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James was going to kill her.
* * *
The sound of a carin the driveway pulled James from the quarterly reports he’d been working on all evening. What time was it? He blinked hard and squinted at the clock on his computer screen. Ten after ten. Shaking his head, he closed the lid on his laptop and went to meet his naughty little girl at the door.
Olivia always had a fifteen-minute grace window with him. He knew shit happened and he wasn’t going to take her to task because traffic was a little heavy.
It didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun, though. Putting on his best ‘Daddy face,’ he stood just inside the entryway and crossed his arms.
The sound of maniacal giggling met his ears before they even made it through the front door. He was reaching for the knob when the door swung open and two very drunk girls stumbled inside, tripping over each other and landing at his feet.
“Daddy!” Olivia’s brown eyes lit up when she looked up at him. “I’m home.”
“I see that,” he managed through clenched teeth. “Hello, Shannon.”
“Hey, Mr. Sexy. I’m gonna go now.” The beautiful blonde pushed up and immediately lost her balance again. She collapsed against Olivia, sending the pair into a renewed fit of giggles.
James sighed. He was pissed that Olivia had so blatantly defied him, but it was pointless to even attempt a lecture at this point. “Stay here. Both of you.”
“Mmm, I love a man who takes charge.” Tilting her head back, Shannon grinned up at him. “Will you be my daddy, too?”
“No! He’s my daddy!” Olivia protested with a pout.
Stepping around the pile of female at his feet, James walked outside to the car. At least she’d obeyed some of his instructions and taken the rideshare home. He paid the driver, with an especially generous tip considering he knew exactly how Olivia and Shannon could be when alcohol was involved.
By the time he walked back into the house, Shannon had managed to struggle to her feet, and was attempting to pull Olivia up with her. He rushed forward when they wobbled, just catching Olivia before she hit the floor. Shannon stumbled backward into the entryway table, sending one of Olivia’s favorite vases tumbling to the floor.
The shattering of glass seemed to sober the pair right up. “Oh, no! Our honeymoon vase!” Olivia wailed.
“Oh, shit!” The horror in Shannon’s eyes would have been comical if he hadn’t been so annoyed with the pair of them. “I’m sorry, Liv! I’ll clean it up.”
Visions of his wife’s best friend slicing her hands to ribbons in his front hall filled his head. “Stop!”
The snapped order stopped her before she’d had a chance to move an inch. James said a silent prayer that at least she still had some sense about her. “Just stay there before you cut yourself.”
Olivia’s elbow connected with his gut. Luckily for her, she was too drunk to put much effort into the swing. “James! You can’t yell at my friends!”
“I can when they bring my wife home three sheets to the wind and bust up my house. Sit.” He’d managed to get her to the stairs and he plopped her on the bottom step. “If you move a muscle I’ll bend you over and whip your bottom right here in front of your friend.”
Even as annoyed as he was, her pout was adorable. “You’re a mean daddy.”
“You haven’t even seen mean yet, little one. Mean is what happens tomorrow when you get home from work.”
“But I only had one drink, Daddy, I swear,” she whined.
The flash of temper burst out of him as a growl. “You really want to lie to me? I’m this close to putting you over my knee right now, young lady.”
“I’m not lying! Shannon will tell you!”
“What?” Shannon’s slurred voice asked from behind them.
James closed his eyes. “Nothing, Shannon.” Opening his eyes again, he jabbed a finger at his wife. “Stay.”
The little brat had the nerve to lift her hands like a puppy and pant. His palm positively itched to connect with her bottom. “You’re going to pay for that,” he promised her. “Tomorrow.”
He turned away to deal with his other problem for the night. Shannon was still leaning against the table, teetering ever so slightly. With a sigh, he walked over and grabbed her arm.
He helped her pick her way around the glass and led her to where Olivia was still obediently sitting. Between the three of them, they stumbled their way up the stairs, stopping at the guest room to deposit Shannon into bed. She fell face down and was snoring before he and Olivia made it back to the doorway.
