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2025-03-26 18:08:08
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Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 24
ASTRID I walk into the humane society kennel as the attendant turns over the OPEN sign. It’s less chaotic, and that shows they’ve been in for a while setting up and cleaning the stalls. I learned animals are a lot more like toddlers. They demand so much attention and can be loud, too.A young woman hurries past me with a German shepherd under her arms. She’s whimpering, her hair ruffled, her shirt has coffee stains and something darker. The attendant holds the door open for her and grabs the animal from her arms. She motions at the bench, but the woman shakes her head and trails after her, her palm over her mouth.Swallowing a lump, I tear my gaze away from them and exhale slowly. I don’t understand Ava Rock's reason for choosing to meet here. When I texted her about the book and asked if she was ready to proceed, she said she needed to add a few things to the epilogue. The epilogue looks okay to me. Like the rest of her books I’ve come across - this one strikes a chord in my mind.
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-27Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 25
ASTRID To someone who used to love spending so much time with Tristan, it's strange how I keep drawing my gaze to my wrist, counting down to when I can finally walk out of this restaurant, get in my car, and go home.My mom is nowhere in sight. I even asked one of the waitpersons if they'd seen her, and the lady said no. She went further to say that Mom didn't make any reservations.I fiddle with the napkin, wrinkling it and imagining it's wrapped around Tristan's neck. He hasn't changed at all. The nerves of him to expect me to show up in a red dress because he said so amuses me. What the hell!How can one man be so arrogant, rude, spiteful, dramatic, and, of course, incapable of reading the room? I should be pissed, right? Pissed that I had put up with him for two years. But I guess I'm done hating him. Now I feel sorry for him and the next woman he'll drag down with him.“Why are you so upset?” Tristan asks blankly, staring at my face.I feel a chill. Not the good kind, but one th
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-28Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 26
JORDAN Moonlight stream through the windows, mingling with the dimmed lights of my study. Breathless and my muscles aching with maddening need. The image of Astrid in a low-cut gown, her ginger blonde splayed on her delicate shoulders, and her lips twitching in a sultry smile.I have no idea where the image pops out from but it’s messing up my train of thought and causing a massive discomfort in my pants. I adjust for the fifth time, stifling a moan as the tip of my shaft brushes the thick material of my pants.Something churns inside of me.Deep regret?Desire?Anticipation?I shake my head gently. The fantasy that comes from knowing a woman like Astrid intimately has to be discarded.I shuffle through the emails. I have a meeting at 10 am with the board. Nelson suggests I give them another chance as they’ve been with the company since it started.Outside, the sun hardens. I flex my fingers as I watch the throngs of people going through the sidewalks. For a moment, I stare, drinking
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-29Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 27
ASTRID “I still can’t believe this is really happening.” Ava declares as we drive through the streets to her house in Elf’s avenue.When she called me last night about having her family over for dinner today, I almost fell on my butt as I skipped around my kitchen, waving a knife in the air and screaming so loudly that my voice cracked.I was elated.Her father is out of jail. Lisa is beginning to accept the fact that her sister acted out of hurt. Being betrayed by their mother affected Ava deeply, especially as she was the first child and left with the responsibility of caring for her younger sister and father who was barely sober enough to hold a conversation, not to talk of noticing the pains his teenaged daughters were going through.“Lisa cancelled her show tonight just to spend time with us. A part of me keeps thinking that it’s because of Dad, you know, they are close and all of that, but then, I can’t help but also feel that she’s doing it for me too.”“What did she say when
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-03-30Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 28
ASTRID “What is it like to play the knight?”I pivot, walking backwards to lean on the porch railing. “What do you mean? I'm no knight, Lisa.”“Everyone seems to think you are. Ava said you played a part in Dad’s release. She couldn’t stop gushing about you over the phone last night.”“Ava isn’t everyone. Her opinion is probably based on our friendship.”“Is it?”“You sound upset. What’s the problem?”I’m not upset. I’m trying to understand what makes you think you belong here. That you could barge into our private moment and act like you are part of this family.”I smile without pausing.“Ava is my friend. We’ve bonded over work, conversation about family, love, life in general, and I honesty consider her as a part of my life now. I don’t know if you understand what I’m trying to say, but I want you to know that I’m not trying to barge into your family. I wanted to meet your Dad and you, of course.”A glimmer of disbelief flashes in her eyes. “Georgia told me about you that first ni
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-01Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 29
