Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>
Sagging my shoulders, I shrugged. “Tally will be back at it soon, and I really want to get my things out before she comes back. I don’t want to risk her trying to keep my things or throw them out.”
“She wouldn’t do that—”
Glaring at him, I gave him a doubtful look, and he sighed and slowly put me down. “Okay, maybe she would.”
As much as I would have loved to be able to spend the rest of the days James had here wrapped in bed with him, it wasn’t possible. At least not until I was done getting set up in this new apartment.
It was an apartment I knew Tally would be jealous of because this was so much better than the apartment I had shared with her.
With the keys to my apartment in my back pocket, we walked back downstairs. James laced his fingers within mine as we headed out of the building towards his car.
Had someone told me a few weeks ago I would have been in this situation, I would have laughed at them. Now, I was living it. I couldn’t get enough, and the feelings I had for James grew every waking minute I was with him.
“We are going to make a few stops after we go to Tally’s,” James said when we climbed into the sleek, black sedan.
“Where too?” I asked with curiosity as James pulled out of the parking spot and made his way towards the main road.
“Well, we will go over to the apartment, and anything you want packed up to go to the new apartment, I will have you place in your room. I texted my secretary earlier and told her to have a moving company meet us there.”
Moving company? “Why would a moving company be meeting us there?”
“Well, because it will be easier for them to pack your things while I take you to go somewhere more fun,” he replied as if I didn’t get a say in the matter.
“I’m not sure how I feel about someone else touching my private and personal things, James. It feels so invasive.”
The majority of my clothing, and everything was with me in my suitcases, but I still had things at the apartment I didn’t want anyone messing with. It was one more thing that was so different about our worlds.
James didn’t see any issue with it, but I… I found it weird.
“Seriously? They are just packing and moving. They aren’t going to be going through every little thing that you own, Becca. Trust me, I have done this many times.”
Deciding not to argue with him, I nodded my head and sat quietly. Going shopping with James did sound fun, and this was just something small I would have to learn to adjust to. The last thing I wanted to do was waste time when he was leaving soon.
An hour later, I was waving goodbye to a very sweet woman and her husband who owned a private moving company. I had given her the rundown on everything that was to go, and she had assured me she would treat everything as her own.
I didn’t want to admit it to James, but I felt better about it all after I spoke to the woman. “Are you ready to go?” James asked as I walked towards the car.
“Yeah, where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see,” he replied with a grin as we climbed back into his car.
The flow of the day had gone from zero to a hundred and back to zero in no time. James wasn’t acting as he did when I was in Miami, but then again, things differed from what they were now.
As the car pulled away, and James stepped onto the gas, I couldn’t help but wonder how different my future would be with James than if I hadn’t ever met him. James wanted me for the indefinite future, and the love I had for him was strong.
Yet, growing up, this wasn’t the future I had imagined for myself, and I had a feeling, when I finished school, James was going to push to have me move down south.
Not that it was a bad thing, but it was something I wasn’t sure about yet.
Something made me hesitate, because whereas James was old enough to be my dad, I was still young and had so much of the world to explore.
“Can I talk to you about something?” I whispered as we drove down the road headed to god knows where.
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“Well, I was wondering what the plan is after I graduate.” The question slipped out hesitantly, but it had been on my mind since the night I spent with him two days ago.
How would this work, and honestly, what did he want with me in the future?
Turning the wheel, James pulled the car into a massive furniture store parking lot and found a space. He didn’t respond to the question right away, but I had a feeling whatever he was going to say was something that I may not like.
“Are you changing your mind about us?” he asked as he turned his gaze towards me.
“What…? No! Of course, not.”
With bewilderment, I stared at him, trying to understand why he said that. Nothing about what I asked said I was changing my mind. I just simply wanted clarification.
“That’s good because I don’t want to lose you,” he replied as he took my hand in his and kissed the back of it slowly. “I don’t know where the future will go, but I do hope that after you graduate, we can work more towards our future together.”
“Marriage… kids. The whole shebang?” I laughed, watching as his face froze for a moment, and his own chuckle came forth. I didn’t miss the way he seemed to not take to the idea of marriage or kids.
It was something I wanted with my future, and if he didn’t want it, I didn’t know if I could adjust to the idea to make sure I stayed with him. It would mean giving up everything I had hoped to have one day.
“We will talk about it when the time comes, Becca. For now, let’s go shopping.”
Becca.
If I had to describe how the current set of events were going with James, I would have to describe them as odd. Two days had passed with flying colors, and James and I did the things normal couples would do. Shopping, sex, and so on.
