Page 31 of His Good Girl

I show my pass to the attendant and make for the elevator. When it opens, I find Alexis and Mr. Wayfield inside. My eyes instinctively roam her body. She’s wearing black yoga pants that hug her curves and a loose off-the-shoulder pink crop top. Her perfectly tanned and toned stomach is peeking out, begging to have my lips on it. She tops the outfit off with a pair of Converse and a baseball cap. It doesn’t matter what she wears, she is stunning.

“Hi, Finn. Have you met my dad?”

Finally peeling my gaze off her, I hold out my hand to her dad. His handshake is firm.

“Dad, this is Finn, Marcee’s dad.” His eyes narrow on me, his grip going tight enough to hurt before releasing me. Flushing at the realization that he caught me ogling his daughter, I avert my gaze before he finally speaks.

“Nice to meet you.” His curt tone says the opposite.

“Yeah, you too, Mr. Wayfield. Exciting seeing where our girls chose to live. Must say, I love that this building is so secure.”

“Uh-huh.” If you didn’t know it, you would never guess he and Alexis are related. His hair is dark brown, with gray peppered throughout. His clean-shaven jaw is square, and in general, his features are hard. His eyes, which I note are a similar shade of brown as Alexis's, are scrutinizing me. He’s probably only an inch taller than me, but pinned under his judging stare, it feels like he has a foot on me. A fact that rattles me.

He may be imposing in stature, but I’m not some young buck with nothing to offer. I’m a successful businessman who has brokered multimillion-dollar deals and created a successful tech consulting firm. I won’t allow him to make me cower. So, I hold his stare.

Alexis’s eyes are ping ponging between us like she's trying to piece together a puzzle.

“Is Marcee here yet? We were thinking about grabbing a pizza or tacos for us and the movers. Want to have a little picnic on the floor?” Her words effectively halt the pissing contest her dad and I were having.

“Oh, what?” She’s giving me a questioning look, and I know I need to get a grip. “Sorry, my mind wondered. Marcee is right behind me. She needed to finish checkbox one thousand before heading over. But lunch sounds good.”

“That sounds about right!” Her laughter fills the hallway. “You know, she made me a copy too in case I wanted to use it. I think my moving style hurts her brain. Anyways, we’ll call when it’s ready. See ya.” I’m momentarily transfixed by the gleam in her eyes and the wide smile spread across her face. She looks so happy that her dad is here. Turning, she heads in the opposite direction.

Stepping into the elevator, I watch her walk away. Her perky ass swaying as she walks, her toned legs in perfect stride. A harsh cough sounds, and fuck me, her dad is staring daggers at me. I press the close button multiple times, needing to get away before I do something else stupid.

Lunch is awkward, to say the least. The girls do their best to keep conversations going, but Mr. Wayfield seems to be brooding and angry. Alexis constantly darts her gaze around the group, tugging her hair nervously. I want so badly to grab her hand and reassure her, but I can’t. After lunch, I announce I’m making a Target run for hanging supplies.

Entering the elevator, I finally relax a little. Mr. Wayfield hates me, and I can’t blame him one bit. If I caught someone his age looking at my daughter like that, I would knock his teeth in. The door barely closes before bouncing open. I shift to the back to make room for whoever is joining me. When the doors open to reveal Alexis’s dad, I straighten, standing tall. Suddenly, I feel like a teen caught making out with someone's daughter. Nerves fill my stomach like a million butterflies.

He nods before turning his back to me. Releasing the breath I was holding, my shoulders slump in relief.

“How long?” His deep voice echoes in the closed space.

“Excuse me?”

“How long have you been crossing a line with my daughter?”

Turning to face me, his face flushes in anger.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It’s a stupid and weak lie. He saw the way I looked at her.

“I’m talking about a man twice her age. The father of her best friend, taking advantage of her and being, I assume, physical with her.”

Trying to think of something to say, I open my mouth, only to close it.

“Tell me, Finn, was this your plan all along? All those years of her at your house? Were you grooming her, preying on her, just waiting for her to be legal so you could fuck her?” His voice rises with each word. Each one a punch in the gut, flaming my temper and pricking at my conscience.

“You are way off base. And who the fuck do you think you are coming at me like this? You, who has been so absent from her life that you don’t even know her. If you see me watching her, it's with the care of a father, something you know nothing about. Don’t think for one second that you can waltz in here and pretend to be a dad and everyone will just forget the way you abandoned her to be raised by others.” My chest heaves as I suck in air. His fists are clenched at his sides. The doors slide open, and without another word, he steps out of the elevator and walks out of the building.

I sit on the bench by the elevator, my body shaking.

How did things get so messed up? How did I let things go so far? How can I look my daughter in the face when I'm having sex with her best friend? I struggle to breathe, my chest locked and throat thick.

34

FINN

Once I'm able to pull my shit together, I run to the store. After I return, I head straight to Marcee’s apartment, taking the stairs to avoid another awkward elevator encounter. Alexis is there helping Marcee move furniture. Her dad had headed back to his hotel to do some work before dinner. Things almost feel normal again, aside from the crushing guilt weighing me down.