“You need to go to school, Clover. You need friends and a social circle outside of your home. So, I have enrolled you and they are expecting you on Monday.”
I had no idea what to say to any of that. Judging by their final tones, it was all a done deal, and I was in no position to have an opinion let alone an objection. I nodded.
“Good, then it’s agreed.” Dominic got to his feet and standing over me, I felt a little intimidated. He was tall and broad and gave off a vibe of ‘don’t mess with me’ but his smile changed his whole demeanour and I was immediately catapulted back to the bar, the dancefloor and being pressed against the wall with his body responding to mine as much as mine responded to his, hiskiss, his touch. I needed to stop this. He was now my guardian and that night needed to be forgotten. The only problem was that it was playing on repeat in my head, living there totally rent free, and he was still fuelling my dreams in between the ones where my father was alive. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but I will take care of you, you will want for nothing, and I swear on my life I will keep you safe.”
Uncertain why he would need to swear on his life to keep me safe, I opened my mouth to speak, but he was already turning to leave. I was unsure if he meant safe from the world or from him because I wasn’t sure I wanted the latter. That was a lie, I was sure, and I didn’t.
“I’d like to be home for the weekend so that Clover has time to settle in before school.”
With the lastof my belongings packed, I looked around my room, the only bedroom that had ever been mine. It was a combination of lilac, blue and lemon; a little more grown up than the nursery it had been but with throws and cushions, photos, the odd poster, planners and schedules it said teenager more than child. I briefly wondered what my new room would look like. I didn’t know much about Dominic’s home besides it being an apartment in the centre of town. Since he had shown me the photos of him and my family, we hadn’t really talked about who and what he was to my father, but I intended to ask him more within the confines of a car trip of several hours. Perhaps we might even address the very large elephant in the room. Us.
He had shared that he had travelled all over the world as a concert pianist, often living abroad and playing with some of theworld’s leading orchestras. He had been in the country when he heard of my father’s death and knowing what that would entail, had vowed to stay and to fulfil his promise to my father that he would take care of me. At the time I hadn’t really appreciated the sacrifice he was making, but having thought about it for a few days, this would be as big of an adjustment for him as me, maybe more. His whole life was about to change from one with no responsibilities to me being entirely dependent on him, I just hoped it wouldn’t be too big of a sacrifice or one he regretted or else I had no clue where I would end up or with whom.
I knew that financially I was more than comfortable, but also understood that I had no direct access to the funds that were now in trust. The house could be sold, my father had added that proviso with the condition that the profits from the sale were held for me. It was too soon to decide if I would ever want to live here again, but who would take care of it and prevent it from going to wrack and ruin? My parents had loved this house, as had I, but it had been their dream to live here, so it felt wrong that their legacy might be their beloved home becoming dilapidated and an eyesore in the village they had both been integral parts of.
I had only been nine years old when my mother had been involved in a car accident and had died, leaving my father with the job of raising me whilst dealing with his own grief. When my father was unable to be the parent he needed to be, Zoe had been there to buffer that and now, at barely seventeen, I would be living without any of those most familiar to me.
And a man that stirred something inside of me, and that was dangerous.
CHAPTER
TWO
Dominic
Leading Clover to my car where her belongings were packed and ready to go, I felt guilty. Should I have just relocated here and not disrupted her life any more than it had already been? Perhaps. I could have written music and rehearsed anywhere in the world so long as I had my piano, but concerts would require travelling and I had no desire to commute, plus, what would Clover do when I was away for most of the day and the evening, not returning until the early hours? At least I only had one job now, so I could compromise and modify the work I took on. No, as sad as moving might make her, this was the best thing for us both.
I refused to consider the real cause of my guilt was the fact that on the day the news of my best friend’s death had reached me, I had headed for his home, but unable to deal with the repercussions of it and indeed, my own paralysing pain and grief, I had stopped off in a nearby town. Drunk or laid was going to numb the pain for a while, maybe both. That is when I had met the cute young lady who had spilled her drink, splashing alittle on my shirt, not that I realised just how young she was. When I saw her dancing, I was powerless not to approach her. Much younger women weren’t generally my thing and despite the make-up I knew there was a significant age gap between us. When I had asked her age, I had expected her to be no older than early twenties so when she said nineteen, I reasoned that wasn’t too far off. She wasn’t a child, she wasn’t drunk, she was consenting to my attention, and it would be okay to kiss her and see where the night took us. Why she had given me a false name I was unsure, although I suppose as she had lied about her age, it was all part of her cover. Did she do that often? Sneak out and hit clubs or bars and pick up older guys, any guys? If she did, she wouldn’t be again, not on my watch.
