Page 21 of Sold to My Best Friend's Dad

“I’m starving. Let’s have a great dinner together. Think of tonight as our first date. Forget the past. Can you try that for me?”

Clara nodded.

He leaned down and kissed her lips, savoring the moment. Grateful for this second chance.

“Is your pussy sore?” he whispered.

“I’m okay.”

“Was it worth it?” he asked. “Selling your virginity to me?”

She played with the buttons on his shirt. “I did it for my mother, but I’d do it again for me.”

He kissed her harder, grabbing her ass and pulling her close.

“I have so many things to show you, baby girl. This is just the beginning.”

Chapter Eight

Clara had been so nervous on their first date. She expected him to take her to a reclusive place so they could be alone and private. Not Grayson. He took her to one of the best Italian restaurants that had just recently opened.

She’d been shaking, wishing she had worn something less revealing. Clara couldn’t help but feel like people were staring at them, judging, and she hated that. April told her she always got too nervous around people. All her life she’d been judged for who she was, and it had become an old habit.

Grayson had been perfect. Clara hadn’t thought there was any way that could be topped, but she should have known better. Grayson wasn’t a man to do things in half measures. He was known for doing everything completely, so their second date was just as good as the first.

Since then, they had gone on eight dates with each other. She’d even gone to his office, complete with a small picnic basket. He’d placed a blanket on his office floor, and they enjoyed a lunch. No sex involved.

There had been a lot of sex, but not on every date. Sometimes there had been sex before, after, and there was even a time during a cinema trip, where there had nearly been one during. Grayson had stopped as one of the movies had clearly finished, and the bathroom had gotten way too crowded. They ended up trapped in a bathroom stall, attempting not to burst out laughing.

Clara had loved every single time. With each one, she started feeling nervous, and then, slowly, that feeling ebbed away.

Like now, he wanted to take her to a French restaurant. She’d been nervous, because she didn’t quite know if she liked French cuisine, but Grayson once again had taken control. There was something about him, being commanding, in charge, yet gentle. It was a rather strange mix, but she loved being with him.

The waiter took their order. Clara left it to him to order for her. She had no food allergies, and she had never been great at French, and the menu had no English translation.

“How has your day been?” Grayson asked the moment they were alone.

“It was good. I’m finishing up a few of my essays. Some of my professors gave advisories on a couple of them, so they didn’t drop my grade down. I’m on course to pass, and then my life is my own.”

“Do you have any idea what you want to do?” he asked.

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then shrugged. “I do. I had a strategic plan.” April knew of her plan, but she hadn’t told anyone else about it. She didn’t know if she should trust Grayson, which was silly. “One day, I hope to start my own company, so the plan is to go in at the ground level, learn everything I can, and I hope to change jobs every few years, garner experience, and then take everything I know and create my own business. Not by copying what everyone else is doing but finding a gap, you know, a niche.” She had everything planned out—business ideas, proposals—all the information she needed. However, she lacked experience and she knew no one would invest in her at this time. She had to be patient. Clara knew she sounded immature.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to glance up and finally look at Grayson. He smiled at her, but it wasn’t something she could read. Why was he smiling like that? Did he find it funny? Did he think she couldn’t do it, and it was just the pathetic flighty dream of a little girl?

“That sounds wonderful,” he said.

Clara tensed up.

Was he … mocking her?

She forced a smile to her face. “Sorry, I do have everything planned, and it came to me one night while my mom was out working. When she came home, she was just so exhausted, and trying to keep a roof over our heads.”

Clara had spent a lot of time thinking about what she could do. Most of her ideas over the years had fallen by the wayside because she didn’t see them as viable options.

Grayson reached across the table. “It’s amazing what inspires us, isn’t it?”

He ran his thumb across her fingers.

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