Page 46 of Daddy's Princess

By the time I’m on the final image, my confidence is soaring. Oliver’s approval is apparent. Theo explains the changes to the original approved images and that my ideas were too good to ignore.

Jeff looks annoyed. And he says as much when he complains that it should’ve been his decision to approve the changes. Nadine has a stunned look of appreciation on her face. Every once in a while, she glances at Britney with a questioning look. As if she is just now seeing the real Britney. Britney’s face is so pinched that it looks like it hurts.

“Very good, Miss Larson.”

I try not to, but I can’t help beaming from the inside out at Oliver’s praise. In my mind, I can hear him calling me a good girl. With effort, I force my mind back to the here and now. The last thing I need to do is get turned on in front of my co-workers.

Oliver asks me a dozen questions about why I changed certain things. I’m glad to know he wasn’t just picking on Britney because he knows she’s horrible to me. Though he isn’t telling me he wants changes, it’s more like he’s trying to understand my creative process and how I came up with the ideas. More than once, he praises my work.

Once the meeting is over, and I’ve been given free rein to make whatever changes I want, I’m securely back on Cloud Nine. Heck, if there is a Cloud Fifty, I’m there. Especially, when Nadine, Britney, and I are back to our workspace and Nadine tells me she’s impressed by my work and then tells Britney she needs to do better. I think it’s the first time Nadine has criticized Britney, and she doesn’t take it well.

“It’s not fair! The only reason Mr. Titan was so nice to Sugar is because she’s fucking him!” The only thing missing from her little rant is the foot stomp.

“That’s quite enough, Ms. Chamberson. It’s clear to me I’ve overestimated you. Taylor you’re in charge of Pinky and Lulabell, make sure to make all the changes that Mr. Titan outlined. Ms. Chamberson will assist you.”

“What? No! This is my project!” Britney shrieks loud enough that a dozen heads pop up over their partitions to see what’s happening. “He only liked her childish little drawings because she’s fucking him!”

Despite my best efforts, I can feel my cheeks turning pink at the accusation. Britney’s right that I am sleeping with the boss, but she’s wrong that he played favorites because of it. After the way he questioned my changes, I know he genuinely liked my work. If he didn’t, he would’ve been just as critical of my drawings as he was of Britney’s work.

“I don’t care if Sugar is fucking the entire male staff, as long as she produces work that impresses Mr. Titan, I don’t give a damn what she does in her private time. Maybe if you spent half as much time on your project as you do on speculating on other’s personal lives, you’d have a better handle on things.” Nadine’s verbal smackdown is felt by the whole office when she narrows her gaze at every person who stopped their work to witness my humiliation.

The day goes downhill from there. That cloud I was floating on after the meeting disappears, and I’m in a freefall for the rest of the day. No matter where I go, I can’t get away from the stares and whispers. I know what they are talking about. The very idea that a lowly intern could be sleeping with not only the boss but the sexiest man in the city is enough for all the gossip mongers to choke on.

Of course, Oliver hears the rumors and sends me text after text apologizing and asking if I’m okay. I ignore them all. I can’t deal. My worst nightmare is coming true, one snickering laugh and whispered rumor at a time. All my hard work means nothing to the gossips. Even Theo who was singing my praises earlier in the meeting about how my ideas were too good to ignore is looking at me in judgment. It hurts.

By the end of the day, I am ready to run out into the street screaming. In fact, the minute Oliver sends me the text that his driver is downstairs asking if I want a ride, I practically run out of the office. I mean, it’s more of a speed walk, but it definitely isn’t a casual end-of-the-day leaving work kind of walk. Oliver is already downstairs waiting when I finally make my escape from the building. Without a word, he opens the car door, it’s not until the door closes that I breathe for what feels like the first time in hours. I sink into the leather seat, laying my head back and closing my eyes. If only I could silence the whispering voices that are on a constant loop in my mind.

‘Slut,’ ‘whore,’ ‘on her back,’ and the most humiliating of them all was when I walked into the breakroom to a group of guys talking about how they couldn’t blame Mr. Titan for wanting a nice little piece of ass at the office to keep things interesting. Before they noticed I’d entered the room, one of them said he’d like to get me on my knees and how he could imagine my pouty lips wrapped around his cock.

It was awful. This whole day was awful.

Oliver must sense that I need a moment because he doesn’t say anything until I open my eyes.

“Sugar—”

“Just don’t, Oliver. Seriously, don’t. I can’t take anymore today.” I don’t realize that I’m crying until Oliver unbuckles my seatbelt and pulls me into his lap. He runs his hands through my hair and tells me that he’s sorry. Asks me to forgive him. I soak up every bit of reassurance and comfort he’s offering. That is, until he says, “It’ll blow over in a few days.”

Like flipping a switch, my hurt feelings morph into outrage. It’s not fair that just because I’m young and I’m an intern and let’s face it because I’m a woman, I’m made out to be the slutty one in this situation. Oliver is the hot, older guy who has bagged himself a hot little piece of ass.

“Blow over?!” I explode. “Do you know what they are saying about me? They think I got my job on my back! Or, as some of the guys are speculating, on my knees because, and I quote, “she’s got dick sucking lips.” But it’s okay because it’s going to blow over?!”

“Who the fuck said that?” Oliver growls.

“It doesn’t matter!” I scream in his face and slap my palms on his chest. “Nothing matters anymore. I’m the office whore, and it’s all your fault!”

Oliver cuffs my wrists in his hands, preventing me from lashing out more. I struggle against his hold. All the pent-up anger and frustration from the day at a boiling point inside me, and I need to release it. The rational side of my mind tells me it’s not actually Oliver’s fault. That it’s Britney who started the rumors and that it isn’t nearly as life-or-death as it feels. He’s right that it will eventually blow over. With hard work, I can prove that I earned my spot in the program. But rational me isn’t in attendance right now. Irrational, angry, hurt, and scared me is in residence, and she’s out of control.

“Calm down, baby, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

Have you ever tried to tell someone who is over-the-top angry to calm down? It’s like pouring gasoline on a fire. In this case, it’s like throwing gasoline on an open flame then tossing a metric-shit-ton of explosives into the flames.

I fight. I throw my whole body into breaking free. Of course, all my kicking and flailing about does nothing at all to help free me, nor does it do anything to stop the chaos inside my mind. My emotions are ruling right now, and reasoning with me is useless.

“Stop this right now.” Oliver’s voice is like a whip crack. Startling and attention-grabbing. I instantly still, stopping my struggles. My lungs burn with exertion, and my muscles ache from the tension. “I know you’re upset. You have every right to be, but you will not lash out at me.”

All the anger drains out of me. Oliver’s right. I’m not actually mad at him. I love him, how could I be mad at him for something out of his control.Oh, crap. Did I just think the word “love” in relation to Oliver?It’s not possible. We barely know each other, and I’m not ready. I’m barely ready to label our relationship as dating, let alone string those four horribly scary letters together.

I push that thought out of my mind. I will not think about the possibility that I’m falling for Oliver Titan. A dominant who has already expressed the desire for more. This is just casual.

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