“Promise you won’t judge me?”
“Little girl, you need to realize we’re on the same team. I know you don’t want to get in trouble, and I appreciate your manners and wanting to do what Daddy asks,” he begins. “Then again trouble can be kind of fun, can’t it?”
I can’t help but smile yet again as he lightens the mood. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Out with it,” he orders.
“I…part of you being my Daddy means I hope you can…teach me things.”
“I’ll teach you anything you want to learn and probably even mansplain some things you don’t.”
“Even in…the bedroom?”
He takes a step back and his whole body changes as if he’s Bruce Banner morphing into the Incredible Hulk. “I fucking knew it.”
“I knew it too! I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“And I fucking love it. Mine,” he continues as if I hadn’t even said anything or if my words had no meaning…because the words before had all the meaning in the world. “I knew you were untouched. I knew you were meant for me.”
I swallow hard. “What exactly does it mean to be yours?”
“In all ways,” he says, looking me up and down from head to trembling toe.
“I understand that, but I mean…well, people talk as I mentioned before. And some people say that you have certain…desires.”
“Nobody in this town knows a damn thing about me. All they know is I do my job and I keep to myself. They probably try and draw conclusions from there, but like I said, they’re just guesses.”
“Are they correct?” I ask again, not backing down.
“It depends on what you’ve heard.”
“I’ve heard that your older, more experienced, and well…matched with the Daddy talk I can kinda guess.”
“You can guess or you can wait until tonight and see the truth for yourself.”
I nod.
“Would you like that, my precious gemstone…my Jewel?”
I nod again before I catch myself and mind my manners. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good, because Daddy’s been ready to claim you since the moment he laid eyes on you, little one. And tonight that’s finally going to happen.”
“Good,” I agree, finding an inner strength. “Because I’ve been waiting on the same thing since I first laid eyes on you, Daddy.”
He leans in and points to his cheek. I come up on my tiptoes and give him a kiss and he quickly gives me a playful swat on the backside.
“Now let’s get dressed and go back into the world…and just remember they’re jealous of you because you’ve got me, but no matter what anyone else thinks just remember this. I’m always here, next to you to face anything the world throws at you. Because anything that comes your way has to get through me first and that’s not happening. Not when I’m willing to lay down in front of a speeding train to stop it from so much as causing too much of a gust of wind to disturb you, let alone harm you. Not when I’m willing to give my life without a second thought if it means saving yours. Not when I’m the man who stays in shape, both mentally and physically, so I can take on, and defeat, any and all challengers. And when I’m dead and gone...”
“I don’t want to think about that.”
“You won’t have to do any thinking you don’t want to then either, because I’ll have had plenty of time to teach our sons how to give their mother the security and safety she needs, how to protect her forever.”
“That’s…beautiful, Jake.”
“You’re beautiful, princess,” he says, pulling me in close and kissing me hard. “Now let’s go be beautiful together. Forever.”
“Okay,” I nod, pulling myself from his grasp and happily skipping toward the door before I feel his arm wrap around me and pull me right back.