Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 70

Ivan drops me off almost precisely at midnight.

In the car, he leans over to give me one last kiss goodnight, but I put a hand out to stop him.

"Please," I say, my eyes sad. He pulls back, surprised, but then his eyes flick up to the house, maybe thinking about Daniel - my apparent fiancé - waiting inside.

"All right," he whispers, giving me a warm little smile. Then he takes my hand in his and raises it to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss against my knuckles, just as he did that time at the bar. "I want to see you again, Fay. Soon."

I nod, giving him a half smile, but I don't say anything as I step out of the car, my mood strange and taciturn. I wave as Ivan pulls away but I don't turn and head into the house immediately. Because frankly, I'm not sure I want to be here, and I know what's waiting for me inside.

Because tonight, with Ivan?

Tonight was just...amazing.

Ivan and I spent the entire night outside the taco truck, not needing anything more than some good food and cheap beers to fuel an entire night of conversation. Or at least, we spent a lot of it talking.

We also spent a great deal of the time making out. And it was great.

It's just - I didn't realize how much I wanted a night like tonight with a guy like Ivan, and how much I had missed it, even though I've never really had it before except in my imagination. Ivan never, ever would have fit my image of Prince Charming - his tattoos, his dangerous job, and crazy lifestyle definitely would have put him out of the running. But in other ways? He...kind of fits the bill.

I mean, tonight? We laughed, and we kissed, and I could tell that he wanted more but he never, ever pushed me to go further than I wanted to. Instead, he let me explore the contours of him at my own pace, and I liked it.

I liked pulling his face down to mine, opening my mouth to him. I liked the feel of him exploring me with his tongue and his hands. I liked the way he pulled me closer to him, letting me know that there's more here to for the taking if I want it, but only if I want it and at my own pace. By the end of the night he'd had me feeling so comfortable that I'd somehow found myself sitting in his lap, running my fingertips through his bleach-blonde hair, his broad hand slipping down the outside of my thigh and getting dangerously close to my a*s as he made me laugh so hard my face hurt.

And the whole time, I never felt on the edge of anything - never felt scared, or pushed. Just felt...well, amazing.

And as I turn to stare up at the door to this house I realize...that it's nothing like the way Kent makes me feel. At all, ever.

And I have no idea if that's good or bad.

Or, frankly, which one I like more.

I steel myself as a shiver runs through me. Realizing that I'm starting to get cold standing out here pondering life, love, and relationships, I start up the steps and pull the jacket more tightly around my shoulders -

And then gasp. Oh my god.

I'm still wearing Ivan's jacket.

I groan and quickly shrug it off - I can't walk into Kent's house, for our...our appointment -

Wearing some other guy's jacket -

I look around, desperate. Should I just like, shove it behind a bush or something? But no - the gardeners will find it there, and word will get back to Kent somehow -

I quickly ball the fabric up and stick it under my arm, realizing that my only choice now is to take it with me. Silently, I pray that nobody's in the foyer when I step into the house.

I get lucky - no one's around as I run up the stairs, my stupid heels clacking loudly as I go. I hurry into my room, pressing the door closed before I dash to the wardrobe and shove Ivan's jacket into the back corner. I mean, it's by no means a secret there but... whatever. It's all I can do right now.

I take a deep breath as I sit on my bed, reaching down to unbuckle the clasp of my shoe and eyeing the lingerie still sitting on blankets. How the hell am I supposed to even get a corset on with no one to lace it -

"Welcome home, Fay."

I shriek and leap up from my bed, spinning around looking for the source of the voice, which has a slight mechanical tone - but there's no one here -

"Please get changed," the voice says again, and I recognize it as Kent's voice as I narrow in on the source - the intercom on the wall, by the door. God, I hadn't even known that it worked. "When you're ready, go upstairs to the third floor. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes."

I go perfectly still, my eyes wide as I stare at the intercom and start to comprehend his words.

The...the third floor? With the locked door?

What the hell is up there?

There's a long pause and then the voice comes again.

"Are you there, Fay? Do you understand?"

I stumble into action, crossing the room and hesitating as I push the red button on the intercom, hoping it's the right one. "Um," I say awkwardly. "Okay? Sure?"

"Good," he replies immediately, pleased. There's a long pause before he continues. "I'm looking forward to it."

My hands are shaking as I step back from the speaker. Hell, my whole body is shaking now.

Because as great as my night with Ivan was, it was always leading to...this.

Kent.

And our contract.

Our deal.

And I had to meet him on the third floor in fifteen minutes.

"Shit," I whisper to myself.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

Ten minutes later, I've swapped my grey dress for the corset and panties that Kent left for me, and I'm standing frozen at the door which blocks the third floor off from the rest of the house.

The corset pinches me uncomfortably at the waist but...damn, when I had looked at myself in the mirror, I understood why Victorian women sacrificed the structure of their inner organs for this. The boning inside the black satin gives me curves like I've never seen. I look almost indecently sexy, which is a new experience for me. And which, I suppose, is what Kent wants.

My breath comes short as I stare at the knob on the door. The last time I tried this, the door was locked. And considering how many people Kent has in this house every day who basically have free run of the place, if it's locked, it means Kent really wants to keep it private.

I gather up my courage and reach out to twist the knob, shocked when it turns easily in my hand.

As I push open the door, a little thrill of terror runs through me. And honestly? I can't tell whether I like the feeling of it pulsing through my veins or not.

But I swear to god my heart stops completely when the door fully opens and I finally see what is inside.