The Daddy Dilemma

by Tia Siren

  “Hey,” I said the moment I was within range. It was just in time, too, as the sleazy dancer was less than a second from doing the same thing.

  “Oh, hey!” she said, clearly surprised to see me. She looked even better up close. She had a radiance about her that she hadn’t had before. I wondered whether it had anything to do with the sex. She told me at the time it had made her feel confident. It was clearly still working.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as I moved into her. There were so many people around us that I was forced to push my body into hers. As I did, she continued to dance, not breaking for a moment.

  “What do you think?” she replied, smirking just a little. She had been drinking. That was clear.

  “Well, I hope you’re not impaired for tomorrow. You have a big day.” It was a douche thing for me to say. I could have told her how good she looked or asked how her day was. But no, I instantly reverted into asshole boss mode.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she said, not looking in the least put-off. “I’ll be fine.”

  As she danced, our bodies ground against each other. As good as it felt, I couldn’t block out the swarm of men surrounding us, as if they waited for me to disappear. I didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  “I’m in the VIP section upstairs. It’s a little crowded down here for me. Do you want to come up? Your friend, too, of course.”

  “No, I’m fine here,” she shot back. As she did, she turned around on me and danced with her back to me.

  I saw red. Only for a second, but it was enough. I grabbed her by the arm, spinning her back around. “That wasn’t a request,” I said, voice firm.

  For a moment, the two of us stared at each other, and I had no idea how she was going to react. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she pulled her arm from my grip and told me to go to hell. But, after a moment, she smiled and nodded her head.

  Kendra leaned over to her friend and whispered in her ear. Her friend didn’t look too happy, but she nodded at Kendra and went off to dance with some guy. I took Kendra’s hand in mine and led her through the dance floor toward the VIP section.

  The feel of her hand in mine sent chills up my arm. I didn’t want to let go, but I reminded myself of the dynamic I had created between Kendra and me. Clearly, she liked being dominated. She liked a firm, commanding man to tell her what to do. That was exactly what she was going to get.

  “Who is this?” Jack cooed the moment he spotted the two of us. In less than a second, he had ditched the women he was with and was by our side. Another second and he had Kendra’s hand in his own, kissing the back of it.

  I knew Jack well enough to know what that look in his eyes meant. Even with my hand in hers, he still visualized a way to seduce her away from me so that he could have her. A fire burned in my stomach, and I wanted nothing more than to throw Jack off the fucking balcony.

  “This is Kendra,” I said, keeping my temper in check.

  “This is Kendra?” he asked in an over the top, shocked manner. “Grant, I had no idea she was so... so out of your league!” He barked a laugh, which Kendra joined in on.

  Again, I saw red. I couldn’t believe how jealous Kendra made me. This whole thing was meant to start off as a way to mess with my ex, but it was spiraling out of control. If Jack wasn’t my best friend, I would have hit him as hard as I could, without a care for the consequences. It made me think about the new store and what it was going to be like with her working there, with men trying to fuck her all day long. Maybe this whole thing wasn’t such a good idea.

  Kendra’s friend suddenly appeared out of nowhere, saving me from doing something I might regret. “Hey, Kendra. Can we go?”

  “And who is this?” Jack said again, diverting his attention from Kendra to her friend. He offered her the same wicked smile he had Kendra.

  “I’m Liz,” she said, eyeing Jack with a look of disgust. Clearly, she wasn’t as impressed by him as others were. “And you are?”

  “I’m Jack. This is my club. And I assume you know Kendra’s boss, Grant? Is that how you know Kendra? From the new store?”

  “What new store?” Liz asked.

  Interesting. For some reason, Kendra hadn’t told Liz about the new job. This was confirmed by the look on Kendra’s face the moment that Jack had spoken. Her face dropped, and she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

  “We’ve got to go,” Kendra suddenly cut in. “Grant, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She pulled her hand from mine, quickly turning to leave.

  “Hey,” I said, grabbing her by the arm. “I want you to call me the moment you get home. Understand?” It wasn’t a request, but a demand.

  Again, I wasn’t sure how she was going to react. But to my relief, she nodded briefly before turning and scurrying away with her friend Liz.

  “Damn,” Jack said, throwing his arm over my shoulder as I watched Kendra disappear. “You have it in for that one bad. Don’t try and deny it. I saw the way you looked at me when I spoke to her. Thought you were going to knock my lights out.” He laughed again before galloping away, drawn into the arms of another woman.

  He was right. All I wanted to do was follow Kendra out the door to her home and fuck her. All I wanted to do was make sure that no other guy touched her, or even looked at her. I wanted her all to myself.

  This was going to be dangerous.

  Chapter 10

  Kendra

  “You’ve got to be joking?” Liz asked. There was no humor in her question. No smile in her eyes. She was shocked and near speechless.

  “You know I’m not,” I responded coolly. I was a little miffed at Liz’s reaction. She was the wild, outgoing one, and now that I had my own crazy story to tell, she had suddenly switched to the concerned best friend type.

