Page 4 of Comp's Chance

“You got it, boss,” he says, making his way to my passenger seat. I suck in a breath, not sure how comfortable I am with astranger in a car with just me and my daughter. Then again, I’m about to walk into a caged-in lion’s den, so to speak. So what could go wrong?

“No… I’ll show her,” the growly one says, pushing past Rodeo and making his way to my passenger side door.

“Alright, Comp, you go then,” Swift says with a smirk. I don’t fully understand the joke, but I shrug my shoulders, walk back to the car, and get in the driver’s seat.

I try to hold in my laughter as the giant of a man tries to fold himself into Milani’s little itty-bitty car. He grunts and hits his head on the door a few times, and I can’t hold in the chuckle.

“You can scoot the seat back if you want,” I tell him, but he just grunts and squishes his knees up nearly to his chest. I shrug my shoulders and start the car, taking off down the path when he finally gets the door closed. The bumpy gravel under the tires must wake Paisley because I hear her small voice from the back seat.

“Mama, where are we?” she asks. Looking at her through the rearview mirror, I see her staring at the man in the passenger seat, not with fear as I would expect, but with curiosity. I figured it may be fear because she has never really been around men, and this man is HUGE. Plus, he is still trying not to let us see his face. Paisley can’t see anything but the back of his head from her seat anyway, so the real question is, why is he hiding from me?

“We are at Aunt Milani’s brother’s place, baby. We are going to stay here for a while,” I tell her, hoping she leaves it at that… but that, of course, wouldn’t be my daughter. The girl has no filter and is nosey as hell.

“Why are we here? And who are you?” she asks, not in a rude tone but in a curious one. However, I don’t know this man. I don’t know if he’s a rough biker who would get offended. I don’t know how he will take Paisley if he hates kids. Especially if she gets started on her questions. She could ask question afterquestion, and as long as you keep answering them, she will keep coming up with new questions to ask. Comp turns her way, to my shock and surprise, with a slight smile pulling at the side of his face.

“Hello, sweet girl. My name is Nix, but my friends call me Comp. What’s your name?” he asks her. For someone that was so damn growly with me not that long ago, he seems to be wrapped around my daughter's finger already. Who could blame him, though? My baby girl is the sweetest.

“My name’s Paisley. It's nice to meet you, Nix,” she says before turning back to me. “Mommy, I’m hungry. Can we get something to eat?”

“Uh… yeah, baby. Let's try to get settled in first. I have to talk to some friends and make sure we have a place to stay tonight, and then I'll make you something to eat.” I tell her, not really sure what to do right now. I should have stopped at a fast food place on the way here, but she was asleep, and I didn’t want to deal with the million questions she would inevitably ask.

“Let’s get you and your mommy settled in, and I will make sure you both get something to eat, Wildflower,” Comp tells Paisley before turning back to me and pointing to the spot I’m guessing he wants me to pull into. I look up at the warehouse in front of me. It’s huge, like ginormous, but the metal structure seems cold and uninviting. I audibly gulp, wondering if I should just find a hotel or something; not sure how much I can trust these people with my safety or my daughters. Comp must see my hesitation because I feel his hand grip mine, soft but steady.

“No one in this building will hurt you, Sunshine,” he says softly, but the endearment makes me shiver. I’ve never been given a nickname before. People who care about you do that, and I’ve only ever had my baby girl and best friend. I realize I’ve been staring into his eyes for far longer than it seems comfortable,so I quickly look away, taking a deep breath and addressing my daughter.

“You ready to go in, baby girl?”

“We really get to stay here? This place is huge!” Paisley says, looking at the building from her booster seat in wonder. Comp laughs at her, but I smile and shake my head.

That’s one thing about my baby girl; she will find the fun in everything. She looks at life as an adventure. She wants to see everything, including every bathroom in every store we go to. Well, that’s the way it seems, anyway. Paisley will also find the good in anyone and the fun in any situation. I honestly wish I had that gift. Unfortunately, life hasn’t been easy on me. I learned from a very young age that life sucks. It’s not fun, not fair, and it can be a big whopping bitch.

I have one goal in my life: to make sure my baby girl never has the rose-colored glasses ripped from her eyes. I’m not naïve enough to think nothing bad will ever happen, but as her mama, it’s my job to do my best to protect her from it. The last thing I ever want is for my sweet, gold-hearted baby girl to know the evils of this world. I will do everything in my power to prepare her to face the world on her own, be strong and independent, and never lose sight of her heart and who she is. She was a gift and a blessing to me at an early age, one that I will never regret. This world is a much better place with her light helping to shine it brighter.

Unfortunately, I don’t know how much longer I can keep all this shit from her after today. I want to protect her, but I also want her to be able to protect herself from anything that may come her way. The hardest part about being a parent is choosing between bliss and preparedness.

“I promise everything will be alright,” Comp says, pulling me out of my worry for now. He thinks I’m still afraid of him and his friends, and honestly, I kind of am. I don’t know these scary-looking men, yet I am entrusting them with the safety of my baby girl, but that wasn't what distracted me.

I look over at Comp, giving him a small, reassuring smile. For some reason, I trust this man. There is something in his eyes that is so full of pain, trepidation, and what looks like interest, but that can’t be right. I must be seeing things, or I’m more tired than I initially thought. I’m a single mom of a baby girl who’s running from her psycho baby daddy. No one wants that baggage.

As much as I want to be loved and to finally have a father figure for Paisley, putting myself out there and getting hurt again isn’t an option. Especially not until Paisley is out on her own and grown. It would hurt to be betrayed again, but it would kill me to see someone hurt my baby.

No. I can’t let that happen. I need to protect my heart and my baby. It might be lonely, but I’ll survive; I have for this long. It’s easy to fall apart after a broken heart, but it's a hundred times harder to pick up those broken pieces and put them back together for my daughter and me.

Four

COMP

Damn, Sunny’s absolutely the most beautiful woman I’ve ever fucking seen. There is something about her that just lights me up inside. Something I thought died in that hospital room all those years ago.

But what really gets me is the determination in her eyes. She's walking into a viper’s den, not knowing anyone, and going off the word and trust of her best friend. She has to be the strongest woman I know and definitely the bravest. She nods once more before pulling at the door handle and stepping out of the car. I follow her, opening my door, ducking my head, trying to shield my scared face with my long hair, and keeping my head down. The last thing I want to see is the look of disgust on her face or the fear of that precious little girl she has with her.

I watch as Sunny bends over and unhooks Paisley's seatbelt, trying not to groan at the view of her perfectly shaped ass. This girl is no size two. She's got curves, a thick waist, and tits that would overflow my hands. She's a fucking knockout, and I want my hands and mouth all over her. That won't be in the cards, though. She's too perfect for someone as fucked up as me. She has a baby girl she needs to think about. What if I give her nightmares with my fucked-up face? No. As usual, it’s best tostay hidden in my office as much as possible. I shake my head at these thoughts and turn away, adjusting my growing cock as I head to the back of the car.

"Are your bags in the trunk?" I ask Sunny, hiding my profile in the shadows.

"Oh yeah, here. Let me pop the trunk. You don't have to get them, though. I can carry them as soon as I get Paisley out of the car," she tells me, sliding her hands around Paisley and lifting her from the seat.

I smile at the wonder on Paisley's face as she looks around the compound. Sunny might not know it yet, but they are going to fit in just fine here.

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