It didn’t take long to hear back, and the long list of suspicious activity from Anna had my worry doubling. Not that I cared that she had a past, but why did she do those things to begin with? Who put her in a situation where she had to con her way across the country? Did I even care if she was running a con on me? I sat back in my chair and thought it over for about two seconds. It didn’t matter if she cleaned out my bank account, I’d write her a check if she asked for it.
Maybe that’s naïve, but I’ve been around the business world a long time, and I’ve seen the type of people who wanted to take advantage of me. Anna isn’t doing it to support a lavish lifestyle or to hurt people; she’s only trying to do what she can to raise her daughter. As a father, I don’t fault her, and I would probably do the same if I was in her shoes.
My concern is that if Apollo feels anything for Celeste like what I feel for Anna, he’ll turn his back on his future.
There’s also this secret part of my heart that longed for more children, even though I never allowed that to become a possibility. Having a daughter would complete that missing piece, but I’m terrified of what it will cost me. What if she turns Apollo against me? What if I invest my love in Celeste and she breaks Apollo’s heart? What if she does to him what Heather did to me? I didn’t love Heather, but she left me with a child who longed for a mother that didn’t want him. I had to be the one to answer him every time he asked why he didn’t have a mom. That’s not anything I would ever wish on my son.
With all of that heavy on my shoulders, I talked to him before the party and did my best to explain that he needed to have his fun and end it before it went too far. I’m a grown man, and I can deal with Anna and what she’s after. I won’t allow Apollo to do the same.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Apollo stand and then embrace a young woman. When he releases her, I see it’s Celeste, and for a second I watch my son. The way his eyes light up and the way he looks at her is nothing I’ve seen in him before. The worry I have doubles as the two of them disappear into the crowd.
When I glance at the entrance, I’m stunned still as I see Anna walking inside, her head held high and looking like she belongs here. She does. I excuse myself from the group of people talking to me but don’t wait for them to reply. Instead, I go right to Anna and take her by the hand, pulling her behind me.
“Well, hi to you too,” she sasses, and I grit my teeth.
Leading her down a long hallway, I open the first door on the left. It’s a storage room, but I don’t give a fuck. I need to be alone with her.
“Rory, what are you—”
Her question is cut off when I pin her against the door and press my body to hers. “Enough,” I say as I look down at her deep purple dress and how it clings to her heavy curves. “Did you wear this to torment me?”
“Yes.” She doesn’t even try to deny it.
“What do you want?” It’s a loaded question, and I don’t even know what I’m asking for. “Tell me, and you can have it.”
Her lips part, and her eyes are uncertain as she stares at me. “Rory, I don’t know what you mean.”
“Do you have any idea how badly I want you?” My hands move to her hips and around to her ass. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make you mine.”
She gasps as I grind my cock against her, and I swoop down, stealing her breath. When my lips press to hers, I groan so loudly it rumbles between us. She’s soft against me, and I want nothing more than to rip away the clothes that separate us so I can plunge into her molten heat.
The sound she makes when I break the kiss has me harder than ever. Kneeling down between her legs, I push her dress up and order her to hold it. She does as I ask, and in one swift move, I have her panties down around her knees and my face in her cunt.
She’s sweet softness between her thighs, and I lick the insides to clean up her messy desire. My body shakes with need, but it’s not for my own pleasure. I have to make her cum, have to mark her as mine. My need to stake my claim is burning all over, and if I don’t do it now, I might just die.