“I’m okay right now.” She reached for her coffee. “I’ll just watch TV and check my social media accounts on your laptop if that’s okay.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll grab the power cord for the laptop before I come back down. I’m sure it’s nearly dead at this point.” I put my cup on the counter and walked towards the stairs.
I had only spent a few minutes with Hannah, and I already needed a break, or I was going to let my thoughts get away from me. It would have probably been better if her friend was waiting outside when she woke up—that would have taken the temptation as far away from my townhouse as possible. I went upstairs to my room and dug around in my closet until I found some clothes. I turned on the shower and let the water run while I brushed my teeth. The bathroom filled up with steam pretty quick, so I went to investigate and found that the hot water knob was turned way too far to the left. It was practically scalding. I adjusted the temperature and stripped off my clothes before stepping into the shower. I needed a long one—as cold as I could stand it without freezing myself in the process.
There we go—cold enough that I can’t even process thought for a few minutes.
* * *
“Okay, I think I’m ready for pizza now.” I walked into the living room feeling rather refreshed after my shower. “How about you?”
“Yeah…” Her words trailed off, and she nodded.
“Is everything okay?” I raised an eyebrow—she had a look on her face that said something was wrong.
“No.” She sighed and shook her head. “I got a message back from my friend. Her mom surprised her with tickets to a concert tonight, so she’s not going to drive back to Los Angeles until tomorrow morning.”
“Oh…” I blinked a couple of times. “I mean, you can stay another night if you want.”
It’s not like I’m going to kick her out.
“I appreciate that, but I needed to borrow some clothes from her.” She leaned back against the couch.
“You don’t have any clothes at the sorority house—or keys to your place?” I narrowed my eyes. “They don’t expect you to just wander around naked for the entire weekend, right?”
“It’s—complicated,” she exhaled sharply. “I can’t get my keys until Monday.”
This is definitely more than just hazing. Why won’t she tell me what is really going on?
“Alright, well then let’s make a trip to the outdoor mall.” I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I need to pick up a few groceries anyway, and there’s a supermarket next door.”
“I don’t have any money...” She stood and followed me into the kitchen.
“Don’t worry about it.” I tossed one of the pizza boxes on the counter.
“Are you sure? You—don’t even have a job.” She looked up at me with concern on her face.
“I’m not hurting for money, trust me.” I chuckled under my breath.
“Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll pay you back…”
“You don’t have to.” I shook my head back and forth. “Let’s eat something and then we can head to the store.”
I wasn’t a big fan of shopping, but she clearly needed some clothes. The more she talked about her situation, the more I was starting to question her story, but I decided not to pry. If she was pledging to a sorority, there was a chance she hadn’t moved into the house yet—but it was still the strangest hazing ritual I had ever heard of. We might have made a new pledge streak across campus or something, but they would have been welcomed back to the house as soon as they made it there. Having her at my townhouse for another night was not going to make the temptation any easier—that was for damn sure.
I might need another cold shower after lunch…
* * *
“Which store do you prefer?” I turned into the outdoor shopping mall and looked around.
“It doesn’t matter.” She shrugged. “I would be happy with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from Walmart.”
“Well, there’s no Walmart here, so how about Belk?” I pointed ahead of us.
“That’s kind of expensive…” She grimaced and raised an eyebrow.
“It’s not that bad.” I shook my head back and forth.
Considering how much my ex-wife and daughter spend on clothes, Belk might as well be a thrift store.
We got a side-eyed glance from the girl at the counter when we walked into the store. Hannah was still wearing my loose fitting shorts and a t-shirt that was way too big for her frame. The best option I came up with for shoes was a pair of flip-flops that required her to squeeze her toes every time she took a step. When we finally made it to the department that had clothes she could browse, I had to stop her from checking the price tag on everything she looked at and just find something that she liked.
Hannah found a couple of t-shirts, and a pair of jeans, and was ready to try them on when she realized that she didn’t have any underwear. I decided to let her do that part on her own—I would have probably been tempted to make a few inappropriate jokes if I had tagged along. Once she had darted into the bathroom to put them on, she tried on the rest of her clothes and seemed pleased with the way they fit—once again, I resisted making any comments about how good she looked when I saw the jeans hugging her hips.
I never thought I would be the kind of guy to be on my best behavior, but here I am trying to be a fucking gentleman. Maybe I really did grow up somewhere between marriage and divorce.
“Thank you so much for this.” She turned towards me. “It really does feel good to be in my own clothes—well, new clothes that are mine at least.”
“No problem. One more stop.” I pointed to the shoe department.
“I guess I do need something besides flip-flops.” She nodded and smiled.
Hannah tried on a few pair of shoes and finally settled on some tennis shoes that she liked. I got her those and a pack of socks. She changed into those, and I tucked the flip-flops into the bag that had the rest of the clothes she borrowed from me. It was nice to see her smile—she seemed to be in much better spirits. I wanted to tell her how pretty that smile was and how much it helped to melt away the turmoil that I had been dealing with since my life fell apart. I had to settle for just being nice to her and bite my tongue when those words rested on the tip of it. Saying it when she was at her lowest point and needed a compliment was one thing, but she had moved past that. Even if I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on, she was way too young for me to actually say it out loud to her.
