Chapter 11
Alyssa
Sitting next to my phone on the end table was the cutest stuffy I had ever seen. The fluffy Shih- Tzu had purple and blue fur and the most adorable eyes and floppy ears. He just called out for cuddles and love. I picked him up and rubbed him against my cheek. The soft feel of his fur gave me the warm fuzzies. I couldn”t help but squeeze him and giggle. When had Gabriel gotten him for me?
“Now what am I going to call you?”
I hopped up on the bed and studied him closely. A stuffy’s name was sacred and absolutely permanent so I didn’t want to mess it up. It needed to not only fit his personality, but have something of the wonderful Daddy who’d gifted him to me.
“Hmm. I’ve got it. Bruiser!”
A small part of my brain couldn”t believe that any of this was real. It would just be just my luck to wake up at some point and find out that all my time with Gabriel had been a concussion dream from when I got hit with the pillow. Instead of finding my perfect Daddy, I was actually recovering in a hospital bed somewhere.
Oh, that would be a great idea for a book. A Little with prophetic dreams solving crimes… Her Daddy could be a police officer she’s trying to convince to believe her. Dang it, I didn”t have my notebooks.
I shook my head trying to focus and pinched myself needing to know this was real. My arm throbbed with the pain proving as much as it could that I wasn’t asleep. I sat cross-legged considering my options as I propped my phone against a pillow. Calling Lucia would be so much easier, but it would only delay talking to Zoe, not avoid it.
I was never the type to put something off. Well, unless it was exercise or eating vegetables. Or confronting someone. And there was the finding a new apartment thing. Okay, I wasn’t the type to put off talking to friends, even if they were mad at me. Needing to see her face, I started a video call with Zoe.
“Alyssa Anne McKenzie! Where the heck have you been?” Her face was so close to the camera I could probably count her eyelashes. She was probably trying for a stern older sister vibe but honestly couldn”t hold back my giggle.
“Don”t you laugh at me. This is no laughing matter. Do you know how worried sick we were?”
I could hear the concern under all the attitude and guilt weighed down my shoulders. “I”m sorry. I know I should have texted you guys, but it was such a great night.” I proceeded to give her a highlighted version of our night out before wrapping up with, “And then I fell asleep. Do you forgive me?”
I gave her my best puppy-dog eyes and when her disappointed face didn”t disappear, I pulled Bruiser up next to my cheek hoping the absolute cuteness of the stuffie would distract her. Lucky for me it worked.
“Oh my god, he”s so cute! Did Gigantor Daddy get him for you?”
My jaw dropped. “Gigantor Daddy? That’s not nice!”
My scolding probably would have been more effective if it hadn”t been for the giggle I couldn’t control. Zoe rolled her eyes and I watched her relax.
“Is he really your new Daddy?”
Was he? Part of the reason that everything felt like some kind of strange coma dream was that I couldn”t believe that someone like Gabriel wanted me as his Little girl. The man was kind, handsome, and famous. I was just a homeless massage therapist who liked to write stories. I stared up at the door to the bedroom and hugged Bruiser to my chest and shrugged.
“Oh, no no no! I don”t like that look in your eyes, Alyssa. I may not be sure if that big lug is good enough for you, but don”t you dare shrug like you think you are not good enough for him. You are fabulous and he is lucky to breathe the same air as you.”
I snorted. “I love you girl, but he”s so out of my league it”s not even funny.”
The glare she gave me through the phone was impressive. She was so rabidly protective it was sometimes hard to remember she was a Little like me. I was glad to have her as a friend rather than an enemy.
“Any Daddy would be lucky to have any one of the LJGs as their own. Don”t you forget it. So what if he”s famous or has a lot of zeros in his bank account? Doesn’t mean he doesn’t stink up the bathroom after eating Mexican.”
“Zoe!”
“Just one of you is worth a million other people. Plus, and I hate to admit this, but I saw that man’s face when I confronted him. He is hooked on you.”
“Really?” I wasn’t usually this insecure, but it had been a long, hard week.
Her face softened and she moved the camera back as she sat. “Really. Dammit, Alyssa this phone call was supposed to be about me warning you off of going too fast. I had this whole plan to tell you not to move in with him. That you were too good for the musclehead so you should make him work to prove himself.”
“And now?”
“Now you have me feeling all mushy.”
