Alice's mother tries to convince me to have lunch with her, but I tell her I want to stay with her daughter since she's ill. Magda doesn't offer to come stay with us, and I resent her for it. It seems like she's treating her kid as an accessory, only finding Alice useful when it's to her own benefit. Truth be told, it pisses me off, and I think myself a coward for not saying anything about it. But I don't wanna make Magda angry - the last thing I want is for her to change her mind about Alice living with me and take her away.
I leave my girl alone for most of the day, just bringing her food and drinks, which she turns away. This goes on for several days, and I'm getting really worried. She even misses school which is unlike Alice these days - usually she seems so excited to come and help me in the office.
On a Wednesday, I get another phone call from Magda. I sigh when I see her number flashing on my cell, and pick up trying to sound as cheerful as possible. "Hi, Magda. What can I do for you today?"
"Hello, darling," she says sweetly. "I'm sad to say I'll be leaving town tonight."
"Oh," I say lamely. I hate her for not coming to see Alice and it's becoming harder and harder to hide my feelings. "Are you coming ‘round to say goodbye?"
"Afraid not," she says with the fakest of sighs. "Don't want to catch anything from Alice you know, I have a lot of work back at home." My fist tightens at my side and I realize just how much I fucking despise this woman, Alice's mother or not. "I was wondering, though, if you could give me a ride to the airport?"
Her question makes me even angrier. She could just as easily catch a cab and probably be there faster, but no, she has to involve me in her shitty decisions and take me away from Alice, too. I don't want to agree, but I know she's not really giving me a choice.
"I'd be happy to," I tell her through gritted teeth, and I can almost see her satisfied smirk from all the way in her hotel. "When do I need to pick you up?"
"Thirty minutes," Magda chirps happily. "Don't be late, handsome."
I cut the call before she can go on and rub my temples, really not wanting to deal with this right now. I need to tell Alice I'm leaving, and I'm not looking forward to that either. To sweeten the blow, I make some of her favorite waffles - one of the rare dishes I know how to make, mainly because I have a waffle maker - with strawberries and maple syrup. I sprinkle some chocolate chips on top and make her a big cup of coffee as well before taking it all upstairs and knocking on the door of Alice's bedroom.
"Come in," she says softly, and I open the door, giving her a bright smile as I set down the tray on her bedside table. She actually sits up and gives the food a semi-interested look, and if I'm not mistaken, I even catch a shadow of a smile on those pretty, plump lips.
"I have to leave for an hour or so," I tell her, and her expression falls immediately.
"Oh," she says simply, and I feel like a dick for leaving right now, especially since it'll look like I picked her mom over her. "That's okay. Is that all for me?"
"Yeah," I say with an embarrassed smile. "I did my best. You'd better eat it too, doll, I'm getting worried about you. You haven't eaten at all lately."
"I'll try," she promises me with a weak smile, and I set the tray down in her lap. She licks her lips when the scent of the steaming waffles hit her nose and I can't help but smile at her. "Where are you going, anyway?"
"Uh, I'm taking your mom to the airport," I tell her. I figure it's best to get the blow out of the way now before she gets even more upset. She gives me a hurt look but I can't do shit about it, so I get up abruptly and push my glasses up higher on my nose. "I'll make it quick doll, I promise."
She doesn't respond, and I wait for her to say something in vain. Finally, I back out of the room and close the door softly, her hurt eyes following me as I leave, branding themselves into my memory.
The drive to the hotel is short and uneventful, and I find Magda waiting in the hotel lobby for me to pick her up. She's wearing expensive designer shit and reeks of Chanel No. 5. I help her with her luggage, feeling like a fucking errand boy, while she chatters about all the opportunities waiting for her.
"I'm so glad you came," she tells me with a wink. "I was really hoping to see you one more time before I left town, darling."
God, not this again. I can't deal with her flirting with me, it just feels odd as hell, especially thinking about what I'd rather be doing right now - to her daughter, no less. I give her a stiff smile as we sit in the car and I rev the engine up. I can tell shit's about to get fucked when she places a hand on my knee as we're driving.
