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 is

want him

thoughtful pause of my own, I nodded, "I would

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

bit and then held out a thick black macrame cord in

knew what was in her small fist even before she opened her

"Wear this.

our lucky

said, her

fingers back around the black

"It's yours.

should keep

and picked up my hand then slammed the shining

gave it to me and I'm loaning it

back to me

losing battle when I

nodded and

you to go

her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me, I'll help you

my five years old daughter was a freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have left it out in the apartment somewhere hidden but apparently the same thought crossed my

out her palm in a silent demand as she moved

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

between the thread and my neck before she accidentally choked me as the thread wasn't too

who would

crystal clear and shining but now I only had smallest broken part of it, the other half 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

this makes you look

daughter announced as she came

just then

focused on my daughter as I said with a

palms and brought my face

as

always be the best,

and said, "So

return she kissed

"I love you."

you too,

and ruffled

a face and I said, "Now, go back to

laid down and I tugged the

down, I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will

"Soon."

replied "Good

my phone from the bedside drawer and made my way toward the bedroom door when her

"Yes, baby?"

be

and I swallowed the knot in my throat as

will be

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

my daughter had asked me about her father, I had to ignore

my mother would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always painting her father in the

thought that I was purposely keeping her away from her father which was in fact a truth

that he had

he

now that he

what would've happened if the last time I had gone to meet him to tell him the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him the truth, if we hadn't been interrupted and he hadn't

I didn't even know how he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever his eyes landed on me they were

phone, I knew it even before I opened the message

wasn't prepared

there in the

Don't wear any panties."

naked so I wasn't

ignored his text and made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check up

here soon so I decided to wait for him downstairs because I didn't want him anywhere near my

I

this Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from

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

people started to take notice of me when