Desire: A Single Dad Contemporary Romance Read online

Stella

  “How did the shoot go, honey?” My father gets up when he sees me approaching over the flagstones on the large terrace at the Chateau Marmont Hotel.

  “Great, dad. Serge is just so easy to work with.” I move in closer to kiss my dad on the cheeks. “How has your day been so far?”

  My father smiles at me. It’s a cherished smile that can always put me in a good mood, a smile that has lured so many women, and yet none of them ever seem to be able to entice the great movie producer since the death of my mom. Even though I think that it’s romantic, it’s no way to live for the rest of one’s life.

  “Great, I’ve got the people I need for my next movie. It’s still all very hush-hush, so I don’t want you running to Crystal and telling her who’s in the cast, okay?”

  I roll my eyes. “No, dad. You always treat me like a little girl who doesn’t know your business.”

  My father laughs. “And I always find out that Crystal has first-hand knowledge of exactly what’s going on.”

  “Dad, that was only once. So, she wanted to meet Brad Pitt, big deal.”

  “Yeah, yeah . . .” My father signals for the waiter to come. “What if I tell you that I’ve got a whole bunch of stars lined up for my next movie, huh?”

  “Yes, Mr. Hutchinson, are you ready for me to take your order?”

  We exchange a knowing look. I laugh loudly. I love my father. To me, he’s the best dad in the whole world. I love the way the expression on his face lights up like that of a little boy’s.

  “Two escargots followed by two steaks and sides of the truffle and parmesan fries, please.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I giggle out loud. Dad and I eat the same wherever we go. I listen while my father orders some wine. I nod appreciatively when I hear him mention my favorite bottle. Once the waiter is gone, he turns to look at me and spends a moment studying me.

  “You look different, Stella.” He takes a sip of the ice water that’s on the table.

  I arch my eyebrows in an unspoken question. “I’ve been getting that a lot. Thanks, dad. I guess.” I let my gaze move away from my dad’s face. His piercing green eyes always make me nervous. Sometimes it feels as if he’s trying to read my mind. The only other man who ever had that effect on me was Zac. The only difference being that Zac could undress me with his gaze.

  “Mm, yeah, I bet.” My father pleats his brow. “I think it’s because you look so beautiful.” He waits for the waiter to finish with the wine tasting and pouring. “Women only radiate such energy when they’re pregnant or in love.” My dad lifts his wine glass and tips it in my direction. “In your case, I hope it’s the later. So, which one is it, Stella?”

  I roll my eyes. “Neither, dad. I’m definitely not pregnant. For that I would need a guy in my life.”

  “So, that means you’ve met one.” I watch my dad think for a few seconds. “I do recall that you had someone around the house a week ago. It was quite late if I remember correctly.” Watching me like a hawk over the rim of his glass, my father takes another sip of the exquisite white wine.

  I can’t stop the heat rising up to my head. It’s impossible to keep a secret at home. I don’t want to blame the security guard because it’s his job to report everything. Not doing so could cost him his job if dad ever found out, something that invariably happens, as my father discovers everything that takes place in his company or home.

  “Oh, dad, that was just somebody helping me out. It was nothing romantic at all.” I quickly take a sip of wine to mask the effect that talking about Zac has on me in front of my father. My blush is now a permanent fixture on my face.

  Images of Zac’s torso cloud my vision. The spot between my legs feels as if an electric current is running through it when I recreate the sensation of Zac’s hands on my skin. I have to stifle a groan. Only my father’s penetrating and questioning gaze forces me back to my senses.

  “Someone had to help you out at two in the morning?” My father thanks the waiter for placing the first course in front of him. “What’s going on, Stella?”

  I have never lied to my dad in my life. The two of us have always been totally honest with one another. I am not about to start telling him untruths now. I spend a few heartbeats fishing an escargot out of the shell with fork and pincers.

  “I got a tat, dad.”

  Not knowing what else to do, I pop the flesh into my mouth and chew quickly.

