Daddy's Little Pet | 18+

|Setting Records Straight|

RENEE

"I'm worried, Nicole."

Nicole raised her brows and drew her gaze away from the TV screen. "Huh? "What about?"

Pacing in front of my best friend, I ran my hand through my strawberry blonde hair, tugging at it in an attempt to relieve some of my anxiousness.

I shook my head and stared at the floor, letting out a shaky laugh. "Who about rather. It's Robert. I'm worried about him."

"Oh." Nicole's face softened, and she leaned forward from the couch she was sitting on, resting her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands together.

Her lips pursed as she watched me pace, and I could see the perplexity in her chestnut-brown eyes.

"What's wrong? Talk to me."

With a groan, I came to a halt and plopped my ass on the same couch as hers. Wrapping my arms around myself for comfort, I stared into space, attempting to gather my thoughts.

"It's been four days since I left his suite, and we haven't seen each other since. I haven't heard from him either. No calls. No texts and no presents, not that I want any, though."

"Okay, so?"

"This is unusual. I know things have been rough between us recently, but this is unlike Robert. I..." I trailed off, nervously chewing my lower lip as I tried to think of the perfect words.

Letting out a thoughtful hum, Nicole smiled softly. "Perhaps he's giving you the space you need. You know, after the little argument you mentioned having that morning and..." She trailed off, and I just nodded.

I understood what she was saying, and I tried to agree that, indeed, Robert was giving me space, but something inside of me felt uneasy. Something told me things had changed with him, all because of my selfish acts.

My idiotic words—everything I'd said that morning when we'd argued about the bar incident, the bodyguard he'd hired to keep an eye on me, and everything else—had changed everything.

I could vividly recall the hurt on his face that morning, the way he tightened his jaw and rushed out of the room after muttering some farewell... It was as if I had broken him in half with my words, and all that remained was a shell.

The pain which blazed in those blue orbs as he walked away from me burned just as intensely now, and my breathing became choppy.

"I... this is more than just him giving me space, Nicole." I paused. "With my overbearing attitude, I believe I may have finally pushed Robert away for good."

"Oh, please, Renee." Nicole sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're just overthinking things now."

"No, I'm not!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, you are." My best friend countered and continued. "Maybe he's busy or something, but I'm sure he'll get reach out to you soon. If there's one thing I know about Robert, it's that he loves you to the point of obsession, and you don't even know half of it. It's clear how much he adores you from the way he looks at you, the way his face lights up when you're around, and the way he cares about you. So relax, okay? Everything will be alright." Nicole's voice softened, and she reached for my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I sighed and winking at me; she added. "Who knows, maybe he's planning something big for you? There could be a surprise on the way, and you'd just be fussing over nothing."

Nicole's remarks brought a faint grin to my lips, and for a brief moment, I allowed myself to believe that she was, in some way, correct.

"But Nicole, our last goodbye. He looked hurt, and rightfully so. He spoke to me in a rude and gruff manner. That is something Robert never does. Even when..."