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Chapter Ten
The next day at lunchtime, Diamond sat perched on a barstool in her father’s kitchen, nibbling on a carrot stick with amusement as the rest of her family unashamedly fawned over her new boyfriend. When she had first introduced him, it had been to wide-eyes and radio silence, as Diamond had never brought a man home before, not even as a teenager. Her family had gawked at each other with questions looming unspoken on each of their faces as they tried to figure out where this tall, dark, mystery man had come from. Her sisters stole glances at each other as if to ask, “Did you know she was dating anyone?” and her father had frowned in consternation, as if trying to remember something he feared he had forgotten.
When she had briefly explained that he was her new boss, and that they were dating, the questions had flown rapid fire, but Pax had fielded each one carefully, in a way that won over her family without disclosing too many of her own secrets.
As her sisters both giggled, and fluttered their lashes over everything that came out of Pax’s mouth, her father disengaged himself from the gaggle, and seated himself on the barstool next to her.
“Pax seems nice, but why is this the first I’ve heard of you having a boyfriend, and a boyfriend who is currently your boss, nonetheless? Is that wise, princess?” her dad asked, attempting to soften the blow by employing his pet name for her. She was princess, Ruby was pumpkin, because of her red hair and freckles, and Emmy, the tomboy of the trio, was Scout.
Diamond smiled shyly, still watching Pax and her sisters out of the corner of her eye, and turned to her face her dad. “You know, I’m not sure it is wise, Daddy, but sometimes you just have to do what feels right and trust your gut, you know.”
Her dad nodded thoughtfully, with sad eyes, and she knew instinctively he was thinking of her mother. That was a rabbit hole she couldn’t fall down into right now, so she steered the conversation back to Pax. “I know Pax is unexpected. I didn’t want him to come with me, but he insisted. After last week’s media spectacle, he’s worried about overly enthusiastic paparazzi. I tried to tell him I was fine and he didn’t need to come, but Pax is very persuasive, and he takes safety very seriously. He’s a little bit of a worry-wart.”
“Well, if being a worry-wart means he’s taking good care of my little girl, there’s a lot worse things he could be I suppose.” Her dad sighed pensively, looking as if he had more to say, but wasn’t quite sure how to say it. “So, you said he owns this casino you’re working at now, Rojo?”
“Yup, and half of Aubergine as well. He owns that one with a friend.”
“I see. So, this isn’t as sudden as it seems then? You’ve known him for some time?”
“Several years. Not well, but well enough to know his character.” This, she thought to herself was mostly a lie, if you considered the fact that up until last week her opinion of his character was that he was some sort of narcissistic pimp. But the small fudge of the truth was enough to appease her equally overly protective father.
“And, these casinos, they do well?” There it was. This was why she never brought anyone home. Understandably, her father’s first worry, and her mother’s too when she had been alive was that her daughters would be taken advantage of by men seeking a fast track to fame and fortune. Truth be told, several of the men in her past had been doing exactly that, but it had never felt serious with them anyway. With Pax it was different, and that’s what she told her Dad.
“Well, I haven’t seen the annual reports or anything, but my belief is that the casinos do very well, and I’m going to guess based on the rigid precision with which Paxton attacks everything in his life, he handles his businesses the same way, in which case, they are probably thriving.”
“Hmmm.” Her father’s thoughtful hum was telling, and Diamond rolled her eyes, knowing that the first chance he got he would be doing his own research, just to make sure that things with her new beau were exactly as they seemed. She wasn’t worried that any big secrets about the casino’s financials would be unveiled, because she truly believed there weren’t any. But with just a few quick taps of his fingers, her father could find out the truth about the nightclub at Rojo, and exactly what her job entailed.
It would be better to tell him now, because she could see from his expression that he would find out on his own the first chance he got.
“Daddy?” she led in nervously, knowing full well that the fact that she called him Daddy was a tell in and of itself. “There’s something I should tell you about Rojo.”
“Oh, is there?” His guard instantly went up.
Diamond twirled around in her barstool, turning away from Pax and her sisters to add some illusion of privacy to their conversation. She felt the flames of embarrassment lapping up her face already, and silently cursed her fair complexion.
Her father took her cue, and also turned in his stool so that they were facing the kitchen rather than the breakfast nook.
“What’s up, princess?”
“Well, first I want you to know, that I am safe, and happy, and well taken care of, and that I am not doing anything that I do not want to do. This is my life, and I’m making my own decisions.”
“As well you should. And might I add, as you always have.” Her father chuckled, looking only slightly apprehensive. “Princess, I support you spreading your wings, and finding yourself outside of your mother’s shadow. You know that. I do worry a little, because that’s who I am, and as your father, it’s in my job description, but whatever it is that has you looking so nervous, I’m sure it’s not all that bad, and even if it is, I will try to accept it, as long as it makes you happy.”
She hesitated, jerking back with a start, when a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She hadn’t seen Pax come up behind her, and she wondered how much he had heard. She didn’t have to wonder for long.
“Sir,” Pax began, addressing her father, to her abject horror. “I think what Diamond is concerned about, is that when you research the business that I own, which I am sure you will, as I can tell you are a father who cares deeply about his daughter’s wellbeing, you will find that Rojo, the casino I own, is home to a very renowned BDSM club of the same name, and that that is where Diamond works.”
Her father’s shock was visible in the lines of his face as he regarded Pax seriously. “I see,” he mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “And you’ve taken measures to procure her safety and anonymity, I take it? Normally, I would worry that you were using her status as a pull, and exploiting her in order to bring in more business, but I can tell just in this short visit we have had that is not what you are about. Then I consider the fact that I spoke to my daughter only a week ago, and now she comes home with a new job, a new boyfriend, and she’s working in a BDSM club? What exactly is she doing there?” Her father stopped short, holding his hand up in front of him to halt Pax or her from responding. “Wait don’t answer that. I don’t need to know. But what I do want to know, if you’ll tell me, is how exactly this happened so quickly. Why don’t you start at the beginning?”
* * *
Pax thoughtfully surveyed the small guesthouse that was his digs for the next few days. When the interrogation had ended, her father had clapped him on the back, declared him a good man, and instructed Emmy, not Diamond, to show him to the guest house. The reaction seemed contradictory, so now Pax stood in the middle of a small one-bedroom apartment that was decorated in all pink, wiping his brow and praying that Diamond would join him soon. He felt a little like he had been sent to exile, with no further instruction, or idea of what he was to do next.
He paced around the room, looking for something to do to distract him. There was no TV in the house, and the magazines on the coffee table were all at least five years old, not to mention the fact that they were primarily gossip rags and fashion magazines. Nary a Sports Illustrated or Maxim in sight. Sitting down on the prissiest pink chaise he had ever laid eyes on, he buried his head in his hands and sighed. The pink wasn’t helping his anxiety.
When the door slammed shut behind him, he jolted, jumping up on instinct.
Diamond’s eyes were saucers as she walked towards him seductively. “He likes you,” she purred happily. “I had my doubts there for a while, but he really likes you.” She reached him then, throwing her arms up in the air to hug him, and Pax had to stoop down so that she could. Squealing happily, she threw her arms around his neck, and he lifted her off the ground hugging her tightly.
