Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>
The frustration was obvious in his eyes. James was angry, and I wasn’t sure what he was going to do. “I see. Did she say what she was going to do?”
James met my glance and laughed, shaking his head. “Oh, she did, but I’m not repeating that.”
“Why not?” I asked with confusion, watching him down what was in his glass and pour another before walking towards the sofa to take a seat.
“Because I don’t want you worrying about it.”
Everything he said made perfect sense. It wouldn’t surprise me, honestly, if Tally was the one who had been spreading these vicious rumors around. I hadn’t caught wind of them until the day before, and only because Allegra came to me and told me the things she had heard.
I was concerned. This was exactly the thing I didn’t want to happen, and even though I was down in Miami, I worried it was going to get back to my school or even my father.
“Is there a way to get her to stop? You know that Allison and Tally are the ones doing this.”
James nodded his head. “There is a way to get her to stop. I can cut the relationship with you and send you back to New York under the declaration you were never to return and cause a fool of yourself in Miami again…”
My eyes widened in shock hearing what he said, but before I could open my mouth, he held his finger up to tell me to wait.
“… or I can simply give her hush money and continue our relationship, but then I would literally be giving her money until the day she dies.”
It was absolutely atrocious she was handing him these demands. “That’s enough, James. There’s no way you can continue to let her keep acting this way. I told you the separation would have been good for us. That you doing your thing would have prevented all these issues, and now the one thing I didn’t want to happen is happening. Can you see the implications this brings?”
“Of course I can, but instead of sitting there thinking nothing can be done, I’m over here fighting for the relationship I want with you,” he snapped with irritation.
None of it made sense to me, and as he called it a relationship, I couldn’t help but feel my heart break because this was not a relationship to him.
He didn’t want Allison dictating to him what he could and couldn’t do, and every day there were little things he did that made me see that.
Walking towards him, I took a seat, trying to consider what I was going to do. If I continued going the route I was, things were going to escalate and get worse.
If I called it off now and packed my things, I could be on the first flight in the morning back up to Yale to get my life situated there.
I still had three weeks before school was back in session, and even though all of this was going on, it would be the perfect time to find a new apartment because I doubted Tally was going to still want to share an apartment with me after everything.
“James, perhaps we should just call this quits. Look at how things are going. It’s chaotic, and everything is a mess. Even though we’re able to be ourselves here, we’re still hiding in the shadows for fear of what Allison or Tally would do, and that was exactly what you said that you didn’t want.”
James hesitated for a moment and quickly shook his head no. “I will not give in to them. In fact, I was going to let you know I have a gala coming up, and I would love for you to go with me.”
“A gala?” I questioned, raising my brow, curious to know more. “What exactly is the gala for?”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a black card with gold foiled letters on it.
The card read Royals Gala. Celebration of Miami.
“Will there be a lot of the prominent society people you work with here?” I asked with slight hesitation. I wasn’t sure that would be the place for me to go.
“Yes, there will be, but that’s the point. I don’t want to hide you. I want to share it with you.” The look in James’s eyes was genuine. I could tell he was being completely honest, but it still made me worry.
A high society gala meant Allison and Tally were going to be there. Anything with the words fancy and high society screamed for Allison and Tally’s attention.
“When is this gala?” I asked him, finally caving into the idea after taking a moment to think about it.
“It’s this Friday. Do you think you’ll be able to find a dress by then?”
Grinning, I shook my head, giving a small laugh. “Are you kidding… with Allegra, she would have me ready tomorrow if I asked it of her.”
James smiled, pulling me closer to him. “I keep forgetting she is only down the hall from here.”
“Yeah, she is. Since I crashed at her place, she comes by and sees me often, not that I’m complaining.”
His lips brushed against mine softly as he stared down at me. I wasn’t sure what this was, but a part of me liked to think we were more than we were.
“How are we going to deal with Allison?” I whispered, as I looked at him for answers.
I wanted him to tell me everything was going to be okay. I wanted him to guarantee me she would not tarnish my reputation and would eventually give up on everything.
However, something deep inside me told me she wouldn’t ever let this go. This woman was ten times worse than Tally, and that meant she could probably hold a grudge like no tomorrow.
“I will handle it. Don’t you worry about a thing. I won’t let her hurt you.”
