by Amy Brent
“Your father isn't perfect, but he's willing to admit when he's screwed up, Sabrina. Give him a chance to make amends. He might just surprise you.”
“I highly doubt it,” I said. “Old dogs, new tricks and all that.”
“Just come down to dinner and let's talk, as a family.”
She gave me a small smile as she patted me on the back. She stood up and walked toward the door, turning and looking back at me. I saw a look in her eyes that I couldn't quite place. It was then that I realized she was pleading with me – with her eyes. She had been caught in the crossfire and was watching her family get torn apart. I knew she was hurt and she didn't deserve this. The least I could do was go downstairs and enjoy dinner – ignoring my dad as mom and I chatted about whatever. I could go and have dinner – with her.
“Fine,” I said. “I'll be right down.”
My mom smiled and then walked downstairs before me, but I followed behind soon after. As I walked down the stairs, however, I noticed that there were four settings at the table – not just the typical three for us.
“Are we having company?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at my mom.
“Yes, we are actually,” my dad said, walking into the dining room from behind me.
I turned and my jaw hit the ground as I stared at Julian, standing only a few feet away – and next to my father. My first instinct was to run to him, to embrace and kiss him. But I put that instinct in check. I knew that if I did that in this environment that had been superheated ever since that day, it would more than likely cause even more problems. There seemed to be a fragile peace in place and the last thing I wanted to do was jeopardize it. I needed to keep it together, keep the peace, and perhaps my mom was right – maybe we could make amends. I mean, if my father was willing to invite Julian back over, I supposed anything was possible.
“Sabrina,” he said softly, a smile on his face. “It's good to see you.”
My heart skipped a beat. “It's good to see you too, Julian.”
My father cleared his throat before speaking, “Julian, I believe you have something to tell my daughter.”
I looked at my dad, then back at Julian, a curious look on my face. I had no idea what was about to happen, but a million different nightmare, heartbreaking scenarios flashed through my head. My heart was thundering in my chest and I felt my palms growing damp with sweat. I didn't know what was about to happen, but I feared that I wasn't going to like it.
“What is it?” I feared for the worst.
I was suddenly sure that my father had gotten to him, convinced him to break things off with me in order to save their friendship or something equally as cruel as that. My head spinning and my heart racing, I steadied myself by placing a hand against the wall. And when Julian began to speak, I was suddenly grateful I'd had the foresight to brace myself against something.
“Yes, I do. I have something to say to your daughter,” he said, clearing his throat and stepping forward, coming toward me. He took my hand in his, holding it as he spoke. “Sabrina Prescott, I know this may come as a surprise, but I love you.”
My knees went weak and I almost toppled to the floor, despite the fact that I was holding on to the wall. “You what?”
“I love you,” he said, and a nervous smile was shared between us. “I love you, Sabrina. There, I finally said it. And it feels damn good to say it too.”
“I – I love you too,” I said, feeling as if I might pass out from all this going on at once.
Right there, in my family's dining room, Julian was professing his love for me and I was able to give it to him in return. In front of my parents? Was I dreaming? Was this some sort of cruel hoax? An alternate reality? What in the hell was going on?
I looked over at my mom who was smiling, her eyes welling with tears. She took my father's hand in hers and squeezed it tight. And while my father wasn't smiling and still looked distinctly uncomfortable, he at least looked to be handling this better than I thought. At least he wasn't throwing punches at Julian.
While I was looking away, Julian dropped down to his knee. It took me a few seconds too long to process what I was seeing and realize what was happening. It wasn't until I saw the ring in the box in Julian's hand that it hit me.
“No way,” I said, shaking my head, tears welling up in my eyes as I looked over at my father in disbelief.
“Sabrina,” Julian said, holding my hand in his, “I've already asked your father permission, and he gives us his blessing – will you do me the pleasure of being my wife?”
“Seriously? Yes! Yes! Of course,” I said, my mind and body alternating between a sense of euphoria and a state of shock as he slipped the giant rock on my finger. He stood up and we kissed, but I still felt like I might pass out.
“When? How?” I asked, not able to form a coherent thought, let alone sentence.
“Your father called to talk to me last night. Then we met earlier today,” Julian explained, pushing my hair from my eyes so he could stare more fully into them. “We worked things out, Sabrina. We worked it out and he understands now. He understands that what we have is real. And this isn't just some old guy preying on a young, naïve girl.”
“Daddy?” I asked, choking on the words. “Is this true?”
“It is,” he said, a small smile on his face at last. “I just want what's best for you, sweetheart. And Julian is a good man. He's one of the best I've ever known. If you two are in love, I support you being together. It's just going to take a minute for me to get fully used to it and comfortable with it. But – I'll get there. Just be patient with me, honey.”
I couldn't believe it. Not only was my father saying we could be together – openly – he had given us his blessing to get married. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined anything remotely like that happening.
“Are you happy, sweetheart?” my mom asked me.
“Very much so,” I said, tears of joy filling my eyes. “I'm getting married to the man of my dreams! How could I not be happy?”
