by Celia Crown
He believes otherwise, she’s his delicate little girl.
“Do we have to call him dad?” Honey looks over to Nate with a broom sweeping the floor.
Mavis purses her lips, “Not calling him daddy either.”
Vlad turns his head where he’s stacking the chairs, “What is it?”
“What?” she asks back.
Honey gasps, scandalized.
The bartender behind them chuckles to himself.
“Nothing, I didn’t say anything.” Mavis denies.
Honey teases, leaning in with her eyebrows wiggling. “Oh, really?”
“Mavis.” Vlad’s voice commands, her spine straightens automatically.
She glances at him, confusion flashing through her face. Was she not to mention their private matter in any way? Was he angry?
“Come here.”
Her feet are on the floor and walking up to him before her brain can process what she’s doing. Kane brushes pass her to get to Honey, his strides are longer than hers, so he made it to her sister faster than she made it to Vlad.
His arm curls around her waist, wrenching her to his large body. His stance is tall and alert, his dark scent fills her nose as she takes ahold of the back of his shirt.
She’s about to ask him what’s wrong when the door swings open, revealing her headache.
Richard walks in by himself. He must be a fool to walk into a bar with four insanely strong Noir members. In an expensive suit and dark glasses, he smiles at Mavis. It’s a polite and kind smile that sends a violent repulsion down her spine, she’ll never see him as Jennifer’s friendly and quiet business investor the same ever again.
“Mavis, my darling.”
Has it been three days already? It can’t be.
Vlad moves in front of her, eyes glaring daggers at the delusional man.
“I know I’m early, love. Our reservation at the Le Blanc is set, we must get going now.”
Her mind is about to explode on this ridiculous man, he’s spewing nonsense again. Never judge a book by its cover. She’s judging very hard right now. The craziness is oozing through his cracked façade that he shows to people he’s in business with.
He takes a step forward and her vision is blocked by Vlad’s solid back muscles. She appreciates the view change because Richard is borderline psychopathic in her mind.
“Get out of here.” Vlad snaps.
Richard’s voice comes again, “We must hurry, beautiful swan.”
A cringe plasters on her face, even his compliments are creepy.
“Who’re you and what the fuck are you saying to my daughter?”
It’s Nate’s distinguishable voice, and she feels safe knowing that people are defending her.
His daughter. Her heart gives a thump and affection fills her quickly. She likes the sound of it, even when she vehemently denies and refutes earlier.
“This has nothing to do with brutes. She will come with me.”
Mavis doesn’t need to see the reaction on Nate’s face by the tone of what he said next.
“Mavis is this brute’s daughter. You watch where you put your hands, I’ll break them.”
Honey shouts from her barstool, “He’s trying to steal mom’s bar!”
A silence follows closely, then cracks of knuckles rip through the air like electricity as Richard’s choking gasps goes to her ears. She glimpses over Vlad’s bulky arm and screeches in surprise.
Nate has the man by the neck with one hand, the force in that arm rivals every strength in Richard’s body as he hauls him out the door. Richard’s reddened face turning purple is the last thing she sees before the door closes.
Mom gives her a panicked gawk while Honey gazes away because she did fuel the fire, but she’s just trying to protect Mavis. She can forgive Honey, even if she most likely got Richard’s death warrant signed.
Laura would be so disappointed in them, but Richard instigated this mess and threatened Mavis. She wouldn’t tell the older woman though, there are better options.
Why bother Laura when she has Jennifer’s team of money-hungry lawyers.
Muffled screams and painful shrills pierce through the door, an alarming silence follows with more hollering agony. Mavis tries to tune out the noises as the best she could, but there’s nothing like hearing someone’s bone shatter so hauntingly loud.
The door creaks open with Nate hauling the bloodied man in by the collar of his expensive suit. Nate stands there as if he’s dragging a bag of sand, Richard’s body makes a loud thud on the floor as he stares up at the ceiling with blood dripping on the ground.
“Now, we’ll do this again.” Nate clears his throat, “What the fuck do you want with my daughter?”
The man on the floor takes a minute to reply, “We’re in love.”
Mavis isn’t capable of love.
That left a bitter taste on her tongue. She’s so used to convincing herself that people don’t stay long enough for her to have any feelings. She doesn’t understand love, so she doesn’t know if anything she feels is love.
It’s as if it’s instinctual, she almost corrects him that she can’t love him.
She sneaks a peek at Vlad, his back is still offering protection to her as his jaw clenches tightly. Her heart speeds up against her ribs, she knows he will protect her and it makes her body melt.
Vlad’s changing her, to what extent, she doesn’t know.
“Mavis.” Nate calls, “Did he do anything to you?”
She swallows, shooting a brief glance at mom before landing on Nate. “He said he’s going to take mom’s bar.”
“Is that so,” Nate sneers down at Richard who cowards. “Anything else?”
Mavis weights the pros and cons of telling Nate. She doesn’t want to make the problem bigger than it already is. Richard has already learned his lesson, but she knows not to judge a character by the cover, so she tells Nate just enough.
“He wants me to go back to Miami with him.”
