Page 37 of Daddy's Little Survivor

“What's on your mind?” he asked. “You’re normally very quiet, but you seem different. Your whole demeanor has changed.”

Monroe shook her head because she didn't want to talk. She knew she was in a vulnerable state right now and she would just blurt anything out.

“It's a safe place where you can speak your thoughts. I'm not going to hurt you and I'll listen to you,” he said. “It will always be a safe place for you to express yourself and tell me things that are worrying you or troubling you.”

And just like that, Monroe found herself spilling her guts.

“I, I w-want you to be my Daddy. I want you to take c-complete control because you make me feel safe and I haven't felt this s-safe in years, probably my whole life. I'm so s-scared to trust you because I just got out of an a-abusive relationship, and I don't know if your kindness is real or fake.”

She was met with silence and her shoulders sagged. She shouldn't have said anything. It was a mistake and now she knew.

Monroe tilted her head slightly to look at him, expecting a mad face, but was met with a look of shock.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

MONROE

Guilt filled Monroe as she stared at him. She shouldn't have said anything and yet she had. Michael had said it was a safe place, but she was pretty sure he wasn't expecting anything like that.

She quickly pushed her chair back and stood up.

“I'm sorry. T-this was a m-mistake and I need…” She rushed out of the room.

Monroe quickly ran to the room she was staying in and grabbed her stuffed bunny and her own clothing he had washed. How could she have been so stupid as to actually speak her mind? He didn't want that; he wasn't expecting that.

She had learned over the years that if a man tells you it's a safe spot, it really isn't. She had wanted to believe it was, and found it was another mistake. A mistake she was never, ever going to make again.

She had felt safe around Michael and yet it was turning out to be the same situation she had been in for the past six years. She scoffed and turned around to leave the room but standing in her way was Michael.

“Stop!” he commanded.

Monroe moved back and looked around the room. How could she get past him, through the door, and out of the house without him catching her? She had no doubt that he could catch her, and it worried her.

Would he treat her just like Jared had? Would he lock her in a closet for hours on end to keep her where he wanted her?

Sweat broke out across her body as her head kept moving around, trying to find an escape route. She needed to get out of here as fast as she could and get away from him.

“Monroe, stop! Don’t you dare take another step unless you’re looking for trouble,” Michael said.

Her whole body froze at the thought of being in trouble. What would he do to her if she disobeyed him? Would he beat her until she understood about following the rules?

Monroe’s breathing picked up at the thought of him beating her. It wouldn't be the first time Monroe had somebody beat her until she understood what she did wrong. It wasn't a pleasant time, and she knew she needed to try and not have the same fate.

“Breathe,” Michael said.

She tried to take a breath in, but it didn't work. He had been so nice to her the past several days and she didn't think he was capable of it, but it looked like she was wrong.

“Monroe; Little Bunny. I need you to concentrate on my voice,” he said as he grabbed her face with his hands. “Listen to my voice and concentrate just on that. Slowly take in some deep breaths.”

Tears formed in her eyes as she slowly started to take some breaths in. She knew it wouldn't be easy and she needed to remain calm and focused on his voice, on what was actually happening right there and then.

“Such a good girl. No. Don't look away. You're okay and you're doing good,” he whispered. “Such a good Little Bunny. My Little Bunny.”

Monroe's mind started to register what he just said. She loved it when he called her Little Bunny and she often found herself turned on. But something had changed. He had saidmyLittle Bunny and not just Little Bunny.

Was he wanting her to be his or was he just saying that to calm her down? It was a valid question because she had read in one of her books where the male character had called the female character his and she calmed down, but in the book they weren't together.

Monroe didn't know how to interact with other people. She had only ever interacted with her boyfriend in high school and Jared but outside that, she didn't leave the house. She knew books weren't always realistic on how things should happen.

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