  “Crystal and I ran into a little trouble outside, and the man who did the artwork offered to drive us home.” I feel a flood of relief wash over me when I admit the truth, even if it means that I’ll be reprimanded for having some strange man on the property.

  “A tat?” My father asks with a frown.

  “A tattoo.”

  “I see.” My father continues eating without saying any more on the subject, but I can see that he wants to say more. “Where did you put it?” he asks at last. He scans me with his piercing gaze. “I don’t see it anywhere. Why don’t you show me?”

  I laugh nervously. “Uh, I can’t exactly show you, dad.” I take a big gulp of wine. “Without embarrassing you that is.”

  “I see.”

  I watch my father think. The sight of it is painful as I watch him go through all the possible spots where I could have placed the tat. “The man is discreet?”

  I arch my eyebrows. “I think so. He was very professional.”

  “Ah, just the man I want to see.” My father gets to his feet hurriedly.

  I look up and have to swallow down my distaste. Why dad? Why do you always have to do this to me? I don’t interfere in your private life. Sure, I ask you why you haven’t been dating, but I don’t force people on you.

  “Hi, Stella. It’s great to see you again.”

  “Hi, Troy.” I don’t say anything more, but I accept Troy’s perfunctory pecks to the cheek before I sit back down. I analyze the snail shells on my plate in the hopes that I might have missed one. I haven’t. I lap up the rest of the garlic sauce with some bread and listen to my father talk away with my ex-lover and man he wants me to marry. This is going to be a very long lunch.

  I look around the terrace at the Chateau Marmont. I realize that it’s very close to the Petit Versailles, where I was last week. It makes me think of my tattoo and of Zac. I can’t stop myself from making a mental comparison of Zac and Troy. I have to admit that they are both handsome men, but Zac beats Troy on every other front that’s important.

  Most importantly, Zac is the kind of man who would stand up to my father and get away with it. I never really loved Troy. When we started dating, I thought I did, but I guess the easiest person to lie to is yourself. Zac, on the other hand, is a man to love. That is exactly what he is: a man. Troy is just a boy with a very influential dad, hence the appeal for my father. I made the right choice in dumping him, but that is of no importance anymore.

  But would my father ever approve of a man like Zac.? A tattoo artist. Maybe he might. My father works with all kinds of people from various walks of life and with different professions and respects them if they are passionate about what they do. That is all that really matters to him. And honesty of course.

  Zac is passionate about what he does—right?

  I frown. And then a mischievous grin materializes on my face when I remember how Zac had smiled when he was done with my tatoo. “Yeah, he likes what he does.”

  As my mind works over the pros and cons of both Zac and Troy, I watch my father as he converses with my former boyfriend.

  Dad would never like Zac. They are far too alike while at the same time being so different, I finally decide. The notion almost hurts me.

  Two men with towering egos and magnetic presences in the same room—oh no, that is a recipe for disaster. It is like two atoms colliding in a particle accelerator. Either you create what you were looking for or the entire place blows up. It’s a bit like playing Russian Roulette. But I’d still love to risk it, even if it were to merely see if the two of them hit it off.


  “Stella—Stella?”

  My dad’s voice rouses me out of my thoughts. “Yes, Dad.”

  He frowns out me. “You alright?”

  I nod. “I’m fine.”

  “Good.” He smiles. “Troy was just telling me about this new project of his …”

  I cringe. Here we go again. I just don’t know how Troy always manages to pique my dad’s interest with his bullshit business ideas that only work because of his family’s backing. My father is a self-made man. How can he be so impressed with a young man who never really had to do an honest day’s work in his life.

  But I lean back and listen to the inevitable drawl taking place across the table before me. And I wonder whether I, too, am superficial and spoilt—vapid and empty—just some female version of Troy. Maybe that is why Zac didn’t fall for my charms. The thought hurts me, and I decide that I want to do better from now on.

  A more conscientious and humble me might be more attractive to someone like Zac. I smile. Yes, that is what needs to happen. I need a change in my life, and now is the time to start.

