Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
“You know how to follow, Jamie. Your body instinctively knows what I want. Can’t wait to put that to the test again later. You’ve been a perfect student so far, learning all about the birds and the bees and things grownups do in the dark.”
With every step and sway, I let the world fade into a fuzzy filter around us. I’ve never fucking danced like this before. I remember my grandmother teaching me to waltz in her tiny apartment, where my mother and father would drop me off when they’d take off for a sleazy bar or God knows where.
This is the simplest pleasure I’ve ever allowed myself. Thoughts of those ocean breezes and breeding this perfection of a girl come back to me in a wave.
I’m holding my future in my arms.
Over the years, I’ve been in the hands of death more times than I can count, but nothing has made me feel more alive than this simple dance with Hannah Wesley.
In the span of a few hours, this little girl has taught me that love is a real feeling and it’s re-building me from the inside out.
“So, you know your cunt is going to welcome me soon, like smooth cream into hot coffee.”
She snorts, a hand flying to her face to cover her mouth before letting it go. “Which one am I? The cream or the coffee?”
She laughs, and so do I, her brown eyes widening as her freckles dance on her warm cheeks.
“Now, that’s a laugh, Daddy.”
I don’t fight it. I nod and enjoy the moment before changing the subject.
“What made you want to be an actress?”
“I don’t know,” she exhales that warm, bubble gum sweet breath into my chin. “I mean, my sister helped, but it wasn’t really that. It was…” She shakes her head. “It feels a little pathetic.”
“Nothing about you is pathetic.” I brush my hand across the width of her back, tapping my fingers over her ass where the plug is. “I promise I won’t judge.”
“Brigid and I were left to ourselves most of our lives. We were always trying to make the house look better. Moving things around, decorating. Watching HGTV and movies became our escape. It gave me a way to live lives that were better than my own. Or at least more exciting, in ways that didn’t feel so dark and overwhelming. My parents met at an audition. They both had dreams of fame but that didn’t pan out. I think Dad hopes one of us will strike gold with our acting. Or, truthfully, he thinks Brigid will strike gold.”
My heart breaks, but her story only makes me more determined to make those big dreams of hers a reality. She will never feel second best again.
“Well, from what I’ve seen so far, you’d be a clean sweep for an Oscar. You aren’t just acting when it comes to us, are you? You are my daughter.”
“It helps to have such a talented leading man,” she says, her eyes lingering on mine. “Or, should I say, leading Daddy…”
“The latter. You call me daddy. No matter who’s around. And yes, I am your leading man and you have no idea just how talented I can be.”
She lowers her gaze, her chest rising and falling as I scan the eyes around us, jealousy boiling in my blood for any man that’s looking her way.
Luckily for them, they’re not.
“And what...” She gulps. “What do you do? Apart from hiring unknown actresses to play the part of your daughter for unknown reasons.”
Blackjack. Private rooms running high stakes poker games. Roulette for fun. But, the big money is in Ponzi schemes. Money laundering. High risk investments that I’ll get backers on, before pulling the rug out but making sure I look like I’ve taken as big a hit as everyone else.
Smoke. Mirrors. Money.
“A little of this, a little of that.”
Her nose scrunches adorably and it’s taking all of me not to stuff my tongue down her throat, giving zero fucks who is watching. But, getting through the next twenty hours playing these parts will set things up for us for life. I need to stay frosty and keep on task.
But, there’s something about this girl. The walking dead man I was is thawing. I want to live and not just for me.
For her.
For us.
For what I could be with her at my side.
As my muse. My babygirl. My wife. The mother of my children.
All the potential rushes through me with a crushing level of emotion I’ve never felt. My vision blurs. She’s quickly defrosting the ice block of my heart but I remind myself, if I’m in danger and she’s in my life, she’s in danger.
And that is an impossible price to pay.
Stay in your lane, Dietrich, get this one done right. Then, oh then, it’s game on, little girl.