"I always thought you were handsome, Jacob," Magda purrs. "That's why I trusted you with Alice, too. I knew you'd make a good substitute daddy."
Her words almost make me throw up in my mouth, but I manage to give her a strained smile. I don't trust myself to speak though, so I just shut my fucking mouth and try to make the drive as short as possible.
"You know, I'm still pretty young," Magda says dreamily. "I had Alice when I was just a kid! I'm probably only a few years older than you."
I know what she's implying and it's dangerous territory, especially because I'm not interested in the fucking slightest. I just offer her a strained smile, but if she notices how uninterested I am in the conversation, she doesn't mention it.
"I'd love to see you more often, Jacob," she purrs, and her hand tightens on my knee. I feel awkward as fuck, but thankfully, life saves me when we pull up in front of the airport in the next second.
"Here we are," I say, the relief plain in my voice. "I'm not going to walk you inside, Magda, I hope you don't mind. I really need to get back to Alice since she's not feeling too well. Don't want her to stay at home alone too long, you understand, don't you?"
I give her a meaningful look and for a second, her eyes blaze with fury, but she laughs it off. "Of course, darling. Just help me get my luggage and I'll get out of your hair right away. I know how important Alice is to you."
I look at her to see if that was a dig, but Magda looks perfectly innocent. I unload her shit from my trunk and wave her off from the car, but not before an awkward hug, where she tries to kiss me. I manage to fake a coughing attack and she takes the hint. Her eyes seem colder when she says goodbye, and the image of Magda is in my mind for the rest of the way home.
The ride back is extraneously long, and I worry about Alice the whole time. Ever since her mom dropped by during dinner, she just hasn't been herself at all, and it's making me worry. Once I finally pull up in the driveway, I practically run upstairs to check on her.
She's slumped in bed, but I'm pleased to see she ate a bit of the waffles. There's a book on her lap and she gives me a look over it as I storm inside her room. "Knock much?" she asks me, a teasing tone in her voice. It makes me grin.
"Sorry, for some reason I was really worried," I mutter in reply, sitting down next to her on the bed. "You alright, doll?" She doesn't reply, and goes back to her book. I take it from her hands, remembering the page for her and closing it. "Pride and Prejudice, huh?"
She smiles. "Yeah, I've always liked it. Mom and I used to read it together when I was younger."
"That's sweet," I tell her, and a sudden desire to just fucking kiss her overtakes my body. I lean over the bed, caging Alice's small and frail body with my own. She whimpers against my mouth and I don't give a fuck what her excuse is this time, I just need to taste her. Pressing my lips against her mouth I give myself what I want, tasting her deeply and extracting a low moan from her plump lips.
"God, I've missed this," I mutter against her mouth, and before she can push me away, I pull her onto my lap by her hips. She parts her legs hungrily and sits down on me, her center only separated from mine by fabric. I look down, and that's when I see it.
Tiny scratches all over her thighs, on the inside.
She feels my eyes on her legs and tries to climb off me, but I grab her by the waist and topple her over on the bed, my front to her back, not letting her go anywhere.
"Did you hurt yourself ag
ain?" I ask her gently, and she looks at me over her shoulder. Her eyes are teary, and she simply nods, just once. "Alice, please don't. Please fucking stop doing that."
I wrestle her into my arms again and she goes into a fetal position in my lap, just a little girl needing someone to take care of her. I take her wrists in one hand and stroke her long dark hair as she starts to sob. Moments like this one remind me of just how fragile she is.
"Alice," I tell her roughly, murmuring in her hair. "You need to stop hurting yourself, doll, fucking please. I can't take this, it's... It's too fucking much."
She's crying softly, her chest heaving with sobs against mine as I stroke her hair. "I know," she manages to choke out.
"I know you're hurting," I tell her gently. "But let me help, Alice. That's what I'm here for. That's what I want to do for you, make you all better, doll. And I will, I promise. You just have to let me closer. Is that okay?"
