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 him to

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

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 gathered over

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

knew what was in her

"Wear this.

our lucky

her grey

back around the black stone that had half of

"It's yours.

keep it

lips and picked up my hand then slammed the shining black rock in my palm and

me and I'm loaning it

it back to me when

a losing battle

nodded and

want you to

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

five years old daughter was a freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it

in a silent demand as she moved on her knees so

I put the threaded rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside,

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

to everyone who would just look in

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 I could get my hands on which didn't matter later when I had to run from one place

"See, this makes you

announced as she

just then I heard my phone pinging with an incoming

phone and focused on my daughter as I

her palms and brought my

grey eyes fierce as

always be

the tears away and said,

and in return she kissed the corner of

"I love you."

you too,

and ruffled

I said, "Now, go

laid down and I

I

"Good night, baby"

"When

"Soon."

"Good night,

my way toward the bedroom

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my

suffered another scratch and I swallowed the

will be

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

about her father, I had to ignore her questions or make up a

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

purposely keeping her away

knew that he had impregnated

I was pregnant when he threatened me and told me

didn't know even now that he has a

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

now what ifs weren't going to help me, now I didn't even know how he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that

it

I wasn't prepared for his

be there in

Don't wear any panties."

so I wasn't going

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

decided to wait for him downstairs because

if I can help

much as I could, until I understand what kind of man this Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name

the case as I stepped

notice of me when I came into the entrance hall