Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
“That sounds amazing.”
“Want help dressing, Little girl?”
“Oh, I can do it,” she rushed to assure him.
“Soon, Crash.” He leaned forward to kiss her lips. Heat flared between them, and when he pulled back, she could tell he wanted more.
She loved the feeling of being desired. It was heady. And the nickname he’d given her made her even warmer. Maybe it was silly, but she liked it.
“Go put on some clothes and practice. I’ll be back at noon.”
“Yes, Daddy. Thank you for taking care of me.”
“It’s what I live for, Little girl.”
Setting her feet on the carpet, he tapped her bottom lightly. “Go before I change my mind.”
As she dressed, Lyra heard him cleaning the kitchen, and then there was silence. Pulling her focus together, she pulled out her cello and escaped her tumbling thoughts. To her delight, the sound was as clear and captivating as always. Both she and her cello had escaped harm.
Chapter Five
A sound made her lift her bow from the strings to listen. When it came again, she confirmed she’d heard something—a knock on the door. She shifted the large instrument away from her body and stood. Cautiously, she walked to the wooden barrier and listened.
“Lyra? It’s Sadie. It’s lunchtime,” a kind voice said.
Sadie. That was the woman at the reception desk. Lyra opened the door. Four women stood in the open gathering area in the middle of the apartments.
“Hi. It’s lunchtime already?” Lyra asked.
“It’s after twelve. Phoenix asked that I make sure you eat. I brought friends to invite you to join us downstairs.”
“Downstairs?”
“Hi, Lyra. I’m Zara,” a gorgeous woman said, introducing herself before continuing, “The basement. It’s our other private safe space. It’s where we always meet for meals. Not all of the guys can make it to lunch. They’re busy sometimes with their jobs here at Danger Bluff.”
“Hi, Zara. Will Phoenix be at lunch?” Lyra asked hesitantly.
“He’s stuck doing a repair and was afraid it would take a while. I promise we won’t bite. We’re so excited to meet you,” Sadie said.
“Oh. I guess I could come…if Phoenix wanted me to.”
“Of course, he wants you to eat. He’s a Daddy!” a green-eyed blonde encouraged her. “I’m Juniper, by the way.”
“Okay, I’ll take a break if you’ll help me get back up here,” Lyra said.
“Of course. Yay!” Sadie said, clapping.
The final woman gave a little wave behind the others. “I’m Celeste. So nice to meet you.”
Lyra glanced around at all of them, nearly overwhelmed. “It’s so nice to meet all of you, too.”
Walking out of Phoenix’s apartment, Lyra’s gaze fixed again on the pictures on the doors. “So, whose door is whose?”
“The penguin is mine,” Sadie told her. “I have a penguin stuffie named Edgar.”
“Mine is the swan because my Daddy calls me Little Swan,” Zara explained.
“Mine is a Kiwi. That’s a bird here in New Zealand,” Juniper explained.
“I’ve heard about them, but I haven’t seen any since I’ve gotten here,” Lyra said.
“They’re nocturnal and shy. There are some sanctuaries where you can go see them, but online is probably the easiest,” Juniper explained. “I have a kiwi stuffie that a childhood friend gave me when I used to visit Danger Bluff as a kid. His name is Beaky.”
“The black cat is mine,” Celeste said, claiming the last door. “I have a stuffie named Hades.”
“Everyone has a stuffie?” Lyra asked as they walked to the elevator.
“We do. Do you not have one?” Celeste asked with a concerned look.
“I do. His name is Harry,” Lyra shared, not really understanding why she felt comfortable enough with these ladies to share what, to her, was private information.
The doors of the elevator opened for them to pile inside. As the car descended, Sadie asked, “What’s Harry? A wooly mammoth?”
“A tarantula.”
There was a moment of silence, and then the other women laughed. It wasn’t mean laughter. Lyra could hear the delight in the cheerful sound. “You all don’t like spiders?”
“Oh, sorry. We should explain. Phoenix hates spiders. They creep him out,” Zara said.
“I know.”
A few seconds passed, and Lyra couldn’t keep her giggles inside. The look on Phoenix’s face when he’d seen Harry for the first time popped into her mind. “You should have seen his expression.”
That statement fueled the laughter between the women. Lyra held her sides as she joined the merriment. I haven’t laughed like this in forever.
“I would have paid to see that,” Sadie confessed.
That added fuel to the fire of delight. By the time the elevator opened, mirth spilled out before anyone could move an inch.
“Hello, Littles,” a deep voice called from out of sight.
“Daddy! You won’t believe what stuffie Lyra has,” Juniper declared as she skipped away.
Lyra followed the others into the large basement space. Scanning the room, she watched Juniper settle onto a large man’s lap. She couldn’t see much of his face due to the scruffy baseball cap he wore, but she could see a delighted grin directed solely at Juniper.