“Come, sit on my lap.”

  I guide us back through the bedroom and out to the sofa and sit down, and she sits on my legs, her back to me as I bring the brush up and begin to draw it through the still-damp silk of her blonde hair.

  She sighs and leans her head back. “That feels so good,” she says softly, her hands coming down to hold onto the outsides of my thighs.

  “You deserve to feel good. Do you know that?” She stills, and I keep brushing, giving her a moment, but she remains silent. “I need you to answer when I ask you a question.” My voice deepens.

  Her voice is a whisper. “I don’t know what I deserve sometimes.”

  My heart sinks, wondering what her life has been like that she doesn’t understand her value.

  “I want you to know you deserve so much more. And I’m going to give it to you. Would you like that, babygirl? Daddy wants to give you everything.”

  She nods.

  “The proper answer is, Yes, Daddy. I want you to answer me like a good girl.”

  After a moment of hesitation, her voice is soft. “Yes, Daddy.”

  “That’s my girl.” I set the brush down on the sofa and lift her, turn her around to face me. “My sweet, pretty girl. Let’s go. I have so much I want to show you.”

  As I stand, I extend my hand, and she slips her tiny fingers between mine. On our way to the door, I pick up her purse. “Your keys are inside?”

  She nods. “Yes.” I give her a stern look, and she tries again. “Yes, Daddy.”

  I slip the bag over my shoulder, listening to her giggle.

  “Not sure it goes with your outfit.” She smiles at me, and I look down at the purse on my shoulder, then back at her.

  “If it’s part of you, then it’s part of me.” I shift my shoulders back and forth. “Besides, I think it looks good.”

  We step out into the hallway, locking her door behind, and make our way downstairs and out to my Mercedes, where I open the door then buckle her in.

  When she’s secure, and I’ve climbed in beside her, I lean in, kiss her just below her ear and give her the instructions. “While I drive, your skirt is up, and I want your fingers playing in your pussy. Don’t stop until I tell you to stop, do you understand?”

  She blinks and hesitates, then answers, “Yes, Daddy. I understand.”

  “Good girl.”

  She does as I ask the entire drive to my house, and my cock is raging hard and throbbing when we reach my driveway and I punch in the code for the gate to open.

  As it swings, I reach over and pull her hand from between her legs, the shimmering juices there glistening in the sun. I bring her fingers to my mouth, feeding the unrelenting hunger I have for her taste.

  I moan while driving the car forward, licking each finger clean, then holding her hand as I park in front and turn off the ignition.

  When I look over, she is staring out the window, her red lips open. There are vans and work trucks along the other driveway, and that’s only one reason she is here.

  “Do you like it?” I ask, and she slowly turns her head so her eyes meet mine.

  “Like it?” She laughs. “Is it real? Pinch me. I think I’m dreaming. Who are you?”

  “I’m just a man. But I’m a man who now knows what he wants. And I want you.”

  I kiss the back of her hand then exit the vehicle, coming around to help her out and guide her by the waist up the steps and into the house. As soon as we step inside, the sounds of the work going on are all around, and the foreman on the job steps out into the hall to greet us.

  “Glad you are here; we need to make some decisions.” He extends his hand, which I take and give him a firm shake. When his eyes drift to Esme and I see them flick up and down her body, heat cascades through me and I want to slam him into the wall.

  “This is Esme, and she’s here to help me make those decisions.”

  He smiles at her, and my rage increases. “Hi there.” He throws the words at her casually, as though he’s entitled to flirt with her. “Didn’t know you had a daughter.” He licks his lips and my hands ball into fists at my sides.

  “Esme.” I turn to her, and she looks at me with wide eyes. “Stay right here. I’ll be right back. I need to have a moment,” I growl at the foreman and nod toward the closed door of my office, then walk over and punch in the keycode, expecting him to follow.

  As soon as we’re inside, I turn around and slam the door closed.

  “Everything okay?” The foreman seems amused.

