Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
“Say it again,” he demanded softly.
The corners of my mouth curved upward. “I love you, Elio Valentino, so, so much,” I cried out.
From there on out, Elio threw at me everything he had. A few seconds later my entire body was buzzing as my climax sent me spiraling over the edge and my vision turned white.
The next thing I knew, Elio was pulling the bed covers around us. Together, our bodies remained intertwined as the need for sleep became too much to fight.
My eyes slowly started to flutter closed, and the day came to a surprising end.
***
I wasn’t entirely sure what time it was when my eyes finally opened the next morning. The sun streaked through the thin curtains on the windows and illuminated the room. The first thing I noticed was the various pieces of discarded clothing that littered the floor.
The unexpected, warm feeling of Elio’s arms wrapped protectively around me made me think back to the previous night’s events. A small smile began to pull my mouth.
‘Elio told me that he was in love with me last night,’ I thought happily.
Regardless of the time, I was more than happy to lay around relishing the intimacy for just a bit longer. But I heard the unmistakable sound of someone coming up the stairs. Before I could do anything, the door to my room opened, and in walked my mother, whose eyes grew wide in disbelief.
My heart vaulted into my throat as I shot up in bed.
“Oh, my God! Mom!” I screamed out.
“Sorry!”
She quickly grabbed the doorknob and made a hasty retreat into the hallway.
Due to the sudden meltdown, Elio was now fully awake as well. The two of us quickly gathered our clothes in awkward silence and got ready to head downstairs. I bit the inside of my cheek with worry as we descended the stairs to find my mom waiting for us in the kitchen.
She handed each of us a coffee mug and waited patiently for either of us to begin talking. I cleared my throat and started from the beginning. I admitted to having kissed Elio first and how we sort of took our time to come to terms with our feelings for each other.
“I was the one who suggested that we keep our relationship on the down-low,” Elio confessed.
“Are you mad that we didn’t tell you?” I asked nervously.
Throughout the whole conversation, my mom’s expression remained calm. She set her mug down and spoke softly. “I’m not mad, Cat. Frankly, I’m just glad that everything is out in the open between all of us now,” she said. “I can’t very well be mad when I kept things from you for so long.”
Elio and I both shared a breath of relief.
My mother stepped forward and pulled me into a reassuring hug. “I’m very happy for you two.” She pulled back only to glance at the clock. “Oh, I need to get a move on if I’m going to make it to work on time.”
She slipped out of the kitchen, and I then turned to glance at Elio. A charming smile played on his lips.
“Would you be interested in spending the day in the city with me today?” he asked.
My eyes lit up with excitement, and I quickly nodded and went back to my room to grab my bag. As my mother headed in her own direction, Elio and I made off toward the other.
He parked the car on some random side street and from there, we walked hand in hand. I had very little idea as to where he wanted to take me. But the second my eye caught the street sign that read ‘Wilshire Boulevard,’ I nearly jumped out of my shoes.
It was the beginning of our self-guided art tour through the area. Murals of all sizes and stunning colors lined the buildings and walkways. We stopped several times to gaze at some of the magnificent pieces that almost brought me to tears.
It was wonderful. Each piece was as stunning and interesting as the one before it. At some point during our excursion, Elio made the great decision to stop somewhere to eat. But knowing that I still wanted to continue our walkthrough, we decided to stop at a local Thai food stall that was known for their coconut curry noodles and Thai fried rice.
When our feet were too sore for us to go any further, we headed back to the car. I couldn’t stop smiling. The day had been incredible.
“Thank you so much for today, Elio.”
A warm smile curved on his lips as I leaned over the seats and kissed his cheek.
“I’m glad you had fun. I loved exploring this part of the city with you. We’ll have to do it again—”
He was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. Elio’s brows pulled together as he reached for it. My stomach twisted with worry as Alessandro’s name appeared across the screen on the dash of his car.
*Elio*
‘Why is Alessandro calling me?’ I asked myself.
I was so happy Cat had agreed to spend the day out with me. Having driven through L.A. nearly on a daily basis and seeing all the incredible artwork on display, I just knew that it would be right up her alley.
There were multiple points throughout yesterday’s disaster that truly had me thinking that things were over between us.
That conversation I’d been having with Matilde was not meant to be heard beyond those four walls. And the look that Caterina gave us haunted me for hours. It was a mixture of pure disbelief laced with shattered betrayal.
When her eyes filled with tears and her brows knitted together in anguished confusion, I knew right then and there that there was no way of getting out of the truth. I’d spent so many years strategically keeping Cat hidden from the unsightly business that had clouded my family history, including that of her father’s.
There were numerous reasons why I’d never chosen to tell her about it. It was never my place, nor my business, to tell her. That, and I was strictly put in charge of watching over her. God only knew what could have happened had Cat found out any sooner.
Every nerve in my body was screaming out for me to follow her when she left the house. But I knew that would have done more harm than good in the end. Granted, I’d tried calling her to at least know where she’d ended up.
When she refused to answer any of my calls, my anxiety practically hit the ceiling. I knew in the back of my mind that Cat went to see her friend Anna, but I was raised never to make loose assumptions.
Cat needed space. And I’d been in no position to deny her that.
Although, when she finally returned home, at least half of my anxiety had disappeared. All that really remained was exhaustion and a heavy dose of guilt.
I knew she was hurt. Hell, I’d anticipated her arrival to be filled with anger and fury. I expected to be yelled at and cursed out, regardless of her mother’s presence.
But no.
She returned to the house calm and collected. She confronted the two of us with a firm, almost grim, behavior that left me shocked and severely displaced. I didn’t know how to handle such a version of her. But Cat was direct and straight to the point in her argument.
My heart slammed in my chest when she forced me to step back in her living room. She’d spoken her peace and was looking to retreat to her room. I should’ve let her be at that moment, but my body had other plans.
I didn’t want her to leave the room on such a solemn note. I wanted to comfort her—to pull her into my arms and promise that nothing would ever hurt her again.
As if I had the power to make such a promise… but I was still willing to try.
I let her go, nonetheless. But still a large part of me was too nervous that she’d wake up the next day and rethink our entire relationship. So, I’d waited for her mother to leave her room in order for a real chance to talk with her. Of course, any plans of talking were immediately altered when I saw just how distraught she looked. Her eyes were puffy and red from all the tears she’d been crying.
‘It’s my fault,’ I thought bitterly to myself. ‘I made her feel this way.’
I hadn’t initially intended to tell Cat about how deep my feelings ran for her. One moment we were talking about the shadows of my past, and the next thing I knew I was divulging how much I loved her. I didn’t want it to sound like some cheap plea to get her to listen to me. I meant every word of it.
Before my eyes even fully closed, I planned this whole day out and centered it specifically around Cat. I knew she’d love the art district and I wanted to make her feel happy after such a horrible day prior. But now my time with her was being rudely interrupted.