DRAMA NOVEL ONLINE Daddy Devious: Chapter 24
It’s easy to forget how much trouble I’m in with how sweet Daddy’s being and the chocolate cake he’s feeding me bite by bite. I haven’t earned the treat, I know, but I can’t help but revel in the sensation of being coddled and pampered like this.
That feeling doesn’t last as long as I would like, however. When the cake is nearly half finished, Daddy places the fork down, his expression more serious than I’ve ever seen it as he stares down at me. “We need to talk about what happened today, Victoria Rose.”
Uh-oh. My full name. So apparently I’m not off the hook just yet. “Don’t wanna.”
“Whether you want to or not, we are discussing it. Starting with how you behaved during your outing with Auntie Cat.”
Swallowing hard, I force myself to nod. I knew there was no getting around this particular issue. Not after Auntie Cat had to paddle me in public because I threw a literal tantrum. “I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Daddy surprises me by laughing. “I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t. Tantrums are a normal part of life for Little girls, especially when they are feeling big feelings. And from what your Auntie Cat tells me, you were having some very big feelings today.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Can you tell me about them, little one?”
I don’t want to. It would be easier by far just to pretend it’s not happening and spend my last few days here in ignorant bliss.
But I’ve robbed myself of that option, and instinct tells me that if I refuse to talk to him now, all I’ll gain is a sore bottom before he forces me to talk anyway. So I drag in a deep breath and prepare to lay my heart at the feet of the one man capable of destroying it. “I don’t want to go back to New York.”
“Well, that’s very good news.”
“It is?” Confused, I blink up at him. “Why?”
“Because, little one, I have no intention of sending you back. I never did.”
“But the contract—”
Again he surprises me by chuckling softly. “I’m afraid that contract was nothing more than a ruse to get you here, Victoria. I had hoped that once I had you on the island, you would love it so much you wouldn’t want to leave. Haven’t you noticed that everything about this place was designed with you in mind? From the clothes you wear to the food you eat, it’s all been carefully curated for one very special Little girl.”
It shouldn’t be romantic. In some saner part of my mind, I can see the red flags waving high and proud right in front of me.
But somehow, I’ve been struck colorblind. Because all I can think is how incredible it is that this man, this gorgeous, wealthy, impossible perfect man put so much time and effort into building all this just for me.
“I really don’t have to leave?” I whisper, afraid if I speak the words too loudly I’ll somehow break the spell and change his mind.
“No, little one. In fact, if you had tried to leave when your thirty days were up, you would have found yourself tied to your crib until you were ready to be my good girl again. Something you should keep in mind if the desire to return to your old life ever strikes.”
More red flags, but they might as well be bouquets of roses.
“I don’t want to go back.” Unsure if I should tell him the rest, I fiddle with his tie. It’s red today, and I’m sure he chose it because it’s such a powerful color, but all I can think of is how red my bottom is likely to be soon.
“Why does that sound like there is a ‘but’ hidden in there, little one?”
“You promise not to be mad?”
“I promise to listen to whatever you need to tell me.”
Not quite the same, but probably as good as I’m going to get under the circumstances. “I really don’t want to leave. But I don’t wanna be ignored, either.”
It feels like my heart is in my throat, waiting for him to answer. “Oh, little one. I suppose I have been rather busy the past few days, haven’t I?”
“Uh-huh.”
Picking me up, Daddy settles me so I’m straddling his lap, face to face with his serious expression. “I want you to listen to me carefully, Victoria Rose. Nothing in this world is more important to me than your safety and your happiness. If you need more of my attention, you only have to ask. I will always do whatever is in my power to give you what you need.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” The laugh he lets out is somewhat disbelieving. “You really don’t know what you mean to me, do you?”
“Well… no. You’ve never really told me.”
“I’ll do better than tell you. Come with me.”
Maxwell
With Victoria wrapped around me, I carry her downstairs to my office, where I sit at my desk and log into my computer. A few taps is all it takes to bring up the file I have on her.
To show her my heart, in bold black and white.
“Look at the screen, little one.”
Victoria shifts, leaning in to scan the pages on the screen. “This is the file I got. The one I used to…”
“To steal from me, yes. It was no accident that file ended up in your email, little one. That file wouldn’t even exist if I hadn’t created it just for you.”
Jerking away from the screen, she twists around to stare at me with wide eyes. “You set me up!”
“I did.” I allow myself a grin, despite the pounding of my heart. “I wanted you the moment I laid eyes on you over a year ago, Victoria Rose. From the moment I saw you, I began hatching a plan to make you mine. A plan that would leave no room for escape. Do you really think I would go through all of that effort if you didn’t hold my heart in your naughty little hands?”
“But… you never even met me before that day in the elevator.”
“Not officially. But I saw you, at a company event. You were talking to some asshole in a suit who kept putting his hands on you.” Like he had a right to touch what was mine.
“Stan.” Her nose crinkles slightly. “He’s always had a thing for me.”
“I wanted to rip his hands from his body for daring to touch you. That night I went home and called Evander. I knew if anyone could help me lay the perfect trap for my Little girl, it would be him.”
“This is…” Turning back to the computer screen, she shakes her head. “I should be pissed. I know I should be pissed because you set me up. What if I hadn’t taken the deal? Would you have really let me go to jail?”
“Never. I did all this to make you mine, Victoria, and I would have had you one way or another. So you should know now that there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you. If that means sacrificing a meeting here and there, or letting you snuggle on my lap during a call, I’m happy to do so. Everything I have, my time, my money, my heart, is yours. You only have to ask.”
Her eyes are glittering with tears when she turns back to face me, though her mouth is twisted up in that mischievous smile I love so much. “So if I asked you to take off work so we could go to the petting zoo…?”
Of all the things she could ask for, she chose my time. And this is why I can’t help but love her. “Consider it done.”
“Yay! Thank you, Daddy!”
She throws her arms around my neck, and those rough edges inside me, the parts that were sliced open when I discovered her missing, smooth out again. “Anything for you, little one.” And though it kills me a little, I nudge her away, forcing my expression into stern lines. “Tonight, however, we have some very naughty behavior to address.”
Pink slashes along her cheekbones as her smile turns sheepish. “I don’t suppose asking you for anything extends to asking you to skip a punishment.”
“It does not. Let’s see.” I lean back a bit, pretending to think about it as if I don’t have a catalogue of everything she’s ever done filed away in my mind. “There was the tantrum you threw with Caleb last night we haven’t yet discussed. The tantrum with Auntie Cat. And then sneaking out of your room, and going into the east wing, both of which you have been very clearly warned about. Am I forgetting anything?”
“No, Daddy. I don’t think so.”
“Then here’s what’s going to happen.” I’ve been considering her punishment ever since I found her safe and sound in that closet, and unfortunately for her, it’s not going to be an easy one. “Because all of these incidents seem to stem from the same issue, namely your mistaken belief that I did not want you, we’re going to tackle these naughty behaviors at the source.”
Worry flickers in her dark eyes. “What do you mean?”
Gripping her chin, I lock my gaze with hers. “Tonight, little girl, you are going to become mine in every possible way. Daddy is going to claim all of your sweet little body, once and for all. And by the time I’m through with you, there should be no doubt in your mind about who you belong to.”