  But I am not.

  “No, everything is not fucking okay. You’re going to listen, and then you are going to tell every person on this job what I’m about to tell you. I don’t want anyone’s eyes on her. If anyone needs to speak to her, they'd better show some goddamn respect. Or else they are going to deal with me—and they don’t want to deal with me. Simple. We clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” he answers, his jaw muscles going tight. “I’ll spread the word.”

  “Good. I’ll be watching.”

  We exit the office, and his eyes are on the floor as he slinks down the hall.

  “You’re having a lot of work done.” Esme looks at me, and my pulse races at the thought of having her here with me.

  “Yes. And I need you to help me make some decisions. I want your opinion. I want you to like the work. I want you to help pick out all the new fixtures and furniture. Paint colors, pillows, everything.”

  She looks at me with confusion. “But why?”

  “Because it’s what I want. You said you like to decorate.”

  She snorts. “For dollhouses and dorm rooms, not this. Vito, this is too much, what if I get it wrong?”

  I shake my head and take her arm. “I trust you. I know you’ll get it right. And besides, you can’t possibly make a mistake because...” I fall silent, afraid if I tell her she’s going to be living here, and that whatever she decides will be as much for her as it is for me, I might scare her away.

  Instead, I simply smile and place a kiss on her cheek. “They are working on the first floor now. Then, in a couple of weeks when they are done down here, we will work on upstairs.”

  7

  Esme

  VITO OPENS THE DOOR to his office and sets my purse inside before wrapping his arm around my waist to guide me through his house.

  House...it’s a palace.

  The double staircase inside the front entry is like something out of a movie. The floors are all marble, and the ceilings are so high even my breath echoes. As we pass through a long hall I spot a pool out back that looks big enough to host the Olympics, and if all the grounds I see out there belong to the house, then some countries would be jealous of the amount of land he owns.

  As we walk by the workers, I’m aware that I’m not wearing any undergarments, but as soon as we approach, they either look back at what they are doing, or if Vito talks to them, they look directly at him.

  He asks me for my opinion on different colors and styles for each room we enter, and I feel so special. Like my opinion really matters to him. Part of me still feels like this must be a dream.

  Vito’s mouth between my legs earlier, making me scream, also feels like a dream. Then it was his teeth and the whole Daddy thing. Ripples of pleasure tremble through me even now at the thought, and I wonder what exactly this is.

  He could have a hundred women, for all I know. Babies. Or even a wife. Who knows? I know nothing about him...but my cheeks still burn at the thought of what he did to me just hours ago.

  “Excuse me.” The same man who met us in the hall comes into the massive kitchen, where a group of workers are taking down what looks like perfectly good cabinets.

  The man doesn’t look at me and seems nervous when he continues. “Sorry, boss, I have a question about the contract and payment you made...I’ve got a copy of it over here, I just need to be sure I’m understanding everything you emailed over.”

  I look over to see some papers spread over a long kitchen table. Vito looks at me, and I give him a little shrug. “That’s fine. I want to go see the pool if that’s okay?”

  “Of course.” He leans down and kisses my cheek. “I’ll be right out.”

  I stroll through the kitchen and onto the stone patio outside the expanse of sliding glass doors, then head toward the enormous swimming pool surrounded by manicured shrubs and flowering planters. I love the water but never learned to swim, so what I feel is a combination of fascination and fear.

  I glance around to see Vito through the window with some papers in hand and the foreman pointing at things as they both talk.

  When I turn back around, I yelp out a little scream of shock to find a man standing right in front of me, smiling.

  Or smirking.

  “And who might you be?” He doesn’t look like a worker. He’s wearing a suit, and there’s something about his manner that immediately sets me on edge. “I’m Esme.” I swallow hard and take a step back as he steps forward.

  He grips his nose on a sniff, grinning. “And what is an Esme doing here?” He licks his lips and eyes me up and down as I take another step backward, wrapping my arms around my chest as he looks directly at my boobs.

