Chapter Six
Lacey clung to Cason’s hand as they rode the elevator down. He must have felt her start to shake because he put his arm around her, and it instantly made her feel more secure.
“No one will see you.”
She exhaled and nodded.
Cason walked them down a long hallway before opening a door and pulling her in.
She stiffened and tried to back up when her gaze fell on the three other men in the room.
“Easy, honey. They are friends of mine, and they’re your new friends’ men.”
She was distracted by a screech, and then three pairs of arms surround hers. The girls hugged her. They all talked at the same time, so she couldn’t understand anything they were saying.
One of the other men shouted, “Girls, leave her be. She looks overwhelmed.”
She relaxed when she saw the girls walk around the table and sit on the men’s laps.
She saw Kinley poke her man’s chest. He smiled and looked at her. Then he smirked. “Kinley would like you to know that none of the girls told on you. We followed them, and that’s how we found you.”
“Okay. I’m glad.”
Cason sat in a chair and pulled her into his lap. She was confused about why it made her feel better, but she wasn’t going to question it.
“By the way, my name is Eli, and I’m Kinley’s daddy. Now, tell us…”
“Daddy?” She was confused. He didn’t act like a daddy.
Cason got her attention. “Have you ever heard of a Big/little relationship?”
She shook her head.
“It’s when the woman likes to have their man make the decisions and take care of them, and the men have a desire to be needed like that. They call them daddies as a term of endearment. They don’t think of them as real daddies. Does that make sense?”
She nodded. It sounded intriguing.
Cason nudged her to get her attention. “Start at the beginning.”
Nerves skated up her spine. She didn’t know how much to tell them. “Oh, well … I’m not really sure where the beginning is.”
“Just try, honey.”
Lacey sighed. She had to trust someone because she couldn’t do this on her own. “Okay. The reason I’m hiding is that my mother has promised me to a man I call the monster.”
“You know the man?” Kane asked.
“No, I’ve only met him a few times. He’s really creepy, and he won’t stop touching me.”
Cason took over questioning her, so she didn’t get overwhelmed. “Why would your mom give you to a man?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. What I do know is if I’m dead or presumed dead by the time I’m twenty-five, she’ll get my part of the inheritance. Someone overheard her saying she owed him for something, so that’s also a part of it.”
“But you don’t know what?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Why can’t you just say no?” Kinley asked.
“I’ve been kept secluded my whole life, first by my father and then my mother. My father was protecting me because there had been a few threats against him, and he was afraid they would kidnap me. I thought when I went to college, my mom was protecting me by keeping me guarded every minute of every day. I found out she was making sure I didn’t lose my virgi…”
Cason nudged her. “It’s all right. Don’t be embarrassed.”
She cleared her throat. “She wanted to make sure I saved my virginity for the monster. So, I’ve got no one to go to for help. She’s also made it look like I’m mentally unstable.”
“How?” Cason asked.
“She had me visit a mental hospital a few times. It was weird. I’d spend the day there, and someone would show me around, and then I’d leave. She did this at a few places. I saw it documented on paper, but it said I was there for evaluation for being mentally unstable.”
“Where are you getting all this information?” Cason asked.
“I kept hearing snippets of things I couldn’t understand. One of the maids who was nice to me told me that something weird was going on and I should try to get away. A few of the things she told me she overheard made me want to vomit.” Lacey shuddered. She might have to tell them everything eventually, but at the moment, she wanted to forget how horrifying her future was.
“My mother isn’t a nice person. The maid also said she was leaving the house the next day after she got off work, and she was never planning on going back because she was also frightened. But if I wanted a ride out, she’d meet me by the garage, and she’d hide me in her car. That night, when my mom was out, I broke into her desk, and there was a file. I took pictures with my phone and emailed it to myself, but I haven’t had a chance to get to a computer, and my phone died.”
“We’ll deal with that later.”
“The monster was in town and was supposed to visit a few days ago. I was afraid that was when he was going to take me away.”
“You’re not going anywhere.”