Daddy Depraved (Forbidden Pleasures Island #2)

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Jasper

My sweet little Juju sleeps the whole way home, obviously worn out from our trip to the farm. I can’t seem to stop staring at her, watching the way her eyelids flutter a bit when we hit a particularly rough spot, the way she snuggles against me with a sigh. Everything about her enraptures me, and I still can’t quite believe she’s here.

I find it even harder to believe how well she’s settling into her role as my Little girl. True, she fights me at seemingly every step of the way, but today has shown me just how well she’s adjusting to our new dynamic.

We’ll have to tell our parents soon. They already know she’s here with me since I called them as soon as I got her settled in that first night, though they don’t know where “here” is or that I’m her Daddy, but soon we’ll have to come clean about the romantic turn our relationship has taken.

They’re going to be pissed, and I can’t help but grin as I imagine the looks of pure horror on their faces. Maybe we won’t tell them. Maybe we’ll simply show up for Thanksgiving dinner with my ring on Juliet’s finger.

My naughty Little princess would probably enjoy the heart attack that option is likely to give her mother.

The car rolls to a stop in front of our house, and I give my babygirl a gentle shake. “Time to wake up, Juju. We’re home.”

Nose crinkling, she shifts, pressing her face against my chest. “Nuh-uh.”

I laugh as I nudge her again. “Yes-huh, princess. Daddy has a surprise for you.”

That gets her attention. Blinking owlishly, she sits up and rubs at her eyes. “Another surprise?”

“Yes. Would you like to see?”

“Uh-huh.”

Richard opens the back door and Juju and I climb out together. Swooping her up in my arms, I press a kiss to her cheek as I carry her up the front steps and into the house.

Uncertainty, a feeling I am not well acquainted with, skitters up and down my nerves as I head for the second floor. “My contractors have been working around the clock to get this ready for you, but you can tell me if you don’t like something. We can change anything. But I think you’ll like what I’ve picked out so far.”

“You’re making me nervous, Daddy.”

That seems only fair, since I’m feeling rather nervous myself.

At the top of the stairs I turn right and pause in front of the nursery door. There’s a sign on the door now, the wood painted a deep teal with purple lettering. Eyes wide, Juliet reaches out and runs her fingers over the words.

“Juju’s Nursery,” she whispers, a hint of awe in her voice.

So far, so good, it seems. Her reaction settles the worst of the nerves jumping in my stomach and I reach for the knob to push open the door.

It swings open and Juliet gasps, her hands going to her face as she takes in her new surroundings.

The entire nursery has been redone in shades of teal and purple, her two favorite colors. On top of the dresser are framed photos of our trip to Paris together, and a few other fond memories I have of the two of us. Hanging on the wall are various drawings and paintings of otters, Juliet’s favorite animal.

“Oh, Daddy. It’s perfect .”

She wiggles, clearly wanting to be let down, so I place her on her feet so she can explore. I hang back a bit, giving her some space to get acclimated to her new room. From the rocking horse her Uncle Gideon made special for her, to the giant dollhouse, to her crib with the pretty canopy draped over it that mimics the dress I had made for her “welcome to the family” dinner, she gives everything equal attention before turning to face me, tears sparkling in her eyes.

“You really want to keep me, don’t you?”

How could there have ever been any doubt? Stepping forward, I cup her face in my hands, swiping her tears away with my thumbs. “I really do. You’re mine, Juliet. Forever.”

“Nobody’s ever… This is too much, Jasper.”

The sound of my name from her lips is like nails on a chalkboard. “Who am I, Juliet?”

“Daddy,” she whispers. “I’m sorry, it’s just, I’m a little overwhelmed. This is all so beautiful. Even if it is a nursery.”

“ Your nursery. No other Little girl has ever set foot in this room, and no other Little girl ever will, without your permission. Everything I have is yours, princess, but this space especially belongs to you.”

“Does this mean I can’t sleep in your bed anymore?”

Both Maxwell and Doctor D would probably tell me to make her sleep in the crib until she’s fully committed to being my baby. But the thought of going a single night without her in my arms makes my chest constrict, so I shake my head. “Nights are for Daddy’s bed. You’ll likely take naps in here, and if you need a timeout you’ll be put in the crib. But at night, you’re mine.”

“Good. I’d hate to have to throw a tantrum over sleeping in Daddy’s bed,” she says, a note of teasing in her tone.

“And what do you think would happen if you did?”

“You’d kiss me on the head and tell me I can sleep in your bed whenever I want?”

Cheeky little brat. “Probably,” I admit with a laugh. “After I spanked your bottom red with your hairbrush, of course.”

She pulls away from me with a snort of laughter. “Of course.”

There’s something she isn’t saying. It hangs heavy in the air between us as she resumes her slow trek around the room, running her fingers over every inch of the furniture that fills this space.

I open my mouth to ask her about it, but almost immediately shut it again. Perhaps I’m a coward, but I don’t think I could handle her telling me she doesn’t want to stay. That she doesn’t want to live as my baby and she still wants to return to New York.

If the nursery isn’t enough to convince her that her place is here, with me, then I’ll find something else. A kitten. A pretty little cow for her to drink from whenever she feels the urge.

Whatever she wants, whatever it takes, this house will be the only home she ever knows for the rest of our lives.

Juliet

At my request, Uncle Max brings Victoria over a few days later for a playdate. Not, as I told my Daddy, because I had so much fun with her at the farm, but because I have questions that desperately need answers and she’s the only person on this island who might understand some of what I’m feeling.

It takes nearly an hour of playing nice under our Daddies’ watchful eyes before they apparently feel comfortable enough leaving us to our own devices.

