Tinder Ella: A Modern Day Single Dad Fairy-Tale Read online

  Who said anything about your phone? You know where he lives. Go see him. She’ll never know.

  My heart skips a beat at the scandalous thought. There’s no way I could sneak out and see him… right? I mean, definitely, without question there’s no way I should. But if I did, could I get away with it? It’s not like Sylvia is going to check in on me. She knows she’s got me under her thumb right now. Tonight she’s probably just going to have too many drinks, watch her reality television, and stumble up to bed.

  Would she ever even find out? I bite my lip as I consider something so stupid, yet something that my heart is begging me to do. All the rebelliousness I never got to experience as a teenager rears its ugly head as my thoughts multiply, encouraging me to take this chance.

  I’m on the ground floor, so it wouldn’t be hard to sneak out through my bedroom window. My head sweeps around and I watch my bedroom door, like I half expect Sylvia to suspect that I’m up to something and come barging in here at any moment.

  She doesn’t.

  I stand up, still keeping my eyes on the door, but nothing changes. Walking backward, creeping slowly, I make my way to the window, never taking my eyes off that door. However, it remains closed. Beyond it, I can still hear the television blasting in the other room. I tilt my head as I hear Raymond talking to Sylvia and they both laugh.

  I face my window, my heart thumping so hard I can see my pulse in my hands as I slide the pane open and tug the screen from the opening. Gently, quietly, I push the screen under my bed, hiding it from sight.

  Am I really going to do this? If my body has any intention of listening to the second-guessing in my mind, it’s not showing it. I contort my body under the window, so I’m sitting on the outside with my feet dangling toward the ground. Even though I’m not high up, it’s still a jump down to the grass. I slide the window down behind me, digging the tips of my fingers into the glass like tiny suction cups and easing it toward my butt. I leave it open enough that I can sneak back in and take a deep breath.

  Thud!

  To me, that noise might as well be me crashing into a giant wall of cymbals. It sounds so loud, I expect to see Raymond and Sylvia rounding the corner any second, ready and willing to destroy what’s left of my life. I freeze in place, waiting for something to happen, but nothing does. From inside, I can hear them laugh again at their show and my muscles unwind, allowing me to quickly walk away from the house.

  Down the street I march, forcing myself not to run. I don’t want to draw attention to myself, but I have this wild energy begging to be released inside of me that the pure adrenaline pulsing through my veins is causing. I speed walk away from the house, keeping my eyes peeled for a taxi the entire time. Up the road I see one and flag it down, shocked when it actually waits for me.

  I’m doing this. I’m going to see him. To tell him the truth. It’s exhilarating and scary, but in my heart I know it’s the right thing to do.

  23

  Jackson

  With Chloe sound asleep, I finally have a few minutes to tidy up from the day. I take in the living room, amazed at the almost tornado-like force a child her age has on a house. As I scan the room’s surfaces, I can’t seem to find a single one that doesn’t have some traces of my daughter’s day on it. Whether it’s the paintings she worked on and proudly displayed on the coffee table for me, or the tiny My Little Pony accessories leaving a dangerous trail for me to walk on, or the fact that the TV remote is sandwiched between some of her favorite books.

  And this is just one room. It’s impossible to keep the house in any kind of order when she’s here. Mom told me it gets easier when kids go to school, so maybe next year I’ll have some kind of hope of keeping things clean.

  But I’m not going to hold my breath.

  Sighing, I pick up the pillows from the floor and brush them off, placing them back on the couch. Gathering up the one piece of evidence that I actually live in this house, my coffee cup, I walk out to the kitchen and place it down in the sink. Without any distractions, my thoughts travel back to Ella. I stare out my kitchen window, out into the early darkness that keeps blanketing the earth a little bit earlier every night, wondering if she’s okay.

  Without meaning to, I’ve found myself driving past that house every day now. However, I haven’t seen any sign of Ella even being there. I’m not sure what her job is for those dicks, but whatever it is, it’s not outside. The thing is, if I had any indication that she wanted my help, I’d kick in that door in a heartbeat and carry her out to my car. However, as I close my eyes, all I can hear is her forceful scream to go away.

  My heart tells me I’m making a mistake by listening to her, but logic keeps me driving past the house. The last thing I need is someone calling the cops on me, or even worse, some kind of restraining order put out against me. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that she needs me.

  Lights shine in through my window, blinding me temporarily as they pull up my driveway. Who is coming here at this time? Not that it’s really that late. It’s actually only a little after eight. It just always feels late when your kid is finally asleep and you worry that any little noise might wake them up.

  From the light on the top of the car, I can see it’s a taxi that’s pulled up in. So that rules out my mother. She has no reason to come over anyway, but if she did decide to stop by, it wouldn’t be in a cab. I walk over to the door, preparing to send whoever mistook this address as their destination away when my mouth goes slack and I fling the door wide-open instead.

  “Ella!”

  She fidgets uncomfortably and then looks over her shoulder at the cab, still not backing out of my driveway. “Hi.” Her face is contorted in pain. “I’m so sorry to do this. But, Jackson, I had to come see you. I owed you an explanation,” she starts to ramble.

  “All right then, come in.” I step out of the way, clearing a path for her to come into the house.

