“Oh, but I like when you hurt me.” Molly smirks.
“I’m aware.” I laugh.
The car pulls into a gated estate before winding through a driveway surrounded by gardens.
“Did you grow up here?” I ask Molly, looking out the window at the huge house.
“No.” She snorts. “I bought this place for my parents as soon as I started making money.”
I nod. “How to you want to play this?”
“What?”
“Am I a friend? A friend with benefits?Boyfriend?”
“Frenemy.” She winks. “Do not tell my father you’re my boyfriend. He’ll likely pull a shotgun on you.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had a gun pulled on me, Molly.”
“I bet. You know you don’t have to come in.”
“I want to meet your parents.”
“It’s not like meeting your parents, Alfie. My mom is… She’s lost.”
“I understand. But she’s still your mom. She’s still the reason you exist,” I tell her.
“Careful, Giuliani, I might start thinking you actually have a heart.”
“You should never think I have a heart, Molly. I don’t,” I warn.
“Ithinkyou want the world tothinkyou’re this big, scary monster. But on the inside, you’re just a big cuddly cookie monster.” She laughs.
I open the door and shake my head at her. Then I button my jacket and reach a hand in to help her out.
Molly swats my arm away. “No touching,” she says as she walks past me.
Yeah, that’s not going to fucking happen. I like touching her. No way am I going to stop anytime soon. Catching up to her, I place my palm on her lower back and she glares at me.
“Alfie, no touching.”
“You can’t expect me not to touch you, Molly. That’s like telling a kid they can look at candy but not take any.” I pout, but all she does is step away from me.
“You’ll survive a few hours.” Walking forward, she opens the front door and I follow her into the house and then down a hall until she stops in a library. “Daddy,” she says, her voice cracking a little.
An older man’s face lights up at the sight of her, and he stands. Molly doesn’t wait for him to reach her. Instead, she meets him halfway across the room and throws her arms around him. She’s close with her father, and I don’t think it’s as easy for her to stay away from this place as she likes to make out it is.
“Oh, princess, I’m so glad you’re here,” the man says, kissing her cheek.
“Daddy, this is my friend, Alfie,” Molly introduces me. “Alfie, my dad, Craig Olive.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Olive.” I hold out a hand in her father’s direction.
“You too. And we don’t do formalities around here. Craig is fine,” he says while returning the gesture.
“Okay, thank you.”
“Come in, I’ve had some lunch set up.” Mr. Olive waves to the coffee table that has some finger foods spread out.
