I’ve learned I’m useless when it comes to self-control around Stetson. One word of the charade I’m about to be a part of, and there’s no doubt he’d try to swoop in and save the day.
I can’t risk it. So, a week of silence will have to suffice. I’ll accept my consequence from him after.
Tossing my phone into my purse, I roll my luggage through the automatic doors and nearly choke on a fog of dry heat.
And I thought Miami was hot.
Florida heat has nothing on the stifling sauna that is Dallas, Texas. You’d think with it being the beginning of May, there’d be at least a slight chill to the air.
But nope. Spring has officially vanished and Mother Nature is out here taking names.
I don’t have too much time to dwell on the stickiness of sweat coating my body when I step outside the airport. Or even as my driver, whom my sperm donor so kindly suggested I need because no visitor of his will ever be caught dead catching an Uber ride, transports me to a local restaurant where I’ll be meeting said sperm donor for the first time in twenty-one years.
Can’t wait.
As much as I’m dreading this entire ‘business deal with the devil,’ it lowkey makes me sad. Sad because of course I’m the daughter that came from a prick like Nathaniel McIntosh. God, just saying his name makes my skin crawl.
This isn’t something I want pity for. Hell, anyone who knows me knows that I have zero interest in knowing the guy anymore. So, doing this is a big ask for me.
However, I’ve never done anything to him. Haven’t seen or talked to him since I was nine, other than that one time when I was in the Keys, but he doesn’t know about that. So, what makes him hate the mere presence of me so much? There’s a level of vanity in his voice that confuses me. I’m past the point of caring why, but I am curious.
I’m only human, and whether he likes it or not, I’m his daughter.
I made sure to text my mom when I landed. As far as she knows, I’m going on a girls’ trip with Betsy and Kimber. Thankfully, they’re both out of town for work this week, so my plan fits the bill.
I hate lying to her. But I have no other choice.
She’d only try to talk me out of it, and honestly, I think she would be even more disappointed. Mom has witnessed firsthand the destruction not having a father around growing up did to my confidence.
Little girls need their daddies.
At least, that’s what I thought. Now, I’m a firm believer that any kind of love, no matter who it is from, is perfect because it’s given freely and willingly. I’ll never beg someone to love me or stick around.
I’ll also never be the reason someone regrets staying. I can’t.
That night in Chicago was one of the best experiences of my life. And I say experience because I’m pretty sure I felt every single emotion imaginable. Joy, frustration, exhaustion, carnalwant, possessiveness. All the things. Stetson revealed a side of me I haven’t seen in a long time. A side I somehow forgot existed.
I went along with his command to see me again soon, already knowing it’ll be at least a week, because I’m a weak, weak woman and couldn’t deny him. Fucking hell. The man is sex on a deliciously tanned, chiseled, and finer-than-wine stick.
Unlike anyone I’ve ever been with. The way his hands knew exactly how to touch me. I can hear the gravel of his voice now, degrading me to a level of intensity I’ve always craved.
I recline my seat in the sleek black Mercedes, taking in the views of the Texas landscape. The buildings of the city grow sparse as we make our way to the outskirts of Dallas. I have no idea where we’re going, exactly. I was just told to have my driver take me to Churchill on Fiske, and to be there by five o’clock sharp, dressing the part.
Whatever that means.
After locating my suitcase in baggage claim, I made a quick stop in the ladies’ room to change into something I felt would be acceptable. I likely brought more clothes than needed. Thankfully, I have expensive designer taste, making every option suitable for Nathaniel.
But also…fuck Nathaniel and his need to tell me how to dress. Because of that, I brought some of my skimpiest dresses and skirts, knowing he’d piss me off in seconds and I’d need a way to make him cringe.
What fun would it be if I obeyed all his uptight commands and never defied even the tiniest bit?
I decided on a pair of red high-waisted trousers with a white satin button-down blouse tucked into the waistline. A woman can only hope for solid paved roads wherever we go because I refuse to swap my heels out for flats. I feel more confident in stilettos. It’s how I establish my own personal form of dominance as a woman.
And I’m gonna need all the poise I can possibly muster this week.
“Ten minutes out, Ms. Davenport. Mr. McIntosh and his assistant are waiting for you at a table.”
I snort. “Surprised he’s not one of those old hags who needs to be the last one there. Make a grand entrance or whatever. Isn’t that what bitter rich men do, Bryan?”
