Bride Wanted Page 11

  “I’m Darien,” I told her. “How come you never came back out on stage?”

  As soon as I asked the question, I realized I sounded like the creeps who were trying to follow her home. But I didn’t want to explain that I had been sitting out there for the purpose of wanting to see her again. Not just her gorgeous, almost naked body on the stage, but her very essence. How could a man explain that in a way that sounded realistic? So, I didn’t even try.

  She didn’t seem offended by the question.

  “Oh my God,” she’d said. “I got in so much trouble for falling on you. My boss said I’m not allowed back out until I can prove I’m not a clutz. So I spent the rest of the evening watching YouTube videos on my phone, to teach me how to be a stripper. And practicing on the pole in the back, with some of the other girls trying to teach me. I doubt I’ll get it though.”

  The way she shook her head when she said this was so cute. I couldn’t help but wonder why she wanted to learn how to be a stripper. I figured it was none of my business. And that I couldn’t find out more about her without doing stupid things I couldn’t be doing. So, it was time for us to part.

  Willow leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for the ride. Maybe I'll see you again soon!"

  She smiled and got out of the car. I watched her walk up to her home and didn't leave until she was safely inside.

  Such an innocent kiss lit a fire in me. That’s just the celibacy talking, I tried to tell myself. But deep down I knew she had ignited passion within me that I hadn’t even realized could exist.

  Chapter 4 – Darien

  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get Willow out of my mind.

  I tried to sleep it off, but that wasn't working either. I jumped into the shower, wanting to wash away the stench of cigar smoke and overly strong perfume from my body.

  As soon as the warm water hit my skin, I gave in to fantasies of the dancer who had fallen into my lap. My cock became hard and erect just thinking about her. I reached down and felt its girth, wishing I could put it in between Willow’s perfect breasts, or even better, into her pussy.

  I hadn’t gotten to see her pussy. It was only a topless strip club. The guys at work said sometimes when the women were giving lap dances they would let you pull their panties to the side so you could see their pussies right in front of your face. If you paid enough, they might even let you touch them.

  I tightened my grip on my cock and began stroking myself. I had never had a desire to pay a stripper to let me touch her. But I found myself wishing I could touch Willow, no matter the cost or risk. In my mind, I could do anything I wanted to her, for free.

  I thought about how it would feel to see her looking back at me with those gorgeous, innocent eyes while she was grinding her ass and pussy on my cock, giving me a forbidden lap dance with some extra benefits. I wanted to feel her rub her ass on my cock. To squeeze her ass cheeks and finger her pussy.

  Since it was just a fantasy, I could have anything I wanted. So I thought about taking my cock out of my pants and having her slide down on it, riding it up and down while her wet juices soaked all over me.

  I couldn’t help wondering whether anyone had ever fucked her. She seemed innocent enough to be a virgin, even though the thought of a virgin working as a stripped seemed a little hard to believe. I wanted to be the first one to fuck her. I wanted to put my cock all the way inside her, filling her up completely, popping her cherry while making her scream my name as she rode my cock and let me do as I pleased with her. At the thought of all of this, I felt my balls tighten up in real life and then I shot my cum all over the shower liked I wish I could shoot all over her body.

  Once I got out of the shower, I felt a bit more relaxed thanks to my thoughts about Willow. But I still tossed and turned, wishing I could actually be with Willow in real life. I finally got to sleep, only to wake up a while later and repeat the tossing and turning again.

  So, after a restless night, I drowned myself in work at my home office and watched the clock until the sun rose. On days like this I preferred not to be around any other people. I had an odd feeling that someone at work might have seen me at the strip club. I didn’t know what they could do about it other than tease me but it wasn’t something I wanted to deal with.

  Finally, it was almost time to pick up my daughter Ariel. She'd be waiting for me at her mother's place. And as usual, her mother would be nowhere around.

  I finished signing some papers so my company could get these new contracts underway. Then the phone in my office buzzed.

  "Um, boss.” My housekeeper’s voice came through the speaker. “There's a sheriff that wants to speak to you."

  A sheriff? What the hell?

  "Send him in," I said, sitting straight up in my computer chair.

  I hoped it didn’t have anything to do with any of the people I was working with on my current project. When money went funny with bigger clients, they didn't take it well.

  A portly sheriff walked through my doors with a manila envelope in his hand.

  "Sheriff, how may I help you?" I asked, looking at his frown and the envelope.

  "I'm here to serve you this," he said, holding out the envelope.

  I got out of my chair and took it from him.

  "Am I being subpoenaed?" I asked.

  He shook his head and turned on his heel to walk out.

  I tore open the envelope and saw my ex-wife Morgan's name on the top of the document.

  Before I read anymore, I rubbed my forehead and sighed. What the fuck was she up to now?

  I took the stack of papers all the way out of the envelope and scanned the first page.

  "Full custody!" I shouted, gripping the papers so hard my knuckles turned white.

  Why was she doing this? Ariel was just another tool for her to keep me attached to her so she could get alimony or sympathy. She didn't love Ariel at all.

