Chapter 4
A week later, though, as I sat there at the dinner table of my new, temporary home, pushing my food around on my plate, I found myself trying to figure out what my next move would be. I had never had to look for a job—the recruiter for the Air Force found me before I became old enough for that. All I had to do was fill out an application and take a test. Now, it was almost twenty years later and I had no clue about what I was supposed to do.
“You know you're going to be okay, right?” asked James softly, breaking through my thoughts.
“Oh, of course,” I said. “It's just... everything is pretty new to me. It will take me a minute to figure out how things work, but that's pretty much what I've done for the past few decades. Working on a car is great practice on learning how to figure out the moving parts to just about anything.”
“That's a great analogy,” said James, nodding. “And a really positive attitude.”
Right then, the door flew open and slammed against the wall and a young girl rushed in, her auburn curly hair flying wildly above her head.
“I'm so sorry that I missed dinner, Dad,” she said, slamming her purse onto the table. She was out of breath. “You would not believe the day I've had.”
After depositing her bags and worries, she turned to survey the room, as if aware that something new was present in her environment. She glanced over at me, but didn't say anything.
“Natalia, this is a military buddy of mine, Bradley. He's going to be staying with us for a little bit while he gets settled.”
“Hi,” she said, flashing me an instantly bright smile.
Her eyes were almost purple; they were so blue and florid. She had brown freckles scattered over her nose and cheek. And the slightest dimple played at the corner of her mouth. Her hair covered her head much like a halo would. It suited her angelic appearance perfectly.
Knock it off, I thought to myself, shaking my head like I was trying to dismiss those thoughts, thoughts that I fucking knew better than to even begin entertaining. I had very compelling reasons not to even glance toward the intersection that led down that road.
This girl was barely half my age and barely even of legal age for that matter. Then, there was the fact that James was the best friend that I had at the moment. Even though we hadn't been exceptionally close, he did think enough of me to open up his home to me. He was helping me out in my biggest time of need. That meant a lot to a man, and I didn't want to tarnish our friendship.
Plus, I was positive that James didn't want some pervy old man chasing after his young daughter, and that’s exactly what I would seem like if I were to give into my basic instincts and do what I truly wanted—which was to bend her over this kitchen table and slide my cock into her undoubtedly tight little pussy.
“Why are you late? And why do you look like a cat who got its tail stuck in an electric outlet?” said James.
He had a glint in his eyes that said that he was half-joking. I could tell that he was trying to make light of things, but the furrowed brow revealed his concern.
“Ugh!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in disgust. “Today has been the day from hell. I took my car in for an oil change...”
James jumped up like a cartoon character in panic. “Heavens to Betsy! You?” he gasped.
“Dad…,” she said, voice grating, showing her irritation. “This is no time for jokes. I’m being serious here.”
She rolled her pretty eyes before continuing. “Anyway, after I picked my car back up, it started overheating. So, I pulled over to see what was going on. Of course, a big cloud of black smoke comes up from under the hood. I couldn't see anything. I tried calling the mechanic, but they were already closed. I tried calling you, but for some reason you didn’t pick up.”
I shifted uncomfortably and so did James. I had been on his phone a little while ago, calling around to potential jobs, and was probably on a call when she tried to get through. There were two more days until my new phone was to be delivered. I immediately felt bad now for using James’s, now that I knew she had been needing help.
“That was my fault,” I volunteered. “Sorry about that.”
“It's okay,” she continued. “I ended up just calling an Uber and coming home. But, now I have to figure out what I'm going to do about my stupid car. I left it, just sitting on the side of the road—anything could happen to it.”
James stood up from the table and started pacing and thinking aloud. He was always very pragmatic.
“Well, this timing might mean I can’t be of much help,” he said. “I have a long flight out in the morning and there's no way that I can change it. To square away your car, you can call a tow truck and have them bring it here. I'll leave you my credit card so you can pay for it. And I'll take a cab to the airport in the morning. I'll make sure that I leave you the keys to the convertible so that you can get around to wherever you need to. Am I forgetting anything?”
