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“Careful, little girl. Stick out that tongue one more time and I’ll put it to better use,” I chided, and she blushed beautifully at my wicked suggestion. When I stood up, she looked a little bit more flustered, likely thinking that I was going to make good on my threat right then and there, but I was only getting up to make us both a cup of coffee. I peeked back at her with a wink, and she stuck her tongue out at me again.
I used my espresso machine to make us both a vanilla latte. When I was done, I set her cup in front of her with a smile.
“Oh, fancy,” she grinned. She took a sip and licked her lips. “This one is perfect. You’re getting so good at that,” she added before she took another sip.
After she’d told me that she’d never had anything fancier than black coffee with flavored creamer, I’d bought an espresso machine so that I could introduce her to all the different types of fancy coffee in the world. So far, she’d liked everything that I’d made her, even the cups that I’d thought weren’t particularly great in my book.
Either she actually liked them all, or she was just being nice.
“I think this one is my favorite so far,” she murmured after taking another sip.
“I’m glad,” I answered with a smile. “Listen, Cami, I’ve got an event happening here on Saturday night. It’s a pretty important work function for me so it would be easier for me to focus on what I need to focus on without you here. I can send you somewhere or you could hang out in your old room; it’s up to you, sweetheart,” I explained.
She stared at me for several moments with a confused look on her face, before she turned back to her coffee and stared down into it.
“You want me to make myself scarce, you mean,” she said softly.
“Only for a little while,” I smiled.
She looked up at me and her expression faltered for a second, but she covered it up quickly with a smile.
“Yeah, that’s no problem,” she replied. She looked back down at her coffee and took another sip. I studied her for a second, but the door creaked open and the chef walked in with our breakfast. She was quiet for several long moments, but she squealed with excitement at the sight of her favorite breakfast.
Whenever I gave her the option to choose her own breakfast, she was a creature of habit. Sometimes she would switch it up and order French toast or a Belgian waffle, but this was her favorite. I didn’t really care what she ate, to be honest. When I’d first found her, she’d been so skinny, and her face had been more than a little gaunt, so I wanted her to eat whatever she wanted.
Since then, she had gained some weight and her skin had taken on a healthy glow that made her more beautiful than ever. I watched as she dug into her plate, relishing how her appetite had improved since that day weeks ago when I’d found her sleeping in the bedroom upstairs.
My phone rang and I sighed when I looked at it.
“I’m sorry, little girl. I must take this. There’s some paperwork emergency involving taxes and audits and some other boring nonsense. I promise I’ll make it up to you at dinner tonight,” I muttered.
“Okay. Good luck,” she smiled, and I picked up my phone to listen to the panicked executive on the other line. I mouthed another apology her way, grabbed my plate, balanced my phone on my shoulder, and made my way out of the room.
I spent the rest of the day holed up in my office, fielding one call after another, solving problems left and right. Eventually, the offices closed on the west coast, and I was able to steal away for a sweet romantic dinner with Cami before bed. After the meal, I tucked her in bed and went right back to work, preparing what seemed like an endless stream of documents to satisfy the problems at hand.
* * *
For the next several days, I drowned in paperwork, filing one tax form after the next. I had to field a number of group calls along with it. From sunup to well after sundown, my entire existence became one endless work cycle.
I barely had any time with Cami and that made me grumpier with each passing day. By the time Saturday morning came around, I was exhausted. I slept in later than I wanted to, and I kicked myself for it because I had wanted to take my time with Cami in the shower. I had another scheduled meeting, so I had to rush in and out. I kissed her on the forehead with a quick apology before I slipped into a suit and made my way back into my office.
Before I knew it, breakfast had come and gone. Cami knocked on my door to bring me a bagel with cream cheese. She went to put it down on my desk and I muted my call for a minute and called her over.
“I’m sorry, Cami-girl. I know I’ve been busy this week, but I promise I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. I just need to get through tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’m all yours. I promise,” I implored her, and she kissed my cheek.
“I understand, Daddy,” she murmured. I watched her walk out of the office, wishing the night was over and it was Sunday already. I went back to my mountain of work, piecing through it and finalizing everything for the gathering later that night.
When five o’clock rolled around, I groaned openly. I got up from my desk and slipped on the nicest suit I owned. I looked at the door, wanting to call Cami in so that I had her opinion on which tie would be best and then have her tie it for me because that always made her smile with such joy, but there wasn’t time. Instead, I settled on the closest one, a silver-gray pattern. I looped it underneath my neck and knotted it quickly. I folded my collar back down and put on a simple, but expensive pair of cufflinks before I left to go direct the setup of multiple groups in the banquet hall.
When I arrived, most of it was already done. The guests were due to arrive at around 6:30 p.m., so I had ample time to fix anything that was amiss. I moved a few of the tables to accommodate a better flow for the room. There were three bar setups with multiple bartenders to ensure that the upper crust of New York society was never left thirsty.
By the time people started arriving, I was fully ready to start greeting them by the door.
The mayor and his wife walked in the door, both dressed to the nines and looking quite excited to be here. She looked around the room with expectation and just the slightest air of judgment, but she covered it up quickly with a polite smile plastered all over her face.
I greeted them and they took a seat at one of the nearby tables. A waitress quickly attended to them, but I was distracted by another couple that walked in after them. I greeted them with a warm smile, working the door for a period of time before I made my way inside.
I talked local politics with several, making notes of their concerns for the homeless, for the state’s education system and I brought up my own worries about the foster care system, which unbeknownst to them was inspired by someone much closer to home.
