What Her Dad Doesn't Know (Dad's Best Friend May December Romance Novella) Read online

  Seeing him today was like having a wave crash over my head. I’d forgotten just how stunningly attractive he was, the way he seemed to suck all the air around him so that it was hard to think straight. I know, I know, he’s an older man. I should find someone my own age. But there was something about him that attracted me more than the silly boys in school. Was it the way he never pretended to be more than he was? The utter confidence in his hard body and piercing eyes? Who knows. I didn’t dwell too long on it. All I knew was that Andrew was the man, not boy, that made my pussy tighten with need at night.

  Still, I really couldn’t think about how I messed it all up because I have five minutes to get to the bus stop. If I didn’t get there in time, I’d have to wait in the dark for another hour. This isn’t the best part of town, and I had lecture notes that I wanted to study up on before class on Tuesday. I think quickly. If I skip changing out of this stupid cowgirl outfit, I might just be able to make it. I pulled out my hoodie and zip it up over the leather vest, but there’s nothing I can do about the booty shorts. Shoving my jeans into my purse, I quickly make my way out the back door.

  It’s officially dark out now, and there’s only one small lamp hanging above the back entrance. I pull out my phone so I can try to orient myself in the direction of the bus stop. Good, it’s not too far. I tuck my phone back into my purse and start to walk when I hear a voice.

  “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Dread creeps down my spine. The voice isn’t friendly, not even close.

  I turn around and see the guy from earlier. I thought he’d left, but I guess Steve can only show people the door. And the guy decided he was going to stick around and wait for me. I swallow hard. In the dark his features take on a ghoulish appearance, the shadows hiding his eyes and twisting his sneer. This is bad. Alarm bells are ringing in my head and every muscle in my body is twitching to run. I eye the distance between us, wondering if there’s enough for me to escape. I’m good at sprinting, but this guy’s legs are longer than mine. He’d catch up in no time.

  “Get lost.” I try to make my voice cold and hard as his, to let him know I’m not afraid. But it’s really no use. He’s tall and heavy, probably from beer and hard living, but it’s still more than I could take on. I pull nervously on my denim shorts, but there was no way I could cover myself up in that scrap. He sees something he likes, and he looks like he’s going to take it one way or another.

  “No way. It’s my night off and I want to have a good time.”

  His eyes rake over me, letting me know exactly what he meant by ‘good time’. Even though I didn’t want to, I take a step back up against the concrete wall. My hands are shaking, and I clench them in a fist in case I need to throw a punch. I wish I could get into my purse where my phone is, but it’s one of those huge bucket bags that jumble everything together. And there’s no way I’m going to take my eyes off this jerk.

  “I don’t.”

  “So why are you dressed like a little slut?”

  I didn’t have an answer for that. Not one that would stop this guy anyways. He lunges forward and grabs my wrist faster than I can move it, twisting it in his sweaty grip. I can feel something pull in my shoulder, but I don’t care.

  “Come on. No one dresses like that who isn’t asking for it,” he says, pushing his face close to mine. I can smell the sour smell of beer. His other hand reaches out and cops a feel, squeezing my ass out of those damn short shorts. “And I can tell you were asking for it, the way you kept bending over at the bar for me.”

  I turn my head away, tears springing unwillingly to my eyes.

  “Stop it,” I plead.

  “Oh come on.” His face looms closer, his lips puckered up in an grotesque way.

  I can’t take it anymore. I have to do something. I turn back towards him and spit at his face, the gooey liquid landing across his face.

  Smack!

  My head whips to the side. Pain blooms across my cheek, hot and humiliating and my ear rings. I lift a hand up to my face, shocked more than anything. I’d never been hit before in my life, and I have no clue what to do. I’m stuck in the back of the restaurant, and who knows how long it will be before someone comes to find me. The guy presses closer, the rank smell of sweat overpowering my nose.

