She smiles, brighter than the tropical sun beating down on us, and my heart does a slow roll in my chest. “Done. Thank you, Bash.”
“You’re welcome, my love.”
An image comes to my mind completely unbidden. My Junie, dressed in one of those adorable little bathing suits with the ruffles on the butt, prancing in and out of the ocean, screaming with delight.
“Daddy, come play with me!”
Fuck. What kind of man sits hand-in-hand with the supposed love of his life and daydreams about another woman?
A complete bastard, that’s who.
My phone buzzes and I reach over without thinking to grab it, and that sick feeling in my stomach worsens. It’s a text from Junie.
The universe must be fucking with me.
I glance over at Val, who is busy scrolling through her own phone. Probably looking for the list of vacation destinations to send me.
And even though I feel like I might puke from the guilt swamping me, I swipe open Junie’s text.
Junie
Hi, Daddy! I know you’re on vacation, but I wanted to ask you something. My friends were supposed to go to the zoo with me for my birthday but they all bailed, so I was hoping maybe we could go next Saturday? Just as friends. Please? It would mean a lot to me.
I swear I can hear her pleading tone through the text message.
A zoo date with my Little girl. It’s risky, even going as “just friends”. I’ve been very careful over the years to never let my relationships with my Littles extend past the clubs I’ve frequented.
But Junie is different. She’s the only Little I’ve ever wanted…morewith. The only one I’ve ever imagined playing in the ocean with.
The only one who I would even consider risking my marriage for.
Sliding my gaze toward my wife, I weigh my options. The zoo isn’t exactly romantic. And Junie herself said she just wants to go as friends. Val has never been the jealous type, the kind of woman to freak out over me having friendships with other women.
What harm could one little, perfectly platonic date do?
Ignoring the voice in my head screaming that it could, indeed, do plenty of harm, I type out a message back to my Junie.
Sebastian
When and where, little one?
CHAPTER 8
VALENTINA
June-bug
We still on for the zoo today?
Unease churns in my stomach as I risk a glance up at my husband. He’s fresh out of the shower, with water still glistening in his beard, and my mouth waters at the sight of him. Even on the wrong side of forty he’s model-fucking-gorgeous. All that time he spends in the gym has certainly paid off.
And here I am, planning a secret rendezvous right under his nose.
I’m the worst kind of asshole.
Ignoring the guilt pricking at the back of my mind, I look down at my phone again and tap out a message to my babygirl.
Valentina