  Troy smiles at me, confident that the grin on my face is directed at him. I continue smiling, nonetheless—a smile that is for me and what I have planned for the future.

  17

  Zacchary

  “Dad, why don’t you take Holly out on a date?”

  I look up from my steak incredulously. Azure and I are having an early dinner at a steakhouse around the corner from where we live, courtesy of the two thousand dollars I earned from doing the tat. It’s a rare treat. One, I love steak, and two, I love taking my daughter out for a meal.

  “I see Holly nearly every day. She’s nice, but if I have to spend my evenings with her, I’d find that a bit much.” Thinking that I’ve said my piece on the matter, I shrug, while I again devote my full attention to the juicy piece of meat on my plate.

  “So, you wouldn’t want to take her for dinner?” Azure looks at me intently. “Sort of like do what we’re doing right now?”

  With my mouth full, I stop chewing and shake my head. I hold my daughter’s gaze until she drops it. Thinking that the matter is at a close, I continue enjoying my meat. Within moments, Azure’s relentless pestering starts again. I never thought that she was so keen on the idea of me having a girlfriend. It surprises me even more that she would choose Holly. Sure, she’s kind of cute and I like her, but she’s in no way my type. The perfect wife in everything that matters, but I want more if I ever decide to permanently have a girl in my life again.

  “It’s okay with me if you take her next time instead of me.”

  I arch my eyebrows. “You’d forgo this for Holly. Wow.” I shovel some truffle-mashed potatoes onto my fork and sweep my arm around the establishment. The place with the archetypical steakhouse vibe is full on a Friday night. “Anyway, I don’t think that Holly likes steakhouses. She seems like the sushi type.” I nearly spit the words out. A woman I had sex with last year insisted we go for sushi and I hated it. Well, I hated the prices. It had taken all my willpower to pay the check that was even more than at a steakhouse for some raw fish.

  “You can always go somewhere else with her. There’s Italian food or Chinese.” Azure counts off a few more options on her fingers while she furrows her brow, making her look insanely cute. I have to hold myself back not to take her in my arms and squeeze her. I know that I’d be breaking the newly-set teenage boundaries, but rules are there to be broken from time to time. I’m not usually the soft kind of guy, but when it comes to my daughter, I would do anything.

  “Why would I do that if I like steaks or just good American fare?” I take a hearty swig of my beer, while I watch my daughter carefully.

  “If you want to meet a woman then you have to compromise somewhere, dad. And besides, she makes breakfast for us three times a week and sometimes even dinner.” Azure shrugs. “We’re sort of like a family.”

  I open my eyes a fraction wider. “I never asked her to do all that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful and all, but we managed fine before we moved in next to her.”

  “Don’t you want a girlfriend?”

  “Not really. One of your kind in my house is enough.” I point at Azure with my fork to make my point. “I like the peace and quiet. Two women are just too much for a man like me. Fuck me, the thought makes me dizzy.”

  Azure rolls her eyes at me for the umpteenth time since we entered the restaurant. With a frown on her face, she continues eating. “Dad, do you have to swear like that? You’ll never find a nice girlfriend.”

  “Sorry, honey. Nothing like the word ‘fuck’ to make a point.” I laugh, but immediately stop when I see Azure’s reproachful look. I think some more about the girlfriend thing. On cue, Stella comes to mind. I swallow deeply when I think of her nakedness back at the tat place. One look at my daughter across the table expunges the notion. A huge swab of the meat in the mashed potatoes and a large slug of beer have me back under control again.

  “Would you take me on a date to an Italian place?” she asks, getting back to the point.

  Feeling a little guilty, I look up in surprise. “Is that what you want?”

  “Yeah, we always have steak when we go out.”

  “I make lasagna at home.” My daughter laughs at me. “And spaghetti Bolognese,” I add lamely.

