Page 4 of Charismatic Producer Daddy

"No. I really do."

I bit my lip and felt my cheeks get a little warm. If I wasn't careful, I was going to end up with a crush on him. And that was a bad plan.

4

Christopher

I drove down to the town of Knoxville. It was a tiny town, with not a lot going for it. A far cry from Hollywood. But it was cute in a way. Peaceful. And at least the hospital wasn't crowded. Anna would get treated right away.

By the time I got there, she had been taken for treatment. I stayed in the waiting room. I wanted to be in the room with her. I wanted to know if she was okay or not. But it wasn'[t right. I barely knew her after all. I would just be invading her privacy.

After a little while, she came into the waiting room. She was on crutches and her leg had been rebandaged. I came over to her immediately. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm all right. No big deal. Got some stitches and was told to take it easy for a bit. Um, I need to return these clothes, don't I?" She gestured down and I realized she was still in her costume from wardrobe.

"Don't worry about that right now," I said. "Let me take you home. We can sort out the details later."

"I can't go home. I have work soon." She looked at the clock and grimaced. "In two hours."

"Does this work involve sitting down?"

"No, it's a work-study job. I wash dishes at the dining hall."

I was beginning to think this woman was insane. "Call out," I said.

"What?"

"You're on crutches. Call out and I'll take you home."

She looked frustrated. "If I call out then I'm not going to have enough money for rent."

"Don't worry about it. I'll cover you."

She bit her lip, looking suddenly worried. "Seriously, you don't have to worry about it," she said. "It was an accident. I'm not going to sue or anything like that. I'm not looking to bankrupt you or anything like that."

"A few medical bills and your rent isn't going to bankrupt me. I just want to make sure you're okay."

Her brow furrowed. "Why?"

I shrugged. I didn't know how to explain it. How was I supposed to tell her that I was attracted to her and that I felt naturally protective of her? Something about her set off my Daddy instincts and that made me want to take care of her and make her feel better. But how was I supposed to tell her that?

I wasn't. It would freak her out and for good reason. "Because I just do," I said. "Just let me, okay? You look like you could use a break."

"I can take care of myself."

"Sure," I said. "But you don't have to."

She still looked hesitant and I realized it might be me that she was worried about. Of course. I should have realized that. "If you're worried about me taking advantage of the situation--"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "Oh no, not at all," she said. She gave a nervous laugh. "I doubt I'm your type anyway."

That couldn't be further from the truth.

"I don't want to inconvenience you," she said, biting her lip.

"You're not," I said. "I promise. Besides, your car is back at the lake. You don't have a way to get around. So let me take you back to your place and help you get settled in."

Finally, Anna relented. She went to check out of the hospital and I paid the bill as soon as the nurse mentioned it. Anna looked like she wanted to protest again but luckily thought better about it. I was glad. It was only a few thousand dollars. That wasn't anything to me, but I knew it was a lot to her.

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