Page 5 of Obsessed with the Man of the House

Her brown eyes light up, and she practically bounces on her toes then.

“Good! Because I have this annoying thing called my virginity still, and I’d love for you to pop my cherry, Gray. Pretty please? What do you think?”

I stare at the beautiful woman, hardly believing my ears. Say what? Is Vanessa serious? But evidently so, because she twirls around again, lifting the hem of her skirt with her hands so that it forms a pretty picture.

“Won’t you pop my cherry, Daddy?” she lilts. “I promise, it’ll be fun. You won’t regret it.”

The blood rushes into my ears because how can I agree to a such a sordid request? Yet my stepdaughter’s waiting, and I have to provide an answer.

3

Vanessa

“Absolutely not,” the man of the house rasps, his blue gaze so dark that it’s almost black. “I’m not popping your cherry. I’m not taking your virginity. We’re family, Vanessa! How can you even suggest such a thing?”

I roll my eyes saucily.

“We’re notreallyrelated,” I say. “You’re not my biological father, and you divorced Renata years ago. She’s off with that hippie pool boy now, and all they do is smoke from what I can tell.”

Gray glares at me.

“That might be true, but even if your mom’s stoned all the time, Renata wouldnotbe okay with her ex-husband making out with her daughter. No way, no how. Out of the question.”

I pout prettily, sassing the handsome man.

“Well then, what are we going to do about the three hundred thousand?”

Gray bites his tongue, looking like he’s about to draw blood, but then turns fierce blue eyes to me.

“I’ll return the money,” he says through gritted teeth. “Your virginity is worth more than three hundred thousand dollars, Vanessa. It’s priceless and you know it.”

With that, the man of the house reaches for his phone, ready to initiate the transfer. The speed with which he came to this conclusion breaks my heart, and I jump forward to stop him. After all, three hundred thousand isn’t that much money to me given my current financial position. I made seven figures last year, and I’m looking at doing even more this year.

“No, don’t,” I say in a small voice, putting my small hand on his to stop him. “I’m sorry for needling you, Gray. I shouldn’t have, and I apologize. Besides, the truth is that I don’t need the money right now, and you do, so just keep it.”

The words make him blanch, and I realize how difficult this must be for the alpha male. After all, Gray’s used to being the one in charge. He’s used to having millions of dollars at his fingertips, and to have people bowing and scrimping whenever he barks an order. But now, the tables have been turned and he’s on the back foot.

Still, I don’t want to be nasty about it, so I smile winsomely.

“Just think about it, okay?” I ask in a soft voice. “I’m not saying you have to pop my cherry, but I’m saying think about it.”

His black brows lower again.

“I’m not taking your virginity, Vanessa. There is no universe in which that’s going to happen.”

I merely shrug.

“Yes, but life often turns out different than what you expect, Daddy. I’m not saying you have to,” I repeat. “I’m just saying to think about it.” Then, I look down at my watch and feign surprise. “Goodness, it’s almost one already! How fast time flies. Okay, I’m going to make myself some lunch and then get back to the office. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay? In the meantime, pay your bills and rescue your company, Gray. Things will work out fine.”

With that, I spin on my heel and disappear into the kitchen. However, once I’m within the safety of the kitchen’s walls, I lean against the counter, my heart beating as my cheeks burn with heat. After all, I can’t believe I just propositioned my stepdad … and how much I want him to say yes.

4

Gray

Istare at myself in the mirror. I look the same, save for the savage look in my eyes. After all, what the fuck is going on? I’m relieved that Vanessa stepped in to save my business, but where did she get the money? Even more, her requested “repayment” method is ridiculous. As the man of the house, there’s no way I’m popping her cherry for her.

Yet the look in my blue eyes is hungry as I picture the sassy vixen in my mind. Vanessa is gorgeous, hands down. She’s got that sexy librarian thing going on, and it’s clear she’s no longer a little girl. Little girls don’t go around negotiating deals, nor do they have hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank at their disposal. I shake my head while gripping the edge of the sink. Fuck. What do I do?

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