Daddy's Little Pet | 18+

|Meeting Amanda|

ROBERT

The woman staring at me from across the table was the polar opposite of the bubbly woman I'd fallen in love with as a teenager.

She had a mischievous, almost frightening expression, which seemed out of place in the small, cozy, expensive restaurant.

She couldn't have looked more ridiculous—at least to me—in a skintight dress that exposed too much of her skin and fake curves.

She'd gone overboard with the dressing tonight, trying to impress me and up her game. But I didn't care. I never gave a damn.

On the outside, she was beautiful in a plastic way. Her lips were smeared red with lipstick, and heavy makeup covered her face. But on the inside, she was sorely lacking. She appeared as a caricature of herself.

A caricature I despised and loathed with every fiber of my being.

Just a few years ago, I'd sworn to spend my life with this caricature who'd given birth to my son.

But now?

Now, we were strangers, staring at each other from across a table. Despite how warm the building was, I felt uncomfortable being in the same room as her.

The tension in the room— at our small table rather—was palpable, and I opened my lips to finally say something, but she beat me to it.

"Robert, dear, you've been staring at me for quite some time now. Aren't you going to say anything?"

Her voice was smooth as butter, and the hypnotic tone made me snicker.

She was faking everything—her voice, clothes, pretty much everything. It made me scrunch my nose in disgust.

If she noticed how irritated I was, she said nothing. Instead, she stretched out her long, well-manicured nails and reached for the glass of sparkling cider she'd ordered. Taking a healthy gulp, she continued to stare at me.

"Robert, dear..."

I hissed as she said my name again.

"What do you want, Amanda?" I asked bluntly, trying not to sound too annoyed, even though my jaw clenched as I spoke.

Her blue eyes widened for a split second, then she smiled at me and, placing her hands on the table, she began, "Oh, Robert, there's no need to be so harsh and nonchalant like you're not even a bit happy to see me."

Was she being serious?

Happy to see her? Oh, Christ!

My fists clenched beneath the table, but I relaxed, knowing it was in my best interests to remain calm. On the other hand, Amanda had always known how to make me lose my cool.

She was familiar with the buttons that irritated me and enjoyed pressing them.

"Is this some kind of stare-down game between us, Robert?" She blinked, giggling as she took another sip of her drink. "Come on, now."

"Amanda, I hate repeating myself. What do you want?"

"What do I want? What am I doing here? Why did I request this meeting? You've asked me these questions since I walked through the door....." She snickered. "It's monotonous and exhausting, ex-husband. Why not add a little spice? You know I've come to see you because I miss you. We haven't seen each other in a long time, and I..." She trailed off, her eyes glazing over, and I became more irritated.

To think I'd canceled my date with Renee because of this. Now, I realized I'd made a terrible decision.

I knew it was the wrong one the moment I'd sent Renee that text, but I couldn't backtrack because I'd agreed to see the bitch.