  “I don’t think that’s your business,” I snap back, drawing my brows together.

  “Oh?” He raises his eyebrows. “That’s what’s wrong with this situation, you’re thinking. Dangerous business, thinking, especially for little girls.”

  He reaches out to touch my hair when I hear footsteps from behind.

  Before I can spin around, Vito has his hand around my waist, pushing me behind him.

  “How the fuck did you get in here?” Vito growls, and the man smiles.

  “Just a friendly visit. Concerned when you re-scheduled our meeting.”

  “Our meeting? I wasn’t meeting with you, asshole. Your boss knows you’re here?”

  The man grins, showing yellowing teeth. “You know, the workers are a bit careless about buzzing people through your gate. I’ve had a nice look around.” He leans around Vito to glance at me, then back at Vito. “Could be dangerous. Especially with some prime pussy like her wandering around unattended.”

  A split second later, arms are swinging, and a patio table goes crashing into the pool. I yelp and step back, my hands flying to cover my mouth as Vito swings and connects with the man’s face, then again and again, knocking him back so he’s barely able to stay on his feet and blood starts to pour from his lip and nose.

  The violence comes out of him like a force of nature.

  “Watch your fucking mouth,” Vito seethes as the man wipes the blood with the back of his arm, impossibly still smiling despite the beating he just took.

  “And you'd better watch your manners.” He glances at me again. “Seems you have a new soft spot. Maybe not such a good idea.”

  Vito lunges forward, but the man sidesteps, spinning around closer to me as Vito’s arm snaps outward, grabbing him by the shoulder and cocking back.

  The man does the same.

  Next thing I know, an elbow slams into my shoulder, knocking me off balance. I see Vito’s eyes on me, madness flickering, and I flail but can’t hold myself upright.

  There’s a splash, and cool water takes my breath away. Everything is happening so fast. I move my arms and legs, trying to stay above the surface but failing. I’m drifting down under the water, sinking. My feet hit the bottom of the deep end of the pool, and I look up with wavy vision through the water, the surface so far away.

  Frantically, I kick my feet and flap my arms, but panic rises as nothing happens. My lungs are burning, and I blow bubbles out, pushing off the bottom but only rising a few feet before settling back down where I started.

  As I look up, a black figure plunges into the water. Hands reach for me, grabbing my own and pulling me upward until we break the surface and I gasp for air.

  “You okay?” Vito’s voice is thick with worry as I nod and spit water, pushing wet hair out of my eyes.

  He drags me up onto him, holding me like a clinging child on his hip, his hand under my ass and my arms around his shoulders as he takes the steps up out of the pool onto the patio, both of us soaked and dripping onto the stone below.

  With his free hand, he reaches into his drenched suit jacket and to my shock pulls out a gun, pointing it at the bloodied, smiling man still standing on the side of the pool next to the toppled furniture.

  “Get the fuck out before your brains ruin my lawn.”

  The man raises his hands as blood drips down his nose, his eyes wild. “I’ll tell the boss we had a nice chat. I’ll also tell him you have a new distraction. Something I’m sure he’ll want to know.” He laughs as he turns away.

  “Out.” Vito flicks the gun toward the driveway, and we follow the man as he begins to walk toward the front of the house.

  Vito holds me until the man’s car exits the driveway and the gates close behind him. His hold on me tightens as he leans his head next to mine and draws a deep breath.

  “You okay, Bambina?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I can’t swim, is all.” I calm as he holds me, walking us back toward the house. “What just happened?”

  “I’ll explain everything soon. Just for now, I’ve got some business dealings that have become tense. Know I’ll never let anyone hurt you.”

  My heart is pounding; the rage and violence Vito unleashed on that man is something I never want to see again. An inner madness leapt out of him like he was possessed, evaporating the man that’s been so gentle and caring toward me.