I couldn’t help my smile. “So you think I should give him a chance?”
“You”re in his penthouse suite. You spent the night with him. You’ve got a dopey look on your face and you”re hugging one of the cutest stuffies I”ve ever seen. Are you trying to tell me that you aren”t already giving him a chance?”
When she put it that way… “Yeah, I guess I kinda am. Which reminds me, I have to go over to Lucia’s to get my stuff unless I want to wear the same clothes every day.” Plus I needed my writing books. Would Gabriel get upset if I snuck out to spend some time at the library? I had several chapters to type up.
“No need. Lucia called Grace and she brought it with her when she came to work. I was planning on holding it hostage until I talked some sense into you, but I’ll have someone bring it up to his room.” She said that as if it would be some big hassle, but I knew she would just order one of the bellhops to do it.
“You guys really are the best. Thank you so much.” I made sure to sound appropriately grateful and knew I’d succeeded when she gave me a regal nod.
“I’m still not sure if he”s good enough for you. Let him know I will kick his ass if he hurts you.”
As I tried to get my laughter under control an email notification popped up. The only thing I could read before it disappeared was from [email protected]. Why would they be contacting me on my day off?
“I”ll tell him.”
“No you won”t. But I will.” Zoe wiggled her eyebrows like a comic book villain.
“I love you, Zoe.”
“I love you too, Alyssa-girl.”
“I gotta go. I promise I”ll text y”all later.” I gave her air kisses before hitting the end button.
It was my day off, so the temptation to not open my email was high. Unfortunately, curiosity was one of my bigger sins.
“What did you do?” The volume of my voice startled me as I stomped into the main area of the suite clutching my phone in one hand and Bruiser in the other. Unwilling to back down, I crossed my arms and gave Gabriel my angriest glare.
Color flushed my cheeks as I realized he was talking on the phone, but I tried not to let my embarrassment at shouting show on my face. His lifting of a single eyebrow as he turned toward me made me reconsider my plan of yelling at him.
“I”m gonna need to go. Tell them I don”t want to make any announcements just yet. But to draw up some different options for me. It seems I”ve got a Little girl here who needs some attention.”
Who was he talking to? And what would he be announcing?
Gabriel ended his call and crossed his arms.
I tried to hold on to my anger. “I don”t need attention. I need an answer to my question.”
“Do you like your stuffy, princess?”
His question derailed my thoughts, popping the bubble of my growing anger. I took a deep breath not wanting to let go of my frustration but knowing I needed to. Hugging Bruiser I took strength in his soft squishiness.
“Yes, I love him, Gabriel. Thank you for the gift. Now, what did you do?”
“What do you call me?”
“Daddy.” I filled the title with as much frustration as I could.
“I’m going to need you to be more specific, little girl. I”ve done a lot of things in the last twenty-four hours. Including pausing getting a tired Little into bed to do a shopping trip because she insisted that the puppy behind the glass looked so sad in the store. That she needed to give him a home.”
Had I really done that? I knew I was not at my best when I was tired, but demanding that Gabriel buy me a stuffy was bratty on a level I wasn’t comfortable with. I should have felt guilty. I looked down at my new friend and considered apologizing, but his adorable blue eyes looked back at me and I couldn’t. He was too cute to be stuck behind glass. So soft, everything a perfect stuffy should be.
“Thank you for getting me Bruiser, Daddy.”
“You’re welcome, princess. Now what had you storming in here, forgetting your manners?”
I hadn’t forgotten them; I’d just felt they hadn’t been appropriate for our current situation. It was time to be not so Little and get the information I needed.
“Why do I have an email from HR saying that I”ve been temporarily transferred to the concierge staff?”
“That was fast.”
Gabriel’s response hit me like a punch to the gut and my anger rose up like a sea monster ready to destroy Tokyo. “I”m to be on call for you?”
“Yes.” He said the word slowly as if he was starting to understand there was something wrong but hadn’t yet figured out what.
I held up my phone, shaking it at him. “I had to read this stupid thing ten times before the words made any sort of sense. And all you have to say is, yes?” The conclusions I”d drawn made my stomach swirl with killer butterflies. “Are you trying to buy me?”
The horrified look on Gabriel’s face gave me a small amount of comfort. My anger metamorphosed into hurt and tears prickled at my eyes.
