What am I looking at?” She quickly scanned it and then turned towards me.

  “Well.” I leaned forward. “It’s not much right now—but it’ll look at lot better when they get the Hawkins Capital sign on the side of the building.”

  “Huh?” She snapped her head back, and then her eyes opened wide. “What…”

  “We’re expanding. We’ve needed to have a base of operations close to Wall Street—truthfully, it’s been a long time coming…” My word trailed off.

  “Wait…” She trembled, and her voice cracked. “You’re opening an office here?!”

  “I am.” I nodded quickly. “Of course, if I’m going to open a new office, it needs a personal touch—which means I’ll have to relocate here for a little while to make sure it gets the attention it deserves…”

  I didn’t get a chance to finish what I was going to stay, and I had rehearsed a speech that I was proud of. Faith jumped across the divide that separated our seats, and her hug was so tight that I could barely breathe.

  “Oh my god—I’ve missed you so much!” Her tone was hurried and filled with excitement. “This is such an incredible opportunity, and I couldn’t turn it down, but I didn’t realize it was going to be so hard to be here without you!”

  “I missed you too…” I exhaled sharply. “I can’t do this—I can’t spend every fucking night without you. I need you.”

  I would have moved heaven and earth to have her in my arms—it was all that mattered to me. I had considered opening a small office in New York for years, but there was no real motivation. The company was doing really well, and we would have been fine without it, but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be close to the woman I loved. Our love could survive the distance, but if it didn’t have to, then there was no reason for us to be apart.

  “Okay…” I pulled back from our embrace. “I showed you my new building—show me this new apartment you’re so proud of.”

  “It really does have a good view…” She sighed and moved back to her seat. “But this is the only one I care about.”

  “I love you, Faith.” I reached over and squeezed her hand.

  “I love you too…” She looked down for a moment and smiled.

  I don’t care if I wake up with a view of the Empire State Building or the Hollywood Sign—just as long as I wake up next to you.

  Epilogue

  Faith

  Three months later

  “I can’t wait to show you my apartment.” I grabbed Jennifer’s arm and pulled her towards the front door. “It has an awesome view.”

  Not as good as the one from Alexio’s apartment—or his office—but this one belongs to me.

  “I thought the view we had from our one in Los Angeles was better than—nope, this is incredible.” Jennifer’s eyes opened wide when I swung the door open.

  “Do you want some wine? I picked up a couple of bottles.” I walked over to the rack and ran my finger down my selection of reds.

  “Sure! Sounds great!” Jennifer walked closer to the window, and her eyes scanned the horizon.

  We had a reason to celebrate; which is why I was finally able to convince Jennifer to come visit me in New York. Her mother’s case was going downhill fast when Mr. Farber found an old contract she had with a business associate that implicated him in the scheme. Jennifer’s mother was a big fish for them to take down, but her associate was a legendary investor that even Alexio respected. The District Attorney decided to offer Jennifer’s mother a deal that didn’t involve prison in exchange for her testimony. She would never work in real estate again, and she was facing a fine that would cripple her financially, but she wasn’t going to be behind bars. It was the best possible outcome, considering the circumstances.

  “Here you go.” I handed her a glass of wine. “It’s from that vineyard you like.”

  “Wow, Manuel Rosario’s wine is available in New York? That’s crazy…” She took a sip. “What is this? Eighty-two?”

  “I have no idea.” I shrugged and chuckled under my breath. “It’s wine from the place you like.”

  “Maybe it’s eighty-three…” Her words trailed off when she turned, and something else caught her attention. “Those flowers are gorgeous! Are they from Alexio?”

  “They are.” I smiled and nodded.

  I had been able to tell Jennifer about my relationship with Alexio over the phone. She thought his grand gesture of moving to New York so we could be together was the sweetest thing ever, and I felt the same way. Things picked up exactly where they left off after he got moved into his apartment downtown. Some nights I stayed at his place, some nights he stayed with me, but we rarely woke up alone unless he had to fly to Los Angeles for some reason, or I was visiting my parents in Phoenix.

  “This new job must be pretty nice if you’ve got a place like this and you’re able to buy good wine.” Jennifer lifted the glass to her lips.

  “Well, don’t forget that they’re handling my lease for the first year.” I walked closer to the window. “I might have to downsize when it runs out, but who knows. My boss seems to be pretty happy with the work I’m doing, and he’s already had me sit in on a few meetings that are way above my pay grade—maybe I’ll get a promotion before then.”

  “That hasn’t been a problem with Alexio?” Jennifer raised an eyebrow. “You’re technically his competition now, right?”

