Once Upon a Contract (Once Upon #2)

Chapter Twelve

Ezra

T he night with my family went off without a hitch. Celeste and Daphne hit it off right away, bonding as they shared margaritas my dad had made for all the women. The kids, while complete terrors for my sister earlier that day, were well behaved, and excited to meet someone new and to go swimming.

I'm not going to lie. Seeing Layla snuggled into Daphne's chest, fast asleep, had my brain filling with images of Daphne holding our babies one day. It was hard hiding my boner in my board shorts, but I knew my sister would never let me live it down if she caught me lusting after my girl holding a baby.

Of course I want kids of my own. I just hadn't found a woman I'd even remotely consider procreating with until I met Daphne. Sure, I had a few serious relationships when I was younger, but I was well aware those women were with me for my money and status more than for their desire to be in a relationship with me.

I was super impressed with my mom for only asking once about our future plans. I know it's hard for her to see both Celeste and me unsettled, but she knows pressuring us isn't going to help her cause at all.

Daphne seemed to handle the question well enough by being vague, but I wished for her to talk about how well everything is going and how excited she is for our future. I know I still need to tell her I want a future together, but I'm still hesitant to scare her away. We've been living in our own little bubble, so there hasn't been any pressure on us. That's all about to change tonight at dinner.

I could tell Daphne was anxious the other day, and when I finally got her to open up, I found out it was because her mother was trying to set her up on another date and was not taking our relationship seriously. I may or may not have pulled the Daddy card and made her call her mother right then and there. Her mom was shocked that I was the one on the other end inviting them to dinner with us, but she also knew she couldn't refuse my invite without looking extremely rude.

So, that brings us to this moment. I watch Daphne sift through her clothes as she tries to find something her mom will find acceptable to wear to dinner. I hate how worked up she is, but nothing I've said has calmed her anxiety down in anticipation of tonight.

Sitting on her bed, I try to think of a way to calm her down when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Seeing a message from Celeste, I open it and smile. "I'll be right back, love. I need to run to my car to get my suit."

"Okay," Daphne mumbles, barely paying attention to anything I'm saying.

When I pull my garment bag out of the back seat, I slide the zipper down and look inside. My favorite black suit is in the bag, but there's also a royal blue dress in it. There's a note from Celeste telling Daphne to not worry about what her mother says, but to own who she is and how gorgeous she is.

I can't wait to get this up to Daphne, so I slam my door shut and sprint back up to her apartment.

When I make it to her room, I find her sitting on the bed, her head hanging in her hands.

"Love, I've got something for you."

"What?" Tears fill her eyes as she tips her head up to look at me.

"Celeste added a little something for you in my bag without telling me. I think it's a solution for what you should wear tonight." I pull the zipper down on the bag and turn it to face Daphne.

She pulls the dress out. The tears she was holding back spill over as she reads the note from Celeste, and for a second, I think I fucked up.

Daphne throws her arms around me and slams her lips to mine. "Thank you for introducing me to your family. They are amazing and I'm so glad to have met them."

My eyes are misty as I look at my sweet girl who has never experienced a family like mine. To think her own mother is the reason for all her anxiety is heartbreaking. Leaning forward, I kiss her forehead as I squeeze her tight. "Now that we've got the dress taken care of, I have an idea."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you need a reminder of how amazing you are and a boost to your confidence."

"But I'm not confident, which is why I'm a mess"

"Maybe not right this second, but you are confident. And you're most confident when you let go and are sure of yourself." I give her a heated look and a wiggle of my brows, making her frown turn to a gasp.

"Okay … Daddy. What did you have in mind?" She starts fidgeting but also stands up straighter, squaring her shoulders as she gets ready to play.

"Hmm, even though I love hearing you call me Daddy, I think I'd like to switch our roles today."

Daphne's face is confused but quickly morphs to shock as I lower to the floor until I'm kneeling in front of my queen—a position I enforce when we decide we want to play a little more than normal when we're in the bedroom. The only difference is that Daphne's usually the one on her knees and I'm in charge.

Unlike when Daphne is in this position, my eyes are on her so she can see my sincerity and desire to give her this. She's nervous, but I can see the heat flaring in her eyes.

"What should I call you?" She asks as she trails her finger down my cheek.

"Whatever you want. What do you want me to call you?"