  “Hel-”

  Smack! He hits me again, cutting off my scream. It’s harder this time, and my head knocks against the concrete, making me see stars. I know where this is going, and my heart starts thumping right out of my chest. I’m scared. My breath catches in my throat and my vision blurs with my tears. I can’t believe this is happening to me. I was always careful about these things. I kept an eye on my drink at parties, and I never walked home alone. Why was it, now that I’d renounced all that, that this was happening? I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping to just block it all out.

  And then, suddenly, he’s gone, pulled back by something even stronger than he is. I collapse with relief, sliding down the wall onto the dirty ground. There’s grime and grease all over, and dirty cigarette butts, but I don’t care. I hear the sickening sound of flesh meeting flesh, and then it happens again.

  “Get your ugly mug out of here before I make it unrecognizable.” Whoever it is is speaking with deadly precision. The words aren’t a threat, they’re a promise.

  Andrew! His voice is low and dark, the anger swimming beneath the surface like a shark. The other guy’s whimpering, clutching at his nose as he scrambles back onto his feet. Now that there’s someone his size around, he’s running. I can almost see the tail tucked between his legs, and I manage a weak smile. Andrew turns toward me, and for a second his eyes are almost black with rage, but just as quickly it’s gone, and he’s dropped down on one knee by my side.

  “Noelle, are you okay?” he asks. His voice is gentle and quiet. All of a sudden the fear and adrenaline I’d tried to keep in check break loose, and I lean into his chest, sobbing. I don’t want to act like this, like a crybaby, but I can’t help it. His presence is so protective and reassuring and safe that I let everything out.

  “Wh-what are you doing here?” I finally manage to say as my cries start to die down. I’ve got a runny nose and I’m pretty sure I’ve ruined his crisp, expensive suit. God, why did I do that? He must think I’m such a kid. I wipe my eyes and my nose with the sleeve of my hoodie.

  “After I talked to you, I went back to settle my tab. I’d had enough of this place for one night. My car’s just around the corner, and when I heard your scream, I recognized your voice. What are you doing back here? Don’t you know how dangerous it is around here?”

  I can tell he’s concerned and worried, and that more than anything makes me happy. I’d done something stupid, no doubt about that, but Andrew had rescued me. He seemed to realize how harsh he was, because he gave me a rueful smile.

  “At least I was here. Now, can you walk?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” I say. He reaches around me and helps me up. I’m shaken up, and my shoulder hurts like crazy, but I think I’m okay. Still, I don’t let go when Andrew continues to help me.

  “Where are you parked?”

  “I- I don’t have a car.” I realize with dismay that I’m going to have to wait another hour for the bus. “I was trying to catch the bus.”

  “I’m driving you home.” Andrew declares. There’s no room for argument and I’m thrilled for more time with him that I wouldn’t even if I could. “Come on, it’s just over here.”

  Andrew’s car is a sleek black Bentley that looks out of place besides the ten year old Honda’s and pickups that are driven by the usual clientele. He gently lets go of me to unlock the car, then opens the door to help me in. I wince as pain flares from my shoulder trying to get the seatbelt.

  “Here, let me,” he says, leaning over to buckle me in. I’m enveloped in the scent of him again, and this time I do my best to try to commit it to memory. Who knows how long it’ll be until the next time I see him?

  Once I’m secure, he closes the door for me an
d circles to the other side of the car. I can’t help but admire the way his muscular body fills out the suit, imposing in the sharply tailored lines. Andrew is always impeccably well dressed and controlled. Except for that moment when he was defending me from that creep, I remember. There was something raw and protective about his anger that ignited something deep inside of me. I can feel the warmth spreading, wrapping around my body and between my legs. I know how I feel is probably written all over my face, so I busy myself with the bag as soon as he reaches his side of the car.

  “Ready?” he says.

  “Yup.”

  Andrew pulls out of the spot and soon we’re on the road. The car drives like a dream, muffling all the outside noise. He’s got some kind of piano music in the background, and the buttery leather is soft against my thighs. He must have done really well with the IPO, I think as I run a finger down the fawn colored upholstery. I hope I’m not dirtying it too much. I’d never be able to pay to clean this. After a few minutes, he starts making small talk about the weather, the game. It’s like he knows that I need some time to gather my thoughts, to recover from what happened.

