Dance for Me

Chapter 15: Admit it darling

Oscar

"What the fuck".

I jumped up in a panic and stared around my office bewildered at my surroundings.

"Oh crap".

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I groaned at the dull aching pain in my neck. I had somehow fallen asleep with my head in an awkward position on my desk.

This is what happens when you mix alcohol, stress and little sleep together. I hadn't slept properly since the day Sofia came into my life. But it wasn't due to a needy baby, it was the fear that consumed me every single day.

I always woke up with Erika's words floating around my head like a never ending alarm reminding me of the mistakes I had made which as a result could cost my baby's life.

"Enjoy your short life with her whilst you can".

I feared every single day. I tried to spend as much time as I could with Sofia in fears that it could be her last.

Sofia was the most smothered, protected child the world would ever see. But people knew what she meant to me. If they got her, they'd have my heart. I would not recover from her death.

Pouring myself another glass of whiskey, I gulped the bitter liquid down in one and rubbed at my head trying to ease myself of this painful headache.

Probably not a smart move.

Leaning back in my desk chair, I looked to my right and noticed a small tray with food and a little note on it.

Hi Daddy,

You didn't come for lunch and when I checked on you, you were sleeping. I didn't want you to be hungry, but I also didn't want to wake you. As your little chef, I helped make lunch. It's your favourite,  a ham and cheese sandwich, 1 piece of carrot cake, fruit salad, a packet of wotsits and one of my very own fruit shoots. Enjoy daddy. Also Eleanor is the best ballet teacher in the world, I hope she can stay with us forever.

"I'm the luckiest man alive" I mumbled to myself as I stared down at the food my daughter had prepared for me.

She had an eye for detail. She had, with help, carefully wrapped up the sandwich and cake so that it would be fine for me to eat when I was awake.

Unwrapping the sandwich, I couldn't help but laugh at the last sentence.

I knew that Sofia liked Eleanor, but she couldn't stay with us forever. Besides, something tells me Eleanor would put up one hell of another fight.

The more I thought about it, the more I understood how hard this was for Eleanor.

I was asking a lot of her and there was so much she was going to have to sacrifice. But the stubborn girl couldn't see that I was only trying to protect her. If she took one foot off my estate, they'd find her and kill her.

Sofia loved having Eleanor around and I didn't want another person she cared about to be taken away from her.

Besides, I'd never admit it to her, I too liked having her around.

She was a breath of fresh air, a fiery defiant girl who always enjoyed pushing my buttons at every given opportunity. Every other woman I had met worshipped the ground I walked on. They tried to please me, suck up to me so they could get in my bed or gain my attention, but not this little firecracker.

If anything, she spat at the ground I walked on, she went against everything I said, and would wind me up intentionally so she could gain my attention. She was one hell of a challenge and it was exciting to break her down piece by piece until I had her wrapped around my finger.