Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Aria
She was still chewing over the Master O problem when she stepped into the ballroom where brunch was set up.
“Aria!”
At Lottie’s happy squeal, Aria forced a smile and changed directions to head toward her father and his beaming new bride. Lottie’s arms wrapped around her the second she joined them, squeezing so tightly she nearly couldn’t breathe.
“Oh my god, you look amazing. I told you that dress was perfect for you. Doesn’t she look great, Braden?”
“She does.” Affection warmed her father’s eyes as he reached for her, pulling her in for a hug. “I’m so glad you were here to stand up with me,” he murmured, and she had to blink back tears as happiness threatened to overwhelm her.
“I wouldn’t have missed it. But I’m starving. Is the buffet open yet?”
“It is.” Linking arms with Aria, Lottie tugged her toward the line of tables laden with food. “We’re going to get some mimosas and some of those mini quiches everyone keeps raving about before they’re all gone. And then you’re going to tell me what the hell happened last night.”
Panic slammed into her chest, gripping her lungs in a vice. “What? Nothing happened. What are you talking about?”
“Oh, please.” Pausing to flash a smile for the waiter who handed them each a mimosa, Lottie turned and cocked an eyebrow in a rather eerie mimicry of the look Aria’s father often wore.
“Ruby spilled the beans in the group chat this morning. I know they took you to the club. I also know Braden does not know they took you to the club.”
“Lottie, seriously. You cannot tell him.” Reaching out, Aria gripped her friend-turned-stepmother’s arm. “He’ll be so pissed if he finds out.”
“Relax, I’m not going to say anything.”
“You aren’t?”
“Nope.” A mischievous smile curved Lottie’s lips.
“As he pointed out to me yesterday, I have very specifically asked not to be involved in parenting you or to be put in the middle of any father-daughter issues you two might have. When it comes to your relationship with your father, I am Switzerland. Which means I’m not saying shit. ”
“Oh, thank god. I just assumed you’d have to tell him since he’s your, um…”
Eyes twinkling, Lottie lifted her mimosa to her lips. “My Daddy?”
“Yes. Ew, but yes.” Especially now that she knew firsthand what it was like to call a man Daddy while he—
Nope. Not going there with her father and Lottie. Absolutely fucking not.
“Normally, I wouldn’t lie to Braden, not even for you. But I figure I have that whole Switzerland loophole on my side here, so I can promise you that if he does ever find out about your trip to the club, it won’t be from me.”
“Thanks, Lottie. Seriously. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Now, spill. Tell me everything. Did you love it?”
“It was… educational.” The desire to tell her friend what had actually gone down was like a physical ache in her chest. But standing in line at a brunch buffet hardly felt like the appropriate time to confess she’d lost her virginity in her father’s kink club.
Fucking hell, her life was a soap opera.
“I bet it was. Ruby said you got to watch her get strapped.” Worry replaced the glint of playful mischief in Lottie’s eyes. “Beckett can be really intense, especially for a newbie. How are you feeling after seeing that?”
“Okay, I think. It was really intense, like you said, but Ruby seemed happy enough afterward so I figure Beckett didn’t really hurt her.”
“Beckett spends ninety-nine percent of his time fretting over how to keep Ruby from hurting herself. He’d never harm a hair on her head, even when he’s leaving his mark all over her.”
The truth of her conviction rang out in Lottie’s words and shone in her expression. But even though it aligned with what Aria herself had seen, some part of it still felt… wrong. And it all left her with even more questions than she’d had going into the club.
A problem for later. Definitely not for the middle of her father’s wedding brunch. So she forced a smile for Lottie’s sake and nodded. “I know. Just like I know Dad would never actually hurt you.”
“Exactly.” Beaming like a teacher with an exceptionally bright student, Lottie gestured with the plate she’d slowly been filling with food. “Speaking of, we should get back to him. He gets antsy if I’m out of his sight for too long.”
“Why? It’s not like you’re a child who can’t be trusted to be on your own.”
