3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
MADDOX
I walked into Kingdom. We didn’t open for another three hours, and the housekeeping staff were just finishing. Walker and Dion were busy restocking the bar, and I could see the maintenance crew in the corner checking the lighting. Walker looked up as I walked toward them. “How is she?”
“I don’t know,” I replied honestly, frustration clawing at me. “I just took her back to her apartment. She doesn’t trust me,” I added.
Walker looked at me in confusion, his brown eyes widening. “Did you expect her to? After what she went through with that bastard Jeremy Blakeny who imprisoned her for nearly three months?”
“I was surprised to see her,” Dion admitted. “I mean, coming to a nightclub? Getting shit-faced? It’s exactly the situation that got her abducted in the first place.”
“I know,” and I did. “It’s almost as if she was trying to prove something.”
“What was she like with you?” Walker asked.
I sighed, leaning against the bar. "It was...complicated. One moment she'd seem to relax, almost like she was craving the care and attention. Then she suddenly pulled away, put her walls back up."
"Can you blame her?" Dion asked, opening a crate of wine. "Trusting anyone must be terrifying."
"I know," I said, running a hand through my hair. "I just... I want to help her. To show her that not everyone is out to hurt her."
Walker gave me a knowing look. "You've got it bad, don't you?"
I didn't bother denying it. From the moment I'd first seen Clare last year, terrified and broken as we rescued her from that monster's clutches, something in me had shifted. I'd wanted to protect her, to shelter her from any further harm. But I knew I couldn't push too hard.
"She needs time," Dion said gently. "And maybe professional help. This isn't something you can fix on your own, no matter how much you want to."
I sighed heavily, considering my options. "I don't know. I want to be there for her, but I can't push too hard. She needs to feel safe, to heal at her own pace."
"Maybe you should give her some space," Walker suggested. "Let her come to you if she needs anything."
Dion scoffed. “Which is going against every instinct you have. You’re a Daddy. Letting her come to you isn’t the way your brain is wired.”
The problem was they were both right. "I just... I can't stop thinking about her, worrying about her."
Walker clapped me on the shoulder. "We get it, man. But you've got to take care of yourself too. Don't let this consume you."
I tried to smile, but it felt forced. "I'll try. Thanks, guys." But I knew I wouldn’t be able to get her out of my head.
The way she'd looked so small and vulnerable in my bed, how she'd initially relaxed into my care before pulling away. I wanted nothing more than to wrap her in my arms and shield her from the world, to show her what a true, caring Daddy could be.
But I knew I couldn't. Not yet, and maybe not ever. The thought made my chest ache.
I bent to unwrap some bottles and checked them off the delivery, but my thoughts kept circling back to Clare. Was she okay? Did she make it inside her apartment alright? She’d refused to let me come into the building. At least there’d been a doorman. Still, should I check on her?
No , I told myself firmly. Give her space. Let her come to you.
“She’s seeing the same therapist Maddox got for Abby,” I said after working in silence for a few minutes. “But it’s confidential so I can hardly ask how Clare’s doing.”
Dion leaned back and gazed at me. I let him look. We’d fought side by side in war-torn hellholes around the world. I knew he still had my back. “Does she know what you are?”
“You mean a nightclub owner with a BDSM kink?” I asked flippantly.
“You know I don’t,” Dion said.
I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. He meant a Daddy Dom, or even just a Daddy. I knew Clare was a Little. The whole reason she had trusted Blakeny was that he fooled her into thinking he was a Daddy, but I also doubted she’d ever trust that side of herself again. Not to herself, and certainly not to someone who wanted to be her Daddy. Someone who would remind her of that nightmare every day. The image of Clare's frightened eyes as she'd flinched away from me this morning was burned into my memory.
"What are you going to do?" Walker asked.
“I have no idea,” I said honestly.
“You could always do what Maddox did with Abby,” Dion suggested.
I glanced over at him. “Abby was homeless after losing her job and her fucker of a landlord trying to rape her. It was easy for Maddox to sweep in and be her Daddy. Abby wanted a Daddy.”
“From the sound of it so does Clare,” Walker said. “Or she wouldn’t be in this position.”
“Clare’s got a ton of money,” I protested. Plus, she wouldn’t put herself through that again.
Dion shrugged. “I know, but this isn’t about that. Think about it. Why did she come here last night?”
“To celebrate her friend’s birthday,” I said slowly.
