Page 24 of Daddy's Little Survivor

“If you get thirsty, let me know and I'll get you a drink. If you're not comfortable with that, I'll set a cup out for you and you can grab a drink of water anytime you want,” Michael said. “Or if you look in the fridge and see anything you like, you can have it.”

There he went again, being nice and considerate and it threw Monroe off. She didn't know how to respond to that, or if she was even supposed to respond. Jared hadn’t been this considerate even when they’d first started to date.

Everything in her mind told her to run out of the house and leave and never come back. There were several red flags that popped up in her mind and she knew she needed to leave, but her body didn't want to.

Her body and her mind were at war with each other. Her mind knew this could be a dangerous situation, but her body was reacting to his words. Her body wanted to get comfortable and loved the way he spoke and was considerate.

She didn't know what to do and it frustrated her. It had all been easy when she’d left Jared because she knew what he was doing was wrong and bad and she needed to get away. But with Michael, it was a whole different story.Hewas different.

Monroe had known him for less than a day and he was already confusing her. She didn't know if he was being genuine or if he was being like Jared, just in a different way. He could be manipulating her right now and she wouldn't know or, well, she would, she just didn't know how to stop it.

He was being so nice and she wanted to trust him, but it just felt wrong.

She had read several books that had Daddy Doms in them, but she’d never met one in real life. All the books portrayed these Daddies as possessive and caring, but she had never met a man like that in a good way, never mind a Daddy. Jared could be called possessive, but in a bad way. He wanted to own the person and never let them do anything.

Several times, she had dreamed about having a Daddy of her own, someone that would cherish her, spoil her, discipline her, and be possessive. But as life went on and she kept reading those books, the reality of it becoming true dwindled until now it was just a fantasy, a fairy tale.

Her boyfriend in high school had said he was a Daddy Dom, but he never acted like one. And then he came to her just before she dropped out and told her it was all a lie and he wasn't one. That he didn't identify as a Daddy Dom anymore, but as a sadist.

One thing she hated was lying. She didn't like it when people lied to her because it put her in the dark and made her feel unsafe.

It was funny how she didn't like lying yet she had lied a lot recently, and Michael had been the one to call her out on it. But she wanted to be safe, and her lying to him wasn't harming him. Well, it wasn't harming him yet.

She knew she needed to leave soon so he wasn't in danger. Jared was powerful and when he wanted something, there was no stopping him. She was worried that whoever she stayed with or talked to would be in trouble.

Or worse, they would be killed, and she didn't want that on her conscience. She had seen Jared kill before and it scared her because he looked so cold and removed, like taking a life didn't bother him.

Monroe let out a yawn and leaned her head against the couch cushion. Her mind was screaming at her to wake up and go into the bedroom, locking the door behind her, but her body was at ease. It was almost like her body knew she was safe here but her mind hadn't caught up yet.

Or maybe it was the other way around. Her body was at ease when it shouldn't be, and it should be listening to her mind telling her she shouldn't be falling asleep in the living room.

It was an open space and Michael could do whatever he wanted to her if she fell asleep here. She was defenseless and her mind knew that, but her body chose to ignore it.

Monroe couldn't find it in herself to leave the couch and go to the bed and she ended up falling asleep on the couch.

* * *

“Monroe,can you wake up for me?” someone softly whispered.

She groggily sat up from her position on the couch and blinked several times. Sleep weighed her body and mind down and all she wanted to do was fall back asleep. She was exhausted and could probably sleep for another several hours.

“There are those beautiful eyes,” Michael said.

Monroe didn't think her eyes were beautiful. They were only brown and whenever she looked into the mirror, they reminded her of poop. They were dull, lifeless, and boring. Michael also had brown eyes, but his were different. They had a little gold or yellow in them that a person could see. His kind eyes shone whenever he looked at her.

She wanted to tell him his eyes were beautiful, but she held the comment back. Monroe had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate that, and she didn't want to get in trouble. That could be the turning point and he could show his true colors.

“Can you drink this protein shake while I make lunch?” Michael asked.

Why did he want her to drink a protein shake? Did he want her to stay hydrated?

The look on her face must have shown her question because he started to explain.

“I believe you're underweight, and I want to make sure your body is getting enough protein, fats, and carbs to fuel it properly. If we don't take care of our bodies, after a while, theycouldstart to shut down, and I wouldn't want that for you,” he explained. “I want you to get healthy, which means we need to take care of it.”

There he went again, talking like he truly cared about her. It was putting her more on edge every time he did it and she didn't know how much more she could take.

“Why don't you come sit in the kitchen while I make one?” he suggested.

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