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

own, I nodded,

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

then held out a thick black macrame

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

"Wear this.

our lucky charm,

her

my head and closed her fingers back around the black stone

"It's yours.

keep it to

the shining black

and I'm

can give it back to

battle when

and

you to go back to

bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and

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

silent demand as she moved on her knees so she was

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

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

to everyone who would just look in my

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 I could get my hands on which didn't matter later when I had to run from one place to another because of the stalker that didn't let me settle in one

makes you look the

as she came

a tight hug, just then I heard

I said with

her palms and brought

grey eyes fierce as she

always be

and said, "So are you, my

kissed her nose and in return she kissed the corner

"I love you."

you too,

pulled back and ruffled

face and I said, "Now, go back

laid down and I

I

"Good night, baby"

"When

"Soon."

replied "Good

way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my

swallowed the knot in my throat as I said, "Go to sleep,

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 her questions or make up a lie that I didn't

always painting her

I was purposely keeping her away from her father which was

knew that he had

knew I was pregnant when he

even now that he

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

he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever his eyes landed on

myself straight and unlocked my phone, I knew it even before I opened the message icon

prepared for his

will be there in the next ten

Don't wear any panties."

half naked so I wasn't going

ignored his text and made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check up on her before I turned toward the apartment

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

I can

Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name of his revenge?

there was no one out in the corridor but it wasn't the case as I stepped out of the elevator

notice of me when I came into the entrance hall near