Chapter 16
Quinn
YES, DADDY
One second, I was taking a break and running to the bathroom to pee, and the next, I was grabbed from behind.
When he spun me around and backed me against the wall, and I saw it was the guy who told me I had a beautiful smile, I tried to push him off nicely.
But then he gripped me and kissed me, and I shoved him back.
That guy is hot. There’s no question about it, but everything about it felt wrong.
So, so wrong. Just having his hands on my skin made my stomach twist. It didn’t feel like it does when Xander touches me.
In the car, Xander’s cock is torturing me. Every turn, bump, and stop, it rubs against that delicate spot that makes me tremble. Again, the complete opposite feeling I got when that asshole pressed himself against me. I wanted to throw up.
And now Xander’s saying he’s going to kill him, and I think he’s actually going to do it.
Xander doesn’t bluff. He might not have grown up in the areas that I did, but he still grew up on the streets.
Running them, even. He and his brothers.
This is Las Vegas, and they are the Savage family, after all.
I should tell Xander not to do it. Ask him to let the guy go and forget it ever happened.
If I push hard enough, he might give in and let the guy go.
But I think… I think right now, I like that Xander’s made the decision, and I don’t have to.
All he wants me to do is close my eyes and rest, and I can do that because something about the way he tells me what to do feels more like he’s saying, “I care,” and I want that to be true.
The car stops, and when Kian opens the back door, I climb off Xander’s lap. Xander tries to stop me, gripping my waist tightly, but I push his hands away.
“I can walk. I don’t need to be carried.”
I want to be carried by him, but I’m not saying that out loud. Just because he got me out of the immediate danger that way doesn’t mean he wants to continue to do it.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you tonight, Quinn.
” Kian holds out his hand to help me climb out.
“I’ll be looking into this immediately with Beckett and Caleb.
We’ll see what needs to be done to tighten security.
Until then, here’s my card. It has my direct number on it.
You can call me if you need anything. It could be a bandage or an on-call therapist if you need someone to talk to, okay? ”
Before I can take the card, Xander slides out of the car and snatches it from his brother. “The only person she’ll be calling for anything will be me. So take this card and shove it up your ass.”
Then he flicks it at Kian, who is smiling smugly at his brother. Xander mutters something under his breath about meddling brothers as he slams the door shut.
He wraps his arm around me and leads me to the penthouse elevator that only the person who lives up there uses, but I stop him. “Wait, that doesn’t stop on any of the lower floors.”
“I know. I’m taking you to my place.”
I shake my head. “No, Xander. I want to go home. To my room, where all my things are that make me feel safe and comfortable.”
“I’m not leaving you alone right now,” he answers firmly, his jaw set in a tight line.
In other words, either I’m going home with him or he’s coming home with me. And as much as I want to see Xander’s personal space, I really want to crawl into my bed and cry.
“Fine. I can sleep on the floor, and you can have the bed.”
Xander nudges me into the other elevator and pushes the fourth-floor button, then moves over to me so we’re inches apart. He doesn’t cage me in or crowd me, but his presence is right there.
“Baby girl, for tonight I’m going to forget that you just offered to sleep on the fucking floor.
” He shoots me a stern glare. “I’m going to take you into your apartment and help you get ready for bed, where you’ll sleep, because over my dead fucking body will you ever sleep on the ground.
And tomorrow, when you’re feeling better, we’re going to have a little discussion about the things you say about yourself and the sacrifices you seem to make for everyone else but yourself. ”
Oh.
Well.
That sounds ominous. My clit tingles at the hard edge of his voice.
When he called himself Daddy earlier, I nearly moaned.
Am I that obvious with my kink? I mean, I try not to make it too apparent.
It’s not like I’ve called him Daddy out loud.
Maybe once or twice in my dreams. But he wouldn’t know that.
Wait. Did he call himself Daddy because he’s into it?
I’m not even sure how to define what I like.
Jason was never willing to explore it with me.
So, other than a handful of romance books I’ve gotten from thrift stores over the years, I can’t define exactly what I want.
