Page 48 of Daddy's Game

“Damn, you go, girl. How about you find me a sugar daddy who can introduce me to all of his rich friends too?”

“It’s not like that, Selma. I insisted on not taking a penny of his money.”

“And did you also insist that he drop his bid to try and take over our building? Or did you forget that little caveat?”

I gave her a mean look.

“You were the one who suggested I go ahead and date him, weren’t you?”

“I was, yes. I also assumed that he would give up on his bid once you two started dating. Judging by your reaction, I’d say he hasn’t done that yet.”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and tried to retreat into my office. Only she followed me right in there.

“No, he hasn’t officially called it off yet, but it’s been a long time since he made a serious attempt, too. I think he’s mostly given it up.”

Selma considered my words thoughtfully. Then she shook her head.

“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be this nosy about your personal life, but you have to admit that this could potentially affect the center. You know Mizrani was my friend too, right?”

I sighed, and reached out to put my hand on top of her own.

“I do. And you’re right, this does potentially affect the center. It’s just that…the dynamic in our relationship has changed recently.”

“Duh, you had sex.”

My face burned bright red, but I didn't deny her.

“I’m not talking about that. I mean, Brock and I have really been connecting, opening up to each other. Things have changed, and I can’t just categorize him as a sugar daddy or anything ridiculous like that. I think it’s time to admit he’s not just a guy I’m dating, he’s not just a casual boyfriend…he’s a serious boyfriend.”

“Serious boyfriends? Do they evolve like Pokemon?”

I gave her a look and she threw up her hands in mock surrender.

“So, you have established that you trust him enough to be your serious boyfriend.” She sat down on my desk and gave me a frank stare. “But how about your feelings for him?”

I wanted to get rid of her, and yet, I knew that Selma always had my back. If she wanted to splash the cold water of reason onto me, I knew she had good reasons for doing so.

“All right, Selma. What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, do you really like Brock, the silver fox that he is, or do you love the trips to Paris, and the big donations, and the fact that his mere presence legitimizes the center.”

“Wait, what?” I had been intent upon taking my lumps, but then she hit me with that last thing. “What was the last thing you said?”

“Your dating Brock makes people take you, and therefore the center, more seriously.” She thumbed through the pile of mail nearby until she came up with an unopened copy of the newspaper.

Selma unfurled the paper and opened it to the middle sections, the high society pages I never went to in my life.

“See here?” she pointed at a photo of myself and Brock getting out of his limo. I didn’t even know that they were taking pictures then. “That’s you and Mr. Big shot, is it not?”

I looked at the blurb underneath, unable to believe my eyes.

“It’s like they were following us around the world chronicling our every move.”

“Not quite. It’s easy to keep track of a man as important as Brock Richards. But you need to keep reading. They refer to you as a rising star of the nonprofit theater world. Like I said, he lends you legitimacy by his mere presence.”

“I hadn’t considered that. I guess it’s a good problem to have.” I tossed the newspaper aside and looked her in the eyes. “I think I have real feelings for Brock, and I’m not just using him for his money and influence, but…”

“But what?”

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