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“Shh…Daddy’s got you.” I pulled him up close. He needed me. I held him until he fell asleep. I wanted nothing more than to take care of my pup, no matter what that dynamic looked like. No matter what that problem was. But I wasn’t sure I was enough for him.
Chapter five
The First Plan
Royce
The plan was coming together, but none of it would be easy. My asshole father had me locked down tight financially. He even had my paycheck re-routed to accounts controlled by him and his smarmy accountant, Jervus. I couldn’t let that stand. He made me feel like a teenager again. But I was finding some wiggle room, like staying at Todd’s instead of wherever the hell he wanted me to live.
My father was going to cut my phone off at any time. The only reason he hadn’t was because he had no other way to get ahold of me. I’d lose it as soon as he gave me a new one. I had to put that off as long as possible. In the meantime, I dialed my boss.
“Royce. How is everything?”
I was thankful that he was always concerned with my well-being before work. “Not well. I’m, uh, I don’t know how else to say this, but I have to quit.”
“Quit? Why? I don’t want to lose you. Have you considered a leave of absence?”
“Thanks, Frank. I don’t want this either, but I lost my court case. Without getting into it, my father has complete control of my finances.”
“I’d think that would mean you needed this job more than ever.”
“It isn’t really working out that way. Every penny I make, he gets to first. I have an allowance, which doesn’t change whether I work or not. So…”
“Can’t say I understand, but I want to support you however I can.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. Please know this wasn’t my first choice, and I thought about it long and hard. Right now, though. I need to end the employment.”
“Okay, please call me if you need anything. I mean that. Anything, Royce.”
I thanked him and hung up. At least he understood enough not to give me a hard time. I was already feeling raw and emotional. Ultimately, quitting probably wasn’t a great move in proving I could act like an adult. But I never needed the job to begin with. Between my trust fund and other investments I’d started making as a teenager, I was wealthy. Was being the key in that sentence, now. Now that my father had control, who knew what would happen.
My next call needed to be to Jax. I leaned back in the bed, smelling Quinn’s aftershave still lingering on the pillows, rich and a little tropical with hints of coconut and bay leaf. It always made me picture sitting on a pirate ship, sipping rum, or a tropical island. But always with Quinn at my side. I didn’t know now if I could keep him, but I would try like hell. Maybe I needed a daddy now more than ever.
I dialed Jax. “What’s up, pup?” I asked when he answered.
“I’m working on a marketing concept for the yacht vacations.”
“Great. That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.” I rolled over to my stomach.
“My marketing campaigns?”
“Uh, not exactly. I mean your company. I think it would help me a lot if I could work for you, and you could pay me cash.”
“Cash?”
“If you can. I don’t want to be on your records as an employee or even a contractor. As soon as it hit federal, my father would be all over it. I need an income he can’t touch. At least for now.”
“Oh. I get you. I’m going to say yes, but I don’t know how to make it happen. I need to talk to Ward about how to do the books and where to get the money. What account and all that. It’s okay if I talk to Ward about it?”
“Of course.” I wouldn’t have expected anything less. “Let me know when it’s worked out and what I can do. I’ll even clean. If I have to.”
“I’m thinking more along the lines of sales and marketing. That would suit you.”
Not only was marketing my jam, but I’d been a consultant for several years, so I could talk to anyone. “Better than cleaning.” Not that I wouldn’t do that for Jax.
His new company had three yachts of various sizes that he rented out for vacations. They were all-inclusive and very much like a cruise ship, on a smaller, more private scale. It had started to take off, and Jax was incredibly excited about it. So, if I could help him and his company, Hoadley Yacht Private Vacations, I would enjoy doing that.
But I couldn’t be seen anywhere near Tam-PAH, our Tampa pet playgroup. We’d both gone into that together, backing Chris who was the original organizer. Our investment allowed them to purchase our building and make improvements. As much as I loved it, I couldn’t hold on to my investment there. It was my father's number one issue and likely what sent him over the edge. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d tried to divest me of that before the ink dried on the conservatorship paperwork. But I was a step ahead of him on that. I couldn’t take the chance of him trying to get them shut down.
