Father's Lust

~James Pov

Anna's asleep on my chest, her breath warm against my shirt.

What have I done?

I kissed her. My stepdaughter. The girl I raised.

No—the woman. She's a woman now. That's the problem, isn't it? She stopped being that little girl somewhere along the way, and I was too close to notice the exact moment it happened.

Now that I've crossed every line I swore I never would.

I ease out from under her carefully, every movement deliberate. She murmurs

something—my name, maybe—and reaches for where I was. Even asleep, she wants me close.

I carry her to her room, kiss her forehead, and close the door softly.

In my study, I pour three fingers of scotch despite it being 2 AM. The encrypted folder on my computer stares at me: "A.C. - Background."

Inside: the accident report from Anna's father's death. The inconsistencies I found but never pursued. Questions I never asked.

Some secrets are too dangerous to share. Even with her.

I can't think about how right she felt in my arms. How her lips tasted like vanilla ice cream. How she said she's wanted this for so long.

How I've wanted it longer.

By 5 AM, I give up on sleep. My phone rings.

"Sir, the Santos Group wants to accelerate negotiations."

"Keep it brief."

"The shipping contracts. Combined with Henderson, we'd control the entire Pacific corridor. They want a meeting today."

"Schedule a board meeting. I'll be in early."

"Sir, it's 5:30 in the morning."

"I'm aware." I'm already grabbing my keys. "Have them there by nine."

I write the note in the kitchen where we kissed last night: "Early meeting. Back tonight. - J"

Perfect.

I leave before I can change my mind.

~∆~

"You're early, Mr. Reynolds," Candice says when I arrive at seven. She's already at her desk, immaculate as always.

Too immaculate for 7 AM.

"Couldn't sleep. What's my schedule?"

"The board meeting at nine. Just as you requested." She hands me coffee—black, two sugars, the way I take it. "And there was a call yesterday."

"What kind of call?"

"A woman. Said she was researching successful businessmen for a feature article." She pauses, and something in her expression makes my skin prickle. "Asked specifically about Miss Anna."

My blood runs cold. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing directly, sir. I transferred her to general inquiries." Another pause. "But she seemed to already know quite a bit. About Anna's birthday. Your shopping trip to Bergdorf's.

How could they know that? I never told anyone about our day.

"Did she leave a name?"

"No. But she had an interesting accent. Slight Boston inflection, I'd say." Candice's eyes meet mine.

"Thank you, Candice. If she calls again—"

"You'll be the first to know." She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

Maybe she knows something, or I am probably being paranoid.

~∆~

The boardroom fills with twelve faces, all focused on numbers and projections.

"The Henderson deal is performing above expectations," Harrison reports. "Q4 shows 23% growth over last quarter."

"What about the Santos Group proposal?" I ask, trying to focus on business instead of the growing dread in my stomach.

"They want to accelerate negotiations. Combined shipping routes would give

us Pacific dominance, but they're pushing for closure within the month."

"Timeline concerns?"

"Due diligence alone would take—"

The door opens.

Every head turns.

"We need to talk," Anna says, closing the door behind her.

She's wearing yesterday's sundress. The star necklace catches the morning light. Her lips are still slightly swollen from our kisses.

The board members exchange glances. This is not the professional image I've spent years building.

"Anna, this isn't the place—"

"You left." Her voice cuts through the boardroom tension. "After everything last night, you just left a note?"

"Gentlemen," I say, standing. "We'll continue this later."

"James," Harrison says quietly. "We really need to discuss—"

"We can do that later."

They file out, leaving Anna and me alone.

"The door closes. We're alone.

"You're avoiding me," Anna says.

"I had a meeting—"

"Bullshit." She moves closer, and I force myself not to retreat. "You ran. At the first opportunity, you ran."

"I didn't run. I had obligations—"

Before I can explain further, my phone buzzes. Email notification.

The sender makes my blood turn to ice: V.Chen.

"James?" Anna sees my expression. "What is it?"

I open the email. Photos load one by one. Anna and me at Bergdorf's yesterday, her hand on my arm. At the gelato place, me wiping ice cream from her lip. In my car at the red light on Maple Street—the moment I couldn't resist anymore, when I kissed her.

The message: "Four Seasons, Room 1247. 8 PM tonight. Come alone, or these go public by

midnight. We have so much to discuss about your 'relationship' with my daughter.

—V"

I look at the photos and close my eyes for a long moment. When I open them, Anna sees something different in my face.

James?" Anna's voice pulls me back. "What is it? You look like you've seen

a ghost."

I turn the phone to show her. Watch her face go pale as she scrolls through the photos.

Watch the moment she realizes what I've known all along:

That this—us—was never going to be simple.

"When did she—" Anna's voice shakes. "How did she get these?"

"She's been watching." I take the phone back, close the email before I have to look at those photos again. "Probably for days. Maybe weeks."

"What does she want?"

"Money, most likely. Or leverage. Or both." I move to the window, needing distance. "This is what I was trying to protect you from."

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't make this about protection." Anna's voice hardens. "You don't get to kiss me, tell me you love me, and then use my mother as an excuse to—"

"Anna, she's blackmailing us and she would do it again!"

"So what?" She throws her hands up. "You're a billionaire! Buy her off! Sue her! Do whatever you do when someone threatens you!"

"It's not that simple—"

"It is exactly that simple!" She's in front of me now, fury and fear warring in her eyes. "Unless you're looking for an out. Unless last night was a mistake you're trying to fix."

I turn back to her. "I'm saying you have a choice to make. Right now."

"What choice?"

"We go to that hotel at eight o'clock. You see exactly who your mother is and what she's capable of. You see the kind of person she's, and her offer." I pause. "And then you decide."

"Decide what?"

"She wants money." My voice is steady, but my heart is breaking. "But after this we can't continue our… our little relationship."

She stares at me for a long moment. Then her expression hardens.

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"Anna—"

"This is also my life James! This is what happens when you love someone!" She grabs her purse. "But apparently you'd rather push me away than fight for us."

"Anna, wait—"

"No. You want to give me a choice? Fine. I choose not to listen to this bullshit."

She storms toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To handle this myself. Since you're too busy protecting me to actually trust me."

The door slams behind her, leaving me alone with the photos and the realization that I just made the biggest mistake of my life.