Chapter 1
ONE
DELANEY
Three simple words flash onto my phone screen and make my heart—and belly—ping.
I need you.
It’s not the words alone that have my pulse quickening. It’s the name that accompanies it. “Daddy.”
My lips curve up.
I’ve had plenty of…let’s call them sexy pen pals. But none of them—not one—has ever stirred my desire like this one.
Maybe it’s because those guys were work. This one—this man—was only ever about fun. A dare of sorts from my friend, after we’d both had one too many glasses of wine and stumbled upon a naughty website where lonely people looking for connections without romantic attachments could meet.
Before I can come up with a flirty message to match the tone of our other banter.
Can you be here within an hour?
Then he texts me an address.
I blink at the message in surprise. He wants to meet up again in person? At—I squint and study the pin on the map he sent—a home?
That’s a far cry off from the parking garage where we’ve met in our previous, casual encounters.
That’s the way we both wanted it. No chit-chat. No identifiers. Just two people working off their sexual frustration without any complications.
Until now.
I close out of his messages and call Katie. My best friend’s face fills the screen after only two rings.
“Hey, Delaney.” She waves from her sofa. “What’s going on?”
“I just got a message from ‘Daddy.’”
“Oh.” Her eyebrows wiggle. “Was it a naughty message or a naughtier message?”
“He asked me over to his place.”
“Oh my God.” She practically bounces in excitement. “When are you going over?”
“I’m not sure I am.”
Her face scrunches up. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t know, maybe because I don’t want to be murdered.”
“You’ve met up with him on four other occasions, and he didn’t murder you.”
“Yeah, but those were public meet-ups.”
“A woman can just as easily be murdered in public as she can at home.”
“Fair point.” I twirl a lock of hair around my finger. “I don’t know… I guess there’s something about going to his home that seems so real, so personal.”
“Having a guy finger bang you to completion while you jerk him off is about as personal as you can get.”
“Yeah, but that was without real names or conversation exchanged. How can we keep it light and uncomplicated if I’m at his house?”
“Easy. Just only use your mouth for sucking and have him blindfold you so you don’t see anything personal.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m being serious here.”
“So am I,” she insists. “Come on. Do it for the plot.”
“That’s the sort of thing people say to get another person to do something that could go really badly.”
“It’s also the sort of thing people say when it could lead to something amazing.” She laughs. “Just, make sure your phone is charged. Share your notification with me. Keep me posted and use a condom.”
I chew on my bottom lip. “He has been really fun to fool around with.”
“See, there you go. Live a little. Live a lot. Go out there and get yourself some.”
It’s these words of Katie’s that push me to dash a quick message back to the man known only to her and me as “Daddy.”
It’s these words that inspire me as I open my closet to pick out something to wear for our tryst.
***
I park my car in front of an unassuming house in an ordinary neighborhood.
The word quaint comes to mind.
Which is funny, because unassuming, ordinary, and quaint don’t even register on the list of words I’d pick to describe the man who has made my toes curl on our few previous meet-ups.
I sigh. See. This is exactly what I’ve been trying to avoid. I don’t want to know anything about this guy.
Well, not anything beyond the fact that he can get me off in under ten minutes—five if we’re short on time.
“I really hope this doesn’t screw up a perfectly good thing.” Shaking my head at myself, I straighten my shoulders and unbuckle my seatbelt. “Whatever. I’ll do it for the experience. And as long as I come out of this alive, we’ll call it a win.”
Besides, I can always find another fuck buddy. God knows there’s no shortage of men out there looking for no-strings fun.
Tightening the belt on my trench coat, I tuck my full charged phone into my pocket. As instructed, I sent Katie the house’s address and shared my location with her.
Grabbing my keys—and nothing else—I make my way up the walk to his house.
It really is a cute place. The walk is made out of cobblestones. There are neatly trimmed hedges and a pot of geraniums on the porch. There’s even one of those ceramic gnomes tucked away under a picture window.
This is the exact kind of home my mom always wanted for us. If she could only see me now.
Actually, nix that. I definitely wouldn’t want my mom to see me now or a few minutes from now. When I’ll probably be on my knees or bent over the back of a couch.
With one more deep breath for courage, I ring the doorbell. And wait.
A few minutes later, the door swings open. My belly flips as a familiar figure fills the frame.
His brows knit together. “Hello?”
“I thought we said no small talk.” I give a coy smile, unknot the belt, and open my coat.
His hazel eyes widen. “What the…”
“Just point me in the direction of where it is you want to?—”
I cut myself off as a little girl with light brown hair in pigtails appears at his side.
“Who is it, Daddy?” she asks curiously. “And why isn’t the lady wearing any clothes?”