Daddy’s Orders (Silver Fox Daddies)

It was her scent.

It was day two of Emily living at the mansion, and though I’d only seen her in passing, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. She flitted through the house like a spirit, the only traces of her being a vanishing glimpse around a corner, or her laugh echoing down the hall.

But most of all, it was her scent that drove me wild.

I’d step into a room and it would be there, lingering in the air, that faint aroma of lilacs and lavender and something sweet. I didn’t know if she wore perfume, but something told me it wasn’t that—it was something more natural.

On one hand, I was relieved that the estate was big enough where I could go an extended period of time without seeing her. After all, how the hell would I be expected to get any work done with such a distraction? On the other hand, I found myself strangely… missing her. I couldn’t think of the last time I’d so keenly felt a woman’s absence. Typically, it was the other way around—women with whom I’d had brief flings trying their best to get me to make time for them.

Being on the other side of such a situation was odd. Minutes ticked by as I watched the waves roll in, the third floor of my office affording a sweeping view of the water and sand below, all the way to St. Thomas in the far distance.

A knock sounded at my door, the noise snapping me out of my daydreaming. The firm rapping let me know right away that Roberto was there.

“Come in.”

The door opened, Roberto silently stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. His expression was blank and impassive, all business.

Something was up. I straightened in my seat and gestured for him to take one of the chairs across from me. Roberto sat down, placing his hands on his knees and sitting up straight, as if awaiting my command.

“You wanted to speak with me?” I asked.

“I did. I’ll get right to the point. My men have spotted a strange boat that we believe has been making circles around the island. I don’t like the looks of it.”

“A boat? What kind of boat?”

He leaned over, reaching into his bag and taking out a manilla folder. He rose and set it on the desk. I wasted no time opening it and taking a look inside.

The folder contained five photos. The craft looked to be mostly inconspicuous, a simple motorboat that appeared to me like a United States Coast Guard vessel.

“Coast Guard?”

Roberto shook his head. “That’s what they want you to think. Look closer. Look at the men on the ship, and the identifying markers.”

Holding the pictures in front of me, I brought them closer to my face. A knowing grin spread as I noticed what he was referring to. The logo, which at first glance appeared to be that of the Coast Guard, was actually quite different, but almost impossible to tell when one glimpsed it. The crew’s aviator glasses made them look like Coast Guard members, but their casual clothes gave away that they were anything but.

“Hard to tell right away, right? It was only thanks to one of the men who was able to spot that the logo was off that I even noticed it. I gave the real Coast Guard a call, but the boat was long gone before they showed up.”

I tossed the pictures onto my desk, sitting back and weaving my hands together over my middle.

“So, we’ve got a boat impersonating the Coast Guard, trying to get close enough to scope us out.”

“That’s right. You thinking what I’m thinking?”

I let out a snort. “Marone.” The name hung in the air like a bad smell as I thought the matter over. “Alright. First of all, who was the staff member that spotted the boat?”

“Esteban.”

“Give him a thousand dollar bonus. That’s the kind of work I want to see rewarded.”

“Consider it done.”

I tapped the desk in consideration. “No doubt Marone’s scoping us out. I had a feeling he was going to pull something. Just didn’t think he’d do it so soon.”

“The girl?” Roberto asked. “You think she’s in on it?”

“My gut says no.” I glanced out the window for a long moment before turning my attention back to Roberto. “What’s your take on this?”

“Someone’s doing recon—of that I have no doubt. And they likely already have the information they were looking for. My suggestion is to make that information useless.”

“How do you mean?”

“I know a crew of five trustworthy security agents on St. Thomas. You give the word and I’ll have them here before the day’s out. We might not be able to stop Marone from trying anything, but we can sure as hell have a surprise waiting for him if he does.”

“Make it happen. Find out their rate and pay them that plus twenty percent. I want them here and eager to work.”

“You got it, jefe. And is there anything you want me to do about the girl? We’re going to be keeping a team close, especially if she goes to the beach or on a walk.”

“Do that. But give her as much space as you can. I don’t want her to feel like a prisoner.”

Roberto nodded. “Sure thing.” A small, knowing smirk appeared on his face. Roberto was the picture of professionalism, but now and then he’d let his more human side show. “Have to admit, jefe, I’m a little surprised that you’re not volunteering for personal bodyguard duty.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

He chuckled. “Just saying, couldn’t help but notice the tension between you two.”

I pursed my lips for a moment. “Let’s focus on the task at hand, Roberto.”

He laughed, rising from his seat and taking the folder off the desk. “I’ll take that as me being on the mark. Don’t worry—secret’s safe with me. That is, if you’re planning on keeping it a secret.”

Roberto chuckled, leaning forward and giving my desk a tap as he prepared to leave.

“I’ll keep you posted on any changes.”

