Indebted To A Daddy: Once Upon A Daddy Read online

  “Good morning sir, how can I help you—oh my god! Jeff?” I stopped dead in my tracks when a pair of oh-so-familiar sky blue eyes looked up from the menu.

  “Chloe Evans?” He blinked in surprise. “Wow! How have you been?”

  “I’ve been—good.” I felt a lump rising up in my throat. “How about you?”

  “I’m making it.” He slid to the edge of the booth and stood—then he reached out for a hug.

  He completely ignored me in high school—and now he’s hugging me.

  All I could do was return his hug. I didn’t want to make a scene in the middle of the restaurant—especially since my boss was staring at me. Once Jeff broke from the embrace, he sat back down and picked up his menu. He wanted to talk, but I couldn’t really do that in the middle of my shift, so I had to keep redirecting his attempt to the restaurant’s breakfast options. It took a little effort, but I finally got his order and made a dash for the kitchen. As soon as I put his order on the wheel and turned it towards the cook, my boss walked up to me.

  “I appreciate the business, but please ask your boyfriend not to hug you while you’re on the clock.” Mr. North folded his arms across his chest.

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” I shook my head back and forth. “It’s just a guy I knew in high school.”

  “Okay.” He nodded. “It applies to high school friends too.”

  “Absolutely, I understand.” I looked down and felt my face turning red.

  I was over Jeff. I didn’t have any feelings for him—well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. I obsessed over him for years, and he barely looked at me. I got over him because I didn’t have a choice. His order came up, and when I dropped it off, he tried to strike up another conversation, and I was luckily bailed out by one of my other customers who was ready to have their coffee refilled. I noticed that Jeff kept looking at me the whole time he was eating—his eyes followed me around the restaurant as I took care of my other tables. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to completely avoid speaking to him when I brought his check over—because the crowd had thinned out quite a bit.

  “If I had known I was going to run into you today, I would have combed my hair.” Jeff raised an eyebrow and smirked—that damn smirk that used to make my knees weak.

  “It’s fine.” I looked down and avoided eye contact.

  “Why didn’t we ever hook up in high school?” He tilted his head slightly.

  “Bethany?” I gave him a half-hearted shrug.

  “God, what a fucking mistake that was.” He exhaled sharply. “You had a crush on me right? I remember someone telling me that…”

  Oh god…

  “Um, I think everyone did.” I forced a smile.

  “Long time since those days…” he sighed and chuckled.

  “It’s been—like barely more than a year.” I raised an eyebrow.

  “I guess you’re right.” He nodded. “When is your shift over?”

  “Why?” I tilted my head suspiciously.

  “We should hang out. My parents are on a cruise—I’ve got the house to myself.” He leaned back and smirked.

  “I’m sorry.” I grimaced and shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Having the house to yourself because your parents are out of town when you’re about to turn twenty isn’t much to brag about…

  “Ah, I get it. You’re still worried about Bethany? Don’t worry—we’re done. I divorced that bitch.” He shuddered. “Good riddance.”

  “That’s not it.” I waved off his insinuation. “I’m just really busy right now.”

  “Another time then…” He slid to the edge of his seat and started to stand. “I left you a big tip—you’re welcome.”

  “Thanks…” I looked down at the table and saw a five dollar bill peeking out from underneath his plate.

  Five dollars. How impressive. I might be able to afford a Starbucks coffee on the way home…

  My brief encounter with Jeff didn’t bring back a flood of memories or emotions for the guy that ignored me in high school. All it did was piss off my boss, and I felt like I was already on thin ice since he caught me spacing out. I drank a cup of coffee on my break, finished off another one while I was waiting on my next wave of customers, and felt a little more like myself after the lunch rush. That burst of energy didn’t last all day, and I wanted to just go home and take a nap when my shift was over—except I had a debt to pay, and I was pretty sure I was going to get a message through the app when it got close to six o’clock. That’s exactly what I expected to see when my phone buzzed around five-thirty, but it was a message from Daniella instead.

  Daniella: Someone had an interesting day.

  Chloe: You?

  Daniella: No. Haven’t you been on Facebook?

  Chloe: I’ve been working. Why? What’s up?

  Daniella: Jeff… it looks like you finally got your future husband’s attention.

  Chloe: Huh?

  I closed her message and loaded Facebook. I still had Jeff’s posts hidden, so I frantically found the button to show them, and was immediately greeted with a picture—of myself. It appeared that Jeff had snapped one while I was waiting tables and posted it with a caption about running into a hottie from high school—along with more emojis than a guy should ever use. There were dozens of comments from my classmates—many of them hearts and smiles. A few even commented that they always knew we would get together one day. My phone lit up with another message from Daniella while I was still trying to figure out if there was any way I could remove the tag that went to my profile, because I already had several friend requests from people I never associated with in high school.

  Daniella: So, did you hook up?

  Chloe: No! He came into the restaurant today! I didn’t even know he took that picture!

  Daniella: Invite me to the wedding! I’ll help you pick out a dress.

  Chloe: There’s not going to be a wedding!

