Billionaire romance @ forbidden pleasure

Nine

Brock

Waking up without Felicia in the bed was jarring, to say the least.

And then when I didn't find her in the house, it went from jarring to terrifying.

It wasn't until I heard a tinny but familiar sound of my daughter floating on the air that I realized Felicia was standing outside, talking on the phone. My world tilts on its access as I hear Felicia trying to assure my daughter that she's okay and safe.

I don't expect her to jump like she does when I put a hand on her shoulder. I only meant to let her know I was behind her. It backfires so badly she drops her phone with a squeak.

I school my features as she looks at me, even though my heart is racing just as much as hers must be.

It's now or never.

I need to talk to my daughter about what I feel for her best friend.

"Olivia, sweetheart, we need to talk."

"Dad? What the fuck? What are you—Whyare you—"

I watch as her expression changes between shock, confusion, and fury.

Finally, she says, "I've been texting you for days. I've been worried about Felicia. She's been with you this whole time?" Her voice is almost terrifyingly calm, but the anger is evident on her face, even over the video call. Over the top of the phone, I see Felicia shift her weight guiltily from one foot to the other.

"It's been a hectic few days," I say, sticking as close to the truth as I can without giving too much away too soon.

"That's not a good enough excuse," Olivia snaps. "Why didn't you tell me you were with her?"

I take a deep breath. "Because we haven't figured out how to tell you what's happened."

"Tell me what? What could possibly have happened that's so important you had to ignore me??"

I reach for Felicia, enveloping her small hand in mine, before pulling her into the video call's frame with me. I look at down at her—her eyes are glassy, her hair still unkempt with sleep—then look back to the image of my daughter on the phone screen.

"Felicia and I are together right now because we are together romantically," I say simply.

Olivia's mouth falls open in shock. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's a long story," Felicia explains. Her voice is steady, but I can tell she's nervous because of. "But fate just kind of ... pushed us together."

The background of Olivia's side of the call swivels as she suddenly falls back onto a couch I recognize as mine. At least she's still in the penthouse. Being somewhere familiar might make this easier for her to stomach.

"You're together. Romantically."

"Yes," I confirm.

"Like hell you are. Is this some kind of a joke?" she says weakly, her eyes vacant as she tries to process the revelation.

"No," I assure her. "We didn't mean for this to happen. But it happened. I'm in love with Felicia. Have been for a few months. She means the world to me."

It's not easy to convince her that there's nothing strange or untoward between me and Felicia. As much as it hurts, she's concerned that I coerced her friend. I can tell it dismays Felicia to be asked if she seduced me. Olivia is thorough as she grills us, and by the time she's done, hours have passed. The sun is already peaking over the tops of the mountains, and I can hear Felicia's stomach rumbling weakly by the end.

But, by the end, my stubborn, beautiful daughter proves to be just as loyal as I thought she'd be. She tells us that it'll take a bit for her to truly warm up to the fact that her best friend and her father are together.

"Tech tycoons have dated further from their age," she quips at one point, using her sardonic sense of humor to cope. It's a big adjustment for everyone, I'll admit. But I'm so fucking proud of her for being open to this new relationship of mine.

After we end the video call, Felicia and I head back inside, and I start to make us breakfast. The power came back overnight, so I'm able to plug in the coffee maker and get it started brewing as I wait for the skillet to heat.

When I glance at Felicia, she's frowning at her phone.

"Olivia is resilient," I say. "I trust her when she says she'll work on warming up to us."

"Yeah," she says, clearly distracted.

I raise an eyebrow. "Everything okay?"

She purses her lips before putting her phone down and crossing her arms. "I'm fine. Just ... trying to decide if I should talk to my dad about us is all."

"Do you not want to tell him about us?"

It's not that," she suddenly rushes out. "I'm not ashamed of you."

"Good. I'm not ashamed of us either."

However, when she finally tells me about the situation as we eat, I feel shame regardless. How did I go so long without realizing how bad her home life was?Is?? Her father had them so far into debt that she had to resort to the auction. All this time, I knew there was something up, but I never knew what. Now that I know, I wonder if I'm really the man for her. How could I care so much about her and miss something like this?

It's no wonder she deferred her scholarship. It's no wonder she's worked so much for someone her age. And the scholarship to the private school ... Everything.

Finally, I tell her, "You don't have to call your father if you don't want to. We've already told Olivia. We can be done for the day."

She sighs and nods at me, unshed tears clinging to her lashes as I pull her into my arms.

"I need you to know, however, that I do want to talk to him at some point."

Felicia pulls her head back, looking at me with wide eyes. "Why?"

"Come with me," I say, leading her to back through the house to the bedroom.
I sit her on the bed and go to the dresser, rummaging in the top drawer until I finally find the little velvet box. I hold it in my hands carefully as I kneel in front of her. When she sees it, the unshed tears start to trickly down her cheeks.

I don't let myself waver. I need to do this. I need to show her I'm serious about us, that I want to prove that I'm worthy of her, even when I've failed her.

I want to make sure she'll never want for anything again.

"Brock, what are you—"

"Felicia," I say softly. "My mother died shortly after I got divorced. She told me that if I was patient, I'd find love again, and she gave me her engagement ring, telling me to give it to the love of my life when I met her."

She chokes back a sob as I open the box to reveal a ring, elegant in its simplicity, with nothing but a white gold band and a flawless diamond.
I didn't think I'd ever get to say that she was right," I continue. "I love you. I don't want to ever be parted from you. I want to call your father and tell him that he doesn't get to treat you that way, because you belong to me. You don't exist to make sure he has a roof over his head."

I take the ring from the box and slip it onto her finger as she sniffs, her bottom lip quivering with emotion.

"Felicia, will you marry me?"

She bursts forward, throwing herself into my arms. Her lips meet mine as she knocks me back onto the soft carpet. Her kiss is heated and fervent, and it takes my breath away as she pulls at my shirt to hold me as close to her as she can.

"Yes," she pants. "I'll marry you. Of course I'll marry you."

I smile against her lips. "Really getting my money's worth out of that successful bidding. I love you."

The knowing smile she gives me as she kisses me again makes everything we've gone through to get to this point worth it.

"I love you, too."