I nodded, not saying a word as he turned to leave, shutting the door behind him. I sat in silence for a time once Roberto was gone. It wasn’t that I was upset that he’d pointed out the tension between Emily and me. Roberto and I had that kind of friendship—not to mention that it was his job to notice such things.

No. The issue was that I wasn’t keeping my feelings in check. It’d been not even two days since Emily and I had met and I was already letting too much slip. The worst part was that I wasn’t even sure how I felt. She was stunning, sure, but what else was there?

I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening in the office taking care of New York work matters, only breaking to spend a little time in the gym. Pearl brought my dinner to me in my office, as she so often did, and I quickly polished off my braised short ribs with my eyes on my computer monitor.

“You know,” Pearl had said when dropping off my food, “there’s a whole gorgeous dining room down there that doesn’t ever seem to get used. Hell, I’d be happy with you taking dinner in the nook even, instead of wolfing it down while working.”

I chuckled. “Nooks are a luxury that I don’t have time for. How’s our new guest?”

“Settling in nicely. And she’s already thick as thieves with Marianne.”

The statement sparked a bit of warmth in me. My sister might’ve had all she needed here on the island, but all the same I was pleased to know that she had some company other than her sketchbook and my staff.

“Great to hear.”

I’d gone back to work, the sun setting with wild colors over the ocean behind me as I finished up for the day. When seven rolled around, I made the executive decision that a ten hour workday was more than enough. I stood and stretched, trying to decide how to spend the rest of my evening, settling on a little time in the library with some whiskey and a good book.

I made my way down the stairs, the automatic lights of the hallway flicking on as I walked. It didn’t take long to reach the library on the second floor, and as I approached the door, I heard the sound of quiet conversation.

I drew closer to the door, finding myself hoping to find Emily in there. As I stepped inside the library, however, I only saw my sister. Marianne stood in front of one of the many tall shelves, moving her finger over the spines of the books placed there.

“Would she like this… maybe. Wait! She said that she’s barely read anything… I bet that means she hasn’t even read Harry Potter. Oh, that’s such a good idea.”

I smiled, watching Marianne zip here and there, plucking books off the shelf and tucking them into the huge stack under her arm. My sister often spoke aloud to herself, it was her way of keeping her thoughts in order. I was content to watch her for a time, but when she put one book too many under her arm and nearly dropped the whole stack, I hurried into the library to help her.

“Easy there, sis,” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder and using the other to steady the books. “Looks like you’re biting off more than you can chew.”

Marianne blushed, an innocent, bashful expression appearing on her face, the smile that always reminded me that she was different.

“Sorry, Ev,” she said. “Just got a little excited, I guess.” Her eyes flashed. “It’s just that Emily said she’s barely read any books! Well, books like these, anyway.” She cocked her hip to the side and turned her arm, showing me the spines of the books.

I tried to get a sense of what they were. I took one off the top and examined the cover, which depicted a couple, both seeming to be no older than their late teens, in an embrace in front of a full moon. The boy’s eyes glowed a deep red, trees surrounding them.

“Wolf Fever,” I read aloud. “I don’t even want to know what this is about.”

Marianne grinned. “It’s so good. It’s about a girl who moves to the forest to escape her mean mom and gets protected by a pack of werewolves.”

I chuckled. “Classic literature, huh?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t make fun. Anyway, Emily should like these.”

“Are you taking them to her?”

Marianne gave a crisp, affirmative nod. “I sure am. But Emily said she’s a fast reader, so I figured that means I need to bring a lot.”

“How about something a little more sophisticated?” I asked, turning my attention to the shelves. “Ah, here we go, A Tale of Two Cities. Good book, not too hard to read.”

“Yeah, not hard for you, maybe. But didn’t you hear what I said? Emily wants romance stuff. She said she usually only reads old books when she’s not working on her own.”

That got my attention. “Her own what?”

“Her own book!” Marianne’s eyes flashed. “Oh, shoot. I wasn’t supposed to say anything about that.”

Too late, she already had my interest. “Emily’s working on her own book? What’s it about?”

Marianne shook her head. “No way. I already screwed up by telling you about it. I don’t want her to get mad at me.”

“I doubt she’d be mad at you, Mar.”

“Not going to work. When I promise to keep a secret, I keep it.” She turned back toward the shelf. “Oh! Nightwing Lover! She’ll love this one!”

Caught up in her excitement, she reached for the book so quickly that the stack under her arm became unbalanced, falling out of her grasp. I moved in quickly, grabbing the stack and squeezing it from the top and bottom to hold it in place.

“Oh, shoot!” Marianne regarded what had happened with wide eyes. “I almost dropped it!”

“Good thing big bro was here, huh?” I replied with a wink.

“Yeah, good thing! That would’ve been a huge mess.”

In that moment, a plan occurred to me that would allow me the chance to see the woman I’d been thinking about nearly nonstop for the last two days.

