Daddy's Best Friend: An Older Man Younger Woman Box Set

by Charlize Starr

  Mike was calling, and I needed a few seconds to compose myself.

  “Mike!” I said into the phone.

  “How is she?” were his first words. I gulped because he had no idea what had happened the previous night; not about the attempted abduction and not about what I had done to her afterward.

  “She is sleeping, she is fine,” I told him because I didn’t want to alarm him.

  “Okay, good,” Mike said and I opened my mouth to speak. As a father and as a client he had every right to know that there had been an attempted abduction of his daughter. I just couldn’t decide if it was a good idea to tell it to him over the phone.

  “Carl, I have some good news. You can bring her back,” I heard him say, just as I was about to begin telling him about the incident.

  I should have been relieved to hear it, but I felt my heart drop.

  “You want me to bring her back?” I asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

  “Yes, Carl, get on the first flight home and bring my baby home,” Mike sounded emotional as he spoke.

  “Is it safe?” I asked him. I didn’t know why I was asking him this. I should have jumped at the opportunity of putting some distance between Virginia and me, especially after what had happened the previous night.

  “Yes, I found out who was making the threats. I should have known,” he growled.

  “The Blazing Skulls?” I asked, referring to one of the rival biker gangs that Mike’s MC dealt with.

  “Yeah, they’re not happy about the weapons shipments that have been coming in. They think they’re about to start a territory war, but I have another thing coming for those bastards!” Mike was thundering into the phone. I knew he was going to deal with it. This was over. He was going to make sure that those assholes paid for the threats they made on his daughter’s life.

  “Okay, that’s good,” I said.

  “So, it’s all clear. You can bring her back. My men are out there dealing with them now. It’s going to be safe for her to come back to us.” Mike sounded as relieved as I should have been. My job was done. I had managed to successfully keep her safe, and yet, I could feel myself sinking at the thought that this trip was coming to an end.

  “We’ll get on the first possible flight back,” I told Mike.

  “We can’t wait to see her. Abby has been going nuts with worry, especially since we haven’t spoken to her. She refuses to reply to our texts or answer our calls,” Mike continued and I breathed in deeply.

  “I’m sure she’ll understand. She’ll forgive you when she gets back, don’t worry,” I said into the phone.

  “I hope she does. I hope she understands that I needed to do this to keep her safe,” Mike said.

  “She will, okay? I should go and figure out our trip back. See you soon,” I said and ended the call. I could barely keep it together long enough to have this phone conversation. My body was racked with guilt and my mind was spinning out of control. This trip was coming to an end! Everything was going to go back to the usual now.

  “Was that my dad?” I heard her voice, and I whipped around in the chair to find her standing at the door of the kitchen. She was in a silk slip, her long chestnut hair was ruffled and she had beautiful sleepy green eyes. There was an immediate movement in my pants. Just last night, I had my cock inside her. I had come inside her, and this morning I had to pretend like it was nothing.

  “Yeah, it was. We’re going back,” I told her.

  ***

  “What does that mean?” Virginia asked me, and I could see that she looked worried. I got up from the chair and poured coffee into two mugs for us.

  “It means that it’s safe to go back now. Your dad has taken care of the problem, you don’t have to worry,” I told her and brought the mug of coffee to her. She accepted it from me and stepped into the kitchen. I watched as she tucked in some stray strands of her hair behind her ears. She was killing me in that slip! I was afraid that she would be able to see how hard I was in my pants.

  “No, I mean, what does that mean for . . . us?” she asked, and her eyes darted nervously around the room. She didn’t want to look into my eyes. I took a slow sip of the coffee and cleared my throat before I spoke.

  “It means that we go back to the way things were before we came to Alaska. You lead your life and I lead mine,” I said as firmly as I possibly could. She had no idea how difficult this was for me to say. Instead, she jerked her face up to look at me. I could see a fire burning in her green eyes.

  The pale complexion of her cheeks had turned a tomato red.

  “So, that’s it? It’s over?” she snapped. I could see the way the mug of coffee shook in her hands.

  “Yes, Virginia, it’s over. You deserve to have a normal life, and I deserve to go back to leading mine,” I said and stepped away from her.

  She was following my every movement with her eyes. I was afraid that she would be able to see right through me and figure out that I was putting on an act.

  “You don’t think we could have a normal life together?” she asked and I pressed my eyes closed and drew in a deep breath.

  “There is no need to make this more complicated than it already is. Your father is my best friend and you are more than two decades younger than me. What has happened between us is a mistake. I should have never touched you,” I said and Virginia stepped furiously towards me. Some of the coffee from her mug spilled on the kitchen floor.

  “You keep saying it was a mistake. If it was, then why have we had this thing between us? For two years now? What is the explanation for that?” her voice had become high-pitched. She was losing her calm and she had every right to. I was at fault here. I complicated matters. I should have behaved like the mature older man that I was and put an end to it a long time ago. Instead, I had not been able to resist her.

  “Virginia, we need to go our separate ways. It’s for the best,” I said to her and she shook her head. Now I could see her eyes watering. I didn’t want her to cry. If she cried, I would have given her anything. I knew how weak I’d be if I saw her crying.

