Page 3 of Belong With Me

“Any pushback from them and all you need to do is flash them a smile; sleep with them if you have to.”

A chill ran down my spine at his words. With my hands on my hips, I turned slowly to face him. “There is no way I heard you correctly. Because what I think I just heard was you ordering me to sleep with people to get you a signed contract.” I voiced my disbelief, loud and clear.

“You heard me correctly, Sienna-Grace. I may be biased since you’re my own flesh and blood but you’re a beautiful woman. If you need to use your body to get that job done, then so be it.”

“If I don’t?” I replied, wondering if my father had started to lose his mind. After all, I wasn’t a damn prostitute.

I watched his movements as he pushed out of his seat, then leant against the timber-topped desk. He glared at me, his facial features set like stone. “If you intend to come back with fewer than three signatures, then don’t come back at all. Do I make myself clear?”

I stood there looking at my father as he continued to stare at me. I couldn’t believe this was where we were.

The one thing racing repeatedly through my mind was that my own father had told me to sleep with someone to get a job done. I couldn’t believe it! I’d done this successfully before without selling my body to the highest bidder. Why was this time any different?

After leaving Daddy’s home office, I headed straight for my room. Instead of slamming the door behind me like I felt like doing, I closed it gently, like the well-behaved daughter that I was. Nevertheless, I did let a few choice words fly the very second I was within the safety of my own space. Where it wouldn’t be overheard. My parents weren’t for crass language. Especially from a female.

At thirty-one, I was most certainly old enough to have moved out from under my parents’ roof. If I was being completely truthful with myself, I really should have my own place by now. I wanted one. Gosh, how I really wanted a space to come home to after a long day. A home that was totally, 100 percent my own and no one else’s. But with all the travel I did on a regular basis for Daddy, it made sense to remain here, at least until I was more settled and no longer on the road constantly.

There was no financial benefit to me still living here. I made a generous salary from the family company, and I had full access to a healthy trust fund that had been handed over to me when I turned thirty last year. So technically, I could purchase somewhere and live comfortably for the rest of my life, never having to worry. But I wanted to work. I craved it. I enjoyed the challenges associated with being a lawyer.

I’d left the nest before, lived alone in an apartment while I studied law at Harvard. I absolutely loved the freedom that came with not being under the same roof as my parents. I reveled in being able to do what I wanted, when I wanted to. In being able to decorate the entire space in furniture and other homey items I had chosen myself.

One of the other things I missed was being able to do something as simple as watching what I wanted on the television. Or listening to music without the need for headphones. I loved the freedom it offered.

And… I loved being able to bring a man home, jump his bones, and then have him leave without anyone being the wiser.

No one ever really caught my eye enough to want to make a real go of it though. There were no long-term boyfriends. No chance of a fairy-tale meeting. No encounter where the man I would marry locked eyes with me when I arrived on campus. No going through college together and getting married in the fall after graduation. That happened for some of my classmates. But not for me.

However, there was this one guy who I still thought of with mild fondness. When I was in my freshman year of college, along came Jake. He was the only one who possibly could have become more than just a little bit of fun to pass the time.

He was the teaching assistant in my Criminal Law and Policy class and was only a couple of years ahead of me in his degree. The moments when I glanced his way, I often caught him already staring at me. I’m not going to lie; I may have been checking him out too. I mean, he did have an ass that filled out his jeans quite well. I remembered one night with particular fondness.

After receiving a rather well-graded paper on how to prove a guilty mind beyond reasonable doubt, I went out to celebrate at a bar. It wasn’t anything huge or fancy like I was used to back home, just a small hole-in-the-wall type of place. It was a common hangout for those attending the university. I was scrolling through my phone, going through my socials, when he sat across from me at my table. We had a few drinks and got to talking about everything except school or for him, his work experience. We actually had a fair amount in common when it came down to it.