I hadn’t expected that encounter to take us to a quiet and secluded area where things quickly got heated. Her kiss had felt nothing short of phenomenal, but with hindsight it was a little nervous and unsure. That probably shouldn’t have made me feel as good as it did, nor should it be making me smile as I was now. My hands on her, causing those little moans and mewls along with the way her nails dug into my back and neck turned me on more than getting off with other women had. The pleasure I’d felt to find her wet as I allowed a finger to slip beneath her underwear, her breathy gasps and groans making my dick that had already been hard, stiffen further and lurch in anticipation for what would happen next. What had happened next was the discovery of how tight she was and the limited amount of space there was for me to explore her body and bring her pleasure. Before I could finish asking the questions about her age and virginity, my phone rang, having been ignored previously, but this time, from the ringtone alone, I knew it was a call I couldn’t ignore, no matter how much I wanted to, and by God, I wanted to.
Answering my call and being greeted by Zoe, panic struck at the discovery that Clover, my soon to be charge . . . was that even the correct term in this day and age? Whether it was or not, she was missing from home. I had only turned my back for a couple of minutes to finish my call, and then, turning back, preparing to apologise to Elise and explain that I had to leave, maybe arrange a raincheck because even as a younger woman and a virgin, I was completely mesmerised by her. Instead, finding an empty space where she had been, I cursed, but knew my priority was to go and find Clover. The irony that I’d had her literally in my grasp was in no way wasted on me. Although, had I known who she was, I wouldn’t have had her in my grasp, would I? I refused to dignify my own question with an answer. Why hadn’t I known what she looked like anymore? That one I did answer, because over the last few years my contact with Glen had been in person only and had involved things of greater importance than catching up on family snapshots and the like. We had also restricted the use of electronic communications, even those we deemed safe, so no emails or updates on real life. She still bore a resemblance to the child I remembered and was growing into someone who could pass as her own mother’s sister.
I’d almost reached Zoe who was at the house when I received another call telling me she had returned having just needed some space to absorb the fact of her father’s death, but she was safely tucked up in bed.
Refusing to be drawn into the fact that had Zoe not realised Clover had gone AWOL, I may have ended up fucking her, taking her virginity, and this whole situation would have been even more awkward and fucked up than it currently was.
A cough to my side caused me to look across where Clover sat, a puzzled expression on her face, perhaps in response to the fact that I had been sitting in silence and staring into space. At least she didn’t know what I was thinking of. A small red flushcrept up her cheeks. Okay, maybe she knew exactly what I was thinking.
I rubbed my hands across my face. “All set?”
Looking back across at her, I saw a beautiful young lady looking back at me rather than the child I had always expected her to be. She had experienced such grief in her life and it seemed to have forced her to grow up, physically and emotionally. I dreaded to think what our little encounter had done in terms of maturing her. I really needed to block that memory out. I wished I could go back in time and prevent it from ever happening or maybe discover a memory removal tool that you see in films and TV shows to make this situation easier. I internally called BS because I didn’t want to forget it, not really, however, I now needed to remember that this was Clover, my best friend’s daughter who I would now protect and care for, and Elise was someone else completely. Someone I would never see again. Moreover, someone who didn’t exist.
She nodded.
“Okay then, let’s go home.”
She flinched and I felt like an idiot for having said that word. It was home to me but it wouldn’t feel like hers, not yet. I would do everything in my power to make her feel it.
“I know it doesn’t feel like it but I promise I will do everything to make you happy and to restore your smile.”
“Thank you.” She offered a small smile that radiated warmth and something else in my chest.
“I will always be here for you.”
Her smile dwindled briefly and I thought I may have put my big foot in it again. How could I guarantee that she’d never be without me when so far, everyone she had loved was no longer in her life or perhaps she didn’t want me to be. She reached across and rubbed a hand across my arm, presumably offering me some kind of comfort which was all kinds of fucked up when surely shewas the one in need of comfort, but I was reassured that she had taken my words exactly as I’d intended them. A commitment. A pledge. A promise. I would love and take care of her forever, however long that might be, and not just because I had promised that to her father, my dearest friend, but because hell would freeze over before I would permit anyone else to.
She withdrew her hand, causing a chill to replace the burn and sizzle that had been there when she touched me.