“Do you?” Nate asks.
Mavis shakes her head, not a second of hesitation. The thought of being separated from Vlad scares her more than anything.
She doesn’t mention the part where Richard wants her to leave Vlad and get together with him as if he has control of her life. Only Vlad can tell her what to do, he’s her daddy after all. Good girls listen and obeys.
“Then it’s settled.” Nate cracks his knuckles in emphasis, it earns him a whimper and a pathetically futile attempt to wiggle away. He yanks the docile man up by the collar and hangs him by the neck with his leather shoes dangling in the air.
“You love me, I know you do.” Richard coughs, voice straining in a high-pitched weaver. “I see the way you look at me, I love you too. You don’t have to be scared, I can take you away from these people.”
What is going on in this man’s head?
“Come on,” he wheezes as Nate slams him against the wall. His head rolling to the side while ignoring the lack of oxygen, Richard slants his eyes to Mavis who hid behind Vlad.
“We can leave this place and be happy. We’ll have so many children together.”
A disgusted chill demands a trail of goosebumps on her arms, the hair on her neck rises at his delusional tone and the eerie smile.
“Take the girls upstairs,” Nate commands.
Brenda tries to calm the man down while Vlad and Kane usher the sisters away from the oncoming bloodshed. Mavis wants to tell her mom to go with them, but one look and she sees the strong woman standing with the love of her life, supporting him with a silent frown.
Honey doesn’t look back as she weaves her fingers with Mavis, huddling together for comfort. Vlad’s hand on her waist is a reminder of his presence behind her as they made it up to the top of the stairs.
They stand in the middle of the bar bedroom when Honey hugs Mavis, nose burying in her black hair. Mavis breathes in the soft floral scent, closing her eyes with a sigh.
“You have to stop doing this, you can talk to me.”
“I was going to call Jenny’s lawyers.”
“But you didn’t.” Honey said, and she’s right.
Mavis admits, “I didn’t.”
“Honey,” Kane’s deep voice catches them off guard, they guiltily shoot an apologetic look to the two men.
They forgot they were also in the room.
“Give them some privacy,” he grunts, hand gesturing her to his side.
Honey gives her one last squeeze and a wide smile. She runs to Kane’s side and walks out while closing the door behind them. Mavis’ heart thumps anxiously, Vlad is too quiet. His dark eyes draw a blank as she shifts her weight and wrings her fingers.
“You will tell me everything, and I expect an apology, little girl.”
The little tingles in her fingers intensify, her tummy twists uncomfortably as her throat becomes dry and hard to swallow.
“Now.”
And she did. She tells him everything. From the first time she met Richard at a casual business meeting with Jennifer, the fundraiser, to the threat he made outside of the bar. She tells him about the sweet young man turning into a deranged psychopath, and how much he terrifies her.
“Why didn’t you tell me.”
It’s a question that has her thinking. She doesn’t want to tell him for all kinds of reasons. She doesn’t want to bother him, doesn’t think it’s a big deal, and she thought she can handle it because it’s her problem and she didn’t want to drag Vlad into it.
“I can take care of myself.”
“You’re mine to protect.”
She doesn’t want to disappoint him, she clutches her fingers as her heart beats away.
It was hard to force his voice to be cold and detached when speaking to her, but he tries, and it works because his little girl wilts.
Stubborn resolve crumbles in the blink of an eye.
“I’m sorry,” she steps into his arms, head nudging his chest side to side in silent permission to be forgiven.
“You’re not forgiven yet,” his voice rumbles deep in his chest, it makes her shiver in defeat.
She wants to be good for him, and she would do anything to be back on his good grace.
“I’m sorry,” Mavis repeats.
He sighs deeply, his hand cradling her head. “I’m not upset with you. I’m angry at myself, I didn’t try hard enough for you to trust me.”
She jerks her head up to him, eyes filling with transparent panic. Incoherent noises tumble out of her lips as her blue eyes water with frustration. This isn’t Vlad’s fault, it’s hers. She’s the one with emotional baggage and she’s learning, she’s trying to be better for him.
“It’s not you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m trying, I am. Please don’t be mad. I’ll do better!” she blabs, hiccups breaking her words.
He seizes her shoulders with one arm while the other crushing her waist to him, she winds her shaking arms around him.
“No,” he mumbles on the top of her head, “Never say sorry for trying, I know you’re doing your best. I’m so damn proud of you for protecting everyone from that bastard.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Mavis claws at the back of his shirt. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but it ended up a mess.”
Vlad grants a kiss to her temple, “You have me, I want to take care of you. I love you.”
Her heart lurches up to her throat, small body locking in its suspended state as her mind whirls to process what he just said. She’s so happy but terrified at the same time.
She sees the love between Honey and Kane and how easy is it for mom to look at Nate like he’s her moon.
Mavis wants that.
She wants to love Vlad, and she thinks she does. A whisper of doubt in her mind gnaws on her naivety. What if what she feels isn’t what everyone know love as?
“I don’t know what it is, but I feel something for you and I’m scared.”