"Hmm, can I call you Pet?"

A shiver runs down my spine as her eyes light up, her shoulders draw back, and her chin juts out in confidence.

Yeah, Pet is definitely working for me. I'll be her Pet any day.

"Mmm, I like Pet." I smile up at Daphne before redirecting her. "What do you want me to call you? Madame?" I growl out, my desire getting the better of me, but it can't be helped with how badly I want her to take charge.

"Oh, I like that. Say it again," Daphne demands as she tips my head back so that our eyes lock.

"Madame, how can I please you?"

As soon as the words leave my mouth, it's like a flip is switched in Daphne. She becomes a powerful dominatrix before my eyes with the way she holds herself.

"Those words sound like heaven coming from your mouth, Pet." Daphne's fingers run through my hair and she grips it tightly, tilting my head back further. "We have far too many clothes on right now. Stand." She pulls my hair, making me do as she commands.

"Good, Pet. Now, take off your clothes. I think I want to play with you a little."

I discard my clothes. It takes all of my willpower not to reach out and touch her the way I want to.

"Now mine."

I step forward and make quick work of getting her naked. "Stand there."

She points to the spot in front of her bed.

I go where she wants me then wait anxiously to see what she does next. Daphne circles me, gently caressing and teasing my body with her feather-light touches. She grabs my ass in both hands, making me groan, before she circles back to my front where she drops to her knees.

"Look at you standing so still and listening so well. I think you deserve a reward." Daphne swallows my cock, relaxing her throat so I go further down it.

I can't help the thrust of my hips but groan in frustration when she pulls off my weeping dick.

"I did not give you permission to move. You will stand still, or I will stop. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, Madame."

Daphne goes back to swallowing my cock, and it takes more restraint than I knew I had to not fuck her face. My hands stay clenched at my sides as she slurps and pumps my hard length. I groan as she slides her tongue in my slip while her other hand twists me at my base. I'm so close to coming, but there's no way I'm going to until she gives me permission.

My resolve almost cracks when Daphne slips her fingers into her pussy, bouncing on them as she keeps her mouth on my cock, making me groan. She hums her approval, and I feel my control slipping. Daphne pulls off, and I think she noticed I'm about to blow, but when she throws her head back, moaning, I realize it's because she's coming. When she pulls her fingers out, they are drenched.

"Spread your legs wider" Daphne commands.

I obey and watch her wrap her lips around me again. I'm shocked as hell when I feel her fingers at my asshole, but I can't deny how good it feels when she slides one finger inside as she swallows my cock. I look down at her in desperation to take over and am relieved when she gives me a nod of encouragement.

I don't hesitate to wrap my hands in her hair and thoroughly fuck her face, all while she pumps two of her fingers in my ass. She completely undoes me when she brings her other hand, dripping wet, up towards my mouth. I suck her fingers coated in her juices in my mouth. It sends me over the edge as I come down her throat for what seems like forever, watching in admiration as she takes every drop.

Pulling off my spent dick, she looks up at me with a dazzling smile. "Was that okay?" My shy girl is starting to come back, but I'm not really surprised after everything that just happened.

"That was more than okay, love. It was fucking fire. I love taking charge and being your Daddy, but you can be my Madame every day. Even with all the sex we've had since we got together, that was one of the best orgasms of my life. I'll be your Pet any time you want me to."

We're standing wrapped up in each other and completely naked, but I've never felt more content in my life.

Daphne's phone alarm goes off, pulling a groan of exasperation from her.

"Do we really have to go?"

"We sure do."

"Fine. Let's go get ready."

The restaurant I picked for dinner tonight is one for the upper elite, but the average age of the customers is closer to my age than Daphne's parents, which I did on purpose. I don't need the extra attention of people trying to ass-kiss the Senator while we're out. I also don't want to be somewhere that Daphne's mom feels comfortable throwing her clout around.

"Stop fidgeting, love. You look amazing."

Daphne looks to me as she tries to smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She really does look amazing in the dress Celeste let her borrow. It fits her perfectly but shows a tantalizing amount of skin with cutouts on the sides, which I tease as I run my fingers over her bare skin.

"Thank you. I am so grateful to Celeste for letting me borrow this dress. It's just a lot bolder than I usually am, especially when I'm meeting my mother. I'm sure she's going to have something to say about not only showing the skin on my sides but my tattoos."