“We’ll be right downstairs if you need us, princess. Just push the big button by the speaker and I’ll be able to hear you wherever I am in the house.” Daddy’s expression hardens a bit, sending nervous butterflies fluttering in my stomach. “You are not, under any circumstances, to leave this room. Am I understood, Juliet?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

Uncle Max pins my playmate with an equally hard look. “That goes for you, too, Victoria Rose. If you step one foot out of this room, your bottom will pay the price.”

Victoria’s head bobs up and down enthusiastically. “Yes, Daddy. We won’t go anywhere. Promise.”

“Good girl. We’ll be back up in a bit to check on you.” Uncle Max’s expression softens as he leans down to press a kiss to Victoria’s hair. “Have fun, little thief.”

A few more minutes of fussing, and then they’re finally gone. I wait for the sound of their footsteps on the stairs before I lean back against my dollhouse with a sigh. “ Finally . I thought they’d never leave.”

Giggling quietly, Victoria shoots a nervous glance at the door as if she’s afraid they’ll somehow overhear us. “I can’t believe they actually did leave. I don’t think I’ve gone more than a few minutes without a grownup around since I got to the island.”

It’s a perfect opening if I ever heard one. “Speaking of… how exactly did you get to the island? Does it have anything to do with why Uncle Max calls you ‘little thief’?”

Red blooms on Victoria’s cheeks as she gives a slow nod. “I used to work for his company.”

“Really? What did you do there?”

“I was a systems analyst. Which is as boring as it sounds, but it paid well. Not well enough to dig me out from a mountain of medical debt after my mom died, which is why I ended up stealing a bunch of money from the company.”

My mouth falls open as I stare at her. Sweet little Victoria, the very picture of the perfect Little girl, stole money from Maxwell Stone . “How much did you steal?”

“A million dollars.”

“You have balls of fucking steel, girl. I wouldn’t even steal a dollar from that man. And I’ve stolen plenty in my time. That’s actually how I ended up on this freaking island.” I roll my eyes. “I got myself caught, and I went running to my big brother for help. You can see how well that turned out.”

Victoria giggles as she runs a brush through her doll’s hair. “Same, actually. Turns out, Daddy set me up, gave me all the information I would need to embezzle from him. And when I finally did, he gave me a choice. Prison or a month on this island with him.”

“And you chose this ? Sometimes I think prison would be better.” But even as I say the words, they ring hollow. Prison wouldn’t have delicious milk from pretty cows or my favorite foods or my pretty room built just for me.

“I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into when I signed the contract. He was pretty vague, other than telling me I’d be ‘atoning for my sins’ while I was here.”

“So when is your thirty days up?”

“About a week ago. I decided I’d rather stay here, with him. Not that he would have actually let me go even if I wanted to.”

Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Scooching closer, I lean in, desperate to ask what I really want to know. “And you’re okay with that? Being trapped here, forever, forced to live as a child for the rest of your life?”

Victoria finally lifts her head, and her expression is so sad I almost reach out to hug her. “Do you know what’s waiting for me back in New York?”

“What?”

“Nothing,” she says with a bitter laugh. “I had friends, sure, but no family. My contract says I’ll be paid ten million dollars if I go back but… there’s nothing there for me anymore. All New York ever gave me was heartache. Here I have a family. I have my Daddy and my Uncles and my Auntie Cat, and they all love me more than I could have ever dreamed of. And I have you.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“It’s different for you,” she says quietly, and there’s no condemnation in her tone, just simple understanding. “You had a whole life, friends, family. Freedom. I wouldn’t think you’d be very happy giving all that up.”

Gratitude wells in my chest and tears burn the backs of my eyes. “I’m not. I don’t hate it here, not the way I thought I would at first. But…”

“It’s not the same. I get it. Have you talked to your Daddy about it? Maybe you can find some kind of compromise.”

“I doubt it. He told me yesterday when he surprised me with my new nursery that I was his. Forever.”

Victoria sets her doll aside, her unusually serious gaze meeting mine. “I haven’t known him nearly as long as you have, but I don’t think Uncle Jasper would want his Little girl to be unhappy here, whoever she was. You should talk to him, tell him how you’re feeling. See if you can work something out together. He loves you, Juliet, and I just know he’d do whatever it takes to make sure you enjoy being his baby.”

Jasper loves me? It’s far more than I could ever dare to hope for, so I simply shrug. “Maybe. Yeah, maybe.”

Silence falls between us, but it’s not awkward. It’s almost comforting, as if we’ve reached a new level of friendship after this conversation.

Maybe Victoria is right. Maybe if I just talk to Jasper, tell him how I really feel about staying here, maybe he’ll give me a bit more freedom. I could travel the world with my friends for a few weeks out of the year, and then come back to the island to be with him the rest of the time. And maybe I wouldn’t even have to be his baby. Maybe, eventually, we could just be a normal couple, living a normal life. Split our time between here and New York.

Because that thought doesn’t bring me as much comfort as I would like, I set it aside for now and push to my feet, holding out a hand toward Victoria. “Come on. Let’s go be naughty.”

Eyes wide, she takes the offered hand and lets me pull her up to join me. “What do you mean?”

What do I mean? I think for a moment and then inspiration strikes. “Girl talk requires wine. Let’s sneak down to the kitchen and see if we can’t find a bottle and bring it back up to the nursery. If we put it in our sippy cups, the Daddies will never know.”

“I don’t know…” Clearly torn, Victoria reaches behind her to rub at her tulle-covered bottom, as if she’s already anticipating the trouble we’ll be in if we’re caught. “Our Daddies were really clear about staying in your room. We’ll be in big trouble if they catch us.”

Grinning now, I take her hand, pulling her toward the nursery door. “Haven’t you figured out yet that the trouble is half the fun?”