  I took out my phone and started to dial her number, but stopped before I finished. It wouldn’t do any good to yell at her, no matter how gratifying it might feel. She’d find some way to use my perfectly justifiable anger against me.

  I held on to my temper and stuffed the papers back into the envelope.

  We had to go through a court hearing first, and there was no way a judge would rule against me. I was celibate, I hadn't dated, and I had been a good father to my baby girl.

  I picked the papers back up to see when the court date was. Along the way, I skimmed a bit more of her complaint. Morgan was trying hard for full custody. There was an ulterior motive to this.

  Was it to hurt me?

  Give me bad press?

  Whatever the fuck it was, it wasn't going to work.

  The court date was three weeks from now.

  Until then, I needed to keep doing what I did best, which was running my company and taking care of my child. This time when I picked up my phone, it was to call my lawyers. They might already know about this latest shenanigan Morgan was pulling, but every little thing was going into the file, and the file was getting pretty damn big.

  Fuck this. I didn't want to have to share my daughter with someone who didn't care about her. Maybe it was time to duke this out in court. God knew that mediation and negotiating and all that other bullshit I had been trying instead of litigation weren’t working. I was used to fighting for what I wanted, and I was starting to think that was the best way to go.

  I straightened up my desk before heading out the door.

  That girl in the club, Willow, would have to remain in my imagination, a fantasy that would never come true. Ariel was my world, and I was too close to getting that divorce to legally cut off any and all dealings with her mother.

  As far as I knew, no one in the media world knew what was going on in my private life, and I planned for it to stay that way. I’d petitioned to have the records sealed, and somehow my lawyers had made it happen— they’d argued something about endangering Ariel by exposing her to public scrutiny.

&
nbsp; When I got to Morgan’s house, Ariel was sitting in her usual spot on the steps. I looked around and didn't see Morgan anywhere. As usual, I took a picture with my phone and sent it to my lawyer before I got out of the car. I was careful to quickly put the phone back into my pocket. Having evidence that Morgan was unfit for custody despite being the one to claim that I was, was something I had to balance without letting Ariel know how much her mother and I were at odds. She was just a child, and didn’t need to be subjected to discord.

  "Come to Daddy, princess!" I said, holding out my arms.

  "Daddy!" She ran to me with her hair flopping in the wind and her famous bright smile on her face.

  It was painful sending her back to her mother's every weekend. But at least I got to look forward to these moments when I could tell that Ariel was happy to see me.

  "How has my angel been?" I asked, looking at her arms and face to make sure there wasn't a hair harmed on my little girl.

  "I'm fine, Daddy."

  I took her small back pack and put it in the car and then buckled Ariel into her booster seat nice and snug. She wiggled around and smiled some more. Some days I really debated whether to just take Ariel and leave the country so Morgan wouldn't get her.

  I got in and drove off, glad that I didn't see Morgan hovering around. Not only had she made it apparent that she had never loved me, but by now, she was obviously showing open hatred.

  To be honest, I hadn’t loved her either. I knew that now. But I had treated her well, and she had stabbed me in the fucking back.

  I sighed and kept my attention on the road. Sometimes I wondered what it would be like if I did find someone worth it.

  Someone like…well, Willow. Soft, kind and gentle, yet spunky and smart...

  The phone built into my car rang and I pushed a button to answer it.

  "Hello, boss," Claire, my secretary said. "I just wanted to remind you of that meeting in two hours."

  "In two hours? What meeting?"

  "Delaney and Hoff, they're coming to discuss some new contracts with you today at five o'clock."

  "I scheduled that for today? On a Sunday?"

  I didn't usually schedule meetings when I had my daughter around. She went to a private school during the day, and I dedicated our evenings to family time.

  Things had gotten so hectic, I must have lost track. But the Delaney and Hoff contracts were vital to my company, and I couldn't let that slide.

  Those contracts were going to be the reason that Ariel would never have to worry about student loan debt, or worry about anything financially, period. They were going to push us to a level where I could work even less, and spend even more time with my daughter.

  That was when her face flashed through my mind.

  Willow.

  I remembered where she lived, and she just looked right for the part of babysitter. Something about her was…wholesome… despite the crazy way in which I had met her.

  Looking in the rear view mirror, I saw Ariel kicking her legs and glancing out of the window.

  I hadn’t known Willow for more than an hour. She fell into my lap, literally, then I took her home. And she was a stripper— hardly the most wholesome profession.

  But if she was a stripper that meant she needed money. I could give her that, and she could give me the sense of safety I needed in a nanny.

  I made up my mind.

  "Ariel, Daddy's going to make a quick detour. Sit tight, we'll be home soon!"

  "Okay, Daddy!"

  With her child-like spirit, she was down for the ride, and whatever the result would be. And so was I.

  Chapter 5 – Willow

  You would think I would be feeling excited, or embarrassed, or… something… about the fact that I had just become a stripper. And I have to admit, last night, I was.

  After Darien dropped me off, I couldn’t stop thinking about the entire night. But to be honest, it wasn’t so much about the fact that I’d made a fool of myself up there on the pole as it was about the fact that I had met someone so handsome and kind.