  After leaving the club, Liz dragged me to the nearest coffee shop, one of those diners that were open all night and closed all day. It was small, smelly, and the coffee was awful. But it was also the perfect place to gossip, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I had plenty of that for Liz.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Liz pouted as she sipped her burnt coffee. “We’re supposed to be best friends, but I had to find out from the greasy club owner. What’s that about?”

  “I didn’t tell you because I forgot?” It came out as a question, instead of a statement. I knew it wouldn’t hold up. I didn’t know why I didn’t tell Liz. I usually told her everything. For some reason though, every time I went to tell her about the job and Grant, I found that I couldn’t.

  “No, that makes sense. I mean who wouldn’t forget becoming a sex worker? Probably just slipped your mind?” She held her empty mug out, signaling for the waitress to refill it. She waddled over and poured another cup of steaming hot, burnt coffee into Liz’s mug.

  “Hey, that’s not fair!” I exclaimed, feeling myself getting angry. I hated being angry with Liz, but sometimes she deserved it.

  “What? Tell me I’m wrong? You’re selling edible sex toys. How else am I supposed to look at it?”

  “I just work there. I don’t... there’s a no touch policy.” The words sounded hollow as soon as I said them, but I didn’t care. If anyone should have been on my side, it was Liz. Somehow, I had to make her understand. “Grant promised that—”

  “And that’s another thing,” Liz cut in. “This whole Grant thing is odd. Like really odd. I just don’t trust the guy. Promise me, promise me, that you won’t sleep with him.”

  I could never lie to Liz. So, I chose not to. Instead, I looked away, anywhere but in her eyes, and took a sip of coffee. Of course, she saw right through me. When I finally braved a look at her face, her mouth hung wide open.

  “Kendra, no. You already did, didn’t you?” I nodded weakly. “Kendra!” She exploded, spilling her coffee all over the table as she threw her arms in the air. “Babe, what were you thinking?”

  I had no answer. I didn’t know what I was thinking. All I knew was that, despite myself and all my instincts, I was falling for
Grant.

  “I just don’t want to see you hurt,” Liz continued, leaning back as the waitress silently mopped up the mess that Liz had made. “Look, I don’t know that guy, but based on your history and everything you’ve told me about him, I know his type. The odds are that he’s using you as some sick means of revenge. He’ll fuck you, use you up, and throw you out.”

  Everything Liz said rang true. I had gone through all of it in my head already and was more than aware of the likelihood that he was just using me. For sex or revenge or both. The sick part was that I didn’t care. There was a part of me, a very small part, that hoped that maybe the asshole exterior was an act and that he actually liked me. Because of that, I knew that no matter what, I would go crawling back to Grant. Again and again and again.

  “I know,” I finally said to Liz. I could never tell her the truth. All I could do was hope that when I fell, which inevitably I would, that she would be there to pick me back up.

  --

  We spent a lot longer than intended at the coffee house. Most of it was Liz berating me while I promised her that I would not sleep with Grant again. By the time she was finally done and satisfied, it was early morning. That point where the sun was on the precipice of rising and all the drunks and club goers could be seen stumbling home.

  It was because Liz dropped me off just around the corner from my apartment that she didn’t see him waiting for me. And it was because of that, I didn’t see him until I was right at my front door.

  “You never called.” He leaned against the front door to my apartment, watching me as I walked down the sidewalk toward him.

  “Grant?” I asked, more surprised than anything. My heart also gave an involuntary leap at the sight of him. Was he being here a sign that he cared? Was he worried about me?

  “I told you to call, and you didn’t. What did I tell you about disobeying orders?” His voice was cold and steely. There was zero warmth in it and any ideas I had about him actually caring about my well-being evaporated instantly.

  “You’re my boss, not my keeper,” I shot back as I reached my door. As I did, I ignored him, reaching into my purse and fishing for my keys.

  “Hey,” he said, grabbing me by the arm again. As sick as it was, I loved the way he did that. The way he spun me to face him, pulling me up. It turned me on in a way I didn’t even know was possible. “I’m both,” he said in that same steely tone. “And it’s time you realized that.”

  “Okay,” I said quietly, my eyes fixed on his grip around my arm. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Good. See that it doesn’t.” With that, he let go of my arm, and I felt my heart drop a little. A part of me hoped that he would drag me inside after that and teach me a lesson. I was sure that he wanted that, too.

  The two of us stood there for a moment in silence. I had no idea what to say. Had he come all this way just to scold me? I was sure that he cared for me. He had to? He wouldn’t do this just for a regular lay.

  “Do you… Do you want to come in—”

  “I’ve got to go,” he cut in. “But I’ll see you tomorrow. Early, too. I don’t want you using tonight as an excuse for being late.”

  He turned and left. He didn’t say goodbye. He didn’t kiss me. He simply walked away.

  I remained standing where I was for a long time. I didn’t look for my keys or try and open the door. I simply stared at the spot where he had been, unable to comprehend what had just happened and what the meaning of it was. The way he treated me was disgusting. I was an object to him. Something to be used and discarded. So why didn’t I hate him for it?