ASTRID Jordan’s eyes sneak up to mine as I navigate the tables towards them. Behind me is a woman in a white shirt and maroon colored pants. She’s chatting, asking me about my day and stuff I don’t care to focus on as my entire attention is on the dark-haired man sucking a straw, his lips twisting in a smirk.Dad shoots up from his chair as I draw closer to the table. He comes around the table and pulls out a chair for me.“Hi, Dad. How long have you been waiting?”He engulfs me in a warm hug, and I hear him inhale slowly. I relax into him, placing my head on his shoulder. Then, he moves away and gestures at the table. That’s when I noticed the woman leaning her chin on Jordan’s shoulder and peering into his phone.She raises her head as if she can feel my stare and tosses me a charming grin. My nerves coil, and I ball my fist, digging my sharp fingers into my skin.What the hell was Jordan thinking bringing another woman to our date?I thought Dad said it was going to be just us?“T
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-04Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 30
ASTRID “Well, have you thought about what I said, Jordan?” Dad asks and casts me an appraising glance.Jordan studies me as though seeing me for the first time, and then he retreats his gaze, fixing it on my father.“We’re not hiring right now, and you know how it is. We can’t bring in a new person at this critical moment.”“But she’ll be an asset to your company. Have you seen her work? She’s efficient.”“She’s your daughter. Of course, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’ve heard about her, and I must say,” He casts me a grin, “I’m impressed.”Perplexed, I cock my head at the two men, glancing at them simultaneously. “What are you both talking about like I’m not here?”“You father suggested I employ your services in my company.”Understanding hit me like a softball sailing over a home plate. Dad never mentioned anything like that to me. “But I’m working, and I don’t remember complaining to anyone about my job.”“That man overworks you. You need to be in a space where your w
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-04Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 31
JORDANExhilaration fills me as the car pulls to a stop in front of the tall building. I heave a breath, hoping it’d be enough to relax me, enough to take in the scenery and decide on my next stepI have absolutely no idea why I texted Astrid. She has such a fierce hold on me that even when I tend to get myself into being logical, I always succumb to the one I strive to avoid that is being with her.Dinner didn’t turn out as I had hoped. I anticipated a lively evening filled with laughter, banter, and catching up on everything I’ve missed. A part of me had assumed she would be happy to see that I was putting in effort into moving on from what we had.I was wrong. Very wrong. The moment she spotted Fernanda, her eyes hardened, and her composure was stiff. If there’s one thing I’ve come to know about her, it’s the fact that she doesn’t back down from anything. No matter what it is.Putting the car in the park, I take a quick glance around. It’s 11:56. A few minutes to midnight, and I’m
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-05
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Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 48
JORDAN“Come on, you have to help her out.”I stifle a groan. Peter is putting me in a tight spot. He’s hell-bent on having me hire Astrid to work for me. He doesn’t know the danger he’s putting me in.Hiring Astrid is a terrible idea. If she’s working with me, in close proximity every day, there’s no way I’d be able to keep my hands off her. Not when she’s already driving me insane, even when she is not in my space.“Peter, it’s not –”“Jordan, Astrid is your goddaughter. That’s reason enough for you to give her a shot at your company. She is good at what she does. I don’t want her working with these people anymore.”“I’m sure Astrid is more than qualified, but –”“No buts,” Peter cuts me off, shaking his head. “She’s had a rough time with that mess at her firm. You’re in a position to help her, and you know she’s got the talent. Just give her a chance.”About the mess she got into with the AXT, Peter told me about it, and I’ve been worried about her. Peter is worried, too. I wanted
Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 47
ASTRID“How the hell did you make such a silly mistake, Astrid?” I flinch physically and mentally as Pete Bishop’s voice slices through the thick air of his office.He’s livid, and the look in his eyes makes me want to crawl under the rug and disappear.I blink rapidly, trying to steady my breathing but I feel sick to my stomach, shock pulses through me, morphing into an ice that freezes me. Pete is so mad. I’ve never seen him this furious before, not even when another consultant messed up.No, I can’t compare that to my mess. I’ve really messed up. This client is one of our best, one of our biggest accounts, AXT Corporation. They have been with us for years, bringing in multi-million-dollar contracts. Pete recently introduced me to them and handed me the project to continue from where the former consultant stopped.A lot of people wanted to work with them but Pete chose me, and I somehow managed to screw up their financial projections. A simple quarterly forecast is something I ca
Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 46
ASTRID “Lily!” I slam the door behind me as I storm into her house, my voice echoing through the place.“Lily! Where the hell are you?”I’ve been calling and texting since I left Jordan’s place, but she hasn’t been answering her phone. I need to vent, and who is more worthy to vent than my best friend who is magically missing in action?My first instinct was to go to a bar and grab a drink, but it's way too early for that.I still can’t believe that heartless bastard called my dad. My dad of all people. He’s aware of why I was avoiding my dad. He didn’t care. Didn’t even pretend to. He just looked at me, cold as ever, and told me that he couldn’t care less about my problems.Then, to really twist the knife in my chest, he dared to tell me to go play my little failed seduction games with Tristan.I swear to God that man is so heartless. No, scratch that. He’s beyond heartless. He’s ice. He doesn’t care who I end up with or how messed up my life is, as long as he’s not involved. He
Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 45
