I watched Molly walk out the door and curled my hands around the railing on the stairs to keep myself from going after her. Molly had always been a headstrong, impulsive girl, but I had a feeling whatever was going on right now would just take the cake.
When I had walked in to find her bending over her desk with that fantastic ass of hers pointed towards me, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. But I quickly realized that it was just more of this never-ending hell I had found myself in.
Ever since Molly turned 18, my feelings for her had suddenly changed. She began to feature heavily in all my erotic fantasies that I should not have been having about her. Especially on a night like tonight when I was heading out to my friend Eric's club: Shackles and Whips.
Of course, that was just the translation of the name. Whenever I actually tried to pronounce the name in French, Eric would shake his head and grimace.
"That does not sound so pretty on your tongue, bo bo. Just stop trying to speak it. You are killing the most beautiful, sensual language in the world. Stop before you stab me in the heart," he would tell me so often that I finally gave up.
Trying to put Molly's sexy backside out of my mind, I headed downstairs to tell Willimina that her daughter wouldn't be joining her.
Molly was right. Willimina would be thrilled that her daughter was on a date. Willimina didn't mean to, but she was the kind of woman that thought a man could fix all of her problems.
Molly was wild and liked to duck responsibility whenever she could? Get her a man, and boom! Instantly responsible adult woman. But I knew better than that. I had often commented to my father that we should see about giving Molly a task to do so that she could learn the reward of hard work and a job well done.
But he didn't pay Molly any mind. He liked Molly as a person and tolerated her because she was Willimina's daughter. But he had never considered Molly his responsibility. He left it up to Willimina and me to handle Molly when necessary.
I found my father and Willimina in the library. It was a rare night when he was home and planning on heading out with his wife to do a little elbow-rubbing, as he called it.
"Scott!" Willimina called to me, waving me close. "Did you ask her? What did she say?"
"She said that she has a date," I told her.
I winced slightly when the word "date" came out harsher than intended.
"A date?! How wonderful! I hope that we meet him soon! You know how Molly is about the men she dates. Always so secretive! What do you think, Paul?" Willimina asked excitedly.
Paul looked over at her, and his eyes melted just a bit as he caught sight of the beautiful smile on her face.
Pushing fifty years old, Willimina did not look a day over forty. Her beautiful blonde hair that she shared with her daughter was still thick, and though it did sport some gray, it was more silver and luminescent than dulling with age. Her soft brown eyes were always warm and caring, making people trust her easily. But it was her kind-hearted nature that made them love her easily.
I could see why my father fell for her almost instantly. She was a good woman, and I was happy they met each other.
"I think that if it makes you happy, darling, then I'm happy," Paul answered almost diplomatically.
I saw Willimina's face dip just a bit at Paul's almost brush off. But she collected herself and giggled a bit before changing the subject to where they were going for the night. I almost felt bad for her, recognizing his classic patronizing tone.
Either way, Willimina had been a good influence on him.
When they met, I had been away at college. I had been focused on my studies and trying to stay afloat. My father was a good man for the most part. But he had worked his way up to the top of his empire and wanted the same for me. To say he was a stubborn, hard-headed, judgmental man was to put it nicely. The only person in his life that had ever seen his softer side was my mother… and now, Willimina.
That alone had been a selling point when he called to tell me he had met someone and was going to marry them… in a week. For a moment, I had thought my father had gone crazy and been replaced with an alien, one with a terrible sense of humor. Then I saw the way he acted around Willimina, and it had been so reminiscent of how he had been before my mother passed away that I had changed my mind.
Paul Monroe may have been a hard ass, but it was obvious that he loved his wife.
The only thing that had given me pause was when I met Willimina's daughter, Molly. The first time we met, Molly had fallen right into my arms. Literally, she had climbed up a tree to get a stray cat when a branch gave out on her. I had never run so fast in my life to get under that tree and catch her.
The urge to yell, hug and punch something had mixed into me until I was so choked up that I couldn't do any of it. Instead of following my instincts, I had set Molly on her feet, then listened as she babbled about the cat until I had managed to control myself again.
At that moment, I had realized that this girl desperately needed someone to look out for her. Especially if she was impulsive enough to climb a tree to rescue a stray cat that rewarded her by hissing and finally getting down after we had started to walk away.
That has been all that I was trying to do.
"What about you, Scott?" Willimina asked, breaking into my thoughts.
"What about me?" I asked, a little confused.
"What are your plans for tonight? You know you are welcome to come with us. It might be fun!" Willimina coaxed me.
I gave her a smile and patted her hand. "I would love to, Willa. But I promised Eric that I would help with his club while we were in Paris. I owe him a lot, and I want to help when I can."
Willa gave me a sweet, sad look. "That's so kind of you, Scott. But I don't want you to waste your days here working! If I can convince your FATHER to take a night off, I can convince you."
I laughed and nodded. "I have faith in you, Willa. If anyone can, it will be you!"
"I'll make it my mission!" Willimina promised with a wink.
I bent down and pressed a kiss on her cheek. "I will consider it a warning!"
"You do that! And if I can get Molly on board… you have no hope!" she warned with a burst of sweet twinkling laughter.
I turned away and winced. If Willimina got Molly on board, she would get her wish, without a doubt. It was hard for me to tell Molly no. Even if I managed to get her to do something, she would do it in her own way just to irritate me. I hated how she challenged me some days.
But even more, I hated that I loved the way she would stand up to me even more.