  “Dad, Holly makes the lasagna on Italian day, and ever since she started doing that, you haven’t made spaghetti. The rest of the week, we have chili or meat from the grill, vegetables and potatoes.” Azure lifts her shoulders. “I don’t mind, dad. What you make is great. I just don’t need to eat steak when we go out for dinner.”

  I nod. “Okay, the next time we go out, we’ll have Italian. Sound good?” I shift my hand over the table and take my daughter’s. I give it a squeeze.

  A huge smile creeps onto her face. “That sounds great, dad.” Azure slips her dainty hand from my bearlike grip and devotes her attention to her food with renewed vigor. Looking at her makes my heart melt..

  And yet, my thoughts drift back to Stella. For about a week since Stella had wandered into the Eye of the Needle tipsy, I have been thinking about her non-stop. This pastime usually transpires at night when Azure’s in bed and I’m alone. Every night now, I’ve beaten off to the memory of her shaven pussy with the star tat. It’s an addiction I’ve not had since puberty.

  “You okay, dad?”

  My eyes snap up. I swear it’s the first time I’ve blushed in twenty years. Generally, nothing makes me nervous. “Sure, honey. I’m fine.”

  Azure looks at me quizzically. “If you say so.” She thinks a moment. “You have been acting a little different for the past few days. Got anything to tell me?” In her certainty that I will spill the beans in seconds, she doesn’t let her gaze linger on my face, but nonchalantly scans the restaurant.

  I hastily think of something to say. I don’t know why I have absolutely no desire to tell my daughter about Stella. I guess that I think there’s nothing to tell her at all. She was just another customer with the wish for a tat on an intimate part of her body. It just so happens that she was a really hot customer to whom I beat off to every night.

  I’m saved by the bell or rather, the ringing of my phone.

  Relieved for the distraction, I remove my phone from the pocket of my jeans and type a quick response. When I’m finished, I place the phone on the table just in case I get another message.

  “Who was that, dad?”

  I grin at Azure. “Curiosity killed the cat.” I drain my beer. I’m secretly hoping that she forgot about what she wanted to know only a few moments ago. “Oh, it was Giovanni.”

  “And?”

  “Come on, Azure. You’re worse than grandma. Do you know how many questions she asks?”

  Azure rolls her eyes. “Dad, someone has to look after you. Now, tell me what Giovanni wants.” My daughter moves in across the table. “And anyway, I have a right to know. He’s like an uncle to me.” Azure has that look about her that wom
en often have when they know for sure that you are going to give in.

  “He has an interesting proposal for me. Something to do with my paintings. He wants to join us here.” I say, and a smile spreads across my lips. “It sounds pretty good. He was pretty excited about the whole thing.”

  “He must be psyched about the whole thing if he’s willing to drive all the way out here from the Petit Versailles.” Azure presses her lips together. “I bet somebody’s seen your work at the hotel and really likes it.”

  I lift my hands up. “I don’t know, but it seems important enough for him to want to tell me in person.” I take another sip of my beer that the waitress has refilled. “I doubt that it has anything to do with the paintings. They’ve been hanging there for over three months and nobody has mentioned them once.”

  “Dad, you sometimes have no idea how things work.”

  “And you do?” I laugh. My girl can be so condescending sometimes.

  “Yeah, I bet it has to do with the paintings. One day, you’re going to be famous because of them. I guarantee it, dad.”

  18

  Stella

  “Hey, you. How’s it going?” I smile at the grinning image of Crystal on my laptop display. We always FaceTime each other when we don’t have the chance to meet up in person. It has become a daily ritual since we left college.

  “Really good, babe, and you?”

  “Same old, same old.”

  “I don’t believe you. Something has changed since you got the tat.” Crystal giggles like a little girl. “Is it because it’s between your legs?”

  “Ha, ha, very funny.” I twirl a lock of hair between my index finger and thumb. Crystal’s right, though. Having a tat so close to my pussy makes me feel so unbelievably sexy. “I guess it’s because my dad still wants me to get back together with Troy.” I don’t want to talk about the tattoo and Zac just yet. I need Crystal’s input on how to deal with the Troy situation.