Chained To You - Chapter 8：James

Ms. Lane, the housekeeper, waited for him.

“Where’s Aria?” he asked, his back to her as she carefully pulled down his jacket.

“Upstairs in her sitting room, sir,” she replied tonelessly.

He headed up the stairs two at a time. On the second floor, he came into Aria’s sitting room. She was reading a book, and Sammy and Alfie, two balls of white fur, one big and one small, a Samoyed and Westie, were beside her, resting their heads on her lap. Ms. Sophie Wilson, Aria’s nanny, sat on a chair not too far away. When James cleared his throat, Aria glanced up. Her face was bright when she saw him.

“Daddy!” she squealed with delight, rushing to him and throwing herself into his open arms. The two dogs were after her and barked excitedly at his feet.

Lifting her, he kissed her on the cheek. “One for me,” he said. Then he kissed her on the other cheek. “One for Uncle Scott.” She giggled when he proceeded to kiss her forehead. “And one for Uncle Eric.”

He laughed. “Yes, one for Aria.”

“Daddy, Sammy won’t eat.” She pointed down at the Samoyed with accusation. “He won’t listen to me.”

James raised his brows. “Oh? Shall we see if I can make him eat then?”

Aria nodded enthusiastically, and Alfie barked excitedly. James carried her out of the sitting room and then down the stairs toward the kitchen, Sammy, Alfie, and Sophie following close behind. All the while, his little darling kept on chattering, telling him about her day at school. Suddenly she stopped and asked, “Daddy? Is the rabbit all right?”

For a moment he didn’t understand what she was talking about. Then he remembered, and an image of the girl sprawled on the ground sparked in his mind. A sudden desire to kiss and taste those plump lips seared hot in him.

He snuffed down the scorching craving and concentrated his attention on his lovely daughter instead. “The rabbit is fine.”

“Why didn’t you bring it up? It might have been injured and needed nursing.” She sounded disappointed in him.

He felt like someone punched him in the stomach, hard. Guilty as charged. Why didn’t he offer to bring Andy’s sister up? Because he’d wanted to kiss and fuck her right there and then, and having her sitting in the car with him would just be too tempting.

“It wants to go home to its family, darling,” he said evasively.

“So its mommy can nurse it back to good health?” Aria asked innocently.

“Yes,” he said, finally reaching the ground floor.

“But what if it doesn’t have a mommy?” she asked, her bright blue eyes large. “Like I don’t have a mommy because Mommy ran away?”

A toxic surge of anger and hurt rushed through him. He stroked his daughter’s dark hair fondly and said, “It’ll have a daddy to look after it.”

“Like me?” she asked, smiling happily.

“Yes, sweetheart, like you,” he replied.

She tightened her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. They came into the kitchen a moment later, and Martha greeted him with a, “Oh, Mr. Maxwell, what can I do for you, sir?”

As usual, she looked flustered in his presence. He was used to staff, regardless if it was here in the house or at the various Maxwell hotels, resorts, and commercial buildings around the world, looking and acting like he was about to pull a gun and shoot them in the head. It was just as well, because he had his fair share of shooting people in the head. Not to mention a lot of backstreet and underground fighting.

“Sammy needs food,” he said.

“He just had his,” Martha stammered, her face a little pale as usual.

“He didn’t eat it,” Aria said. “Daddy is going to make him.”

Martha looked at the dogs. “I’ll prepare it for him again right away, sir.”

Some five minutes later, Sammy sniffed at the lump of brown meat in his bowl and took a small bite. Alfie helped himself to the food as well. The greedy brat!

“He’s eating,” James said.

“How come he only listens to you?” Aria asked, her eyes large and accusing. She was so cute; he couldn’t help but kiss her.

“I have no idea,” he said honestly. “Still want to play for me?”

She nodded enthusiastically. James lifted her and carried her across the hall to the back of the mansion where the music room was located. The dogs left their food and followed them out, as did Sophie.

He was soon listening to his darling daughter playing mistuned music, when the knocks came at the door.

Ms. Lane stood there, her hand clasped before her. “Security needs a word with you, sir.”

He’d known it was coming. He turned to his daughter. “Aria, Daddy has business to attend to, all right?”

Aria nodded. “Can I take Sammy and Alfie outside to play?”

“Of course you can.”

Glancing at Sophie, he said, “Make sure she doesn’t go into the woods.”

“I’ll make sure of that, sir.” She smiled at him, her eyes bright.

He’ll admit Sophie was a remarkably beautiful young woman, and he always wondered why she would want to be stuck here as Aria’s nanny. He knew she was more ambitious.

He dismissed the thought from his mind and walked out the door, up the stairs, and into his office. Switching on the intercom, he demanded, “What?”

“Sir.” The voice of Peter O’Neil came through. “There’s a girl here to see you. She said you sent her an e-mail requesting her presence?”

He switched on the laptop screen connected to the security camera. The black screen flashed on, and then a moment later, the girl’s face appeared before him.

He stared at the screen, at Andy’s sister, long and hard, and felt his cock stirring again. “Does she have a name?”

“Err, Mia Donovan, sir.”

He took a deep breath, his eyes still on the laptop screen, on the girl who caused sparks, the girl who managed to awaken his cock without even doing anything seductive. He was so fucking going to regret this.

To Peter, he said, “Let her in.”