Free Mistress to the Beast by Eve Vaughn Page B

on his heels before she could make another retort, he strode out of the room with the dogs following him.

    That man! One day she’d bring him to his knees and he wouldn’t know what hit him.
    It was extremely inconvenient to respond sexually to him even when she knew what kind of man he was, the type to plow over those with less money and power than him. A man who felt he could do or say what he wanted because of his position in life. Strangely though, in her brief stay in his home, she caught glimpses of another side of him.
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    Mistress to the Beast
    Lila couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was, but then again, did she care?
    Should she? Probably not. She couldn’t remember being this confused about anything in a long time. When she was younger, she used to run to her father and he always seemed to know the right things to say.
    If only she could hear his voice now, she’d feel so much better. Remembering there was a phone in her room, she decided to give him a call, hoping he’d be in the apartment and not in the store. She cursed herself for not replacing her lost cell phone before she came, but her mind had been on other things.
    Hunter hadn’t said she couldn’t make calls. Once she was in the safety of her room, Lila’s hand trembled as she punched the numbers, her heart pounding when the other line began to ring. Even if her father wasn’t there, hearing him on the answering machine would have to do. At this point, she would take any crumbs she was offered.
    “Saunders’ residence.”
    Just to hear him brought tears to her eyes. More than anything she wanted to be there with him while he held her and told her everything would be alright. Too choked up to get the words out, her lips moved soundlessly.
    “Hello? Who is this?” he prompted. “If this is a prank caller or a telemarketer, I’m hanging up.”
    “Daddy, it’s me.”
    “Baby?” His pleasure in hearing her was evident and it made her feel better.
    “Yes, it’s me. H-how are you?”
    “I’m doing fine. I just woke up from my afternoon nap.”
    “Since when have you started napping?”
    “Doctor’s orders. Your old man is getting up there in years, baby girl.”
    “So I take it all is going well.”
    “Yes. Those teenagers working in the store have been very helpful. They hardly let me do anything. It’s given me a chance to work on the books. And that nurse you got for me came by today. How is your patient doing?”

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    Eve Vaughn
    Patient? Then Lila remembered how she’d lied to him about her reason for being here. “Fine. He’s f-fine. I—” A sob tore from her throat and she broke out into noisy tears.
    “Baby? What’s the matter?”
    It took several moments before she could regain her composure. She felt like a fool for worrying him like this.
    “It’s okay, Lila. Get it out, you have to. Daddy’s here.”
    “It’s just—I miss you so much and wanted to talk to you.”
    “Are you sure? You’ve been away from me before. Tell me what’s really going on.
    You haven’t cried like this since you were a child.”
    “It’s…” Did she dare tell him the truth? Knowing how much pride her father had, he’d probably make her come home. Then what? He’d lose the store for sure. She should have waited to get herself together before calling him. “I know, but I had a bad dream last night that something happened and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” The lie didn’t come easily, but she hoped it sounded convincing to him.
    “Child, I’m fine. That nurse makes a bigger fuss over me than you and like I said, Reg and Carla are good kids if not a little talkative. Gloria is coming over tonight with one of her casseroles.”
    “Mrs. Perez?”
    “That’s the only Gloria I know. She’s a nice lady.”
    Lila grinned. Her absence might not be such a terrible thing for him after all. James Saunders was still a good looking man. It came as no