Page 18 of More, Daddy
We can do it slowly, but maybe we should start
DaddysGirl
Where is this coming from?
I sat through a two hour date tonight with a sweet, lovely woman who wants all the same things I want from life—sans kinky roleplay that I know of—and the entire time, I thought about a faceless stranger fromVeiled.
I don’t say that.
But I do manage to tell the truth.
Suede0989
Because you’re all I can think about
My sweet girl
A beat passes before she replies.
DaddysGirl
I have to log off tonight but tomorrow, let’s do it. First thing: you tell me about your divorce, and I’ll tell you about my ex.
I rake my fingers along my scalp, a grin tugging at my lips as my chest unclenches, her reply washing over me like a cool breeze. She’s ready to weave a bit more reality into our thing, and my heart leaps at the thought. But—did I ever mention my divorce? My mind scrambles, but comes up blank. If there were chat logs, I’d be frantically scrolling through them right now. I must’ve told her, though, so I fire off a reply.
Suede0989
Can’t wait.
I’m disappointed to not stay online and chat with her, but I sleep well, knowing that more is waiting for me tomorrow.
CHAPTER
FIVE
“Yeah?”Leah Miller deftly plucks a slivered almond from her flaky pastry, inspecting it between the pointed tips of her fingernails, painted a muted pink she calls ‘cotton candy.’ To me, it’s more ‘two-week-old lunch meat.’ She’s tilting her head now, her voice carrying a familiar lilt as she nudges me to take her place at yet another meeting—practically a carbon copy of the one I slogged through yesterday.
I shrug. “Yeah.”
Leah dismisses the almond with a flick of her wrist, letting it tumble onto the parchment, rejected after her meticulous scrutiny. She dives back in, prying another sliverfrom the battered Bear Claw, now picked apart like a stolen car in a chop shop, its pastry guts strewn across her desk.
“Jesus, Leah, just eat the thing! You’re like a toddler with how much you manhandle your food before you eat it!” I shout, catching myself in time to lower the volume on the last few words. Her jaw falls slack, filling the room with her surprise. I raise my hands immediately, showing my palms in an act of contrition. “Fuck, I’m—I’m sorry. I’m supremely grouchy today. I apologize, I did not mean to snap at you.”
The almond hits the parchment with a thunk amidst our new, now awkward silence. “It’s finally catching up to you, isn’t it?” she smirks, placing the pastry on the paper, abandoning her breakfast for me. Her sharp eyes tear into me, ripping me open to expose my mushy insides.
“What?” I breathe back, still trying to steady the irritation running rampant in my veins. Leah is not my enemy. In fact, aside from the guys, she’s a friend. Agoodfriend. In many ways, arguably a better, closer friend than the guys because she knows me.Knowsme.
“Hiding the fact that you’re a completely selfish asshole. It’s wearing on you. Playing the quiet good guy is taking its toll. That’s why you snapped,” she asserts, finally picking up her breakfast again. She takes a bite, coating her lips in powdered sugar before reaching for her mug of coffee. Her short, shrill slurps of her coffee grate on my nerves, each one a tiny jab. Setting the mug down, she waves a sugar-coated finger my way. “See? Even my sipping gets under your skin.”
I shake my head, lying like the liar that I am. “No, loud, disgusting, mannerless slurps are fine with me. I’m just tired.”
She snatches her mug, her sea-blue eyes narrowing to slits over the rim, daring me as she unleashes a series of deliberatelyloud, obnoxious slurps that hit like nails on a chalkboard.
I grind my teeth together. “Just take one big drink instead of those sips or whatever the fuck it is you’re doing!” I hiss, sliding my sweaty palms down my thighs.
Leah smiles. “I told you that you couldn’t fake being normal. It’s too hard for evil people like us.” She takes another ambitious bite of pastry, talking with her mouth full, comfortable around me to her fullest extent. We share that. I’m comfortable with her, too. So comfortable that I don’t both hiding my irritation and annoyance from her. For everyone else, I pretend to be a slightly more patient, kinder, shinier version of myself.
I’ll never admit that she’s right, and that even for the guys, I may slatherhappinesson a bit thicker than necessary.