“Try to love me,” he said, leaning for a sweet and encouraging kiss on her quivering lips. “I want you to try, for me.”
She whispers, uncertainty clouding her blue eyes. “I can’t even love myself, how can I love you?”
“I’ll love you until you can love yourself, and then I’ll love you more.”
Mavis’ breath flies away as her mind clears. A newfound determination fills her warming body, it gives her hope and butterflies fluttering in her tummy. Vlad’s willing to wait for her and this is the first time she’s wanted something this badly, she’s also willing to give every piece of herself to him.
“I’ll try, for you.”
She’s healing, the plaguing devil of insecurities giggling at the word defected is fading away.
“I love you.”
She believes him.
Epilogue
Vlad
Three months later.
Each day, he learns something new about Mavis. It’s refreshing and oddly endearing to see the girl surprise him with little quirks, and he falls in love a little more with her every day.
The other day, Mavis brought him an apron. Huge sunflowers printed on blue fabric, she said he’ll think of her whenever he cooks. It hurts her to see hot splatters going on his sculpted abs, but she likes seeing him cook shirtless.
She had to phrase it like that. He’d be lying if he didn’t walk around the house shirtless more often, just so she can ogle at his muscles and tattoos.
His little girl has no shame.
He’s all hers, as she’s all his.
Recently, he learned another thing about her. Technically, it’s something that’s been there, but he never put it together.
Mavis calls out bullshit with more bullshit.
Conversations between Honey and Mavis are the highlights of the days at the bar. His brothers became fond of the sisters, their odd charm won their favors easily. They became a bunch of overprotective brothers, and if anyone dares to breathe a hint of unfriendliness towards their direction, hell’s gate opens.
Sometimes he forgets that they are sisters, so when they talk, topics tend to take a weird turn.
“I've always wanted to try it.” Honey began, and everyone knew it was the start of a ridiculous conversation that has Kane questioning the love of his life.
Mavis had answered with a skeptical tone, “What, grand theft auto?”
“No.” Honey set her hand over her heart in faux hurt, “That’s stealing, I’m merely borrowing.”
“Borrowing has the intention of returning said item.”
“Charles won’t even notice it’s missing.”
Vlad learned that Charles was Honey’s hospital chairman. Old and mean, a stickler for rules.
“He already knows.” Mavis laughed, eyes twinkled with a beautiful radiance.
“Should I smuggle myself out of the country?”
“Don’t be stupid.” Mavis clicks her tongue, fingers wagged in disappointment.
Honey pouted and sipped her sweet nonalcoholic drink, “What brilliant idea do you have?”
“Fake your death.”
“Now you’re being stupid.”
It’s those times that make him adore Mavis more, she’s more open and happier. Her face brightens up when she sees him and after the Richard incident, she doesn’t hide anything from him again. He never told her what happened with Richard, but she subconsciously knows that he won’t bother her again.
Not after Nate was done with him.
The former president is persistent, and she eventually accepted that he’s her new dad. Honey acknowledged the man the next day while he knew Mavis was just overwhelmed because a father figure in her life was a dream that she never knew it could come true, so it took her a while to know that Nate has no ulterior motives.
“You’re going to burn it.”
Her sweet voice takes him out of his thoughts. The sizzling pan of pancakes smells delicious as her short arms wrapping around h
is naked waist, the bright apron blocking the splatters.
He tilts his head back and glances down. She’s tiny, her height stops at the middle of his chest with delicate limbs and vulnerable eyes.
She’s not looking at him, her tiptoes allow her to watch the bubbling cake batter.
A whine comes out, “Burning, it’s burning! Not my pancakes!”
Vlad glances back at the pan and turns off the fire, her face constantly battling between looking at him and the diminished flames.
“What are you doing?” she asks, nails scratching his stomach beneath the apron.
He raises an eyebrow with a smirk, “You seem to have a lot of opinions on how I do things.”
Her lashes flutter and grins sheepishly at him, “I’m just hungry.”
She bites his shoulder, eyes wide with innocence.
His eyes darken.
Mavis releases her teeth from his flesh, licking the assaulted bite as his cock hardens. She does that a lot, making unintentional advances towards him and becomes confused as to what she did to warrant such an intense reaction from him that always result in her filled with leaking cum.
His face must have given her the message that said she’s not going to eat her fluffy pancakes any time soon as she backs away with flushing cheeks. Hands going for the strings and it comes undone with one aggressive yank.
She turns and runs.
Apron on the floor, he races after her. She doesn’t make it out of the kitchen as he picks her up against the wall, his strength pinning her to him.
Mavis stifles a moan when his brief-clad cock rocks against her bare cunt, he growls deep in his throat.
“Naughty little girl, not wearing panties. You wanted this to happen, didn’t you? Want me to fuck you like an animal?”
She giggles, sliding her arms around his neck as his strong arms fold her legs around his waist.
“You looked tastier than pancakes,” she licks her lips, his eyes trailing after the wet appendage.
Morning sunlight illuminating the entire house with natural reflective from the piles of snow crystals. Her gorgeous blue eyes glimmers with happiness as he nips her neck, sucking on her smooth skin.