  “Is this about dad? We can talk to him. I thought you wanted me!” she bit down on her lower lip, and I watched as her face scrunched up. I had to clench my fist to stop myself from punching the wall. I was hoping that she just wouldn’t break into tears.

  “We can’t talk to him. This is wrong. We can’t expect him to understand,” I said, as calmly as I could. She was staring at me with glistening eyes. She had managed to keep her tears bottled up. She was being strong.

  “So, all of this was an act?” she shrieked and I drew in a deep breath again.

  “No, none of this was an act, Virginia. I did want you, but I also know how wrong it was, and it can’t go on . . . not in the real world,” I argued and she whipped away from me. My eyes roamed over her back, over her ass, over the slenderness of her petite shoulders. I still wanted her. I wanted to be inside her again, I wanted to watch her face as she came for me. I ran a hand through my hair.

  “Virginia, I need you to pack your bags. We’re getting on the first flight back,” I said, and I realized that my voice was shaking slightly. She kept her back turned to me firmly. If she was crying, I couldn’t see and I was grateful for that.

  “That’s it then, now I have to go back home and pretend like nothing happened between us,” she said, in a soft dejected voice.

  “It’s for the best. I can’t betray your dad. We’ve been friends since we were teenagers,” I said and instead of saying anything else, she walked out of the kitchen.

  I slammed the coffee mug on the counter and kicked the legs of the chair at the table. I had to clench my jaw to stop myself from growling aloud. This felt like the hardest thing I was going to do. To drop her off to her house, to watch her run into the arms of her mother and then just walk away.

  This girl had taken possession of me, and it was going to take a very long time for me to get over her. The worst part was that she had no idea, and I couldn’t tell her. Th
e less she knew about my true feelings for her, the easier it would be for both of us.

  Chapter 13 – Virginia

  Three Weeks Later

  Casey had set me up on a third date, and I was waiting at the doors of the restaurant now in a short red cocktail dress with my hair tied up in a messy bun on the side of my head.

  Since I returned from Alaska, my life seemed to have gone back to normal but I didn’t feel the same anymore. Nothing felt right, and even though it had been three weeks since I last saw Carl, he was all I could think about.

  He had dropped me back to the house in a car and then left without saying another word. We had barely spoken through the flight, and I hadn’t seen him since. I knew that dad had seen him several times. They talked often over the phone, but I was too afraid to ask my dad anything about him. Carl had made it very clear that he didn’t want to have anything to do with me.

  The guy with the blond hair and blue eyes who went to the same college as mine turned up in his car a few minutes later. I had already been waiting outside the restaurant for nearly fifteen minutes now. Casey had assured me that this guy was nice – exactly my type and she had high hopes that I would hit it off with him.

  After Alaska, something had switched off in me. I felt heartbroken and rejected at the loss of Carl and the only thing that made sense to me now was to date other people. I knew exactly who to go to for advice for my new dating spree. Casey had several guys on her fingertips whom she could set me up with, and this guy was the third one.

  None of them had been good enough. They all seemed too young, too immature; and the casual kisses I had shared with the other two guys seemed sloppy. There was no spark. None of that sexual tension I had felt with Carl; and most importantly, none of them had made me feel safe the way he had.

  “You must be Virginia, I’m Luke!” this guy exclaimed as he bounded up towards me. “Am I late?” he asked, looking at his watch.

  “No, I just got here,” I said, trying to find an inkling of an attraction towards him. He checked all the boxes: he was my age, hot, went to my college, and seemed polite. There was nothing about Luke to not like, and yet I knew I was going to compare him to Carl every step of the way. I was putting a man on a pedestal; a man who wanted to have nothing to do with me.

  We went into the restaurant, and I felt Luke’s hand on the small of my back. My limbs immediately froze up. I wanted to yank myself away from him. I didn’t want him touching me.

  We sat down at a table, and I could see that he was trying to make conversation. I had noticed him check out my body, and I could sense that he was attracted to me. As much as I tried to smile and talk and listen, I could feel myself losing hope. This guy wasn’t the one either. He was no match to Carl. I was going to quickly run out of options.

  I zoned out while he talked about his love for soccer. All I could think about was Carl and the way his beard stroked my chin every time he kissed me. I was smiling weakly at Luke, but thinking about the way Carl had parted my legs, the way he had carried me tenderly to bed, how easily I had fallen asleep in his arms that night.

  What had I done to push him away? He had said that we had to end it because he didn’t want to betray my father, but was that the truth? I had fantasized about him all my teenage years and finally, during this trip, my fantasies had come true. And now that I had tasted what being with him could feel like, I knew that nothing else would ever be good enough.

  We ordered and ate, and the whole time it was only Luke who kept the conversation going. I remained silent but polite, and I was certain that he was going to get a pretty good idea that I wasn’t interested. Casey was going to be disappointed again. She was going to try and figure out what had gone wrong with this third guy, and I was going to have to lie to her and say that he just wasn’t attractive enough.

  I pushed the food around on my plate listlessly. I hadn’t been eating much. I hadn’t been sleeping much. I couldn’t even concentrate in my sociology class. I felt like I was breaking from the inside, and only Carl could fix me but he was gone from my life.