Head thrown back, Lottie let out a loud peal of laughter. “First of all, I absolutely cannot be trusted. You should know that. And second, it’s not like that. He just… likes having me close. And I like it when he gets all growly and possessive.”
It was hard to reconcile her indulgent, doting father with words like ‘growly’ and ‘possessive’.
Then again, wasn’t that a large part of why he and her mother hadn’t worked out?
According to Layla, he’d been a controlling bastard, though Aria had never seen that side of him and over the years had begun to question her mother’s version of things.
But when Lottie returned to his side and his arm immediately went around her, pulling her close with his hand clamped on her hip, there was no denying the move felt particularly possessive, just as Lottie had said.
Like she was his property and he couldn’t quite settle until she was back where she belonged, at his side.
Was that the kind of relationship Master O wanted? One where she was more property than human?
If so, they were definitely not going to work out.
As if she’d conjured him just by thinking his name, the doors to the ballroom opened and he stepped inside, his gaze scanning the room.
Looking for her?
That thought shouldn’t make her heart beat faster, especially on the heels of her revelations from this morning. And yet, said heart was galloping in her chest, thundering against her ribcage as she watched him saunter forward as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t look him in the eye here, of all places, knowing the things they’d done. The things she’d let him do to her. Not in front of her father, for fuck’s sake.
But his gaze never landed on her. Instead, his head whipped to the side and he grinned before shifting his course.
Jealousy, ugly and dark, twisted in her stomach as she watched him make his way over to a table.
Which was ridiculous, because she didn’t have any claim to him.
She sure as hell didn’t want him to have any claim on her either, so it was utterly ridiculous to feel this gnawing in her gut at the thought of him smiling at another woman like that.
It wasn’t, however, another woman who had put that grin on his face. And she felt even more ridiculous when he dropped down into a seat beside Jacob, his hand coming to rest on the other man’s shoulder as they chatted.
Fucking hell, Aria. Get a grip. You’re better than this.
Right. She was her mother’s daughter. Which meant she wasn’t going to go chasing after some man just because he’d rocked her metaphorical world the night before.
Turning away from the scene at the table, she focused again on her conversation with Lottie and Braden, forcing herself to smile as people came up to congratulate her father and his new bride, to laugh when appropriate, and to generally just ignore the looming presence of Master O behind her.
And it worked, at least for a few minutes. Right up until Lottie’s whole face lit up and she tugged on Braden’s sleeve. “Look! Killian made it!”
Turning, Aria scanned the crowd for who Lottie was pointing to.
And found the man she’d called Daddy making a beeline straight for her.
Fuck.
Killian
For the first time in months, maybe longer, he was actually looking forward to a social function. Granted, it helped that this particular social function didn’t require business deals signed in blood, but it helped more that he’d get to see his princess.
He’d already decided against waiting for dinner to take her out. As soon as the brunch ended, he was dragging her upstairs to the penthouse suite he’d rented out and he planned to make good use of the toys he’d purchased from Braden the night before.
Then he’d take her out, a nice dinner on the water at the restaurant he’d recently invested in and helped flip from a failing family enterprise to one of the most in-demand spots in town. Before taking her back to the hotel for a few more rounds in his bed.
At some point, he’d have to tell her who he really was. What he’d done, or at least as much of it as she needed to know.
But for now, he was enjoying just being a guy falling for a girl, and he planned to enjoy that feeling for as long as possible before his family business tainted the waters.
“Killian!”
Turning at the familiar voice, he grinned at the sight of Jacob waving at him from across the banquet hall. It was no secret he had a soft spot for Cordelia’s boy, and that the affection was very mutual, much to the Domme’s annoyance.
Finding his mystery princess could wait a moment longer, especially since he hadn’t made it to any of the wedding activities, so he changed directions to detour by their table.
“Cordelia, Ivy, Jacob. You’re all looking well.”
And they were, despite the late night at the club. Fresh-faced and rosy-cheeked—especially Ivy, who blushed even harder as she shifted in her seat, making him wonder what kind of trouble she might have gotten into that morning.