“How about this, Mar,” I began. “You’re taking these to Emily, right?”

“Right!”

“Then why don’t I help you? Grab whatever books you think she’ll like, and I’ll carry them there with you.”

Marianne smiled broadly. “That’s a great idea! If you’re helping, I can bring her even more books!”

With that, she went back to work. I set down the stack of books on the nearest side table as Marianne collected more, fixing myself a whiskey neat as she did. I sipped and watched, listening as my sister spoke to herself, sharing her thought process for why she was choosing the books she was.

“There!”

When she was done, she had a whole other stack of books. I did a quick guess, and between the two it appeared that she’d gathered nearly two dozen books.

“Now, I’m sure Emily is a fast reader,” I said. “But do you really think that she’s going to read about a book a day while she’s here?”

Marianne shrugged, not put off in the slightest by my words. “Maybe. But this way she’s got more than she needs.”

“Can’t argue with that. Come on, let’s bring them to her.”

Marianne picked up one stack and I grabbed the other. Together, we headed in the direction of Emily’s room. To my surprise, with each step we took closer to where she was, I found myself growing more excited, like some teenage boy getting ready to pick up a girl for their first date together.

It was strange. I couldn’t remember the last time, if ever, a woman had made me feel that way.

I put the emotion away as we stepped up to the door. Marianne, the stack of books barely balanced under her arm, rushed over and knocked.

“Hey! I’m here! You have to see all of these awesome books I got!”

“Alright, give me a sec.”

I could hear her moving about in there, the excitement returning. The door opened seconds later.

I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.

She was dressed in nothing more than a pair of very short cotton sleeping shorts that showed off her perfect, shapely long legs, along with a tank top. Her nipples poked through the thin fabric, letting me know right away that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her hair was in a messy bun, and there wasn’t a drop of makeup on her face.

In spite of all that, or perhaps because of it, she looked so stunning that it took all the restraint I had not to ogle her. I wanted her like mad, my cock shifting to attention.

“Logan!” Emily’s eyes flashed at the sight of me. Surprise showed on her features at first, followed by annoyance. “What are you doing here?”

I laughed. “Don’t be so excited to see me.”

She opened her mouth to speak. Before a single word came out, however, she glanced down at what she was wearing. Emily gasped, ducking behind the door and returning with a robe. She pulled it on, but the short length barely did anything to cover up her body.

“Look at all these books we have!” Marianne, oblivious to the subtext of what was happening, held up her stack. “Oh man, you’re going to love these. Let me get them set up and I can show you what I brought!”

Marianne hurried into the bedroom, leaving Emily and I face-to-face. A touch of awkward silence hung in the air.

“Everything to your liking so far?”

“It’s great. I mean, better than great. The bedroom is amazing, the views are out of this world and…,” she grinned. “I especially love your Netflix account.”

That got a laugh out of me. “You mean you didn’t have one of your own?”

Emily shook her head. “Nope. Only allowed to watch approved documentaries and G or PG movies. And trust me, there are only so many times you can watch Blue Planet before the magic wears off. Marta managed to smuggle me a few racier things here and there, though.”

“Well, you’re more than welcome to watch whatever you want here. And Marianne can give you a grand tour of the library. Though, as you can see, she had us bring about half of it up to you.”

Emily smiled. “That’d be great.”

“Speaking of which, thanks for spending some time with her. I try to take good care of her, but as you can tell, she’s a little starved for friendship here.”

She shook her head. “It’s my pleasure. She’s a really sweet girl, not to mention an amazing artist. She showed me some more sketches and… wow.”

“The sketches are great, but did she show you the gallery yet?”

“The gallery?”

Right at that moment, Marianne appeared to take the other stack of books from under my arm.

“Hey, Mar,” I said. “How about tomorrow you take Emily over to your place and show her your gallery?”

Marianne’s eyes lit up as if she couldn’t imagine a more fun thing to do.

“Yes! I’d love to!” Another thought seemed to occur to her, my sister’s excitement going up another level. “And I heard you both talking about Netflix… maybe tomorrow we can have a sleepover at my house? I can show you the gallery, we can have the staff make pizza, and we can watch a movie. I want to see Bridesmaids! But then again, that might be a little adult for you.”

Emily laughed. “I think I can handle it. And that sounds awesome. I’d love to do that.”

“Great! Now, can I show you some of these books?”

“You sure can.”

Marianne shot me a pointed look that made it clear that this was girl time.

“Let me know if you need anything,” I said. “And good night.”

Emily smiled, her expression suggesting that the conversation had gone a little better than she’d been expecting. Marianne already in the middle of explaining one of the books, I shut the door and stepped away.

There was no denying it—Emily was getting under my skin. As if her beautiful body weren’t enough, the way she treated my sister brought my attraction to another level.

Two damn days and I already couldn’t get her out of my head. I wasn’t protecting myself like I should, but damned if I could help it.