  I opened the door and made my way into my tiny studio apartment. It couldn’t have been more different than Grant’s. I took off my jeans and top and removed my thong and bra, before falling into bed. Considering what time it was, there was a chance for maybe four hours of sleep, although I knew I wasn’t going to get even one.

  Every time I closed my eyes, I thought about Grant. I knew right then that I had feelings for him. And they went beyond sexual desire. I hated to admit it, even to myself, but I knew I was starting to fall in love with him.

  But how did he feel about me? His actions said that he cared for me. But his words, they spoke a different tale. As I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep, I hoped beyond anything that my instincts were true and that Grant just might give me a second chance again.

  Chapter 11

  Grant

  Luscious was coming along nicely. The store wasn’t even close to being fully stocked or operational yet, and already, I could tell that the place was going to be a hit. Bigger than that even. I was so confident that I had already begun talking to Jack about his club idea and how the two could tie in together. Every time I thought about that I got excited. Too excited. I always had to stop and remind myself that the first store hadn’t even opened yet.

  It was Wednesday morning, and I was at the store, supervising the set-up. The place was packed. Teams of electricians stormed through the rooms, ensuring that everything would be ready for the opening. Carpenters worked tirelessly in the back rooms, finishing off the shelves and furniture. I had dozens of workers from my other stores there, too, unpacking boxes and putting all the candy out on display. The store needed to be ready for opening day, and I would do whatever it took.

  Kendra was also at the store. True to her word, she had turned up on time, despite how late I knew she was up the previous night. And despite that, she looked radiant. If I hadn’t known otherwise, I would have guessed her to be coming off a full night’s sleep.

  Even better than that, when she arrived, I demanded that she put on her new uniform. It was a red corset, paired with a tight black pencil skirt, black garters, and stockings. The corset came in tight at the waist, pushing her breasts up to her chin and making her butt look extra big and round.

  As she waded across the store, swinging her hips as she walked, it was all I could do to not stare at her. Every time she bent over or turned around, I had images of the other night and how she looked bent over in front of me. If it weren’t for the other people around, I would have grabbed her, then and there, dragged her into the store room, and had my way with her.

  But there were other people around. Lots of them. That morning, I had the pleasure of meeting the other workers that Kendra had hired. One of them, Selena, seemed like a good pick. Her dark features and lithe body stood in perfect contrast to Kendra and would do well to satisfy the clientele who weren’t as into curves as most were. But the male hire? I wasn’t so sure about him.

  His name was Brody, and he was younger than Kendra and Selena by at least five years. He may have only turned twenty if his baby face was anything to go by. But even if he was a little young, I had to admit that he was annoyingly handsome. He had a great smile and a big set of white teeth that paired perfectly with his dark green eyes and dirty blonde hair. What was more, he was the type of guy that knew he was good looking, too.

  Right from the get go, he was flirty with Kendra. Outrageously so. He in no way tried to hide it as he told her how good she looked in her new outfit and how hard it would be to work with her looking like that. It was non-stop, and Kendra seemed to love it too. Like really love it. Every time he commented on her sexy appearance, she giggled like a school girl and slapped him playfully on the arm.

  And every time she did, the anger burning inside me got hotter and hotter. I wanted to grab the kid by the scruff of the neck and throw him outside. Tell him to never come back in the store again. But I couldn’t. And not because it would have been bad form or anything like that, but because it would have proven to Kendra that I had feelings for her. That, I could not allow.

  In fact, too many times already, I had come close to revealing my true feelings for Kendra. Even showing up at her apartment the previous night had been risky. At first, I got the sense that she thought I was doing it because I cared for her. In truth, I was worried when she didn’t call me. I wanted to make sure she was okay, but I could never
let her know that.

  As luck would have it, the perfect distraction walked through the door at Luscious just after midday. Not only was it a distraction, but it was also the perfect way to play with Kendra and confuse her even more.

  The distraction was an old acquaintance of mine, Loren Pratt. The two of us used to date, albeit briefly. But she also did some interior design work for me, and we still kept in touch. There was never that spark between the two of us to keep me invested in the relationship, but I always sensed that she still wanted me.

  “Grant, darling,” she cooed as she walked through the front door, making a beeline towards me. “The place looks amazing!”

  “Loren!” I exclaimed, acting equally as excited to see her. “What are you doing here, you gorgeous thing?” I pulled her into a hug as she reached me.

  Loren was, of course, very good looking. Like Kendra, she had long blonde hair and pretty features. But her body was the complete opposite. She was petite yet muscular, sporting strong legs and a firm ass from what she claimed was years of ballet dancing.

  “I was in the area and wanted to see the new place. I’ve heard some pretty amazing things and needed to see for myself.”

  “Heard? From who?” I loved hearing that Luscious was being spoken about. I also knew that Loren catered to a very expensive clientele. It delighted me to know they were gossiping about the store. We hadn’t even opened yet, and the buzz had started.