I found out he was from Florida, studying law at Harvard on a scholarship so he could join his family’s firm when he got back home. Much like I was there at Daddy’s behest to be as helpful as possible for Anderson Oil Co. After an hour or two, we headed to a well-known diner down the road for hamburgers and fries, and enjoyed easy conversation while we ate, before he walked me all the way to my front door.

As we said goodnight and shared a quick “See you later, then,” I decided to not waste the opportunity and just go for it. Without giving myself time for doubt to creep in, I pulled him close and kissed him. Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief as his hands settled softly on my waist and he kissed me back.

When we pulled apart, I gave him a small smile as I looked up. “You want to come upstairs?” He smirked at me, nodded, and quickly followed me inside.

One thing led to another, and the following morning he told me he would love to see me again. We continued to have clandestine meetings on a semiregular basis. It was fun while it lasted, but that was all it ever ended up being. Whenever I suggested we go to see a movie or have a meal out somewhere nice, it turned into takeout and a good old-fashioned romp in the sheets.

In the end, I decided I deserved better than that, so I stopped taking his calls. Soon enough, he was meeting up with another girl from that same class. When feelings of regret or jealousy never appeared, I knew I had made the right decision by ending it. From then on, I continued with the occasional one-night stand, mostly with skewed results in the satisfaction department.

But mainly, there was me and Bob. Yep. My battery-operated boyfriend. Bob was my solid, never-let-me-down companion. His one job was to never leave a woman unsatisfied, and he always accomplished that task.

My thoughts faded from my Harvard days to Bob. I made a mental note to pack him, because yes, he was still faithful to me and I to him. The only ‘man’ in my life for the past twelve months. You could call it a dry spell, but it was self-induced. I didn’t have time for a relationship right now, and since everyone from around here knew me, it wasn’t worth getting involved with anyone. Especially not for the explicit purpose of sexual gratification. The social circles Momma and Daddy were a part of loved nothing more than to gossip, and I refused to be the one they talked about.

Heading to the massive walk-in closet, I thumbed through the racks, grabbing outfits left and right then dropping them over the settee situated in the center of the room. Pants and blouses, jeans and T-shirts, jackets and dresses. I packed a bit of everything. After all, if I was going to be in Texas for an entire month, I needed to have at least several of everything. Especially so close to the end of summer.

Hell, I even threw in some scarves and hats. I mean come on, how was I supposed to know what I’d need? I hadn’t been to that particular part of Texas before, let alone heard of the little town I was being sent to until Daddy told me. I wasn’t about to go taking any chances or being less than perfect at this. I wouldn’t fail. Not just for Daddy and the company’s sake, but for myself too. I held myself to incredibly high standards, after all. I strived for perfection. Always.

Next, I reached up high, retrieving my Louis Vuitton luggage from the top shelf, and quickly unzipped the largest suitcase to pull the two smaller ones from inside. Setting the task of packing the largest one first, I started with the items I kept on coat hangers. Next, I selected my underwear, including some scandalous lace numbers, and a few brand-new items I’d purchased for myself just to feel good. Because I always felt more in control with a set of matching underwear. And you never knew when you might need to look your best or who you’d meet while away.

If Daddy wanted me to sleep with someone to get a contract signed, then…. But not because he ordered me too. No, it would be because I wanted to. If he was young, single, and gorgeous and we both knew it had no strings attached, then why not? It wouldn’t hurt anyone.

I was a strong, independent woman who knew her own body, what I liked and how I liked it. I liked sex. Well, maybe it was more accurate to say I loved sex.

So what? There was nothing wrong with that. I just wished I could find a man who could give me exactly what I needed, without me having to give explicit instructions. Even Bob couldn’t satisfy me in that way. Why couldn’t I find a guy who wasn’t afraid to just get down to business? Was it really that hard? I wasn’t asking for much. At least… I didn’t think I was. Men were quite happy to ask for a blow job, so why couldn’t I ask for the same treatment?

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