  Daniella: You totally have to come to that party with me this weekend. You don’t want some other girl getting her hands on your man while you’re not around…

  Chloe: He is not my man! Oh my god!

  I flipped back over to Facebook and figured out how to remove the tag that went back to my profile. After that, I declined all of the friend requests that it had already sent my way. I decided not to hide Jeff’s posts—just in case he tried to put something else up with my name on it. I barely paid attention to my social media as it was, but it looked like I would need to keep an eye on it for a few days. I hoped Jeff’s random infatuation would pass as quickly as it began—I no longer had any interest in him. The only person I was interested in was the one who set my soul on fire with a kiss—the one who sent me my next debt challenge before I fully got over the shock of what Jeff posted.

  Date night: -25

  Decline: +100

  “What the hell? He quadrupled the penalty for declining…” I sighed and hit the button that reduced my debt from 275 to 250—and immediately got a response from Corbin.

  Corbin: Anywhere you want to go?

  Chloe: You don’t have anything special planned?

  Corbin: No, I thought I should check in with you first. We were out kind of late last night.

  Chloe: Yes. I’m pretty tired… would it awful of me to just ask if we can watch a movie?

  Corbin: Not at all. I’ll even let you choose.

  Chloe: Thank you.

  I stopped by my apartment to get cleaned up and change into something more presentable than what I wore to work. I was excited to see Corbin, even if I was kind of tired. I needed the distraction anyway after the post Jeff put up about me. It took me a little longer than normal to get ready, and Corbin already had dinner waiting when I arrived—he also greeted me at the door with a kiss—which was as incredible as the ones we shared at the end of our date the previous night. It left my knees weak, and I thought they were going to give out before I even made it to the couch.

  “Hopefully the food
isn’t cold.” Corbin leaned forward and started to open one of the containers.

  “I’m sure it’s fine.” I smiled and looked down at the table. “I only see forks—I don’t need anything fancy to eat my food tonight?’

  “No, you might not even need a fork.” He chuckled. “I had a craving for chili dogs and fries—terrible, I know.”

  “No complaints from me.” I smiled and reached for my box.

  Corbin handed me the remote, and I scrolled through the movie options. I hated to just choose a comedy since I knew he didn’t like them very much—but I wasn’t in the mood for anything that would require me to put much thought into it. I scrolled through a dozen options and really didn’t see anything that looked neutral enough for both of our interests.

  “Are you not in the mood for a movie?” Corbin looked over at me.

  “Honestly?” I sighed. “I could watch several of these, but I don’t want to pick something you hate…”

  “I’ll watch whatever—seriously.” He leaned back and took a bite of his chili dog.

  I settled for a comedy and tried to eat my chili dog in the most eloquent way possible—which wasn’t possible at all. I used a few fries to scoop some of the chili off the top, and that made it a little more manageable. It was a good thing I was on my feet all day, because my calorie intake was going through the roof with Corbin. I had no idea how he managed to maintain that incredible physique eating cheeseburgers, steaks, and hot dogs—with a side of carbs with every meal. I only managed to finish my chili dog and half of my fries before I was full. The movie felt like a dud—the trailer was a lot funnier than the movie itself. When Corbin put his hand on my knee around the halfway point, I didn’t care how the movie ended—my head was spinning with thoughts of how good his hands felt—and how bad I wanted him to kiss me again.

  “Do you want to stop the movie?” I looked over at him and felt my heart start to beat harder in my chest.

  “Only if you do…” His eyes met mine.

  “Yes.” I nodded quickly.

  I hit the button to stop the movie, and Corbin pulled me into his arms. His lips crashed into mine, and his tongue started to ravage my mouth. His hand moved along my thighs to the top of my jeans, and I didn’t push him away when he slid it under my t-shirt. I put my hands on him and moved them along the mountains of muscles that adorned his powerful frame. I didn’t want to stop him from going further, especially when I felt him squeeze my breasts through my bra and pull the top down enough for a finger to caress my exposed nipple. He tugged at my t-shirt, and I finally regained enough of my composure to latch onto the bottom with my fingers before he could try to remove it. He let go—thankfully—because I might not have been able to stop him if he tried again. Our lips finally parted, and I struggled to draw breath.

  “I’m not ready.” I looked down and sighed as I adjusted my bra. “Not yet.”

  “I really like you, Chloe.” He exhaled sharply. “I can’t help myself—you’re just so fucking beautiful.”

  “Is that all you like?” I lifted my head, and our eyes met.

  “No.” He shook his head back and forth. “I like the way I feel when I’m with you—I had more fun last night than I’ve had in years…”

  “We’re going to have to find a lot of interesting things to do then.” I tilted my head slightly. “I don’t think movie nights are going to work out for us.”

  “There are plenty of interesting things I want to do.” His hand slowly moved up my thigh. “With you—to you.”

  “You’re not making this easy.” I felt a shudder sweep through my body when his fingers grazed against the skin between my jeans and my t-shirt.

  “I don’t think you know how to stop fighting it.” His fingers moved to the button of my jeans, but he didn’t try to unfasten them. “You’re too used to things being difficult.”