His words were comforting, but no matter the unproclaimed promise, I couldn’t help but feel as if my future was slipping from my hands.
Was I being a fool to think normal was possible?
The next day, I shopped with Allegra. One store to another, she had me in the search of the perfect dress. The only problem was, I wanted to go back to the apartment and hide behind closed doors.
This was the one part of town Tally frequented often.
High-end boutiques. Gourmet coffee shops. Fancy restaurants. I was out of place.
“Oh, my god. Stop worrying,” Allegra groaned for the hundredth time. “If we run into them, who cares? They can’t do anything to you.”
“I know, I know. I just don’t want a confrontation with them,” I sighed as I tried to contain my emotions. “It’s hard, ya know…”
“Actually, I don’t,” she admitted with a laugh. “I don’t take shit from anyone, and I don’t date. I like to f*ck around too much, and swinger parties are way more fun.”
“So, are you going to tell me you don’t want a family or kids?” I asked her with a raised brow. “I saw how much you fawned over your cousin’s new baby the other day…”
Allegra went silent for a moment and nodded her head. “I wish I could, but I can’t.”
I was quiet for a moment as I took in what she said. “Oh, Allegra…”
It made sense now, to be honest. Allegra couldn’t have kids.
“It’s okay,” she replied, waving it off. “I came to terms with it years ago. I was in a car accident when I was a teenager, and a shard of glass ended up in my abdomen. It was so deep, it damaged my uterus, and they had to take it out to stop the bleeding.”
I was shocked at the admission. I had never realized someone like her could have gone through something horrific like that. Allegra was a kind person, and to know her life changed at such an early age was horrible.
“I’m so sorry, Allegra,” I whispered as we stopped outside another shop.
She turned to me with a small smile and shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t be. It just means that I’m meant to do something else. Fate has a purpose for me, and one day I will figure it out.”
With the last of her words, we entered the store and began looking around. I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to wear to a gala event, but all the dresses in this store were more than I would pay on rent up north.
“Holy shit.” I looked at a price tag. “These are expensive.”
Allegra glanced over at the tag I was looking at and smiled. “Actually, that’s decently priced.”
“Five thousand is decently priced?!” I exclaimed. “That’s outrageous.”
Laughter escaped her throat as she pulled a deep emerald green dress from a rack.
“I guess it’s a good thing you’re not paying for it then. Now here, go try this on.”
Sighing, I took the dress and made my way towards the changing area. A pretty blonde Allegra knew let me into a dressing room, and as I slid the dress on, I heard a voice I had hoped I wouldn’t.
It was Tally, and she wasn’t alone.
“I hope this event isn’t like it was last year,” Tally remarked from another stall.
“I’m sure it will be better. Perhaps we can find you a nice, rich husband there, Tally,” her mother added on, causing Tally to scoff.
“I already have a man, Mother.”
“Oh, do you? Do you mean that northern boy you can’t stop texting?” Allison snapped.
Northern boy? Who the hell was Tally seeing from up north?
Slipping on the dress, I admired myself in the mirror, hoping to get through this as quickly as possible without them knowing I was here. However, luck wasn’t on my side as Allegra called out to me.
“Becca, will you hurry up and show me already?”
Shit. Why does fate hate me so much?
Stepping from the stall, Allegra took me in and smiled, but the sound of opening stalls made her smile fall. I knew who it was behind me without turning around, and taking a deep breath, I pushed back my nerves and stared at myself in the mirror.
The best thing to do was to ignore them.
At least that was what I was trying to do.
“Are you f*cking kidding me?” Tally said from behind me as I continued to admire the dress. It fit snug to my body, and the back dropped low with a high slit up one side.
It was beautiful, and the way it fit me made me feel beautiful.
“Excuse you!” Tally shrieked, causing me to turn and glance over my shoulder at her.
“Yes?” I asked, as if her speaking to me didn’t faze me at all. “Did you need something?”
She stood there in a black and purple dress with her mother in a red one. Both of them were furious at the sight of me. “What the f*ck are you doing in a place like this?”
Glancing over at Allegra, I saw the anger in her eyes. She was not pleased with how they were speaking to me, and neither was I, but this was the last place I was going to start something.