She nods and I hold her close. "Fuck," I mutter into her hair. My heart's beating weirdly, all out of rhythm, and I'm worried as fuck about her. I just want her to be okay. "I need you, baby girl. I need you to be okay. I need you to be strong. You're mine, you know that, right?"
She nods again, and slowly, her body starts to calm down from the violent sobs. The front of my shirt's soaked with her tears but I don't give a fuck. All I care about is making sure Alice is okay.
"You're my everything," I tell her so softly I'm not sure she hears. "I need you more than you need me, doll. You're all mine, okay?"
I don't know whether she nods or not, but I crawl next to her in the bed and pull her up against my chest until she finally starts to breathe normally. And I stay with her for hours, holding her like that. There's no place I'd rather be.
Eighteen
Alice
It's Thanksgiving weekend, and Jacob has a huge grin on his face as we drive home from school. He's been telling me all week he has a surprise for me, but he won't tell me what it is and it's driving me absolutely crazy.
"I want to know," I nag him as he pulls up in the driveway. "You have to tell me! I can't take the suspense any longer, Jacob. Now you're just messing with me."
"Calm down, doll," he laughs at me. "Only a few minutes till you find out, I promise."
He takes me inside the house, and I find a suitcase waiting at the stairs, in the middle of the hallway. I give him a suspicious look. "Are you going somewhere?" I ask him, trying to not get too upset. If this is his way of a fun surprise, he's got me all wrong. I'd rather spend the whole long weekend holed up with him than go anywhere.
"We both are," he winks at me, and my heart soars. "Pack your shit, we're going to the seaside."
I shriek and start to jump up and down, hugging him tightly. It makes him laugh and shake his head, and eventually, he manages to send me off to my room to get ready. I try on some outfits for him and he tells me I might as well go naked, because he's not letting me out of the bed anyway. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, for the first time in ages. I feel happy.
Once we're all packed, we load the car with our stuff and start driving. Jacob promises it's only a couple hours, but I still don't know where on earth we're going, so I nag him the entire ride there. Well, until I can see the sea from my window, then I spend the next thirty minutes glued to it and staring at our beautiful surroundings.
We pull up in front of a quaint little house and I run outside right away. It's right on the beach, and it's warmer here, pretty and picturesque. "Are we staying here?" I ask Jacob excitedly, and he nods. "This is so beautiful. Are we renting?"
"It's my parents' old house," Jacob tells me with a smile. "Basically, the only thing I have in the world besides my place. Too many memories, can't bring myself to sell it."
"I bet you say that to all the girls," I wink at him, but the pained expression on his face makes me regret my words. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that."
"No, it's okay," he shrugs it off. "Bad memories, I guess."
"What do you mean?" I can't help myself, I have to ask.
"Well, I tried bringing one woman here - Karen," he admits. "She hated it, though. She was more of an all-inclusive hotel vacation kinda girl."
"Good thing I'm not," I wink at him, and he seems a little relieved. We haul all our luggage inside the house, and I admire it with every step I take. It really is amazing here, the air permeated with a thick salty aroma from the ocean, and the house decorated in an old-fashioned way with a lot of wood and brick.
"I'm so happy we're here," I admit to Jacob. "I needed to get away for a bit."
"I thought it'd be nice," he tells me with a grin. "Sorry you don't get a Thanksgiving dinner this year, doll."
"I could starve and be happy when I'm with you," I tell him in a sing-song voice, and it makes him laugh.
We spend the night settling in, and Jacob lights a fire for us. We cuddle up in front of it and I ask him to tell me about his parents. He doesn't ever really mention them and it makes me curious.
"They both passed away," he tells me. "We were very close. Unfortunately, I didn't have any siblings or other family, so it's just me."
"That's sad," I sigh and burrow deeper into the crook of his arm, watching the fire crackle. "I'll be your family, if you want. I'm pretty much by myself too, you know."
"You're a big girl," he mutters into my hair. "You're taking it well, doll."