  “It’s more than that…” I sighed and pulled away.

  I guess I have to tell him—it’s not like it’s a big secret or anything—we’ve just never gotten to that point before.

  “What’s wrong?” He turned towards me as I moved back to my side of the couch.

  “You know the night you found my skinny dipping in your pool?” I looked down and felt a lump rising up in my throat.

  “Yeah, best night of my life.” He chuckled under his breath. “Until you came back…”

  “You’re the first guy that’s ever seen me naked,” I exhaled sharply.

  “You mean…” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes.” I nodded quickly and tried to swallow the lump. “I’ve never been with anyone before.”

  “Well at least now I know it’s not just me…” He moved closer. “There’s no reason to rush it if you’re not ready—seriously.”

  “You’re okay with that?” I grimaced and sighed.

  “Of course.” He nodded quickly and took my hand. “Don’t even worry about it until you’re ready.”

  “Thank you.” I leaned against him—mostly because I didn’t want him to see me tearing up.

  That just makes me like you even more…

  Chapter Ten

  Corbin

  Maybe I should have seen the warning signs from the beginning when it came to Chloe’s reluctance. I wasn’t overly surprised to find out she was a virgin. I got the impression that she was fairly inexperienced, but due to her age, I just assumed she had been with someone at some point in her life between high school and the end of her first year of college. I was no saint and had sex with the first girl that smiled at me—what a fucking mistake that was. She fell in love, and I broke her heart because I let my dick do every bit of my thinking for me back then. If Chloe was a virgin, I could give her space to make sure it was what she really wanted before I took her to the bedroom. I already knew what I wanted, and it was a lot more than just her cherry.

  “I’m probably crushing your fantasy of dating a nineteen-year-old girl.” Chloe leaned back from me, and I could tell she had fought off some tears.

  “What do you mean?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “We’re on our fourth date, and you still haven’t gotten into my panties.” She forced a smile. “Isn’t that the whole point of dating a girl my age?”

  “Technically, you weren’t wearing any panties when I met you.” I raised an eyebrow and chuckled under my breath.

  “Okay, fair point.” She looked down, and I saw a real smile replace the one she was struggling to hold.

  “It’s not just about that.” I shook my head back and forth. “Are you attractive—fuck yes. Does looking at you make me think dirty thoughts? Absolutely. I’m not going to deny any of that. It’s just biology—but I like everything else about you too.”

  “Except my taste in movies…” She pursed her lips and laughed.

  “We do have to work on that.” I closed my eyes and chuckled. “Maybe we’ll find something we both enjoy one day.”

  “You’re not going to get bored of me if I hate the movies you like and don’t put out?” She raised an eyebrow and grinned.

  “No, Chloe.” I shook my head back and forth. “I’m not going to get bored of you—you’re far too interesting to ever bore me. You’ll probably get tired of me long before that.”

  “I don’t know.” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re pretty interesting too.”

  “Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “Tell me one thing that you find interesting.”

  “Your creativity.” She nodded and reached for her phone. “I don’t think many guys would go to the trouble of making an app just to get a date with someone.”

  “Should I have just walked down to the pool, introduced myself, and invited you inside to watch Idiocracy?” I tilted my head and chuckled.

  “I don’t know.” She shook her head and laughed. “That might have been enough—if you let me get dressed first.”

  “Let you get dressed first?” I scoffed. “That would have been a deal breaker. You looked so cute out there dancing around trying to cover
yourself with your hands—on one good ankle.”

  “Not my finest moment.” Her eyes got wide, but the smile didn’t leave her face.

  “You made the most of it though. That’s what piqued my interest.” I nodded. “You managed to keep your composure—and bargain for your friend’s freedom.”

  “Yeah, I guess I am pretty awesome.” She leaned forward and nudged me.

  “Although there was a fair bit of sass…” I nudged her back.

  “A side effect of being a rebellious teenager.” She looked down and nodded.

  “I think it’s more than that.” I narrowed my eyes. “You were forced to learn how to be independent—and that required you to rebel and defy the traditional boundaries for someone your age.”

  “That’s true,” she sighed. “My mom wasn’t a bad parent by any means, but it was never easy—she dropped out of high school when she got pregnant, and my father didn’t stick around long. She did the best she could, but it was always a struggle.”

  “There was nobody else to help her?” I blinked in surprise.

  “Not really.” She shook her head back and forth. “My grandparents—well, on my mother’s side—they were dirt poor too. My other grandparents just tried to deny that we existed altogether. Mom was pretty sure they helped him pull off his vanishing act when he decided that he didn’t want to pay child support.”

  “Damn…” I reached for my drink and took a sip. “I always thought I had it bad because my father didn’t want to be part of my life, but he didn’t miss any of his child support payments…”

  Maybe he wasn’t as horrible as I thought—I’ve never stopped to think about how bad it truly could have been.

  “I wonder if my father is living in a place like this…” Chloe looked around the living room. “A big house—a new family.”

  “You’ve never looked for him?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “No.” She shrugged. “I figured if he didn’t want to be found, he wasn’t worth my time.”