  I had told him I had been banned to the back room, which was true. But in all honestly, I could have gone out and danced again. After an hour of practicing, Stacy and the other girls had told me I had my moves down pat and that they would talk to Mr. B about letting me go work the floor at least, if not dance on stage.

  But I just hadn’t felt right about it. When I was in Darien’s lap I had just wanted to stay there. I had no judgment for what the dancers who were fast becoming my friends did for a living but it just didn’t feel right for me. I wanted to find a guy who would catch me, protect me, be with me for good. I didn’t want to have to be taking my clothes off for money.

  The fact remained, though, that I did have to do it. I needed the money. Darien was obviously rich, and I wasn’t, and our two paths were not meant to collide in this life.

  So, I tried to not think about Darien and just go to sleep. I couldn’t get him off my mind, though. I’d reached my hand down under my comforter and felt the wet folds of my pussy, and I knew it was still dripping from sitting on his cock earlier. It had felt so big and strong underneath me.

  I had rubbed my clit while spreading my legs, wishing I was opening them for him.

  “Oh, Darien,” I had breathed, turning my face so I could scream into my pillow. “I want your cock inside me.”

  I had never had anyone’s cock inside me. Despite having been a stripper for all of one dance, I had no experience with sex. But I could guess how good it would feel for Darien to spread my legs wide open and put his cock deep inside my willing and waiting pussy.

  I bet it would feel so good, sliding in and out of me. I bet he would grab my tits while I bounced around on his cock. I bet the rhythm of our two bodies together would be better than any vibrator.

  I had come all over my fingers while thinking about Darien taking my virginity. And then I had fallen into a deep sleep.

  Today, however, I had no time to think about the fact that I had just taken on a new profession, nor even much time to think about Darien. Today was just another day for me to be fighting with my parents about my brother.

  “So, you think it’s fair to leave me out of these conversations?” I snapped at them now.

  I was so tired of this same conversation, and I guess they were too, because this time I’d caught them talking about decisions pertaining to Sam and his health care without me present.

  “Willow, we just didn’t want to stress you. We’re the head of the—”

  I cut my mother off, storming into the hallway from the living room.

  “We agreed! We agreed that we would make all his medical decisions together! You can’t just leave me out of these things!”

  My father just sat in his recliner with his head hung down.

  They kept complaining about how hard it was for them with Sam in the hospital, but what did they want? For Sam to just up and die? Would that be easier for them?

  I swung the front door open and charged outside─ and ran straight into someone.

  Stumbling back, I looked up and saw that familiar face. His hands came up to my shoulders to steady me.

  It was Darian. The man who had rescued me. The man who had made me come last night in my fantasies.

  “You…” I said, trying to find my words.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I─ why are you here?” I gazed up at him and then lowered my voice. “I don’t do private dances and, well, my parents don’t know─”

  He shook his head and waved his hand. “No, I’m not here for that. I needed to ask you for a favor.”

  “What do you need?”

  The argument with my mother still had adrenaline pumping through my veins. He turned me and placed his hand on my back like a gentleman and walked me toward his car. There was a little girl sitting on the inside.

  “This is my daughter, Ariel.” His whole face softened as he waved at the little girl through the back window. “I need
you to look after her for a little while. I have an important meeting that I can’t reschedule.”

  “Watch her here?” I asked, pointing back at my family’s townhouse.

  My parents would nose their way into my business. Honestly, they didn’t need to know I was making any money at all. Even if babysitting would be a more honorable way to make it than stripping.

  “No, my place. It has everything you need. And I’d pay you well.”

  “How long do you need me to watch her? And why ask me?” I lowered my voice. “Who asks a stripper to watch their daughter?”

  For the most part, that was sarcasm, but I was curious. He didn’t carry himself like the rest of the screwballs that came to the bar.

  He was more mature, business like, and the scent of that cologne, that mix of sandalwood and coffee… damn.

  “Well.” He hesitated. “Let’s just say I like your vibe. You’re gentle, and obviously new to the whole exotic dancer thing.”

  My face burned. He didn’t have to remind me what an idiot I’d made of myself the night before. My single attempt at being a stripper had been a total train wreck; I couldn’t even make myself get back up there again the rest of the evening.

  He wouldn’t understand, of course. One good look at his fancy, fast car and I knew that he didn’t know what scraping for money was like. Add on to that that you had a brother in a coma you had to support because insurance wanted to be so fucking cheap, and I was in a bind that he’d never relate to.

  “Yeah, I know I was a disaster,” I said, crossing my arms in front of me. “But─”

  “But what?”

  “That job pays really good money. And I need that money.”

  He sighed. “Right, because of your brother. How much?”

  “You mean, how much do I get paid?” He nodded impatiently, and I shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not a set thing, but my first day brought in like four hundred dollars.”

  I didn’t mention that half of that had been the hundreds that he had shoved at me after I’d landed on top of him.

  “I’ll pay you eight hundred if you watch after my Ariel today.”