  I looked up at Luke while he described a game that he had recently attended. This guy was too clueless to know that I hadn’t been paying attention to anything he had said yet. I tried to look into his blue eyes, but it only reminded me of how blue Carl’s were.

  I knew I should have been with a guy like Luke, that I was on the path of recovering from a broken heart; but none of it mattered. I only wanted one thing, and that one thing was never going to be mine. Carl had already made the decision for us, and he was gone from my life.

  I finished my meal forcibly, and as the evening started to come close to an end, I could feel myself being relieved. I just wanted to be back home in the privacy of my bedroom and fantasize about Carl instead.

  ***

  Luke and I stepped out of the restaurant. I could sense him trying to keep the conversation going. I had no idea how he had assumed that we had any inkling of a connection!

  “So, I’d like to drop you home,” Luke said, as we walked towards the car park. I looked over at him and forced a smile on my face.

  “It’s alright, I drove here,” I replied and I could see him trying to come up with another excuse to make me stay. I didn’t want to be rude and blunt with him, but if it came to it, I would have to. No matter how desperately I wanted to get over Carl, I didn’t want to string another man along for my benefit.

  “Why don’t we . . . ” Luke had started saying when I sensed someone walking towards us from the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw that it was Carl, and I felt like someone had knocked the wind out of my lungs. I had no idea what he was doing here. I hadn’t expected to see him!

  “Virginia,” he said my name casually in his usual deep, masculine voice. Luke looked at him, too, and there was confusion in his eyes.

  “Who is this guy?” he asked me, while all I could do was gape at Carl. He looked hot in a flannel shirt tucked into a dark pair of jeans. His beard was neatly trimmed but still gruff looking. His blue eyes were shining bright and stormy.

  “Why don’t you scream?” Carl turned to Luke, and I felt my mouth going dry.

  “Excuse me? Do you know this guy?” Luke asked me, but he was glaring at Carl and I could sense that there was a fight brewing.

  “It’s okay, Luke, I know him,” I said in a small voice. Carl had barely even looked at Luke; he was staring at me. There was a wildness in his eyes that reminded me of that moment when his cock had slipped into my pussy. He had that same look on his face like he was lost.

  “We need to talk,” Carl said and I gulped.

  “Who do you think you are?” Luke stepped in between us, and Carl turned his threateningly dark eyes towards him. He hadn’t said a word to Luke but was glaring at him now. The men were facing off.

  “I’m going to ask you nicely once more. Get out of here,” Carl growled and there was a threat in his voice that Luke heard as well. He looked at me then, expecting me to give him a signal to stay, but I didn’t.

  All I could think about was that Carl was here – he had shown up!

  “Whatever. Have a nice night, Virginia,” Luke said, rolling his eyes and he walked away from us, leaving Carl and I staring at each other again.

  “Have you been following me?” I asked him. I had to force myself to say something, I felt like I had entirely lost my voice.

  “Yes, I’m sorry,” Carl admitted and the light in his eyes dimmed. I was surprised that he had admitted that he was following me!

  “Why? Why didn’t you say something?” I could hear the screech in my voice. Even though we were standing close together, he hadn’t touched me yet. I wanted to be touched. I wanted to feel his arms around me.

  “Because I’m addicted to you, Virginia, and I hate myself for it. I’ve tried so hard to stop following you, but I needed to know what you were doing,” Carl said and I gulped. What did this mean? Did this mean that he was feeling exactly the way I had been for so long?


  “Carl . . . ” I said his name and took a step towards him. I could breathe in his masculine scent now and it made my knees weak.

  “You’ve been torturing me with these guys, these fucking idiots who you keep going on dates with!” he growled, in a deep throaty voice, which sent goosebumps down my arms.

  “I had to do something to get my mind off you! I needed a distraction. Nothing happened with these guys. I don’t want any of them!” I snapped and I watched as Carl gulped.

  “I know nothing happened, and I want it to stay that way,” he said and he stepped up to me before I knew what was going on.

  Carl’s lips were on mine, his fingers were in my hair, my bun loosened, my hair came tumbling down behind me, and we were kissing like wild animals. My breath was caught in my throat as his tongue slipped into my mouth. I could taste him now; I could taste his desire.

  I pressed myself to his body, sinking into him as he held me. I could feel the erection in his pants, his cock digging into my belly as we kissed. It felt like a fantasy, like this was all a dream. I couldn’t believe that he was actually here, that I was really in his arms.

  Carl’s hands wound on my hips and he lifted me up. Our lips never parted; we were still kissing. I could feel my bottom lip swelling up, throbbing from the force of his kisses. He had lifted me up and carried me to his car.

  With one hand, he yanked the front door open and I was like a feather in his arms. He was carrying me so easily.

  He threw me into the car and I slid over the seats. He followed me in and slammed the door shut. I watched him as he looked over my body. The car park was dark, it seemed like we were the only people there. He was breathing heavily as he sat behind the steering wheel, glaring at me like he hated himself.

  “Virginia, I can’t stop thinking about you,” he said.