Yet, it was different from how it was before. It didn’t feel the same, and I wasn’t sure why.
Standing in my kitchen, I looked around at my new apartment. Furniture deliveries came late yesterday, and boxes from the movers still lined the walkways. I had a lot to do to get set up, but I was missing one very important aspect.
James Valentino.
Twenty minutes ago, I was shedding tears because he was telling me he had to leave. Twenty minutes ago, I was going through a rush of emotions, trying to reassure myself we could make this work and that everything was going to be okay. Twenty minutes ago, everything changed.
The moment he walked out of my front door after kissing me goodbye, I burst into tears, wanting to run after him, telling him to come back. It was in that specific moment I questioned who the hell I was.
Never in my damn life had a man made me feel that way, and when I slapped myself back into reality and had a ‘what the f*ck’ kind of moment, I realized I needed help.
“Get your shit together, Becca,” I murmured to myself, trying to come to terms with James being gone and me being a strong independent woman who didn’t need anyone.
At least that was what I told myself repeatedly.
My phone ringing had me jumping at the chance to answer it. I wasn’t sure if I hoped it was James saying he was coming back or perhaps just the need to talk to someone. “Hello?”
“Becca, it’s Allegra. How are you doing?”
Her voice brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes. “It’s going okay, I guess. James just left and is heading back south.”
“I bet he is after the shit this morning,” she laughed.
“What do you mean? Did something happen?” A slowly growing pit in my stomach rose at the sound of Allegra’s comment. Was there more going on than I knew?
“Oh, damn babe. Did he not tell you?” Allegra sighed. “You need to check your phone. You have made national news, sweetie.”
What the f*ck?! I screamed internally as my breathing came in rapidly and I fumbled with my remote to turn on the television. As soon as the screen turned on, there was a photo of James and I together inside of the covention with smiles on our faces.
The caption read, “Mystery woman snags Millionaire.”
“Oh, f*ck me!” I cried out. “It even has that I go to Yale, Allegra. How the hell would they even know?”
“The paparazzi have been after James’ love life for a while up in New York. Not long after he and Allison split, James was seeing this woman for like two months. Everyone assumed he had an affair with that woman, and that’s why he and Allison got divorced. Of course, we all know the truth, but the paparazzi ate it up, and so did the media.”
“So you’re f*cking telling me I’m their new target?! I’m not even in New York!” I cried out in disgust. Why the hell had he not told me that before he left this morning?
“Calm down, Becca,” Allegra said. “It’s not a big deal. In a few days, they will be on to something else, and you won’t have to worry about anything.”
As wonderful as that sounded, I doubted that being true. Taking a moment to sit upon my soft sectional, I curled up with my cashmere blanket and tried to let this sink in. It would not be that bad.
“At least they don’t know where I live,” I said with a sigh of exhaustion.
“Oh, they can find that out if they want to. Lucky for you, Neal put you in a building where your floor can only be accessed with a key card.”
“No, he didn’t,” I said, with confusion. “I didn’t use a key card for anything.”
Silence filled the conversation and slowly fear filled within me. “Does this mean they will try to break in or something? I mean, what do I do?”
A knock on my front door froze me to my spot in the living room. I couldn’t move, and could barely breathe, terrified of who was on the other side. “Mrs. Wood. It’s Kevin, the building manager. I’m just dropping something off to you.”
“Becca, go answer the damn door,” Allegra said in my ear as I slowly slid from my place, and made my way towards the front door. Peering out the peephole, I could see that, in fact, it was the building manager standing there, waiting for me.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stood smiling at him with my phone to my ear. “How can I help you?”
“I was told to give this keycard to you. From now on, there are new measurements with the security of the building. Doors and elevators to this floor are only accessible with a keycard.”
Kevin wasn’t a pleasant man. He had a disposition about him that made me question if I was in trouble by the way he stared at me. “Oh… thank you.”
“Yes, well, it’s clear to see who has favoritism here. Don’t make this a habit,” he sneered as he rolled his eyes dramatically and turned and walked down the hallway.
Standing shocked, I could hear Allegra laughing on the other end of the line, but I wasn’t laughing because it was only my third day in the apartment and already I was being bitched at.
Closing the door, I locked it and sighed into the receiver. “I don’t think that guy likes me.”
“It honestly doesn’t sound like he does, but I see Neal got those keycards after all.”
“Allegra,” I groaned, running my hand over my face. “Can we focus, please?”
“Alright, what has you worked up? I mean, this will all blow over soon.”