  It reminds me how much I do not know and how I am very likely making some poor life choices getting involved with him.

  Vito lowers me to the ground, strips his jacket and puts it around my shoulders, tucking me under his arm as we walk. Despite what just happened and my misgivings, with him next to me I feel safe. I don’t know what’s going on here, how this will all turn out, but I’m just going to follow my feelings for now.

  When we get to the house, several workers are wandering outside, drifting our way.

  “Too late, guys,” Vito announces. “Show’s over.”

  I notice some of them glancing at me, then just as quickly looking away as Vito ushers me into the house, his heavy arm keeping me next to him. We walk in silence up the stairs, and he leads me to a massive bedroom. Then he closes the door behind us, and my belly starts doing backflips.

  I open my mouth to speak, but Vito’s lips are on mine. The kiss is demanding, hard, and without apology. I know he wants me. There’s desperation in his touch, and against some of my more practical tendencies, I want to give him what he needs.

  “We need to get out of these wet clothes,” he whispers against my lips, and his hands drop down and strip me of the jacket and dress, leaving me standing naked. The cool air of the room raises goose bumps over my flesh.

  There’s an enormous bed against one wall, with burgundy velvet pillows and fabric covering it. There’s an entire living room suite in leather and more velvet in the center of the room near a limestone fireplace, and the windows overlook the pool and grounds behind.

  I could fit five of my apartment into this one room, and I see shining white marble through a door and imagine the master bath is like a spa rather than the small, functional rooms I'm accustomed to.

  He strips off his shirt and tie, leaving him wearing only his trousers, through which I see the shadow of his enormous erection. It makes my pussy tingle.

  He backs us up until my rear end hits the soft fabric covering the bed, then he lays me down, pulling me up onto the pillows as he climbs on after me on his knees, his hands moving to spread my legs.

  He leans to close his lips around one of my nipples, sucking it hard into his mouth and making me moan as my hands go to his wet hair, holding on tight.

  As he sucks and licks, moving from one side to the other, my nipples harden at the touch of his hands, his fingers pinching and squeezing. I arch upward, my moans filling the silence of the room, and close my eyes, pressing my head back into the pillows as he works lower, his hands spreading my legs as wide as they will go.

  His damp hair and cool face work their way down my belly until his hot mouth covers my pussy. As he sucks my clit, he slips a finger inside me, and I let the sensations wash over me.

  “God, it feels so good.” I rock my hips upward, pushing myself against his ravaging mouth while pulling his head forward, fingers gripping tight in his hair.

  “Tastes so good,” he mutters into my sex as he eats me like a starved man.

  “Please...” I start to beg, needing more, and his mouth and fingers bring me to the edge before stopping, leaving me breathless. “No...don’t stop...”

  “Do you want to come, little girl?” he asks, his single finger still inside me as I clench my muscles around him, trying futilely to make him move.

  “Yes,” I whimper, but I look down to see him shake his head.

  “Not the right answer, Bambina. What do you say when I ask you a question?”

  “Ugh,” I moan. “Yes, Daddy.”

  “Better.” His eyes are dark as my legs tremble, my muscles tight and ready to explode. “Do you want me to let you come?”

  “Yes, Daddy.” My voice is weak and desperate as the smallest of smiles curves his lips.

  “Good girl.” He holds me tight against his mouth, his teeth grating against my clit, and I let my head fall back again as bliss takes over.

  It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt. It’s like he’s making love to my soul with his mouth, and before I know it, I’m tumbling into a mind-numbing climax. Wave after wave of my orgasm takes over, the euphoria the only thing I know.

  I let myself go, and Vito’s mouth pushes me immediately into another climax until I’m not sure of my name, but I definitely know his.

  Then it dawns on me again. I still don’t know his last name...

  “Thank you, Daddy,” I whisper, my entire body slack as I wonder what is going to happen from here. “That was...”

  “Yes, Bambina, it’s my job to give this to you. Your job is to give yourself to me.”