I keep thinking about Erin all the next afternoon. I keep thinking about her taste, the way she moaned, the way she begged.

But on top of that, I kept thinking about the way it felt to be with her and my daughter. The sex was absolutely incredible, and taking her virginity made me feel even better than I ever could have dreamed, but that wasn’t the only thing I liked about yesterday. Just being with her and Lacey felt more natural than I could have guessed.

After Lacey woke up, we played and went for a little walk around the neighborhood. We took her to a little park and got a little bite to eat at this corner place near me. It felt so normal and natural and good to walk around and spend time together that I almost forgot she works for me.

All of the awkwardness and weirdness was gone. For a second there, I was starting to think she was avoiding me for some reason. I go the sense that she wasn’t telling me something, but all of that went away as soon as we were outside playing together and acting like a family.

That word, “family,” freaks me the fuck out. I have to be honest. I’ve never had a family and never once in my life even thought about wanting one. At least, before Lacey was born.

But now that she’s here, I find myself missing out on certain things. It’s hard to raise a little girl without a wife, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not the problem. I can pay people to help me raise Lacey. I have no issues with that.

But there are experiences that Lacey and I are missing. There are certain family things that just work better with a wife and a mother in the picture. I didn’t really know that was something I wanted or thought Lacey might need, but just spending the day with Lacey and Erin makes me wonder.

Erin could be a good wife. Shit, it’s definitely too soon to be thinking like that, but it’s true. She could be a damn good wife. It would help me in my business too, though that’s just a secondary concern. Businessmen at my level tend to be married, and having a wife could open up more doors for me. I wouldn’t be that weird bachelor CEO anymore.

On top of that and more importantly, I felt really good just spending time with Lacey and Erin. Normally, I would start wondering where the next thing would be, the next woman. Back before Lacey, I wouldn’t give a woman a second night. But I didn’t know Erin back then, so maybe things would have been different with her.

They’re different now, though. They’ve very different. I want to be around Erin, just hanging out with her, laughing with her, playing with her and Lacey. And of course, I already crave her body again, desperately need a taste of that pussy one more time. I need to feel it, that tight little vise-grip. She’s a fucking freak, and I should have guessed it by how much she liked having that plug up her ass. Now I know, though. I don’t understand how she lasted so long as a virgin.

Maybe she just needed someone experienced to teach her how things are done. She’s used to fumbling boys trying and failing to get off her bra like it’s the Holy Grail or some shit. But not me, I don’t treat her like a little porcelain doll. I’m not afraid of her delicious little pussy. I want to get deep inside of it and make her fucking beg me to keep going.

After feeding Lacey and playing with her, I get the compulsion to send Erin flowers. But I realize that I still don’t have her address. I get out my phone and text her.

“What’s your address?” I ask. “I want to send you something.”

She doesn’t answer right away. I go back to playing with Lacey, though I keep thinking about her. About an hour later, I get a cryptic response.

“After yesterday, I think I owe you something. We need to meet up.”

I stare at my phone, confused. I don’t know what she owes me. I quickly respond. “Okay then. Tonight, dinner?”

“Fine. Where?”

“Lonelli’s on Lombard. At eight.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

I frown a little. “I can pick you up.”

“No, you can’t. I’ll explain why tonight.”

I stare at my phone and shake my head, completely mystified. But the odd exchange totally recedes from my mind as I spend the rest of the day with Lacey, making her my priority. I call a babysitter and arrange for her to watch Lacey, plus I make some reservations at the restaurant. Fortunately, I know the owner, and so that’s not a problem at all.

Eight rolls around, and I find myself sitting alone at the table. She wasn’t at the restaurant when I arrived. I order a glass of whisky and sip it, waiting for her. Five minutes pass, then ten, and I start to wonder if she’s actually going to ditch me.

I don’t know what the hell’s going on. I text her, wondering where she’s at, but she doesn’t reply. I’m not the type of man to sit around and wait for someone, yet here I am, sipping a drink alone in a fancy restaurant, waiting for a woman.

I don’t understand what’s going on. The more I look at those texts, the more I’m convinced that she’s about to tell me something awful. I can’t help but think that it’s the reason she’s been randomly pulling away from me, only to come back sooner or later. I know we have something intense and special, but she keeps stepping back and trying to put distance between the two of us. I don’t fully understand that.