"Fuck her."

Daphne looks at me with large eyes at my outburst.

"I'm sorry. I just fucking hate the way she ties you up in knots. She's so busy being irritated by the fact that you aren't a mini version of hers that she misses out on how fucking amazing you are."

Daphne blushes, and I can't resist leaning down to kiss her. I meant for the kiss to be chaste, but I find myself deepening it as she melts into me. I only break the kiss when I hear someone clear their throat behind me.

"Really, Daphne? Do you think it's appropriate to make out with your date in the entryway of an establishment like this?"

Daphne stiffens in my arms, well aware of who is standing behind her. Her eyes shutter closed as she slowly starts caving in on herself.

Hating to see what this woman does to Daphne, I lean down to her ear. "Her opinion is only one and, in the grand scheme of things, only holds as much weight as you give it. I don't care if she thinks it's inappropriate. I will kiss you any way I see fit as long as you'll have me, Madame."

Daphne gasps and straightens at the nickname. Her eyes lock with mine, and I'm relieved to see the fire that was burning in them in her bedroom earlier is back.

She smiles seductively at me, even giving me a saucy wink before turning to greet her mother. "Hello, Mother. Father. I'm so glad you were able to meet us for dinner tonight."

"Hi, Pumpkin. I'm glad we're able to catch up. I feel like it's been forever." Her dad is warm, and I'm wondering if he would have let her mother get away with half the shit she did if he had been more focused on his daughter than his career.

"Dad, you remember Ezra?"

Daphne directs her attention to her father, leaving her mother out of the conversation, and from the woman's reaction, it's something she's not used to.

"I do. It's great to see you again, son." He extends his hand for me to shake.

"You too, sir."

Before we can say anything else, the hostess lets us know that our table is ready.

The restaurant is like many other high-end establishments, with low lightening giving the entire place an intricate feeling.

Once we're seated, the conversation is stilted. Daphne's mother is throwing off the entire energy, and it's pissing me off watching Daphne retreat back into herself.

"You both must be so proud of Daphne for everything she's achieved."

"We are. She's very accomplished, especially at her age. Her foundation is thriving, and she's found professional success. Not many people can say that." Her dad beams at her and it gives me hope that at least one of her parents actually care.

Well, I'm sure her mother does, but she's a bit of a narcissist and doesn't know how to handle her daughter who is so different from her.

Her mother harumphs into her glass of wine, and I'm finding it hard to bite my tongue. We haven't even gotten our appetizers yet. If I piss her off now, it's going to be a long-ass night.

"You don't think Daphne's accomplished?" I can't hold the question in.

Daphne squeezes my hand in her lap, but I don't tear my eyes from her mother's.

"Of course, she is. That's exactly how we raised her to be. I just don't agree with my husband's assessment of her professional success aside from her foundation." She glances down at my tattoo-covered hand holding my glass of whiskey. There's disdain in her eyes as they come back to mine. "Which, I might add, would not have come to fruition without our assistance and the contacts she made because of us. She's lucky we set her up with success."

"I'm sure your assistance early on was absolutely helpful, but I know how much her foundation means to her. Daphne would have found a way to get it up and running even without your funding or connections. As it is, I know she's acquired many great donors on her own, and several of my own are interested in meeting with her."

"They are?" Daphne gasps, pulling my attention to her.

"They are. I told them about your idea to hold a joint event for our foundations, where we'd mix technology with art, and they loved it. They know the value of good marketing. Without artists, they wouldn't have the ability to market their various businesses, so they see the potential in combining, at least for a few days, what our foundations do."

"Wow. I didn't know you talked to anyone about that yet."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, love."

Her mother makes a choked sound at my term of endearment for Daphne, which I choose to ignore before diving back in.

"It actually slipped my mind that I had talked to them, but Matty had a call to Camilla on my calendar for today. It went really well. She told me she'd get a hold of you so that we could set up a meeting with everyone, but I asked her to let me do the honors."

"Wow. I'm so excited for this. When did you want to meet? I can go tomorrow. Oh, I suppose you need to talk to your board director, so that might take some time."

I can't help but laugh as Daphne rapid fires at me, excited about the possibilities combining our foundations can do for all of the kids in our programs.

"Matty is actually the head of my foundation, so I figured our meeting can be after hours and pretty informal, as long as Camilla doesn't mind."

