Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
Paul’s disposition stiffened at my response. There was almost this faint look of surprise wrapped in his expression. The corner of his mouth started to curve upward, causing my whole body to tense.
“Oh, come on, Kitty-Cat. You don’t mean that,” he said. “I know things have been a little difficult between us, but we can go back together and work them out.”
“I said ‘no,’ Paul.”
“Caterina—”
“I am not going back with you,” I told him. “In fact, I’m not going anywhere with you. Ever!”
I noticed Paul taking a small step forward and moving to reach for my hand. But I quickly yanked myself back before he got the chance to actually grab ahold of me.
“Don’t touch me,” I hissed weakly.
All those emotions I’d been fighting to keep suppressed since the moment I saw him again were rushing back like a tidal wave. I felt nauseous… scared… angry. I thought of all that wasted time I had spent thinking that he was a good person, believing that he would change and that the pain would stop. But it never did.
None of Paul’s actions seemed to register with his intentions. Right after I pulled my hand back, the man proceeded to move even closer with the intention of hugging me. I swiftly lifted my hands up and pressed against the planes of his chests.
“Paul, no. Stop!”
I heard the front door behind me rip open, along the startling sound of Anna tromping through the doorway.
“Hey, asshole. She said no,” she seethed.
I quickly stepped back and raised my arm up to keep Anna from bulldozing Paul off the front steps of the porch. If there was still time to prevent a complete scene from happening, I was going to do everything in my power to ensure it.
But out of the corner of my eye, I saw another dark figure emerging from between the parked cars.
Elio?
‘Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,’ I cursed to myself.
As if things really couldn’t get any worse, Elio stormed up the main path with a murderous look in eyes. Knowing him, he had probably seen everything that transpired between Paul and me.
His voice was low and rough in his throat. “What the hell is going on?” he asked angrily.
I let out a long breath. “Nothing I can’t handle, Elio. Alright?” I tried to tell him.
For a brief flicker of a moment, I truly thought that I’d successfully defused the situation. But then Paul had to go ahead and open his big mouth.
He took a decent step back and gave a long look at Elio, like he was sizing him up or something. His nasty smirk returned, and he spoke.
“So, what are you, like her uncle or something?” He stole a glance back at me and chuckled. “Is he the one who you’re trying to replace me with? He’s a bit old for you, isn’t he?”
I could easily tell from the way Elio turned to glare at Paul that he was majorly pissed. Never taking his eyes off Paul, Elio moved to plant himself between him and me.
“If I was, wouldn’t it be a good idea not to get on my bad side?” Elio bit out.
Paul merely smiled, acting unbothered by Elio’s remake and growing anger. Apart from letting his fists fly against those who were physically weaker than him, Paul was not someone to pick a fight, especially when it was clear that odds were heavily set against him.
Thankfully, he was smart enough to keep quiet because Elio was, without a doubt, one more smart comment away from decking Paul in the face.
Without a word, Paul left. For the first time within the hour, I could finally allow myself to breathe again properly. Unfortunately, I was now left to deal with an upset Anna and fairly pissed-off Elio.
As all three of us made our way back inside, I heard my phone ring. I looked down to steal a private glance at my phone screen. My heart lurched in my chest when I saw that I’d received a message from Paul.
‘I’m not going anywhere.’
*Caterina*
“Hey, honey. Can you help me in the kitchen for a second?” my mom called from the bottom of the staircase. Her voice echoed down the hall and into my bedroom, where I’d just about finished getting ready for the evening.
I slipped my earnings on and stuck my head out of the bedroom door.
“I’ll be right there!”
A quiet, private night in with just my mom and Elio was exactly what I needed after the unexpected drama that had taken place a few nights ago.
Aside from the unwanted visit of a certain someone, Anna and I thought that our dinner party was a great success. After Paul made the wise choice to leave without causing any further trouble, when the three of us entered the house, only a few of the guests turned their heads in question about Elio’s sudden appearance. But no one made any real fuss about it.
Elio, on the other hand, proceeded to stick closely by my side for the remainder of the night. I could tell from the worrisome, aggravated look in his eyes that he wanted answers. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to know what was going on between Paul and me. And in all honesty, I had no objection to talking about it—well, most of it.
In any case, I shoved Paul and our unfortunate past to the back of my mind. I gave myself one last look in the mirror above my dresser. Unlike the dinner party, I purposely dressed down my attire significantly by opting for a soft sweater and dark jeans. I let my hair remain down and went with just a simple palette of makeup.
As part of my small family’s holiday tradition, it was Christmas Eve and my mother, Elio, and I would all exchange gifts among ourselves before our big family Christmas the following day. It was probably one of the few times growing up when Elio and I didn’t go at each other’s throats. It was as though we would call a silent truce and we’d act civil.
Only this year, I knew things were going to feel different… much different.
I made my way down to the kitchen, where I saw Mother looming over a large roasting pan. My body instinctively glanced around to see if Elio had already shown up. It wouldn’t be the first time that he’d slipped through the doors and stuck to the shadows of the house without my notice. But when I truly couldn’t find any sign of him, I found myself feeling a bit peeved.
My mother glanced over her shoulder and gave me a questionable look.
“Is something the matter, dear?” she asked.
I gave a reassuring smile and gently shook my head. “No, it’s nothing,” I told her. “I’m just surprised to not find Elio here already.”
She laughed under her breath. “Funny you should mention that. He called me not too long ago. He said he’d get here as soon as he could. Work must really be piling up for him at the office.”
I nodded my head and went to take out a few plates and silverware. I began setting the table while my mind wandered back over to the night of the dinner party.
I couldn’t have been more thankful at the fact that my mother hadn’t witnessed the scene that took place on our front porch. She must have been stuck somewhere toward the back of the house. Regardless, she was still able to remain ignorant to the situation I’d gotten myself into.
My mother would have tried to handle the situation, but God only knew what would have happened then. My stomach coiled at the mere thought, although a sudden disturbing notion came to mind that made my blood run cold—would Elio try to bring up the encounter with Paul tonight while we were all together?
‘Jesus Christ, I hope not,’ I thought uneasily to myself.
Elio and I hadn’t spoken or seen each other since the dinner party. So, I never really got a chance to tell him to keep the whole issue on the down-low. Considering it was Christmas, maybe there was a chance that he’d completely overlook it and we could pretend that it never happened.
‘Yeah, fat chance of that happening, Cat,’ I scolded myself.
If anyone was going to beat the hell out of the situation, it was going to be Elio. This was no one else’s business to deal with except me. While my mother focused on her cooking behind me, I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a long breath.
Granted, I was thankful for Elio’s presence at the time, but I wanted to handle my own battles. I needed people to realize that I wasn’t just some weak, defenseless woman who needed to be saved. But I wasn’t going to lie to myself either.
The way Elio stood up for me against Paul’s harassment made me buzz with excitement. The man looked too hot for his own good as his features darkened and his muscles flexed under his clothes.