Finally, after a half hour of waiting, she appears at the entrance. She looks nervous, though absolutely beautiful in a tasteful black cocktail dress. She spots me and heads my way, but she doesn’t smile.

In fact, she looks terrified and nervous.

I stand up as she sits, but she doesn’t come kiss me. I don’t move to embrace her either. We sit down across from each other and I order her a glass of wine when the waiter appears.

“How are you?” I ask her, a little hesitant.

She stares down at her hands. “Not good, Griffin.”

“What’s wrong?” I lean toward her. “Why are we here?”

She bites her lip but shakes her head. “I need a drink first.”

I sigh. “You’re freaking me out, Erin. You’re clearly upset.”

“I know. I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to freak you out.”

“So tell me what’s going on.”

The waiter returns with her drink and she takes two hefty gulps before looking me in the eye.

“There’s something about me that you need to know.”

I smirk a little. “Not really a virgin?”

She turns white. “No. That was true.”

I sigh. “I was just trying to make a joke.” I run my finger along my glass, gathering condensation from the single cube on my skin.

“Sorry. Yeah. I mean, this is serious. And I want you to know, I never meant for this to happen.”

“For what to happen?” I ask softly, a stone in my gut.

She bites her lip. “I can’t tell you where I live because I’m not who you think I am.”

I hesitate a second. ‘Your name is Erin, right?” I ask.

“Right,” she says. “Everything I’ve told you about myself is true, but… well, I left something out.”

“Just say it.” I can’t stand waiting any longer.

“I’m Rick Fisher’s daughter.”

Her gaze meets my eyes and I suddenly feel sick. “Are you kidding?” I ask her.

“No. I’m so, so sorry, Griffin.”

“What’s going on right now?” I ask her. “You’re Rick Fisher’s daughter? The man I’m in business with?” My head is reeling and I don’t think I really understand.

“He set it all up. He wanted me to get close to you. He wanted me to find things out about you, things he could use against you.”

I stare at her, trying to find the words. “And did you?” I ask.

“No,” she says forcefully. “I protected you. He wanted to bug your apartment, but I wouldn’t let him.”

“Bug my apartment,” I say distantly.

“Please, Griffin.” She reaches across the table. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”

I pull away from her hand, horrified.

“You were spying on me,” I say. “You were spying on me and my family.”

“Yes,” she admits. “At first, but as soon as I got to know you and Lacey, I couldn’t do it. I never told my father anything.”

“This is insane.” I lean away from her as the full weight of this betrayal becomes clear. “I let you in my house. I let you play with my daughter.”

“I know.” Tears spring to her eyes. “If I knew how I’d start to feel about you, I would never have agreed. I only did it because my father’s never respected me before, and—“

I cut her off. “Stop,” I say. “I don’t want to hear it.” I steel myself for this next part. “I can forgive you for fucking with me, but not for fucking with my daughter. Get the fuck out of my life and never come back.” I push my chair back and stand.

“Griffin, please,” she says. “Let me explain. It was a mistake, but I’m starting to feel things. I was protecting you.”

“Stop protecting me. Stop feeling things.” I shake my head. “I have to go.”

I walk out of that restaurant, and I feel like some part of me gets torn off and left behind.

I can’t believe this. She was a plant from the very start. She was sent by Rick Fisher, that fucking psycho douchebag, to spy on me. And she did a good fucking job, didn’t she? Got close to me, made my daughter fucking like her.

Oh shit, poor Lacey. She’s going to wonder why Erin isn’t around anymore. I’m going to have to tell her that she’ll never see her again. Or at least explain that she won’t for a while. I don’t know what the fuck I’ll say, actually.

Fuck. I get out to my car, slam the door, and pound the steering wheel. Rick Fisher is a fucking dead man. That piece of shit bastard. Erin was clearly upset in there, and I believe her when she says that she tried to protect us. I don’t think she’s good enough of a liar to have faked everything we did together. I believe that she was a virgin and that she wanted to be with me and Lacey.

But that’s all fucking gone now. I can never trust her. Rick Fisher corrupted this. I wish she had never told me, and we could have gone on the way we were before.

But that’s not true. I’m glad she told me. That took guts, at least. Everything else was cowardice. It’s over now, and I can start to move on. Maybe she can too.

I feel broken, wrecked. I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do. Hours earlier, I was thinking about my future with Erin. Now, my future looks empty and alone, and my past is a fucking lie.

I turn on the engine and drive slowly home, reeling from the news, still not totally able to comprehend it all.