I just know that when Xander touches me and talks to me, it’s different.
He makes me feel special. Maybe I’m just hoping, but I think he feels it, too.
The elevator doors open, and we step out. I’ve never been so glad for the keypad lock on my front door.
“My purse. It’s still in my locker.” I look behind me like I’m about to turn around and head back to work to get it, but I’m not sure I’d even have the energy to make it to the elevator.
“I’ll get it later, baby. Don’t worry about it. Right now, your only job is to let me take care of you.”
Why does he keep saying that? How is he going to take care of me? I’m a big girl. I don’t need him to hover.
As soon as we’re inside, Xander locks the door and moves through the dim space like it’s ingrained in his memory, even though he’s only been here a couple of times.
“Where are you going?” he asks when I start for the bathroom.
“Uh, to the bathroom?” Why am I asking? It’s not a question. I have to pee. The asshole who attacked me is lucky he didn’t get a golden shower with how badly I needed, and still need, to go.
“Do you need help, baby?” he asks, striding toward me like he’s about to follow me in.
What?
Is he serious?
“I can manage myself,” I answer weakly.
Can I? I’m pretty sure I don’t need his help. Although I’m slowly crashing. The adrenaline pumping through me before is no longer there. I’m so beyond tired.
Xander looks like he might argue, but he doesn’t as I close the bathroom door behind me and stand for a second with my back against it, taking a deep breath before I slide to the floor. And then, like some sort of wrecking ball crashes through me, I break into a thousand pieces.
Sobs shake my body, and though I try to cover my mouth, I can’t keep quiet. A second later, the door is pushed open, sending me slowly sliding with it before Xander can fit his enormous body through the gap.
“Baby girl, fuck,” he says gently as he kneels in front of me, pulling me to his chest.
“I’m sorry I’m being such a crybaby,” I struggle to get out between heavy breaths and sniffles.
Xander shakes his head and reaches for some toilet paper, then takes it upon himself to start cleaning up my face. When I try to take it from him, he pulls his hand away and shakes his head.
“Let Daddy do it.” His tone leaves no room for argument, so I let him dry my tears and soak up every second of his attention.
“How old are you?” I ask, feeling like he’ll tell me anything I want to know.
“Forty. And you’re twenty-four.” He says it matter-of-factly, like it means nothing. I suppose it doesn’t. Jason was only five years older than me, and he was an idiot. Maybe having an older man would be good for me… and for the Daddy factor. He’s certainly good at taking care of me.
“So you’re a Xaddy,” I reply with a soft, sniffly smile.
His eyes flick to meet mine as he pulls the tissue away from my face. “Don’t call me that.”
I giggle quietly, loving the softness of this moment, even if it is in my very cramped bathroom.
“What should I call you then?”
What the hell is wrong with me? Did I hit my head against the wall or something?
Xander leans closer, his woodsy scent like an essential oil for my soul. I’ve never been this attracted to a man’s smell before. Of course, I catch a whiff of a rich cologne here and there, but with Xander, I’m drawn to him.
“What I want and what I deserve are two different things, sunshine. Because what I want is you on the bed with your legs spread, calling me Daddy, while I worship your beautiful body all goddamn night. But what I deserve is to be shot for even thinking that when you’re crying.”
My entire body reacts to what he described. He likes my figure? Somehow, I struggle to believe that. The man has been chiseled from stone. I look like I was rolled out of one of those cans you pound on the edge of the counter and hold your breath because you think it might explode.
“Whatever the fuck you’re thinking, I can already tell I’m not going to like it. In the morning, we’re going to have a talk about all the negative shit you believe about yourself. Right now, I’m going to help you get ready for bed.”
I stare up at him, wanting to ask what he means by “have a talk,” but I have a feeling I’m not going to like whatever it is, so I’ll just keep quiet for now.
He rises to his full height and leans down for me, pulling me up like I weigh nothing at all. Then he turns, lifts the lid to the toilet, and literally grabs me by the hips to move me in front of it. When he reaches for the hem of my skirt, I instinctively grab his hands to stop him.