  “It’s caused a few friction points.” I looked down and laughed. “Rutherford Trust will never be as big as Hawkins Capital, and he’s mostly focused on acquisitions, but sometimes we end up going after the same clients.”

  I had become very submissive to Alexio in the bedroom—more so than I ever imagined—but I didn’t back down from him when we were competing for clients. I was the girl on my knees who loved to beg, please, and coax him to spank me behind closed doors. When we ended up across from each other on a deal, I never backed down. We turned off the business side of ourselves when we were together. I was still holding firm on my never when it came to nipple clamps, but I had learned to love being the woman in his arms as well as the girl on her knees who called him Daddy. I had a whole drawer full of bad girl panties, and I wore them more often than any of the others I owned.

  “Maybe I should move to New York.” Jennifer walked over and sat down on the couch. “Is Rutherford Trust hiring?”

  “Yeah…” I raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were applying to places in Los Angeles.”

  “You know how the job market is out there.” She shrugged. “Plus, some people get nervous when they figure out I’m related to Marsha Weaver.”

  “I can talk to my boss if you’re serious.” I nodded and sat down next to her. “I can’t make any promises, but you might be able to get an interview at least.”

  “I’ll think about it.” She smiled. “Especially if they give me a nice apartment like this for a year…”

  “I can’t promise that!” I shook my head and laughed. “I could always use a roommate though.”

  “Yeah?” She lifted her wine glass and smiled. “That probably won’t last long—I bet Alexio is going to put a ring on your finger before you ever have to give this place up.”

  “I don’t know if he’s the marrying type…” I shrugged and sipped my wine. “Who knows—maybe I’m not the marrying type either.”

  “You better get married one day.” She narrowed her eyes. “It’s my only shot at being Maid of Honor!”

  “Right, well I’ll keep that in mind if it ever comes up in conversation.” I shook my head and laughed.

  Maybe one day…

  Eight months later

  “You’re supposed to say yes…” Alexio looked up at me from one knee with a diamond ring in his hand.

  “I…” My words trailed off for a second. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you!”

  A diamond ring was the last thing I was expecting when Alexio said he had a special evening planned. I thought he was going to show me a new toy that he had bought for us to play
with in the bedroom—and as long as it wasn’t nipple clamps, I was excited. Instead, he dropped down to one knee and proposed. A million thoughts rushed through my head, but the one I finally settled one was obvious—I was going to be more than a girl on my knees and a woman in his arms—I was going to be his wife.

  “You scared me for a second there.” Alexio slid the diamond ring on my finger and pulled me into an embrace when he stood.

  “It wouldn’t have been fun if I didn’t build up the suspense a little bit.” I leaned against his shoulder and held up my hand so I could stare at my ring. “Wow, it’s gorgeous.”

  “Not nearly as gorgeous as the woman who gets to wear it for the rest of her life.” He leaned back and smiled. “My wife…”

  “Not yet.” I narrowed my eyes. “You owe me a gold band to go with it before you get to call me that…”

  “It might be a diamond band.” He laughed. “Let’s plan the wedding before we pick out the rings. Obviously, your budget is wide open—anything you want.”

  “Probably something small.” I smiled. “You know I’m not one for charity…”

  “It’s your fucking wedding day—it’s not a charity event.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “God I love you.”

  “I love you too.” I laughed under my breath. “Okay, maybe I’ll splurge a little bit.”

  I was going to be Alexio’s wife—and nothing could make me happier. We had a few things to work through, but we would get there together. I was never going to be the kind of woman who liked having a Rembrandt in my dining room, or a Picasso watching me sleep—not if I was actually living there. A small apartment—or a house big enough for the family we would eventually have—that was enough for me. I couldn’t wait to have a million fights with him about those things, and I would probably lose a few of them, but we would find common ground—just like we always did.

  “So…” I bit down on my bottom lip and grinned. “Are you going to make me call you Daddy once we’re married?”

  “No.” He shook his head back and forth. “But you’re not going to stop—you like it too much.”

  “Maybe…” I leaned forward until my lips were against his ear. “I might be wearing some bad girl panties right now too…”

  “Then I think you need to go to the bedroom and wait for me.” He pressed his lips to my neck.

  “Yes, Daddy…” I smiled and pulled away from him. “Don’t make me wait too long.”

  I might have to start without you…

  The End

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  About the Author

  Kelli writes billionaires, bad boys, and alpha protectors that are hot-as-sin and filthy to the core. If you want to stay up to date with all things Kelli, sign up to her mailings list here.

  Also by Kelli Callahan

  Obsessed With A Daddy

  Indebted To A Daddy

  Beast Daddy

  My Bully’s Daddy