The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection by Frost, J (great novels .txt) 📕

he waited so long, but I guess that would be okay. I’ll have to call her and make sure she’s all right with me giving you her number. Can I call you back? It might be a couple of hours. I have to straighten things out with my boss now I’ve got a phone again.”

“Sure. How about we set a time? Say by five? If I haven’t heard from you by then, I’ll give you a call.”

It’s an old interview trick, setting a time for the interviewee to do something they haven’t fully agreed to. It makes them feel obligated to carry through.

And it works on Dovie Donegan. “Um, okay. That would be okay. Is this the best number for you?”

“Yes.” I also give her my landline number, just in case. Then I thank her and say goodbye without asking her anything about the party. I can get that from her later if I need to, after she’s given me the means to reach Laurel Radford.

I fire off an email to Max with Laurel’s full name and another to Rick to let him know I’ve got a solid lead on her. Hopefully, that will cheer him up since he was pretty grumpy this morning. I guess being shot down by Lucy and getting nothing but a hand-job from Justine last night put him in a bad mood. It had Daisy smiling, though. She’s quite the sadist; I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side. Fortunately, she seems committed to having my little girl as her bestie. Or having her for lunch. I’m confident that if I weren’t in the picture, Daisy would have made a move on Emily by now. But, like Javier, Daisy lacks that nurturing quality that Emily needs for real fulfillment. No, if I have a serious rival, it’s Max. And, as Emily’s reminded me, he can’t give my little masochist the pain she needs.

I need to get a lead on the green-eyed monster. I promised Emily I wouldn’t project the betrayals of my past on her. I know Emily’s loyal to her core, and although I think my display this morning excited her, much more of it will make her doubt whether I trust her. Which I do. With my life.

And my heart.

* * *

Nothing, not even discovering that Dovie Donegan has blocked my number when I call her at seventeen hundred, can ruin my damn fine mood.

I’m buoyed by an hour’s Facetime with Niall. The man feels more and more like the brother I never had, especially when he offers to take a line of credit through his company to pay my medical bills. After I decline and tell him about Emily selling her condo, he orders me to marry her before I even mention the thought that’s been haunting me for days. A snuggle with Emily that turns into more sex before turning back into more snuggling doesn’t hurt, either.

I try Dovie three times, alternating my cell and landline, only to find she’s blocked both. That puts a bit of a dent in my contentment. I knew that silence of hers sounded guilty.

I call Max. “Dovie Donegan blocked me.”

“Give her a day to think you’ve given up, then call her from Emily’s phone.”

I already plan to, although I’m going to use a burner phone rather than Emily’s. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Max chuckles. “Other than my sparkling personality? Anyway, don’t sweat it. I should have a number for Laurel Radford by tomorrow. She’s not publicly listed, but I’ve found what I’m pretty sure is her firm. Once I get into their employment files, I’ll have a number for you.”

“Is that legal?” I ask, letting amusement tinge my tone.

“Who’s asking?” Max retorts.

“Not me. Thanks for this.”

“Any time. Thanks again for last night. It, uh, well, I’m not sure I’m ready to go all in, but it changed my thinking about some things.”

Good. I stopped paying attention to Max when I hit topspace, but the scene itself was so good I came without any stimulation. Some of that had to come across, even to someone as vanilla as Max.

“When you’re ready to dip a toe in, come to the playgroup I take Emily to. Meets every other Sunday. Good introduction into the lifestyle and there are some unattached littles you might want to get to know.”

And meeting them might shift his sights from my little girl.

“I’m not looking to be hooked up, man.”

“I’m not trying to hook you up. Give it a try, meet some people, see what you think. Beats going to the clubs and trying to figure out if you have anything in common over drinks at a tenner a pop.”

That draws a laugh out of Max. “That’s the truth. I fucking hate nightclubs. Kinda curious about your club now. I was talking to Crazy Daisy over breakfast this morning. She rates it.”

“Good to hear and I’d be happy to have you as my guest. But so you’re prepared, Daisy’s a sadist. What she probably likes is that there are plenty of masochists among the submissives at my club who go for heavy play. If me spanking Emily is too much for you, heavy play is going to have you running for the hills.”

Max clears his throat. “Actually, I’d kinda like to watch a spanking.”

“We can do that. I don’t want you to watch a discipline scene yet, but I give Emily reward spankings pretty often. I’ll figure out when we can do one at the club and give you a call. Any night bad for you?”

“Thursdays. Poker night.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. If I have to go to DC to meet Laurel, we’ll probably stay over Thursday night. This week might be kind of tight, but I’ll let you know. Next playgroup is Sunday afternoon. Starts at fourteen hundred. Plan on coming, yeah?”

I hear Max take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re going to nag me like an old woman until I do, aren’t you?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“Prick,”