We talk for the rest of the night, and when it gets really late, Jacob carries me into the master bedroom. I don't laugh, I just look into his beautiful eyes and try to make the moment last forever. As he sets me down on the thick blankets in the bed, I realize I don't think I've ever been happier. This moment is perfect.
I change my mind twenty minutes later when he pushes inside me, with his eyes firmly trained on mine as he fucks me, rough and hard this time, but with an intensity I don't always get from him. Jacob's eyes are always on mine, watching, waiting for the moment I come undone underneath him, falling to pieces under his strong body just so he can put me back together. I love that feeling, submitting to him completely. It makes me feel like I belong.
Right here, with him.
We spend the next few days exploring the seaside. It really is beautiful here, and the air itself makes me feel healthier. Soon it's our last day, and I'm regretting going back so much I tell Jacob I just want to move here instead.
"It's not as impossible as you think," I wink at him. "We could easily live here."
"Doing what?" he raises his brows at me, looking at me in the mirror. I finish coming through my hair and smooth down my skirt, giggling as he slaps my naked ass. He won't let me wear panties, but at least I got thick tights tonight. Jacob says he doesn't want me to get sick, but he loves knowing I'm naked underneath when he sees my ass.
We decide to head to the small seaside town on the bus. The streets are narrow here and difficult to navigate in his car, but I'm looking forward to exploring the nooks and crannies of this place, especially since Jacob's parents lived here. It makes me feel more connected to him, and I love the feeling of it.
The bus ride there is filled with me exclaiming as I see all the fun places I saw mentioned in the travel guide we brought with us. Jacob just laughs at me, and I love it when he kisses me in front of everyone. No one knows us here, so while there is an obvious age difference between the two of us, no one can tell we're patient and therapist and it's all good.
We go for a hike to the castle above the town and sit down to hot chocolate at a quaint little cafe. When the day is turning into night, I'm exhausted, and I tell Jacob it's honestly the best day I've ever had.
"You're not very hard to please," he winks at me as we get on the bus.
"Yes I am," I object, flashing the driver my ticket and going to sit in the back. "In fact, I'm extremely demanding."
"Sure," Jacob smirks at me. "Are you gonna prove that to me, little girl?"
"Any way you want," I wink, and his eyes light up. Right away, I realize I've dug a hole f
or myself and it makes me giggle nervously as he sits down next to me on the uncomfortable bus seats. They’re a few people on it, but for the most part, it's pretty empty.
"Okay, doll," Jacob leans over to whisper in my ear. "I want you to sit on my lap right now."
"Okay," I say, trying to put on a brave face. "That's not so difficult." I try to ignore the fact I'll be grinding right on his crotch with my pussy bare under my tights, but Jacob merely smirks before going on.
"Oh, but that's not it, doll," he tells me sweetly, gently pushing my hair out of my face. "I want you to sit on my lap and beg for me to fuck you when we get home. And I won't do it until you've fucking soaked my lap from begging and grinding so hard."
"Jacob!" I hiss at him, but he laughs and motions for me to go on. With my cheeks burning, I realize I don't really have much of a choice. He's a man of his word, and I want him to fuck me so very desperately. So I do as he says, and try to sit on his lap as discreetly as I possibly can. I don't think anyone notices - we're sitting all the way in the back anyway, and they’re only a couple of other people on the bus. Still, it makes me blush something fierce as I feel him under me, with my legs spread on either side of Jacob's.
I lean closer to him and my hair falls down around us, enveloping us in our own little world where it's just us, his hands on my hips and my pussy so fucking close to his cock I can feel him throb for me. "Will you please fuck me, Master?" I ask him in a low voice, and he adjusts his hips so his cock presses right against my entrance.
"Louder, doll," he tells me softly, and I blush, but I don't look away from him.
"I need you," I tell him, almost in my normal voice now but still keeping it down just in case. "Please, Master, I need you inside me."
It's the first time I'm using that word since the disaster in his basement. We haven't been down there since my punishment happened, and while I haven't admitted this to Jacob, I'm really, really desperate for him to fuck me there again.
His Doll: A Dark Bad Boy Romance Page 11