Page 99 of Swiped By My Dad's Best Friend
In the morning, I’d take Cooper home with me and introduce him to my little house on Bradbury Street. He’d be disappointed in my selection of videogames, but perhaps a tiny bit impressed with my home microbrewing setup. He’d curl up against me on the sofa while watching a movie; he’d look at me invitingly before pulling me into the shower; and he’d taunt me into spanking him and fucking him before we went to bed.
Best of all, I’d wake up with him in my arms—and I’d know that everything we had together was more than a dream. It was the beginning of a new, more complete life.
Epilogue
COOPER
Iwoke with the urge to pee and a heavy weight pinning me to the bed. I struggled free, grunting with the effort of heaving Trace’s muscled thigh off me. He snagged my waist as I moved to get up and dragged me back toward him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“The toilet unless you want to experiment with water sports.”
He let me go in a hurry, and I laughed as I scrambled out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. “And here I thought you were kinky!” I called out.
“Brat, I’d try almost anything for you,” he said, voice raspy, as he came to stand in the doorway while I took care of business and washed my hands. After a guy ate whipped cream out of your ass, having an audience while you pissed didn’t really faze you. “But I gotta draw the line somewhere.”
I snorted, washing my hands, and turned to flick the water at him. “I’m disappointed in you.”
He moved too quickly for me to dodge, pinning me against the vanity. “Kind of early for a spanking, butthatI can do.”
My heart raced, as it always did when Trace went all Daddy on me. If only we had time to indulge. But time waited for no man. We both had jobs waiting. In my case, a brand new shiny one that I’d been working toward for months.
“Don’t tease me, Daddy. You know I have to get to work.”
“Today’s the big day, huh?” he said with a smile. “I’m proud of you, brat. It wasn’t easy, but you were patient and persevered. You deserve this.”
I beamed, flushing with pleasure at my daddy’s praise. It’d taken four months, but I’d finally landed the perfect job that used both my business degree and construction experience.
“Maybe a quickie in the shower?”
He laughed and kissed me, then gave me a little shove. “You get ready for your first day, and I’ll make breakfast.”
Today was my first day as the housing projects manager at Housing Miracles, a regional nonprofit agency that coordinated building and renovating houses for residents who met eligibility criteria, as well as providing rental assistance and house savings plans.
I’d volunteered with Housing Miracles weeks ago, but they hadn’t had a paid position that fit my particular skill set until recently. The role blended all my skills, requiring a little time in the office to plan, coordinate, and report about projects. But the rest of my time would be spent overseeing the projects, which meant I could get my hands dirty anytime I liked. In fact, it was encouraged.
I’d gotten the job, in part, thanks to a recommendation letter I received after my housing renovation charity work in Hayworth tied for first place. One of the judges wrote me the letter, which strengthened my resume significantly. As a plus, the frat had gotten to split a cash prize and provide Simon with some funding for school. Not enough to cover everything, but he’d cobbled together another couple of smaller scholarships, money from his parents, and a loan to make it through his final semester. Plus, Housing Pledge had won a grant to help it keep operating after I was gone.
My business degree had helped too—a fact Dad had taken pleasure in pointing out. I’d managed to finally graduate the spring after Trace and I started seeing one another. I’d spent every second working toward that goal. Turned out that living with my boyfriend was the incentive I needed to finish my last few credits.
It would have been easier to find the right job for me if I’d been able to move anywhere, but as far as I was concerned, living with Trace was nonnegotiable.
My Daddy had offered to give up his business for me, but I wasn’t having it. Laurie & Sons was finally stabilizing after nearly a year spent building an online marketing strategy.
Trace had used my school project as a starting place and hired a local firm to continue helping him, and after a while Legacy Landscaping had lost some of its shine, and some of his regulars had returned to him. It’d made me feel good to help my Daddy after all the times he’d guided and reassured me.
Instead of asking Trace to pull up stakes, I’d moved in with him and taken a job in construction while I tried to figure out my next move. It’d been the best decision I’d ever made. There was nothing like living with the man you loved.
And now, four months later, I had everything I wanted.
While Trace cooked, I hopped into the shower and soaped and rinsed quickly. Then I dressed in business casual, knowing that today would be mostly an office day. When I emerged from the steamy bathroom, Trace was waiting with a cup of coffee for me.
“Lots of sugar,” he said. “Sweet for my sweet boy.”
I smirked. “Sweet until you make me dirty.”
“Don’t tempt me,” he said. “We’re on a schedule here.”
I laughed as he followed me into the kitchen, where he’d already plated a breakfast of eggs, sausage, and toast. “You know you didn’t have to do all this,” I said. “I’d have been fine with a breakfast burrito from the freezer.”