“You said you needed to go to the grocery store, right?” She looked over at me when we got back to the car.
“Yeah, that’s the next stop.” I nodded.
There was a definite shift in Hannah’s personality once we got back to the car. She seemed genuinely happy and no longer distracted by whatever really happened the previous day. Even though I was struggling to be on my best behavior, I caught her glancing over at me a few times—I saw a spark in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. I obviously hadn’t gotten the thought of her gorgeous curves out of my head—the ones I saw when the blanket didn’t hide them the way she intended. That wasn’t the only elephant in the car with us. I knew she stayed on the stairs to get a better look at me when I was taking off my shirt. Maybe I was just being foolish—if the interest was mutual, then the age difference might not be as much of a factor as I was letting it be in my head.
“Feel free to pick out anything you want.” I grabbed a buggy once we walked into the grocery store. “Obviously, I need to add a few beverages to my fridge. What do you like?’
“Something you’ll drink—I won’t be staying with you long enough to finish it.” She shrugged.
“Soda?” I pushed the cart towards the first aisle.
“Yeah, I’ll drink anything diet.” She nodded.
“Diet?” I raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“Okay, maybe I’ll live dangerously.” She reached for a two
-liter bottle of cola. “For one night at least…”
“No harm in that.” I moved the buggy closer.
I filled my buggy up with a few essentials, and we had fun in the junk food aisle—telling each other how bad everything we looked at was before throwing it in the cart anyway. There was definitely more than she would eat in one evening, and I didn’t do much snacking, but I didn’t mind. She was laughing—and I loved the sound of that sweet laughter. I got the feeling it wasn’t normal for her. Maybe I was wrong, and the real girl was hidden beneath the traumatized one I found on the side of the road. Either way, I liked it when she smiled—I liked it when she laughed—and I was really struggling not to let my thoughts wander.
“I know you’ve already got so much for me…” She looked down at the floor.
“If there’s something you need, you really don’t have to ask.” I raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“I really need a comb and a hairbrush.” She exhaled sharply. “I don’t think it will cost very much.”
“Come on.” I turned the cart and looked for the aisle that had them. “This way.”
“I should probably pick up a toothbrush too…” She followed behind me. “I think I gargled half your mouthwash earlier.”
“Let’s add that to the list too then.” I chuckled under my breath and turned down the aisle with the hair products.
“This comb should do. It’s expensive…” She grabbed one off the rack. “I guess I don’t really need a brush.”
“Get a brush, damn.” I shook my head back and forth. “It’s not that much.”
“Okay.” She nodded and ran her fingers along the edge of the selection. “I guess this one will do.”
“It’ll do or it’s what you want?” I raised an eyebrow. “You picked the cheapest one on the rack.”
“Some of these are nicer than the one I use at home.” She shrugged.
“Then get one to replace it, I don’t care.” I leaned forward and grabbed one that was made of wood instead of plastic. “This looks like the upgrade to the one you picked.”
“It is pretty nice, even if it’s a little expensive…” She nodded.
“That’s because it’s a dual-purpose hairbrush. This side can be used to brush your hair.” I flipped it over in my hand. “This side can heat up the back of your panties when you misbehave.”
“Is that how you keep your daughter in line?” She raised an eyebrow.
“No, I don’t really believe in hitting a kid.” I shook my head quickly. “But it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t give you a few smacks if you get out of line.”
“Good thing I plan to be on my best behavior!” She giggled and smiled as I tossed the brush into the cart.
I’m trying really hard to be on mine—but it’s getting more difficult by the minute.
Six
Hannah
Flirting was hard—or maybe I just didn’t know how to do it right. Justin’s comment about using the hairbrush on me was sort of flirty. It seemed that way at least, but I wasn’t really sure if that was the way he intended for it to come across. I gave him several openings before that—and he didn’t bite on any of them. He didn’t say anything about the jeans I chose, which were so much tighter than the ones I normally wore. He didn’t follow me when I went to pick out panties—which meant he didn’t see me pick out some that were a lot sexier than anything in my drawer at home. He even turned away when I tried to brush against his hand—twice. I wasn’t sure if he noticed it or if I just had really bad timing.
“One more stop.” Justin turned the buggy and pushed it towards the next aisle.
“Beer?” I looked up at the sign that laid out what was available in that part of the store.
“Yep.” He nodded and brought the buggy to a stop in front of the cooler. “Is there anything here you want?”
“On this aisle?” I blinked in surprise.
“You’re in college and pledging to a sorority—I remember those days.” He chuckled under his breath. “I know you’re not twenty-one, but I’m sure you’ve woken up with a hangover once or twice by now.”
No, I haven’t—but the girl I’m pretending to be should have woken up with a few of them by now.
