Blackmailed For Love

I sat down on the sofa and opened the first box of the two in the soft overhead light coming from above the tv console.

I peeled the soft tissue that glimmered in the dim light and looked at the dark purple silk nestled in there.

With hesitant fingers I picked up the silken fabric, it unfurled in my hands as I let it drop down in front of me.

It was a sleeveless and a backless dress with a slit up to just below the waistline.

I would be half naked in this dress but still the thought of wearing it lit up a spark of anticipation deep inside my lower belly.

The other box had the same colored heels with red bottoms.

It took me twenty minutes to get ready as I didn't do much except to put Band-Aids on my nipples as the dress won't allow me to wear a bra and my nîpples poked through the fabric as if begging for attention and applied a natural shade of pink lip gloss.

I looked like a virgin trying to be a seductress.

I shook my head at my own thoughts as I stepped out of the bathroom, 1 faltered when my eyes met dark greys.

My daughter was sitting up in the bed and she was looking at me with wide eyes and a curious tilt of her head.

"Anna…"

"Mama, you look beautiful."

My heart squeezed with love at her words.

I walked to her, concentrating on not falling face first because of the heels I was wearing, it was safe to say I wasn't used to such type of footwear.

"What are you doing waking up? I thought you were asleep."

I said as I sat down on the bed beside her.

"I was."

She said with a silent Duh at the end.

I bit down on my bottom lip as my lips twitched, but she slipped closer to me and said, "I had a bad dream."

I cupped her cheek and pulled her on my lap, uncaring of the expensive silk.

Cradling her against my chest, I smoothed her dark hair back and asked, "Talk to me.

What did you dream about?"

"Someone was taking me away from you."

She replied, her voice small and a slight shaking entered in her voice.

My arms tightened around her.

And I said, "No one is going to take me away from you."

2 "Promise?"

I pressed a kiss on her head.

"Promise, my little angel."

She looked up at me and asked, "Where are you going?"

I didn't know the answer to that myself, but I replied, "Dinner."

Her brows lowered and her grey eyes turned inquisitive.

"But we had pizza."

I tapped her nose.

"Yes.

But I am meeting someone."

"A boy or a girl?"

For some reason I didn't lie to my daughter.

"A boy."

She made a thoughtful face and asked, "Is he your boyfriend?"

I shook my head.

angel, he

want

pause of my own, I nodded, "I would prefer it if he was my

lap and then I watched as she leapt off the bed and pulled the basket from under the bed which was filled with the few toys she had

in it for a bit and then held out a thick black macrame cord in

I knew what was

"Wear this.

lucky charm,

said, her

fingers back around the black stone that had half of its piece back somewhere in

"It's yours.

should keep

her lips and picked up my hand then slammed the shining black

and

give it back

losing battle when I

and said,

you to

down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me,

my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have left

demand

in her palm and she swiped my hair aside, then her small fingers got busy

the thread wasn't too long and the broken rock came to settle

everyone who would just look

and the bigger part was left behind in the cottage on the Aaron estate when I accidentally dropped it while trying to pack all the things I could get my hands on which didn't matter later when I had to run from one place to another because

this makes you look the

as

just then I heard my phone pinging with

my daughter as I said with a

cheeks between her palms and

eyes fierce as she

be the

the tears away and said, "So

her nose and in return she kissed the

"I love you."

you too,

pulled back and ruffled her

a face and I said, "Now,

laid down and I tugged the blanket

down, I

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will

"Soon."

replied "Good

way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my new

heart suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot

be back

nod and her grey eyes closed as she turned away and pulled the blanket up to her

that my daughter had asked me about her father, I had to ignore her questions or make up a lie that I didn't want

but always painting her father in the

daughter thought that I was purposely keeping her away from her father which was

knew that

I was pregnant when he threatened me and told

now that he

the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him the truth, if we hadn't been interrupted and

the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever his

I pulled myself straight and unlocked my phone, I knew it even before I

prepared for his

in

Don't wear any panties."

dress already made me feel half naked so I

mother's bedroom to check up on her before I turned

will be here soon so I decided to wait for him downstairs because

if I can help

Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name of his revenge? I locked the door behind me and

corridor but it wasn't the case as I stepped out of the elevator on the

cringed inwardly as people started to take notice of me when I came into the entrance hall near