  “Thanks for helping me back there,” I say once I’ve calmed down. “That was close.”

  “It was. Are you going to be okay?”

  “I think so. I might have to enroll in some self defense classes,” I say, only half kidding.

  “So why are you working there anyways?” He says it casually, like he doesn’t care, but I know that he does. I’m his best friend’s daughter, so naturally he’s looked out for me most of my life. I glance over but his eyes are on the road. Should I tell him? He already promised he wouldn’t tell my dad so I risk it.

  “I lost my scholarship. It was... stupid. I got cocky after the first year, and I thought it’d be easy to keep my grades up. And there was this sorority that I’d joined. I didn’t even realize until it was too late. I just... I just wanted to have the college experience for once.”

  It’s embarassing to say all this out loud. My parents had been so proud of me when they learned that I had gotten a scholarship to the exclusive liberal arts college I was studying at. They couldn’t stop talking about it. My dad only had a high school education. After coming back from the war he took over managing one of grandpa’s hardware stores. My mom worked as a nursing assistant. It was a good life, but I knew they wanted more for me. I just hoped that I hadn’t messed it up too badly.

  “And did you?” he asks.

  I think of the drunken nights out with my friends, coming back to the dorms at 3 in the morning and ordering pizza. I think about the awful hangovers the next morning. I think about my first encounter with a guy, who came after five minutes and collapsed on top of me, falling asleep immediately. I wasn’t saving myself for ‘The One’, but as first times go, that one stunk. I still make a u-turn when I think I see the guy on campus.

  “I guess. I’m reformed now though. It wasn’t worth the price I had to pay.”

  “So now you’re working there so that you won’t have to tell your dad.”

  I could tell from the way Andrew was drumming his fingers on the wheel that he didn’t think much of my plan. After tonight, I didn’t either. The tips were great, but I didn’t know what I would have done if Andrew hadn’t been around tonight. I didn’t want to think about it. I was going to have to quit and find something else, but what? I was a college student with a limited amount of time and almost zero experience. Double D was the best I could get, short of stripping.

  “Pretty much,” I say. “It’s not that bad. Tonight was just an off night.”

  “What are you studying at school?” he asks after a few moments.

  “I’m in business school. I chose marketing, but I’m thinking about changing to management. I- I want to start my own jewelry company one day. I’ve got pages and pages of designs, but I haven’t had a chance to do more than that.”

  “Were those the sketches you used to make all the time on everything you could get your hands on?” he asks.

  I blush and nod. I’d been designing things all my life, but it’s only in the past few years that my doodling has become serious. I’ve even got a few collections, inspired from different things in my life, like our family trip to Italy last year, and the different phases of the moon. It sounds ridiculously pretentious to say it out loud though, so I don’t. I haven’t told anyone what I wanted to do, only Andrew. Somehow he always makes me feel relaxed enough that I can tell him anything without worrying that he’d judge me.

  “You know, there are internships at my company. I don’t know how many and if they’re filled yet, but that’s something you could do instead. It’d be a lot safer.”

  “It would...”

  The idea of working for Andrew is thrilling. I could see him everyday, and we’d have intelligent chats about stocks and meetings and what the next big thing is. I’m already imagining us having business lunches and cocktails where the conversation turns serious and we get to know one another better. Maybe he’ll even start to like me. I’m smiling now, and starting to feel ridiculously hopeful. It could happen. It does, at least in the movies. And there’s got to be a grain of truth in those stories, or they wouldn’t tell them right?

  “Why don’t you send me your resume and I’ll get my assistant to see if she can find a department for you.”

  I look over and he’s smiling at me. It’s a safe, friendly smile, the kind you give to your best friend’s daughter. Immediately I’m brought back to reality. Of course, he’s just trying to help out his buddy’s kid. What was I thinking? More likely I’d end up in one of the lower offices, making coffee for everyone while he’s holding important business meetings with the board of directors.

