I’ve never felt like that before in my entire life.

It wasn’t my first time. I’ve been intimate with men before. But it was my first time with a man like Lucas, and it didn’t disappoint me.

I can’t believe I did that right out in the open like that. I’m normally much more reserved about sex, but apparently Lucas brings a side out of me that I didn’t even know I had. He made me feel something I thought was impossible, or at least impossible for me.

I have to bite my lip every time I think about calling him Daddy. I’m not normally into that sort of thing, but for some reason it’s really hot with Lucas. He’s older than me, for one, and he is a father. He has this way about him, totally controlling and dominating, and it just pushes my buttons in ways that I never even considered.

For the rest of the day, I just keep thinking about Lucas. He has to head back to work after a little bit, and we part ways back at the office, but my mind is still totally on him as I kill the rest of the day at work.

I’m still thinking about him as I head home. I relieve the nurse and take over from her, going through my usual routine with my father. I feel like I’m singing the whole time, with a big smile on my face. It’s like the sex hasn’t completely worn off, and I’m floating, still so happy and excited.

I don’t think about Caleb or anything else. It just doesn’t occur to me. The only thing I can focus on is Lucas and his body, his thick cock, his taste, the way he feels against me, the way he makes my body feel. I didn’t know I liked the thrill of getting caught in public, but apparently I do.

I have a palm print on my ass and an ache in my pussy, but even that slight pain just makes me smile because it reminds me of Lucas.

About halfway through feeding my father dinner, there’s a knock at the door. For some stupid reason, a thrill jumps through me, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s Lucas. Maybe he came to surprise me again.

“I’ll be back in a second,” I say to my dad, and for a second he looks at me. I smile at him, hold his hand, and then head to the front door.

I pull it open, a smile on my face, warmth in my heart, excitement in my body.

Caleb Carter smiles back at me.

It hits me like a brick in the face. He’s standing there, grinning at me, wearing a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt. I’m at a total loss for words.

“Hey, Mia,” he says. “You look nice.”

“Caleb,” I stutter. “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to check on my girl.” His smile gives me the creeps. “Are you going to invite me inside?

I glance back at my father. “No,” I say, and step out onto the porch. I shut the door behind me.

That doesn’t faze Caleb. “I haven’t heard from you,” he says. “Jordan told me you called her, but she’s been pretty busy lately, you know?”

His grin doesn’t change, but I know what that means. My worst fears were right: Jordan is avoiding me because of the Carters.

“What did you tell her?” I ask him, eyes narrowing.

“Oh, nothing,” he says. “Just that you’ve been talking shit about her. And that you and I are seeing each other, of course.”

I want to strangle him. I seriously consider it. “Neither of those things are true,” I say flatly, trying to control my rage.

“Maybe,” he says, shrugging. “But she’s so into me she’ll believe anything I say.”

“You fucking asshole,” I blurt out.

He laughs a little bit. “There you go again, getting mad. I don’t understand you, Mia.”

“You’re blackmailing me and trying to ruin my life,” I hiss at him.

“I’m just trying to help you.”

“Help me? Help how, by getting rid of my only friend?”

He shrugs a little. “Obviously she’s not a great friend if she believes me when I tell her these things. She should see through me.”

His smile is so disgusting that I want to almost puke. But he does have a point. Jordan should know that I’m not talking shit about her and I don’t really understand why she wouldn’t. But it doesn’t matter. Right now, all I want is to get this guy off my porch and out of my life.

“Can you just leave me alone?” I ask him.

“That’s not how this works,” he says softly. “I’m going to destroy the preserve, you know. I’m not lying about that.”

“I know you’re not.” I speak through clenched teeth.

“So come on, you love that place. All you have to do is date me. I can make your life easier.”

“I don’t want you,” I say to him bluntly. “Don’t you get it? I think you’re sleazy. I think you’re gross. I don’t want to be with you.”

He watches me for a second and his smile falters, just a little bit. He looks like he practices that smile, like it’s something he has to work on. Actually, the more I look at it, the more I start thinking that it’s the kind of smile an alien would do trying to fit in with normal people.

“You don’t mean that,” he says.

“I really—“

“No,” he says forcefully, stepping toward me.

A spike of adrenaline hits me and I step away, backing against the door. My right hand searches for the knob and I look around, hoping my neighbors are outside, but we’re alone.

His eyes drill into mine. “Listen carefully,” he says. “If you date me, I will make your life easier. If you agree to go out with me, I won’t destroy the preserve. And I’ll make sure all of your father’s medical bills are paid.”

I pause, surprised. “What?” I ask him, taken aback.

“His bills are expensive, right? You can barely afford the nurse, I bet. That sort of care costs a lot. How long can you handle it? And what about when he gets even worse and you can’t handle it anymore?” He leans closer to me, his breath stinking, his eyes wide, that grin plastered on his mouth. “I’m offering you freedom,” he says, almost a whisper. “Nurses to take care of your father around the clock, the perfect level of constant care that he needs, all for free. All you have to do is date me.”

I stare back at him, not sure what to say. It’s true that we’re stretched tight around my house. I don’t really make much at the preserve and my dad’s benefits just barely pay for his medical bills. If anything went wrong, we’d probably have to go into serious debt.

Caleb is disgusting. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s just trying to manipulate me. He doesn’t care about my father and me. This offer is just one way to break past my defenses and to get at me.

And it’s working.

God, it makes me want to puke, but it’s working.

“How?” I ask him.

“Don’t worry about how. My father will take care of it. You just nod your head yes, and it’ll all be taken care of.”

“That simple?” I ask him, eyes wide.

“That simple.” He reaches for my hand and takes it. I feel like fire ants are biting at my skin.

All I have to do is date him. It’s not that hard. My father will be taken care of for life, and I won’t have to worry all day and night about him anymore. I won’t be free, of course, I’d be trapped in a new kind of nightmare, but at least my father will be taken care of. He’ll be safe and happy and secure. Money won’t be an issue.

And the preserve will be saved, of course. That beautiful place will still be there. All I have to do is say yes, give in to Caleb, let this monster have me. I’m not so special, I don’t deserve anything great. At least this way I’m doing something good for my father and for the community.

“One more thing,” he says. “If you agree, you can never see Lucas Baker again.”

I bite my lip, looking away. If I say yes, Lucas will hate me anyway. After everything Caleb has done, all of the creepy stuff, my anger toward him, the fight, everything, if I agree to this, Lucas will despise me. I won’t have to worry about talking to him anymore.

He couldn’t understand. There’s just no way he could. He hasn’t lived with my father for as long as I have, sacrificed so much, tried so hard, and always been one step behind. We’re okay right now, but we won’t be forever, and this is one way I can make sure that my father is taken care of.

I don’t want this. I don’t want it at all. But I’m trapped by this rich bastard, this fake smiling rich bastard that I hate so much. He has me and he knows it.

I look down at the ground. I can’t look Caleb in the eyes.

“Okay,” I say in a small, soft voice, nodding my head.

“Good.” He releases my hand and steps away. Slowly, I look up. He smiles at me. “You made the right choice. Your father will thank you.” He grins again and turns away, heading back toward his car.

My father won’t thank me. He can’t thank me. Nobody is going to thank me, and Lucas is going to hate me. I already hate myself.

But my father will be taken care of. The preserve will be saved. I just have to somehow learn to live with this.

I watch as Caleb gets into his car and drives away, waiting for him to get out of sight before breaking down into tears and sobbing on my front porch.