Page 82 of Tamed

To see your father,I texted back.I told him. I also told him not to speak with you until you were ready.

There was a moment’s pause then her reply came back.Ugh.

The simple one-word answer made me smile, and I felt curiously lighter despite the pain in my jaw from Ten’s fist and the wreckage of our friendship laid at my feet.I’ll tell you more when I get home,I texted back.And don’t get up. I want you naked, in bed and waiting for me.

There was another pause, then she texted,I have work today.

No, you don’t,I replied.Daddy’s orders.

There were benefits to being the boss and this was one of them.

Isabel texted back a short,yes, Daddy, along with a heart-eyes emoji, and I was still smiling as I instructed the driver to take me home.

There was one other person who needed to know and that was Atlas, so I texted him, and ten seconds later, my phone started ringing. I hit the answer button because I wasn’t going to put off the inevitable.

“I’ve already been punched twice by Ten,” I said to him by way of greeting. “You can have one too if you like.”

There was a brief silence, then Atlas said, “Are you fucking insane?”

“If I am then so is Isabel.”

“You both are,” Atlas observed, either not hearing or not giving a shit about the warning note in my voice. “What the fuck were you thinking? She’s twenty years—”

“I know exactly how young she is, believe me.” I didn’t want to have the same fucking conversation twice. “It was a mutual decision.”

“Fuck,” Atlas said succinctly. “How did Ten take it?”

“How do you think he took it? Badly. He punched me in the face twice and told me to get out.”

“And Isabel?” Atlas was a laidback guy on the surface, but I could hear low note of anger in his voice. He didn’t know Isabel quite as well, but he was protective of her all the same.

“Isabel is happy. She’s a grown woman who makes her own decisions and if you’re worried about her, you can ask her yourself.”

“Fine. I might just do that.” Then the call ended.

Well, Atlas could call Isabel and she’d no doubt rip him a new one. She wasn’t shy about it. She was my little girl, and she obeyed so sweetly, but she had the heart of a lion, the stubbornness of a mule, and could stand up for herself without my help.

Atlas wouldn’t know what hit him.

I glanced down at my phone again, debated for a moment.

Then I made one last call.

23

Isabel

Ididn’t want to talk to Dad, nor did I want to think about his reaction to me and Caleb getting together. However, I didn’t mind ranting to Atlas when he called to grill me, about how everyone underestimated young women and yes, I was very aware of the power gap between Caleb and I, and yes, I knew it wasn’t just about age, but experience too. Then I went on to lecture him about my own agency and how it was my choice and how dare he treat me as if I didn’t know my own mind.

I knew it was just concern, but still, by the time Caleb got back to the penthouse, I was in a mood. Especially now Dad knew about us. I hadn’t contemplated his response too deeply because I hadn’t wanted to think about it, but it made me feel unsettled and weird and angry.

He’d be furious and he’d blame Caleb, even though the whole thing had been my decision. Fucking patriarchy.

Caleb came into the living room after I’d just gotten off the phone with Atlas, a darkening bruise on his strong jawline. No surprises about where that came from.

He stopped in the doorway and stared at me, his black eyes sparking with annoyance. “Why aren’t you naked?”

I didn’t say a word, merely shrugging off the robe I was wearing and letting it fall. I was naked underneath it so really, he couldn’t complain. “That’s from Dad, isn’t it?” I came over to where he stood, reaching to touch the bruise. “He was really mad, wasn’t he?”

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