Page 7 of Daddy's Reckoning
Good morning, sunshine. I wanted to let you know I am working up our long- distance agreement and will have it to you by lunch time. Get to class on time and make sure you have a balanced breakfast.
I stared at the screen. Why couldn’t he make it a little harder to like him? It would make my life so much easier if he would just be an asshole.
Another text came in as I was getting mad at him for being so nice, and I had to clutch my phone tighter in my hand to prevent myself from chucking it across the room.
Oh and don’t forget your textbook, you know how Professor Schneider gets.
Frustrated tears pricked the back of my eyes. The fact that he knew my schedule, the names of my teachers, and every little intimate detail of my life was what made him the perfect Daddy for me, but it was also one of the things that was going to make it harder to separate myself from him when the time came. He wasn’t going to let me hide forever, and once he started getting suspicious I was going to have to end things. There was no other way.
I slammed the phone down on my bed before falling face first into my pillow and screaming at the top of my lungs. I had been awake a whole hour and I was already all done with the day.
Throw it all in the fuck-it bucket and run away.
That voice niggled at me. It was tempting. Really fucking tempting, but I was too stubborn to do it. All my life I’d wanted to be a doctor and I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of that. Not an annoyingly almost-perfect Daddy, not an unexpected pregnancy, none of it. Yes, having the baby might slow me down a little bit, but nothing was going to stop me from fulfilling my dreams, and now more than ever did I need to build my future. It wasn’t just about me anymore. I hugged my still-flat tummy and took a deep breath as I silently promised the little being inside of me that I would do everything in my power to give them the best life possible.
Up, showered, and getting ready. Book is in my bag. Thank you.
It was quick and to the point, but Theo was used to that from me. I was often too busy to engage in text conversations.
Good girl. Don’t forget breakfast. I’ll be in touch tonight. Have a good day.
Sighing, I tossed my phone in my bag and made sure my book actually was there, then I got dressed and left in time to go get my vitamins and grab breakfast from the cafeteria.
THEO
I stared at my phone, waiting for her response, but nothing came. It took some self-convincing to remind myself that the behavior was not unusual, but it didn’t ease my mind much. I’d spent the evening creating a plan for her, but I didn’t want to give it to her right away. If I knew Erin at all, and I liked to think I knew her pretty well, then she was thinking about what I was going to come up with, and it was giving her those little butterflies in her stomach that she loved so much. It would keep me in the forefront of her mind throughout the day, which I shouldn’t love as much as I fucking did, but I couldn’t help myself. After all, turnabout's fair play, isn’t it? She was constantly at the forefront of mine.
Leaning back in my office chair, I scrolled the document I’d been preparing to send over to her. It clearly spelled out rules and expectations, and had a list of questions I needed answered so that I could gauge what kinds of punishments she would be open- minded about and which were off the table. I desperately needed this arrangement to work for her for as long as she needed it, but also, I felt like the better it worked, the sooner she would want our full in-person dynamic back. And that was my ultimate goal.
“Hey Theo!” Nyla peeked her head in.
“Morning.”
“Whatcha working on?” She came in and made herself comfortable.
Closing my laptop, I folded my hands on top of it and quirked a brow at her. “Things.”
Rolling her eyes, she met my raised eyebrow with one of her own. “What kinda things?”
“Things that don’t involve nosey little besties. Do you need something from me?” I didn’t want to tell her about what was going on because there would be uncomfortable questions that I did not want to fucking answer.
On the other hand, having a submissive’s input on my plan might be helpful.
Well shit, what was a guy to do?
“Nope,” Nyla responded. “You’re just the only one here and I feel like we haven’t chatted in forever. You’ve been kinda…. absent.”
“I’ve been here every day.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”
I did know. I’d pretty much been an insufferable asshole and kept to myself as much as possible, even going so far as closing my office door, which none of us usually did because there really was no reason. Hell, there was a time when we all just worked in the conference room. We’d all have our laptops and the table would have a full spread of food for us to graze on. I missed those days.
I sighed. Nyla had been one of my closest friends for a long time, and I knew I could trust her. “I do know, and I’m sorry. If I tell you a little bit, would you be able to handle keeping the information to yourself and not asking me a million questions? Because I really could use your advice.”
“How do I give advice without questions?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Okay, you can ask some questions, but I am not promising I’ll answer all of them.”