Maybe he did.
Or it could’ve just been a conversation point.
Why can’t I stop thinking about this?
Could I ever call someone Daddy? I mulled that question over as RJ turned on the radio. Quiet holiday tunes filled the cab and he sighed, then changed the channel. The new music was instrumental, something I didn’t know with a drowsy beat and a lot of violins.
I mouthed the word “daddy.”
Hey, Daddy.
How are you doing today, Daddy?I thought maybe I liked saying that stuff in general, just as a way to acknowledge a man I was with. It was almost the same as sweetheart or honey, only there was a sensual undertone to it I loved.
Fuck me, Daddy.
I shivered. Yeah, okay, I liked it.
RJ adjusted the vents in my direction and turned the heat up a bit, and I hid my smile behind my hand. Someone I might call Daddy would pay for dinner, which I assumed RJ would do, and open doors, which I already knew he did, and take control during sex. I rubbed a hand across my abs and my excited cock jammed uncomfortably against my pants. The semi would be noticeable soon if I didn’t get off this train of thought. Besides, I had more important things to worry about.
“Why are you staring at me? What are you thinking?” RJ asked.
His question shot a thrill of something scary and sweet through my system, and I leaned away from him. What the hell? He’d kissed me. That meant he was interested, right? “Nothing much, just wondering whether or not I would enjoy calling you Daddy.”
“Oh yeah? Why is that in your pretty head, sunshine?” he asked, and the question was soft, nearly friendly. I rubbed my hands against my thighs, and I didn’t miss him watching me out of the corner of his eye before he focused on the road again.
“Because I might want to do it.”
His strong hands flexed on the steering wheel. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said in a snarky tone.
I reached over and gently skittered my fingertips along the back of his hand. “Maybe you could teach me?”
RJ shook me off.
Hurt made me stuff my hands in my coat pockets.
“I don’t have time for this,” he said.
I stared out the passenger window while some of the good feelings that had been chasing off my bad mood melted and disappeared. What RJ really meant was he didn’t have time for me, personally, and that was all too familiar. No one ever had time for me, unless I was paying them or selling them something.
“We’ve gotta track down the men who robbed you. If we don’t move fast, these guys will be gone forever. You should talk to the cops tomorrow to get things rolling with your insurance company.” His voice fired like a cannon blast in the quiet that had settled over us.
“I can probably file without it,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, but you’ll have a tougher time.”
I shrugged. “As far as Van goes, the world doesn’t work that way. No one can vanish these days.”
“You would be surprised,” he grumbled.
I wasn’t paying attention to where RJ was taking us, but I thought we were on the southwest side of New Gothenburg. He drove through a quaint neighborhood with well-maintained older homes on huge lots. The lawns started to get bigger, and we passed two towering pine trees before he turned the Roadster in to a lane in front of a beautiful, mid-century modern home. Stone and steel appeared to be the main construction materials, and there was a liberal use of glass as a style element. The windows were much larger than usual. The structure was two stories and I loved that no part of the wings making up the house matched squarely. Each section stuck out at different angles. RJ drove the Roadster into a carport under a deck.
“Where are we?” I asked with a smile. “I’ve always loved these types of houses. I might buy one like it if I could ever lose my love of downtown.”
He turned off the car and shot me a long look. “My place. You could be in danger. Until we’re certain you’re not going to be gunned down, I’m gonna watch you. Someone tried to murder you tonight.”
I shrugged and refused to think about the close call we’d had. “That isn’t really your problem. Madam Winters didn’t tell you to do this.”
He pointed at my door. “This is what’s happening. Get out. I’m going to have someone I know take the jewelry to the madam. I don’t want you running around the city anymore tonight.”
