"Even if it means she has a little harem of her own boy toys like Violet does?" Darnell asked.
I just shrugged. "I want her to be happy. Lately, I've started to realize that doesn't always mean playing by the rules, but can we not talk about my little girl and boys for a few more years?"
"Not gonna happen, man," Darnell said. "She's a teenager. She already knows boys exist. Better teach her now or you'll end up being a grandpa before you're ready."
"Don't make her ashamed of sex," Cy told me. "Teach her to own it the same way you would if she was your son, Luke."
"Hell, at thirteen?"
"If she knows about condoms and where they're kept, she's less likely to tell you she's knocked up when she's sixteen," he countered.
"Wanna help?" I asked.
Cy just laughed. "No. That's Daddy's job. Now, I bet if you stick that tongue of yours between Violet's legs, she might be willing to."
"Win-win," I said as I pushed myself away from the wall. "And I need dry jeans." Turning for the door, I pulled off my hat and then wrenched my wet shirt over my head.
Behind me, I heard Cy groan. A second later, Darnell laughed, but I didn't stop walking. I also couldn't hide the smile. I liked that man. Well, both, but different kinds of like. Cy? He made my heart beat just a little too fast. He made me feel like a teenager all over again.
This was going to be a damned long couple of weeks.
Chapter Nine
Iheaded upstairs to change, and grabbed a quick shower while I was at it. Clean, dressed, and looking mostly respectable, I headed back downstairs. Cessily wasn't in sight, but Ash was. As I passed his office, he pointed back toward the kitchen.
"She's in the guest suite," he said.
"Where's Faith?" I asked.
Ash grinned. "Well, she and Violet had a pedicure, and now they're talking about girly stuff while their toes dry. Up in her room with way too many magazines." Then he crooked a finger, summoning me into his space. "Close that?"
I entered his office and shut the door behind me. "What's going on?"
"Violet asked Faith about modeling. Before you go off, she asked the girl if she'd even consider it, promising nothing and making it clear that it was up to you."
I could only nod, because that made sense. Violet had mentioned it to me before, and I hadn't really said no, but Faith and pictures? Especially of her in lingerie? I wasn't so sure I liked that idea. At the same time, being able to say she was a model would be a big ego boost, and that girl needed a little self-confidence right now.
"What did she say?"
Ash leaned forward in his chair. "She said she'd like to take the pictures and help me pick and edit them. Then she'd decide if she was ok with them being printed. I told her that it is a paying gig. She gets a hundred bucks for just posing."
"Bribing her?" I asked.
He lifted a hand, begging me to wait. "Legally, I have to pay her. I'll also need your signature before I can snap a shot. I'm the photographer for Violet, and I don't let anyone else shoot her. I'd do the same with Faith, and you'd be right there. In truth, I'd like to have you in the pictures as well, just so she feels a little more comfortable. And I'm not gonna tell you dollars, but just know that if the images are used in the magazine, I'll put the rest of her payment in her college fund."
"She doesn't have a college fund," I reminded him.
Ash's mouth fell open and it gaped there for a second. "Uh.." Then he swallowed. "Actually, she does. I, uh..."
"What?" I asked.
"Legally, you have to pay us rent out of your check every month," he explained. "We don't need the fucking money, Luke, but you need the paper trail. So, we're putting that into an account for her. And..." He paused to swipe at his tablet. "This is the first piece of the Lilac Line of tween and young teen clothes."
It was a bathing suit. A cute one that was feminine, not revealing, functional, and didn't sexualize my daughter. The whole thing was white with lilac trim and a little flower symbol on the hip of the boy short bottoms.
"I'd let her wear that," I agreed.
"Twenty-five percent of the profits go into her college fund," Ash told me. "Luke, I made the line for her. We've got six pieces approved and more being made by the other designers. Faith inspired me, and it's only fair for me to make sure she gets a share of that. It's hers, too. Not her mother's, and not yours. Right now, there's about ten grand in her college fund, and it's set up with a trust, so only she can pull money out, and only after she's eighteen."
