Page 16 of Use Me, Daddy

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help a smile. Zoey had known me long enough to read between the lines.

“Fine,” I admitted, relaxing into the couch. “There’s… someone. My new boss, actually.”

“Oooh, now this sounds like the kind of story I like. What’s his deal?” Zoey leaned in, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Where do I even start?” I sighed, leaning back and sipping my wine. “He’s infuriating, Zoey. Smug. Cocky, arrogant, just… so sure of himself. You know the type—thinks he can get whatever he wants just because he walks into a room. That type.”

Zoey raised an eyebrow, clearly interested. “And I’m guessing he’s, what, insufferably attractive too?”

I groaned, the blush creeping up my cheeks even as I tried to keep my voice steady. “Unfortunately, yes. He’s… well, let’s just say he knows it.”

“Sounds like a real piece of work.” Zoey grinned, nudging me. “But from the look on your face, I’d say he’s managed to get under your skin. What’s he done to make you this flustered?”

I hesitated, feeling the blush deepen. “He just… He has this way of looking at me, like he’s already three steps ahead of whatever I’m thinking. Like he knows exactly how to push my buttons before I even know he’s pushing them.”

Zoey’s eyes widened. “Sounds dangerously fun. But what is it—are you tempted? Do you want to bend over your boss’s desk and take it like a good girl?”

“No!” I protested, though the blush on my cheeks betrayed me. “Absolutely not. He’s the last person I’d want… It’s just that he’s… I don’t know.”

Zoey tilted her head, watching me with an amused grin. “Alright, so he’s insufferably cocky and infuriatingly attractive. Got it. But something tells me there’s more to this story than you’re letting on, Amy.” She gave me a playful nudge. “Out with it. What else has this guy done to get under your skin so quickly?”

I felt my cheeks warm again, my mind drifting back to the last two days, to that low, assured way Aleksei had spoken to me, the weight of his fingers under my chin, and the unspoken authority in his gaze.

How he’d called himself Daddy like he’d already decided I’d say it eventually…

But there was no way I was telling Zoey that part. No way in hell.

Instead, I shook my head, trying to play it off.

“Honestly, I think it’s just the power thing. It’s like he’s always in control, and everyone around him just—well, falls in line.”

Zoey grinned, raising an eyebrow. “Mhmm. So, you’re annoyed because he thinks he’s got you all figured out?”

“Exactly,” I replied quickly, grateful she’d steered away from the parts I couldn’t even begin to explain. “He’s so smug, Zoey. Like he’s already decided what I’m going to say or think before I’ve even figured it out myself.”

“Oh, he sounds awful,” she teased, drawing the word out, her grin widening. “A hot, ridiculously confident boss who just so happens to get under your skin with every little thing he does? Amy, I’d call that a win.”

I laughed, even as I squirmed under her gaze. “It’s not a win. He’s impossible, and he keeps throwing out these little… challenges. Like he’s waiting for me to… I don’t know… let him win.”

Zoey leaned back, watching me with that knowing look only she could pull off. “You know, usually when guys do that, it’s because they’re into you.”

“Well, I’m not into him,” I said firmly, taking another sip and trying to keep my voice steady.

“Sure, you aren’t,” she said, smirking.

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help the hint of a smile that crept onto my lips. She wasn’t entirely wrong, and that only made it worse. The truth was the idea of him being ‘into’ me stirred something dangerous and complicated inside of me and I wasn’t ready to admit it yet.

We chatted for a while longer and then about an hour later, the two of us caught an Uber to one of the city’s most popular clubs, where neon lights flashed in rhythm with the bass that pulsed through the room. The energy was electric, the dance floor packed with people moving together and losing themselves to the beat.

It was the kind of distraction I’d been hoping for and exactly what I needed.

Zoey took my hand, pulling me through the crowd until we found a spot near the middle of the floor. The music thumped around us, and soon we were swept up in it, moving and letting the beat pull us out of our thoughts. The crowd surged around us, and for a while, I felt the tension of the last few days start to slip away.

Zoey grinned at me, her eyes sparkling as she leaned in, practically shouting over the music. “See? Isn’t this better than obsessing over Mr. Too-Sexy-For-His-Own-Good?”

“Much better!” I shouted back, laughing, letting myself go as the music throbbed, each beat grounding me more in the present.

We danced, laughing and twirling under the strobe lights. Zoey’s carefree energy was contagious, and soon I felt like myself again.

---