EPILOGUE
TWO YEARS LATER
SABRINA
Do you ever look at your life and wonder how you ever got so lucky? It's like, you can't quite figure out what you've done to deserve all of the good fortune to come into your world. It happens to me every single day of my life. I've got a husband who adores me, takes care of me, who provides for me, and who treats me better than any man my own age ever could, I feel truly blessed.
Sure, people comment on our age difference and assume I'm with him for his money. Little do they know that I was once a little girl madly in love with him, long before he found success in business. It wasn't his money, it was him. But some people would never be convinced. I could just shrug those people off though, knowing the truth of the matter.
I find myself sitting next to him, doing mundane things like eating dinner or watching tv, when it hits me all over again – he's my husband. Julian Pierce, the man I'd grown up around, the man I'd always crushed hard on, was my husband. This was real. Absolutely real. It was no longer a dream or a teenage girl's fantasy for me.
I was better for him than Beth ever was too. I knew a side of him that very few people did, a side that only came from having grown up around him and seeing him in normal, everyday, mundane life. He was so amazing to me back when I'd been a child – I always knew he'd make a wonderful father. He was scared, of course, but once we discussed the idea, weight out all of the pros and cons, he realized that maybe I was right.
My parents were excited for their future grandchild – a little girl according to the ultrasounds. Our family was just getting started, and no matter if we'd only have the one child or many more, I knew we'd be happy.
The day Ella was born was the best day of our lives. I'll never forget how beautiful she was. She'd stolen my heart from the first moment she'd drawn breath. She was the most beautiful little girl in the history of the world. I was convinced of it and nobody would ever be able to convince me otherwise.
But even more amazing than seeing my child enter this world and draw breath for the first time, was seeing both my father and Julian doting over the little girl, making cooing noises, and planting soft kisses on her chubby cheeks and belly.
“She looks like you,” Julian cooed. “She looks so much like you.”
My mom beamed proudly at me, tears rolling gently down her cheeks. Her genes were good genes to have, I had to admit. Ella wasn't going to be lacking for beauty, I was convinced. Between my mother's genes and the genes of my very handsome husband, Ella was going to be the envy of many girls. I thought I did pretty okay for myself with my mom's genes – I did snag the man of my dreams, after all. But I knew that Ella was going to be an absolute stunner. She was going to do just fine for herself in this world. I was sure of it.
And I made Julian promise me that no matter what, he'd always be understanding of Ella, allowing her to be her own person and be free to love whoever she loves. The last thing I wanted was for him to turn into my father and start punching out the men she fell in love with. Not only would he probably break a bone if he tried to punch somebody at his age, he would be a giant, flaming hypocrite if he objected to somebody she loved. All I needed to do was remind him of the incident – and that should shut him right up.
Oh, and he better not punch any of her future boyfriends, no matter the circumstances. Because just like she was his little girl, I had been someone else's daughter once too. And he'd swept in and swept me off my feet. He needed to make sure to make allowances for such a fairy tale to happen for our little girl.
But I had to admit, as I stared down at her sweet, innocent face, I understood my father – and my mother – more than ever before.
Dad’s Business Partner
Chapter 1: Megan
It is a fact of life that when a woman wears sexy lingerie underneath her clothes - no matter how modest - she will feel confident and beautiful, even if no one sees it.
It is a fact of my life that if I wear sexy lingerie underneath my clothes, not only will I feel confident and beautiful, but I would want someone to see it.
I grew up around fashion shows. My father created one of the top modeling agencies in the country. Fashion had become my life - The slinky models with clothes that're barely appropriate, the snooty onlookers with money and skewed standards of what's acceptable, the electricity in the air.
There was lust in the air too, tonight. I wasn't sure if that was because of me and my intention to get laid, or if it was the particular designer who had a way of making even a coat seem sexual.
I was back from college at the ripe age of twenty-three - we grow up so fast - and I was aware of the undercurrents now when I hadn't been before. The men's eyes that told women so much more than their lips did. The women who had so much more to offer than a limply extended had. The potential of something wild when everything was so damn sophisticated.
The show was open-air, the night air clung to my cheeks the same way the sweaty urgency clung to my waist and my breasts, and I was on the prowl.
He sat opposite me with the ramp between us, one leg crossed with his ankle on the other knee. His suit pants rode up to reveal dark socks and Italian loafers. He leaned against his hand, finger on his cheek, and there was nothing sexual in the way he looked at the models. Good. If was going to make sure he ended up inside me tonight the sex in his eyes should only be aimed in my direction.
There were two flaws in my theory of sex on demand tonight.
One, I was a virgin. Sure, I wanted sex. I wanted it all the time. But I'd been around enough guys my age at college to know that they were exactly what I didn't want.
Two, Brian Waters was almost twice my age, wildly successful, rich - basically a wet dream - and my dad's business partner. They'd set up the modeling agency together and he saw me as his partner's little girl. He'd never seen me as a woman, not even when I'd started developing breasts and physical urges and a crush on him.