“O’Rourke.” Cordelia tilted her head to the side, her emerald eyes raking over his face. “We missed you at the club last night. Work keep you away?”
His instinct was to lie. If he confessed to being at the club, she might put two and two together and realize who he’d spent his evening with.
Which put her a step ahead of him, since he still didn’t actually know who he’d spent his evening with.
But if he lied and she found out, she’d have even more reason to keep Jacob away from him, and that would never do. “I came by for a bit, but I went upstairs, had a drink. Wasn’t really in the mood for company.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she did in fact know who he’d spent his evening with. “Hmm. Well, you’re here now and my boy has been whining about not seeing you for nearly two weeks, so have a seat.”
“Cordelia.” Red flooded Jacob’s cheeks. “I have not been whining.”
Whether he had been before or not, he certainly was now, and Killian had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing and embarrassing his friend any further.
“You have, and it’s adorable, baby boy. But Killian’s here now, and I’m sure he’d be happy to sit and catch up for a bit.”
“I would, and I will.” He flashed Jacob an apologetic smile. “But I told someone else I’d meet them here, so let me go track them down and I’ll be back.”
“We’ll be here,” Cordelia assured him, her fingers stroking the back of her boy’s neck in a move that could only be described as possessive. A reminder that Jacob was hers and he would only be made available to Killian because she allowed it.
With her assurance she wouldn’t whisk Jacob away before they had time to catch up, he went off in search of his mysterious princess from the night before.
He should have gotten her name, a phone number, anything so he could track her down.
But he’d been too lost in her, in actually feeling something for a woman for once, that he hadn’t been thinking straight.
And then he saw her. Standing with Lottie and Braden, her head thrown back as she laughed at something Lottie had said.
That laugh. He knew that laugh. It was the one that had drawn him in at the club. The one he’d been so entranced by.
Of course it was her. Of course. He should have known.
Without really even noticing he was moving, he made his way across the room toward her. Lottie spotted him first, her excited squeal splitting the air as she threw herself at him.
“Killian! Oh my god, I’m so glad you came. We were worried you wouldn’t make it.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he gave a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry for worrying you, sweetheart. Duty called and I had to answer.”
Beside Lottie, his mystery princess had gone stock-still, her eyes wide and filled with what almost looked like panic. He tried not to take that personally. It was one thing to make plans with your skin still flushed and a man’s cum drying on your thigh.
It was another altogether to actually see that man in the bright light of day.
Well, if she was having regrets, then he’d just have to help her get over them, wouldn’t he?
“We understand, we just missed you.” Pulling away, Lottie squeezed his hand before passing him off to Braden, who pulled him in for a surprisingly tight hug.
“Everything okay?” Braden asked, his voice too low for the others to hear.
“It will be.”
“Anything I should worry about?”
“No. Nothing that will touch you or yours.”
“Fair enough.” When Braden pulled back, his smile was still in place, but it no longer reached his eyes. “We’ll talk when Lottie and I get back.”
“Sure.” He didn’t have many friends outside of his family.
Couldn’t risk putting a target on the backs of people he cared for, or unwittingly letting someone close enough to spy on their dealings.
But ever since he’d helped Braden and his brothers shut down an illegal virginity auction being run out of their club, Braden at least had become a friend.
He was, Killian had realized with a sense of irony some time back, probably the best friend Killian had outside his sister and cousins, despite the distance they both deliberately kept between them.
“Good. Now.” Smile widening, Braden clapped him on the shoulder and turned him to face the woman standing next to Lottie, her eyes blank and a polite smile on her face as if she’d never seen him before.
And it was then he was hit with the sudden, horrifying realization of why she’d looked so familiar last night. Why, every time he’d looked into her eyes, he could have sworn he knew her.
Because he was right. He had seen those eyes before. Staring at him over a glass of whiskey, laughing at his jokes, full of exasperation at some new trouble his pretty little sub had gotten herself into.
He knew those eyes, because they belonged to a man he’d come to love like his own kin.
“Aria, this is Killian, one of my closest friends. Killian, I’d like you to meet Aria Elliott. My daughter.”
Fuck.