“No, princess. Come here.” He held open his arms.
It was tempting to ignore the offer but even though he was the cause of my pain I needed the comfort. His arms wrapped around me tightly. The feeling being surrounded by his strength helped, but my anger kept me from relaxing as I rested my head against his chest.
“Why would you hire me? Can’t you see it”s weird? Like you”re paying me so I don’t have a choice but to spend time with you.” Why would he think I would want that? Just the thought of being paid for our time together made me uncomfortable.
He picked me up and carried me over to the couch and instead of feeling safe, I felt trapped. I was tense as he cuddled me against his chest and gave me a kiss on the head.
“I”m so sorry, princess. That was not my intention at all.” He sighed. “I should’ve talked to you first. Truth is, after seeing how miserable your job made you last night, I thought you’d be happy. I told you how crazy my schedule is going to get over the next couple of weeks. I did it because I’m selfish and I wanted to steal all your time for myself. So I asked Rocco to see if he could get you reassigned. I never for one moment thought you”d think I was trying to buy you.”
I simultaneously wanted to punch him and kiss him. A weird war of thoughts was being caught inside my mind. It was over-the-top sweet that he”d done something so ridiculous to monopolize all of my time. I hated my job, well, more to the point I hated my boss. The idea of spending the next month with Gabriel without having to deal with any of the messed-up crazy that was my usual life was like a dream come true.
Unfortunately, the way he’d done it made me so angry I wanted to pound my fist against his chest. Why hadn’t he talked to me before messing with my job? I don”t know what I would have said. But at least I wouldn’t have felt like he thought I was some sort of commodity that could be purchased.
“If I”m working for you, anything we do together will feel dirty. Like I have no choice.”
“Oh baby, I”m sorry. That”s not what I wanted at all. I was trying to give you choices, not take them away.”
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe the look on his face that said he was horrified by the idea. How could he not see that he’d backed me into a corner where there were no good choices? If I said yes and we had sex, I’d feel like a prostitute. If I said no, not only would Seth be angry with me, but now the casino management would as well. I’d either lose my job or they would make it so that I had no choice but to quit. Only one option didn’t leave me possibly homeless in less than a month.
“We have to break up.” The words felt like glass in my throat.
“No.” The responding roar was so loud it made my ears hurt.
“Yes. As long as you”re paying me, we can”t do stuff together. And if you change your mind about paying me now, Seth will find a way to punish me for not satisfying a guest. I need my job.” My eyes burned with unshed tears. Why couldn’t we have met after I’d made the switch to full-time author? I doubted a man like Gabriel would be willing to wait.
He tipped my chin up and the smile on his lips made no sense. “Stuff? And what stuff couldn”t we do?”
Seriously? That was what he wanted to talk about? “You know…” My blush felt like it was burning through my skin, “Sex stuff. I have to keep things professional.”
His thoughts must have been going much faster than mine because I could almost see him trying to find a way around the limits I’d just laid down. After a minute his eyes sparkled as if he’d come up with something.
“So what you”re saying is you’ll stay by my side for the next month to be my personal physical therapist. Even if I go out to places like say the Aquarium, the Boardwalk or the Cape May Zoo?”
The Aquarium? I’d never been, but I’d seen pictures and it had been so long since I’d been to the Zoo. The sneaky man was trying to tempt me as if I couldn’t tell he was trying to entice my Little side. I’d like to say it wasn’t working but, it was.
“You might hurt your neck looking up at the giraffes or slip on some water and pull a muscle. I think having someone there to help is a smart idea.”
“But I can”t taste my little girl’s sweet honey? Can’t learn what it’s like to be buried deep in her while she begs for more?”
“No.” I knew I sounded disappointed, but I had to stay strong.
“Can I make sure my employee is eating right and tuck her in at night with a story? Can we play games and get to know each other better?”
“I guess.” The tucking-in probably pushed the line but I couldn’t bring myself to say no to it. Would he really be willing to do all the things he just said if sex was off the table? A large part of me still believed he was only looking for a convenient hook-up while he was here for training. The chemistry between us was so intense, could he really resist pushing the line? Could I? Was he really implying that he was going to keep being my Daddy but take sex off the table?
His smile was almost predatory and sent shivers down my spine. “Deal.”
Wait, what? What the hell had I just agreed to?