JORDAN Of all the girls in the bar that night, why did it have to be Astrid? We should never have crossed paths. Maybe I would have been able to see her as a fucking kid she was supposed to be.I want to call her that —a kid —to stop my dick from having ideas, but she was never that—a kid. At least not since that night at the bar.She’s a woman. A beautiful fucking woman with a lethal weapon in the form of a body –soft and curvy in all the right places.I don’t know what sick twist of fate the universe is playing at. Screw that shit, I can’t keep blaming the universe. What went down last night and this morning is entirely me. All of it. And maybe Astrid’s. But I still take the blame.I shouldn’t have allowed her into my house. My house is sacred. My house is my respite. And now she has poisoned it. Now there is no fuck way to forget the feel of her mouth on my cock. I wanted to cum so badly down her throat and then fuck her so…Thinking about it is not helping. This is not fucking
Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 44
JORDAN “God damn it!”I cuss under my breath the second the door swings open, and Astrid stands there wearing nothing but a towel, looking like every sinful thought I’ve had about her comes to life.Is the universe fucking with me? A man could only handle so much.My self-control is hanging by a thread. Why the hell did I think coming here was a good idea? I should have ignored the damn call from Merilyn.I had informed Merilyn to inform me if Astrid ever showed up here, that was when I didn’t know who she was and I was looking for her.I should have informed Merilyn not to bother with her again when I finally found Astrid.Merilyn called while I was with Peter to inform me that Astrid was here and I ran down here like a fucking pussy that I’m not.I should have sent Peter here instead of coming here myself. Now all I can think about is all the crazy things I want to do to her. I stare at her, trying to keep my eyes above her shoulders, but it’s impossible.Does she have any fucking
Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 43
ASTRID The moment I pull into the driveway, uneasiness coils in my belly. I don’t know what I was thinking of coming here. Maybe I wasn’t thinking at all, and now that I am, this is the worst place for me to be, but where do I go? I can’t go to Lily's because that will be the first place my dad will check.And then there is Jordan’s, but he made it painfully clear where he stands. He doesn’t want me, and if I have any dignity left, I’ll stay the hell away from him.But do I have it? I mean dignity. I’m not sure I have any left, or else I won’t be this pathetic.The hotels in town are out because he’s definitely going to search there, too. He’s familiar with the owners of the hotel where I would likely stay, so hotels are out, and now I’m stuck here. This is a bad idea. For someone who is trying to get her life and sanity back, this place is a terrible choice for me.I slide off the car, the air which is supposed to be fresh and soothing feels thick and heavy with the memories I wi
Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 42
JORDAN“Hey buddy, what’s going on? You sounded so livid over the phone.” I walk over to Peter, pacing restlessly by my poolside with a half-empty glass in his hand. He looks frazzled, his usually neat hair dishevelled, his tie loosened, and the top buttons of his shirt undone. I’ve seen him stressed before, but this? This feels different.When I first saw Peter’s call, I ignored it because I thought he wanted to invite me over to his house, not until my housekeeper called me to inform me that Peter was in my house. When he called me again, I picked up, and he sounded so angry like he was about to kill. I had to reschedule my meeting and rush home as soon as I could.I’ve been avoiding Peter’s call and his house like a plague, trying not to run into Astrid. I know she must really hate me after what went down in my office.She came to me, vulnerable and open, ready to give herself to me despite all my warnings. I turned her down politely, but she wasn’t having it, and I had to be a d
Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 41
ASTRIDI swear to God, whoever is knocking on my door better be someone important else I’m going to break the person's head.Someone important like Jordan?Shut up!Great! I can’t believe I’m arguing with myself in my head. I open the door and…“You gotta be kidding me!”“Happy to see me, babe?”I swear to God I’m tempted to commit first-degree murder right about now. The fact that the idiot is smiling is pissing me off.“What is this about, Tristan?”“Aren’t you going to let me in?”“I believe you lost that right a month ago when we broke up.” His smile fades, and his face hardens.“You broke up with me, Astrid, but I didn’t.” I want to laugh, but I really don’t have the strength to do this right now. I’m so tired. I’ve had a heck of a week.“Go play Tristan, I’m not in the mood to deal with your stupidity right now.” I move to close the door, but he steps his feet in, blocking the door. He forcefully pushes the door wider and walks in as if he owns the place.“What do you want, Tris
Claiming My Father’s Best Friend 40
JORDAN “Act on what?”“Those physical needs. It’s mutual. I have those needs, too. So why don’t we just…give in? Act on our primal needs until it burns out.”For a fucking ten seconds I lose the ability to breathe. I stare at her, trying to process what she’s suggesting. The logical part of me, the part that’s always in control, screams at me to shut this down. To walk away. No, run, before I make the biggest mistake of my life.But the other part, the one that’s been haunted by the memory of her lips, her touch, her goddamn body, is hanging on every word she says.“And what if this doesn’t burn out? What if this is more than physical?”She blinks, surprised by my admission, and I wish I could take it back. The last thing I want is to give her hope. And I can see the hope in her eyes. They are so bright.But deep now, I know that what I feel for her is more than just a fucking lust. It’s something deeper, something darker, and I’m terrified that if I give in, I’ll never want to stop