"Mind? No way. She'll probably insist on hosting so that she can feed us all. Her husband makes the most delicious authentic dishes. I love going to their house for dinner."

Before I can respond, I hear her mother's irritating voice chime in.

"That must be nice. Maybe I should hire him so that I can get my daughter to grace me with her presence for a meal without having to coerce her to attend."

"Honey, we're at dinner with her now. That's all that matters." Her dad pats his wife's hand that's resting on the table, which is now silent.

The server has impeccable timing as he comes out and places our meals on the table. Daphne's father moves his wife's wine out of reach as if to make room for their plates, but I see it for what it is. The woman has damn near drank an entire bottle on her own since we got here, with no sights of slowing down or taking a bite.

The Senator and I dive into our food, discussing how delicious our meals are, but the women at our table just move their food around.

"Is there something wrong with your meal, love? I can get you something else, or you can have mine if you'd prefer?"

She flushes as her eyes dart towards her mother. When I look in her direction, I see her staring disapprovingly at her daughter's plate. Daphne hasn't eaten much, but she was eating her food when it first came out. Noting her mother's plate is still full, I have a feeling I know why Daphne quit eating.

"Please eat."

"You could, but we'll see every ounce of bloat since you feel the need to wear something as revealing as that. Why you ever thought looking like a high-end hooker for a meal with your father, who is a senator, is beyond me. I raised you better than that."

I'm staring at this vile woman in complete disbelief as I try to figure out what to say to her, when she plows ahead.

"And to be making out with someone who looks like him for all to see and take pictures is beneath even you. Are you so desperate for attention that you think this is your only option when you know I will find someone suitable, but you refuse?"

"Margret, please stop." Daphne's father tries to be stern with her, but there's not stopping her.

"Please, what? Act like this behavior is acceptable or that this is a desirable match for our daughter?"

I tucked Daphne under my arm when her mother started on her tirade and have gotten angrier with every inch my girl has closed in on herself. She's completely shut off and every ounce of confidence she had is gone, demolished by her own mother.

"Enough," I growl out, silencing her vitriol. "Your daughter is fucking amazing, and it blows my mind that she can be so kind, compassionate, and caring when you're the woman who raised her. Your abuse ends now. For as long as she will have me in her life, I will not stand for her to be treated the way you did tonight." I'm gritting out my words as I lean across the table into her face. "Until you can realize how incredible she is, you can fuck right off."

She gasps as her hand flies to her chest.

I have Daphne's arm in my hand and gently pull her out of her seat. Her dad follows suit, his manners ingrained to stand when a lady does.

"I'm sorry we're ending the evening this way, Mr. Senator. I've really enjoyed talking with you. Please know that I don't hold any ill will in regard to your wife's appalling behavior towards Daphne. I know you're very busy, but if you'd ever like to join Daphne and me at my house for dinner or just to catch up, we'd really enjoy that. Right, love?"

Daphne's eyes are glassy as she looks at me then back at her father.

Her mother is sputtering in the background, but I tune her out as I stare into her father's eyes, letting my sincerity show through. I reach out my hand, relieved when he shakes it.

"Thank you for standing up for my girl. I would love nothing more than to join you, if and when you'll have me." He smiles sadly at his daughter then he takes a step closer to pull Daphne from my arms into his.

I hear what sounds like a whispered apology to Daphne before she shutters, fighting back her tears. He hands her back to me, and I tuck her under my arm.

"Dinner has been paid for already. Please feel free to enjoy the rest of your meal."

"Thank you, son. I look forward to seeing you both soon."

Squeezing Daphne close to me, I nod at her father before steering her towards the door.

"You're doing so well, love. Just hold it in a little longer."

She whimpers, and it breaks my heart as I hustle us out the front door. The valet is on the ball, and we only have to wait a minute before my car is pulled up and I'm guiding Daphne inside as silent tears roll down her cheeks. I jog around the front of the car, and speed back towards my house as Daphne falls apart beside me.

No wonder my love has doubted herself and lacks self-confidence. Having a woman as vile and bitter as the one who raised her must have been hell. It's a miracle she's as wonderful as she is. I wanted to show her how she is desirable and wanted when this all started, but now it's a bone-deep need for me to let this woman know her worth every damn day. If she'll let me.