  “Okay.” I try hard to hide my disappointment, but its not like he notices. We’re already turning onto my parent’s street.

  A minute later we’re there. Home is a beautiful craftsman bungalow that was lovingly restored over the years by my dad. It was my mom’s dream house, and everything he’s done to it was for her. Sometimes it’s kind of sickening how in love they still are. Other times I’m wondering if I’ll ever find someone like that too.

  Andrew turns off the engine and gets out to help me with the door. I can undo the seatbelt myself this time, but I let him help me out. His large hand is warm and solid, covering over my smaller one. I really don’t want to let go, but we’re right in front of my house. If my dad’s in the living room... well I don’t even want to imagine. The one time I brought my ex-boyfriend home he was given the third degree by my dad. At least, I think he was, because he refused to ever come near the house again. The last thing I want is to ruin my dad’s friendship with Andrew. The two of them are close, more like brothers than best friends sometimes.

  “Thanks for driving me home,” I say as I stand up.

  I start for the door, but Andrew follows me through the gate. I figure he’s going to come in and say hi to my dad, so I’m completely unprepared when he puts a hand out to stop me from putting the keys in the lock.

  “Noelle,” he starts. His voice is husky and rich with feeling in just that one word. I blink a few times, looking into his eyes that are heavy with something I never thought I’d see- desire. My nipples harden beneath my thin leather vest, and it has nothing to do with the cold. He’s pinning me down with his gaze, and I don’t move an inch as he closes the gap between us in a kiss. It’s so surprising to me that I freeze right up. Oh. My. God. Oh my god. Ohmygod. And then in the next second, he’s got his hand on my jaw, tilting my face just high enough that he can kiss me harder.

  I stop thinking because I am burning up. The heat is everywhere, not just on my cheeks. It’s racing down my neck, my breasts, my fingertips, until it pools like fire between my legs. I’ve never been kissed like this. My hands reach out to hold onto him, clasping at the lapels on his suit. I part my lips for him, and he kisses me again, his tongue gently pushing past. My movements are automatic, allowing him to enter and deepen the kiss
. Andrew groans a little, a masculine sound of want and need that my body responds to on a basic level. My nipples harden into stiff peaks against the tight leather of my vest, begging to be touched.

  It turns out that his lips were as soft as I’d imagined, his body as chiseled and hard as granite. My hands run up to his shoulders and over them, exploring everything greedily. I didn’t know how long I had, but I wasn’t going to waste it. He deftly maneuvers me so that my back’s against the door. Andrew plasters himself against me, his knee parting my legs and sliding up my thigh. Every dirty fantasy I ever had of Andrew plays through my head. Why did we have to be in front of my house? Why hadn’t I stayed on campus like I did last year? I’d be pulling him by his shirt up the stairs and onto my bed. No you wouldn’t. That requires you to be bold, and if you were, you’d have slept with him already.

  I could be bold.

  I lift my right leg up higher, wrapping around his and letting him slide his thigh right up against my aching pussy. Andrew puts the weight of his body behind it, the pressure making my eyelids flutter with pleasure. I was need, all need, that only he could satisfy. His hands roam over me, causing sparks of heat to dance across my skin. This is everything I wanted, but I’m hungry for more. I want to explore his body, feel its heavy weight on mine, taking me over and over until I’m finally full of him. Sex until now has been a letdown, but I can tell that it’ll be different with Andrew. His kiss alone has me moaning.

  “Let’s go inside,” I say as we finally broke apart for air. “My pare-”

  Andrew’s eyes snap open, refocusing on my face. He lets go of me. It was the wrong thing to say. Of course it’s the wrong thing! Who the hell brings up their parents in the middle of making out? This idiot that’s who.

  “Wait, that’s not what I meant-”

  But the magic is shattered, and he’s shaking his head and backing away. There’s regret on his face, and something else. Horror? I don’t know.