“I can use the toilet by myself.” I think. My knees are still trembling from earlier.
I’ve been in a lot of situations since I started bartending, but I’ve never been followed and cornered like that. It was a secret hallway that only staff have access to. I don’t know how he got back there. What if… What if Xander hadn’t found me?
“Baby,” he murmurs. “You’re crying again. Let me help you. Be my good girl tonight and let me take care of you.”
Tears drip from my chin to my chest, and my legs shake slightly. I haven’t needed anyone to help me for as long as I can remember. Somehow, I’ve always done things for myself. Taken care of myself. But maybe I can let go for one night.
Slowly, I remove my fingers from his hands and move them to his hard biceps. He lifts my skirt and tucks his thumbs into the waistband of my lace panties and pulls them down. He doesn’t hover or stare, though I don’t miss the way his gaze flicks to my pussy for just a second before he looks away.
“Sit, baby. I’ll give you a minute to yourself, but don’t get up from that toilet until I get back.”
I nod. As soon as he closes the bathroom door behind him, not all the way, I might add, I relieve myself, sighing as the pressure eases.
When I’ve finished, I clean myself up and stand, swaying a little as I reach down to pull up my panties, then adjust my skirt.
Right as I turn and flush, Xander walks in, his eyes dark and brows furrowed.
“I should punish you for disobeying my instructions, sunshine.”
My clit throbs, and I try not to squirm at the pressure building between my legs.
There’s something about Xander that makes me want to disobey him to see what he’ll do.
To see how he’ll punish me. Will he spank me?
God, I’ve always wanted to try that. Jason said I needed to see a therapist when I asked him to spank me.
I bet Xander wouldn’t hesitate. Hell, he’s made insinuations about it a number of times already.
“You didn’t come back fast enough,” I answer, washing my hands.
Xander moves up behind me and cages me in so we’re both staring into the mirror. He leans down a little, so his mouth is near my ear while he holds my gaze.
“Baby girl, you’re going to learn that trying to work around the rules will also get you in trouble. When I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it. Do you understand?”
My breath catches in my throat. Tiny prickles of excitement spread as we watch each other. His expression is so stern, it causes a flutter low in my tummy. Fuck, he makes me feel so small, but in the best way possible. I can’t explain it. Like I can let go completely.
Only for tonight.
Just tonight.
“Yes,” I whisper.
He raises his eyebrows. “Yes, Daddy.”
Shit.
“Yes, Daddy.”
I swallow and blink, and I swear, something shifts between us. I don’t know how or in what way, but it does.
Xander’s jaw flexes as he stares at me, his dick twitching against my back.
The depraved side of me wants to reach behind, touch it, and ask him to make me feel good because I know he will.
Xander Savage is not a selfish man. I have a feeling he’d put my pleasure before his own, even if he got nothing out of it.
The scared, exhausted side of me just wants to curl up in his arms and sleep for a million hours until I forget this night ever happened. Well, until now, because I like this.
“Where’s your toothbrush, baby?”
I pull it out of the drawer, and he tries to take it from me, but I don’t let him.
“I didn’t know you could be so stubborn,” he mumbles, standing back and watching me brush my teeth.
I try not to dribble foam down my chin. “I didn’t know you could be so controlling.”
He smirks and crosses his arms over his broad chest. “Oh, baby girl, you have no fucking idea how controlling I can be.”
The way he says it sounds as if he thinks it’s a bad thing. Yet I’m not totally convinced it is. Maybe that’s just me and my fucked-up brain.
I grin, then wince when some toothpaste gets in my cut lip and starts to burn. Xander’s expression quickly goes from light to dark in a flash, and he grabs a towel and wets it for me to dab at my lip.
When I’m done, I put my toothbrush away and find two hairbands from the same drawer.
Xander watches intently, his eyes still dark and stormy, as I twist my hair into two loose braids to keep it from getting tangled in my sleep.
“You don’t have to stay,” I tell him as we both go into my room so I can find some pajamas.
“Quit trying to piss me off, Quinn. I’m not leaving you.”
Well… okay then.