Dion sighed. “You know how I grew up.” Amazed he was even talking about it, I nodded. We’d all seen the scars from what his fucker of a father had done to him. “Well, we had guard dogs, and I don’t mean like Hades and Anubis. I don’t mean trained properly.” I had to smile at that. Dion’s two Cane Corsos, who could put the fear of God into anyone that looked in their direction, were both very protective and turned into complete softies with Abby.
“I got bitten by one of the guard dogs when I was around three. Took two of Dad’s men to get it off me. I’ve no idea what I did to trigger it, just that I grew up so petrified of dogs, not even Dad could beat the fear out of me.”
I glanced at Walker, who looked equally amazed. Dion had never told us any of this. “So how did you get past that?” Because I knew Dion loved dogs. All dogs.
“Conditioning. Facing my fear.”
Understanding hit me. “You think that’s what Clare was doing?”
“And she probably had to get drunk to be able to face it,” Walker said.
“But how’s that going to help me?” Getting her drunk was completely irresponsible and my hand still itched even now with the wish to redden her bottom for it.
“Think about it,” Dion said. “She’s wanting to…I don’t know…reclaim her life? What if she has a safe space to do that?” He dipped his chin toward me, and I understood he meant I was her safe space.
“That’s a smart idea,” Walker said, and Dion grinned.
“Of course it is.”
"But you'd have to be careful. Very careful," Walker added.
I nodded slowly. "I know. The last thing I want is to push her too far or make her uncomfortable."
Dion leaned forward, his expression serious. "Look, man. You clearly care about her. But you've got to remember—she's been through hell. It's going to take time and patience."
"I know," I sighed. "But how do I even start? She barely trusts me as it is."
Walker shrugged. "Maybe start small. Offer to meet her for coffee somewhere public. Let her set the pace."
I considered this. It wasn't a bad idea. A public place would hopefully make Clare feel safer, and if I let her take the lead, maybe she'd be more comfortable.
"And whatever you do," Walker added, "don't push the Daddy thing. Not yet. Maybe not ever, if that's what she needs."
“I disagree,” Dion said. “Go slow and be patient absolutely, but don’t hide who you are. You can’t let her get used to a version of you that isn’t the real one, because once it comes out, because it will, any trust you’ve established will vanish.”
I nodded, considering Dion's words carefully. He had a point—I couldn't pretend to be someone I wasn't. That would only lead to more distrust down the line.
"You're right," I said. "I need to be honest with her from the start. But how do I do that without scaring her off?"
Walker tapped his fingers on the bar thoughtfully. "Maybe you could bring it up casually, in a way that doesn't put any pressure on her. Like mentioning your job. Most people have heard of Salvation. She might not know you own Kingdom. She might have thought you were security.”
“Oh yeah,” I said dryly, “Sorry, I know you’re traumatized because of what that prick did to you, but let me take you to my personal dungeon and watch a few masochists getting whipped.”
Dion chuckled. “Or while you’re meeting her for coffee, you could see if she’s interested in meeting Abby?”
I chewed on that. That might work. Abby was a sweetheart, and it would be good for Clare to see how a good Daddy/Little dynamic actually worked, not the warped version of it she’d been subjected to.
Feeling suddenly optimistic, I decided to text her.
Hi, this is Maddox. Got your no. from the club.
All credit card deposits for groups had to be accompanied by contact information in case there was an issue.
Would u like to meet me 4 a coffee?
I saw immediately it had been read and practically held my breath. Then the dots appeared, and I tried to calm my racing heart.
Sorry, no. Ty for last night, but I’m busy restarting college. And I don’t like coffee.
Well, fuck. That told me.
I stared at Clare's response. She was shutting me out completely. But I couldn't blame her. After everything she'd been through, trusting anyone, especially a man, must be terrifying.
Especially one who reminded her of that cage.
I typed out a reply, then deleted it. What could I possibly say that wouldn't come across as pushy or make her more uncomfortable?
"No luck?" Walker asked, noticing my expression.
I shook my head. "She's not interested. Says she's busy with college."
Walker clapped me on the shoulder. "Give her time, man. She'll come around when she's ready."
But would she? The thought of Clare out there, alone and struggling, made my chest ache. I wanted so badly to help her, to show her that real Daddies weren’t monsters like Jeremy. That she could be cared for and protected, nurtured, and not abused.
"Maybe I should just let it go," I said, running a hand through my hair. "She clearly doesn't want anything to do with me."
Dion fixed me with a stern look. "Since when do you give up so easily? This isn't like you, Max."
Which was true, but Dion had been right about not hiding what I was. Every single thing about me reminded her of the worst experience of her life.
I didn’t blame her for not wanting anything to do with me.
I didn’t blame her at all.