“I don’t know…” I looked around and spotted a pack of watermelon wine coolers. “I would probably drink this.”
That looks like something a sorority girl would enjoy, and I do like watermelon…
“Alright, put it in the buggy.” He grabbed some beer and put it in the buggy at the same time, and our hands touched for a moment—but he quickly pulled away.
My attraction to Justin had gotten stronger as we spent more time together. His lingering touch the night before had made me tingle—but my skin practically sizzled when our hands briefly made contact. If he felt something similar, it wasn’t reflected in his grayish-blue eyes—granted I didn’t get to see them for more than a second before he turned away from me. He pushed the buggy towards the counter and then it was all business as we unloaded the cart so the items could be scanned. I couldn’t help but smile when I picked up the hairbrush. The thought of having him use the flat side of it on me sent a slight tingle through my body, but I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was just the guilt left behind by all of the lies I had told.
* * *
“Alright, do you want to get some lunch or just tear into the junk food we bought?” Justin and I put the groceries down on the counter.
“Would you mind if I took a quick shower first?” I grabbed the hairbrush, comb, and toothbrush.
“Nah, go ahead.” He opened the fridge and started putting stuff into it.
I didn’t really feel dirty—not like the day before—but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t do something about my hair before I was rushing to get ready the next day for school. It was already an unmitigated disaster that was going to require some intense combing and lots of brushing to make it look like more than a brunette mop someone left outside in a tornado. I had managed to make it somewhat presentable with a rubber band ponytail, but that wasn’t going to fly at Bradford Academy. I had enough problems ahead of me without the Bradford Elite realizing that it looked like crap because of what they did to me. I was going to walk into school with my head held high until I was forced to bend the knee to Queen Bianca so that she didn’t have any reason to ruin what was left of my life by sharing the video with everyone.
She might do it anyway out of spite, but if there’s a chance I can survive until Mom is ready to start her new job, then I’ll consider it a win.
I brushed my teeth, broke the ponytail that was holding my hair in place, and stared at myself in the mirror. I wished I had makeup, but there was no way I could ask Justin for that. I could use Candice’s on the way to school, so I wouldn’t walk through the doors looking like a complete wreck. I hopped in the shower and didn’t feel the need to scald myself. That was progress at least. Justin didn’t have any conditioner, which was going to make the hair challenge even worse, but at least I had plenty of time to tear through the tangles. I climbed out of the shower, wrapped myself in a towel, and started hacking my way through them with the comb—ten minutes later, I had cleared them from my scalp to my ears.
“Are you okay?” I heard Justin’s voice echoing from the stairs. “You’ve been up there a really long time.”
“Yeah.” I cracked the bathroom door. “I’m just trying to get the tangles out of my hair.”
“Want me to help? I’ve got a little bit of experience with that…” He raised an eyebrow.
I guess he got plenty of it raising a daughter. It would definitely be easier than doing it myself…
“Sure, let me get dressed.” I pushed the door closed and threw the towel to the side.
“Come downstairs when you’re ready.” His voice echoed up the stairs.
My jeans fit a little better after being stretched out from wearing them home, but they were still extremely tight. I kind of regretted buying a smaller size after realizing I was goi
ng to be wearing them for two days straight—especially when he didn’t even seem to notice. I finished getting dressed, grabbed the comb and brush, and then headed downstairs. Justin was sitting on the couch—just looking hot as hell in a button-up shirt that hid a glorious physique I would never get out of my head.
“I really did try…” I walked over and sighed.
“It’s okay. I’ve done this a million times.” He spread his legs and motioned to the floor. “Have a seat. Your elbow is looking better at least. We can probably let it breathe for a little bit and put something on it before you go to bed.”
I sat down between his legs and closed my eyes as he started to work on my hair. I wondered if my father would have done that for me if he stuck around. All of that was left up to my mother in his absence, and I learned to take care of myself at a young age since she was always busy with work. My hair wasn’t usually that difficult, but it had been basically neglected since the Bradford Elite forced me to take a cold shower in the locker room. Justin had a very gentle touch. He untangled enough of my hair to get a grip on it so that there was no tug against my scalp, and then started working on the more difficult spots. Thankfully, didn’t just force the comb through it and tear it to shreds—although I’m sure there were plenty of strands that got sacrificed along the way as he untangled it.
“Thank you so much.” I leaned forward and sighed.
“No problem at all.” He put down the comb and reached for the brush.
Brushing my hair had always been very relaxing for me. It was even better when I just closed my eyes and let him do it. The turmoil of the real world melted away, and I was able to exist in a moment that didn’t have all of the complexities plaguing my life. It felt really good, especially when I felt his fingers graze my skin while he moved between sections of my hair that needed to be brushed. The sensation against my neck was really intense, even when I was relaxed, and I felt my skin trying to sizzle underneath his touch. When he finally finished and put the brush down on the coffee table in front of me, I was kind of sad that it was over.
My Bully’s Daddy Page 5