He paused, looking up at both of us. I shrugged, not quite sure if he really was asking me.
Natalie piped up, offering, “I can take you to the airport in the morning. It's the least that I can do since you're leaving me your baby to drive around.”
He laughed and told his daughter, “You're my only baby. That dream machine of a vehicle there… that is a lady.”
They shared a laugh. Suddenly, I felt like an intruder, like I was an uninvited guest who was just privy to some inside joke between them. I wanted to offer my help in any way that I could.
“I'll be around tomorrow,” I said. “If you want, Natalia, I can help you to get your car situated. That way, you don't have to worry about it alone.”
She looked at me and smiled appreciatively.
“Thank you so much for the offer,” she said. “But, I think that I'll be able to manage on my own, with the help of the tow truck. I would hate for you to hurt yourself out there on my account.”
She nodded toward the cane that rested on the back of my chair. I winced at the reminder of my injury. Sometimes, I still forgot that I had been injured and that other people noticed. But, I knew that it was hard to ignore the big cane that I had to carry around with me everywhere. I was slightly embarrassed, but tried not to show it.
Plus, the way that she said it was different than the way that others had mentioned it. Most times, people would have a sorrowful look on their faces, one that screamed pity. They treated me like an invalid, like there was nothing left for me to do but to check myself into a nursing home.
But, Natalia didn't make me feel that way. In fact, the way that she said it made me feel like her statement came from a place of true concern and compassion, as well as just plain honesty. That made me want to help her even more.
“Thanks for the concern,” I said, pushing on with the assured confidence of a well-traveled military man. “But, I'm more than capable of helping with something like that. After all, I’m an airplane mechanic by trade but I spent years working on cars, so I could probably do it with both arms and legs tied behind my back. And besides, it will give me something to do, rather than sitting around here twiddling my thumbs. If you're up for it, I'd love to see what I can do to get your car running.”
“Okay,” she said. “I'm not sure how much help I'll be, though. But, I can try.”
“Good,” I said. “Then, it's settled. Tomorrow, we will go and get your car back on the road. Make sure you wear something that you don't mind getting dirty.”
Her face scrunched up at my last statement like I’d suggested we eat a raw snail for dinner. I had to hold back laughter.
“You mean, I'll probably get all icky and greasy?” she said, looking truly concerned.
I chuckled, not able to hold it in any longer.
“Maybe a little,” I said, thoroughly amused. “But don’t worry. I'll make sure that I do most of the dirty work.”
I tried hard not to think of all the dirty stuff I really wanted to do… to her. If her dad found out, he would probably kick me out.
Natalia smiled at me warmly. I couldn’t help but think she was flirting with me.
“Dad, your friend is okay by me,” she said.
“Good,” said James. “Then, it's settled. If you need anything from me, you have my cell phone and, most importantly, my credit card.”
He walked over and kissed her on the forehead before retiring to his room to pack.
Well, isn’t this something. He was about to be going out of town and leaving me with his innocent daughter. But, was she really that innocent? It seemed to me from the way she batted her long eyelashes at me that she knew what I wanted to do to her and wanted it just as badly as I did.
But maybe it was just my imagination. Hopefully, for the wellbeing of my future stay at this house, I wouldn’t have to find out.
I shouldn't want her.
But I do. And I always get what I want.
I was injured at war and discharged from the military.
My commanding officer invited me to stay with him while I get back on my feet.
I'm grateful for his help, and we've become close friends.
There's just one problem.
His 19 year old daughter lives with him, and she's off the charts hot.
So is the chemistry between us, even though I try to ignore it.
She's a virgin, but her long lashes beg me to change that.
Her curvy hips taunt me as she walks by wearing only a bikini.
She invites me to take a swim with her while he's out of town.
Swim with her? I want to swim in her.
But I can't. And I certainly can't knock her up.
Can I?
Oops. Too late.
What will her dad do if he finds out I put a baby in his little girl?
My Father's Best Friend's Secret Baby is a full length 75,000 word standalone novel. Jamie Knight promises to always bring you a happy ever after filled with plenty of heat. And never any cheating or cliffhangers!