Tonight that was going to change. He didn't recognize me - he would have done something if he did. He didn't know that I was the Megan Philips.
I was dressed to kill. I knew it because all the other men were staring at me. My dark hair was blown out and hung over my shoulders like a waterfall. Men would just love to stick their hands in it. My dress was scandalously short but I covered up more than the models on the ramp. My heels were high enough to make my ass look like dessert.
There was a break between shows. The models were all off the ramp and backstage getting dressed at breakneck speed. The designer had just made his final bow and stepped off. Brian's eye slid over the row of people opposite him and fell on mine.
My heart fluttered and my stomach turned a little. I was nervous. I hadn't ever done this before - not the flirting, of course, that I did all the time. But following through. I knew that this was what I wanted, though.
I uncrossed and crossed my legs, knowing I was giving him a show of my own. His face didn't change at all - there was nothing sexier than a man with an expressionless mask of steel. But he tugged at his collar, then his belt, and looked away.
It gave me a chance to stare at him openly. His hair had turned silver in the time I was gone, but not in a way that made him look old. Just distinguished. He still filled out his suit like he used to and he sat just like he walked - with an air of complete control.
My friends think it's weird that I like older men. If they even know about it. I tend to keep my different sexual preferences a secret. There's just something orgasmic about a man who has money, power, sex at the tips of his fingers. The younger ones don't even know who the hell they are yet. How will they be able to handle a woman like me?
It wasn't fair, of course, They others never had a chance. I'd been fantasizing over Brian for six years. When I masturbated I imagined him, his mouth all over my body, between my legs, his tongue doing what my finger usually did. It was the perfect recipe for a shattering orgasm. The images were left wanting now. I didn't feel naughty when I touched myself thinking of him anymore. I just felt unsatisfied. I needed more.
The people around us started getting up and moving toward the finger food buffet or the champagne bar. Chatter filled the air like a flock of birds. I stayed seated, pinning Brian with a look he couldn't break free from the next moment he looked at me. He swallowed visibly and uncrossed his legs.
My father made his way through the crowd and held out his hand to Brian. I got up, turned my back, and disappeared into the crowd. I wasn't going to make sexy eyes to Brian with my father right next to him. I was desperate but I wasn't stupid.
Chapter 2: Brian
Owning a modeling agency is one of the best jobs a man can ask for. I'm in the business of women's bodies. Ask any male. That's the best job there is. There are the occasional models that will even sleep with the boss. I'm not proud of my actions all the time, but who am I to say no to a pretty face when she's throwing herself at me? I'm divorced and I like to play.
The night air felt clammy against my skin. The tie was too tight, the night dragging on too long. I didn't like the finger food - I'd gotten food poisoning from a mini quiche before and my digestive system wasn't what it used to be. Champagne hurt my head the next day. I reiterate. My digestive system wasn't what it used to be.
Tom was somewhere making the right friends to make our business grow. That man had a knack for business, an eye for money, and he knew exactly how to combine the two to make both of us rich. Being a business partner with him was the best choice I could ever make. There was nothing I would let get in the way of our company. Giving how things were going now I could retire soon, and didn't that sound like music to my ears.
I didn't see myself as old, but it happened more and more that I was around the sixteen-to-twenty-year-olds and I felt like I didn't really belong anymore. It's been a long time coming, but growing up, and then growing old, is a bitter pill to swallow.
This time, though, it was different. It wasn't one of the models that caught my eye,
the way they usually did. And it wasn't instigated by me, either. The heated stare came from the other side of a ramp from a woman I'd never seen before, and desperately hoped I would see again. Her hair was dark and luscious and she sat there like a goddess, offering herself for me to look at.
When she crossed and uncrossed her legs my erection punched against my pants and I had to look away before I openly drooled at her. Men my age shouldn't have little boy crushes anymore. I've been married, divorced, and through the mill when it came to sex. I knew how to keep my cool, dammit.
Except then she licked her lips - delicately, not in a slutty way - and rolled them, and I knew I was in trouble. I had to have her. It sounded wrong. Women weren't possessions. But I wanted her. And judging by the looks she gave me she was on board with that idea.
She was young enough to be my daughter. That hadn't exactly stopped me before, as long as it didn't stop them. Again, I didn't get the feeling it mattered to her.
Tom came out of nowhere and stuck his hand in my face. I pulled myself back to reality and smiled, standing up to shake his hand.
"Schmoozing again?"
"I met a woman I think we might be able to work with."
I nodded, rubbing my hands together. "I knew you would have something for us to work with. I can always count on you."
"That's what partners are for."
I glanced toward the seat where she'd been sitting. It was empty. I looked around, searching, but she'd disappeared.
"Who are you looking for?"
I shook my head and looked back at Tom.
"I thought I saw someone I knew." Liar. "How's your daughter?" I didn't ask for a name because I kept forgetting what he called her. How old was she now...? I didn't know that either. I was a poor friend if I couldn't keep track of his life, but then again, we were business partners first and foremost.
"She's good, thank you. Traveling up tomorrow. She got her MBA now."