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Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t as amused by attitude as he was. I crossed my arms and gave them both a disapproving glare. “Can I help you, young ladies?”
My stern words brought the second woman to a nervous stop. The beautiful Hispanic woman with wide, dark eyes was wearing the same uniform Alyssa had been yesterday. The look of fear and concern on her face almost made me feel guilty for my harsh tone. I might have even apologized if her friend hadn’t continued to charge forward until she was poking her finger into my chest as if she was trying to force me to step back.
“Don’t you ‘young lady’ me. Your Daddy scowl doesn’t scare me. If you or Mr. Rocks for Brains think you can kidnap one of my girls, you have another think coming.”
It was hard not to smile at her bravado. “You mean Rocco?”
She let out a huff and shook her hand as if she’d hurt her finger by poking me so hard. “That’s what I said, Rocks for Brains.”
I raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath trying to find my patience. These were Alyssa’s friends and yelling at them would probably upset her. “Can I know your names before we discuss your wild accusations?”
The spitfire narrowed her eyes, and I could see her mentally digging her heels in. This was why I didn’t want a brat for my Little girl. I got enough of fighting in the ring. The thought of arguing over every little thing exhausted me. While I might be willing to put up with some attitude, I was not going to let this woman think she could walk all over me. I crossed my arms and settled in for the staring contest that was sure to begin.
“She’s Zoe, and I’m Lucia.”
Thank God one of them wasn’t looking to argue. I gave Lucia a grateful smile.
“Alyssa was supposed to come back to my place last night after your date, but she never showed up and she’s not answering her phone.”
Guilt settled like a lump in my chest. In my struggles to get my princess settled in bed I hadn’t considered there might be someone waiting for her. Which reminded me, I also needed to get Rocco to deal with the asshole at her job. Having him handle it would be the smart thing to do, though after seeing my girl’s tears last night punching the guy's face was tempting. Giving into that urge, no matter how satisfying, would probably end with me spending time dealing with cops. Anything that reduced the time I could spend with Alyssa was a bad idea.
“I apologize, Lucia. We got in late last night; I didn’t realize you were expecting her. She’s not ignoring you; I silenced her phone so she could sleep in. Can I have her call you when she wakes up?”
“We want to see her now.” Zoe’s eyes flashed with anger. This was a Little in desperate need of a good spanking. But luckily that wasn’t my job.
“No.”
When arguing with a capital-B-brat, short answers were best. Explanations would only give them fuel for more arguments, and I had no intention of going several rounds with her. The glare she leveled at me was probably supposed to be intimidating. I could almost see her trying to shoot mental laser beams at me.
“What right do you have to say who she can talk to?” Zoe growled through gritted teeth.
“I’m her Daddy.” Just saying the words felt right and settled much of the annoyance growing inside me.
Lucia gasped. “Really?”
At least one of her friends seemed happy at the idea. We might not have settled everything last night, but I was confident that at least for the time being I had the right to claim that title. If I wanted it long term, I knew making friends with her friends was the right thing to do. I gentled my expression and smiled.
“Yes, really. She’s going to stay with me in my suite for now. But I promise to have her contact you after she wakes up.”
At least I hoped she’d stay with me rather than go home. Showing any doubt to these two wasn’t part of my plans though so I tried to project nothing but confidence. The little resistance Alyssa had given me last night had seemed more about not wanting to be a burden than about having true concerns. With a bit of convincing, I was sure she’d agree to give staying with me a try.
“That was fast,” Zoe grumbled. “I don’t approve.”
“Zoe!” Lucia whisper-shouted.
I raised an eyebrow, honestly impressed with how unintimidated by me Zoe was. This was one Little girl who needed a firm Daddy. I wondered if Rocco understood how much of a challenge he had in front of him if he set his sights on her. It wasn’t hard to understand Zoe’s concerns, but I wasn’t about to allow her skepticism ruin my chance with Alyssa. Focusing my attention on Lucia was the best thing to do since she appeared to be the more reasonable of the two.
“I promise I want only the best for Alyssa. We had a wonderful date last night. She’s special and I want to treat her like the princess she is.”
I could almost see the fairytale hearts and flowers dancing through Lucia’s mind, and even Zoe’s expression had softened.
“Her stuff is at my place. She was going to stay with Grace and I while she looked for a new apartment.”
Why hadn’t Alyssa mentioned she didn’t have an apartment last night? It looked like I was going to have to have a talk with my girl about sharing important details. Fortunately, her apartmentless state would make my argument for her to stay with me stronger.
“Can I send someone over to get her things?” Having her own stuff would help her feel more comfortable. If I couldn’t find someone to do that for me then I would take her myself.
“Sure. Grace is home till two and I’ll be back there after six.”