  “The thing is, I had to take a taxi to get here, but I don’t have the money to pay for it. I hate that I have to ask, but could you pay him?” Her eyebrows shoot skyward as she plays nervously with her ring.

  Seriously?

  She comes to my house, spends the night, spazzes out about getting back to her job, screams at me to leave, and then drives to my house a few days later without cab fare? I honestly can’t figure this girl out.

  “Fine.” I walk past her and over to the driver’s side window, tapping on the glass. The cabbie lowers it down. “How much do I owe you?” I tug out my wallet from my back pocket.

  “Twenty-five,” he answers flatly.

  “Nope, there’s no way, man. I know how far you drove to get here. If you were purposely taking some long route, that’s on you. Now what do I really owe you?” I jut out my jaw as he sizes me up.

  “Fine, it’s ten bucks.” He holds out his hand and I slap a bill against it. The cabbie drives away and I join Ella on my step, opening the door for us.

  “Okay, you said you want to talk. Come in and talk.”

  I close the door behind us and head to the living room, not bothering to check if she’s following me or not. Plopping down on the sofa, I stare at her expectantly, still pretty annoyed by all this bullshit. “Are you going to sit down and tell me what all this is about?” I nod to the seat beside me.

  Ella sits on the cushion gingerly, like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to take a seat. What on earth is going on in her life?

  “Jackson, I’ve never told anyone this before,” she begins and I can hear the strain in her voice as she struggles to find the right words.

  “Okay, well, take your time then.” I find my anger dissolving into concern. It’s impossible not to worry about her. She looks so fragile and scared. Whatever is going on with her, it’s probably a big deal.

  “I’m sorry I told you to go away.” She rubs her hands over her jeans, avoiding my eyes. “I didn’t know what to do. When I came to this country, I was fifteen. My entire family was killed in Colombia,” she starts to explain.<
br />
  “Holy shit,” I breathe out the words.

  Ella nods, blinking back tears. “Yes. But, before he was murdered, my father sent me over here with some smugglers. They bring people over the border and sell them. Dad had arranged for a woman over here to take me in. To give me protection and a better life. My boss, Sylvia, she did that for me. And part of me feels like I should be eternally grateful to her for doing that for me,” she explains.

  I bite my tongue. From what I saw, Sylvia doesn’t treat her with any human dignity at all. I understand that Ella is grateful, but there’s a line.

  “Okay.” I try not to let my opinion overshadow what she’s telling me.

  “Sylvia, she’s not always easy to work for. She doesn’t pay me,” Ella confesses.

  “Whoa, what? So, you’re like a slave or something?”

  “No, well, yes I suppose I am. Sometimes I feel more like her prisoner. Because she knows she has a huge advantage over me, so I need to live by her rules and do the work she wants me to do,” she continues, her voice wavering.

  “Why? Why can’t you leave, Ella?” I move in closer to her and put my arm around her shivering shoulders.

  “Because I’m not really allowed to be here,” she whispers to her hands.

  “What do you mean? You said you came here when you were a teenager. What’s the problem?” I hold her against me and run my hand over her hair.

  “I’m not legally allowed to be here,” she stresses the word. “I’m an illegal immigrant. And if I try to leave Sylvia, I have nowhere to go. I could get deported back to Colombia.” She sinks into me as the heavy burden is lifted from her soul.

  “Oh, Ella.” I hold her tight. “I won’t let that happen.” I try to figure out how I can fix this for her. I need to help her. To give her a life she deserves instead of this endless indentured servitude.

  “What if we could find a way for you to be here legally, you know, like on a visa?” I sit up straighter as a lightning bolt of brilliance strikes me.

  “That would be amazing.” Her warm brown eyes overflow with hope. “But how could I do that?”

  “We can do that.” I brush her hair off her face. “I’m sure there must be something we can do.” I let her go and jump over to my computer. “Let me check.”

  A quick Google search tells me there aren’t any easy solutions. In fact, most of the regulations say exactly what she’s already said. She’ll be deported. However, I can’t let her go back to that woman. I can’t let her live like that.

  “It looks like it’s kinda complicated,” I admit. “But listen, I want you to stay here, with me. Don’t go back to that monster. I will protect you here. I will keep you safe.”

  24

  Ella

  “I’m not sure,” I answer. I don’t want to get too excited. Letting my dreams build up, only to have them dashed again would be too hard. There are only so many times hope can be extinguished, that your fire can be put out, before you just give up entirely.

  “Listen.” He stands up from his computer desk and holds out his hands to me. “Let me help you. I can fix this for you, if you’ll just let me.”

  I want to believe he has that power. I want, more than anything, to have found a man who cares about me so much he’ll do whatever he can to make my life better.

  I reach out and clasp my fingers around his hands and he tugs me toward him. “Are you sure you want to do that for me? You’re okay with me living here, with you?” I swallow hard, wondering if he’s going to change his mind. If he’ll cast me aside or get tired of me. One look in his eyes and my worries fade away. The gray color shimmers like a knight’s armor as he draws me in with his stare.

  “I’m more than okay with it. I’d love it if you were here every day, helping me take care of Chloe. And here every night to keep me company.” His voice grows thick as his hands travel down over the small of my back as he rubs into me.

  My breathing quickens as I press into him, eager to feel his thick cock against me… inside me. He’s all I’ve been able to think about for days. Memories of our night together send me into a dreamlike trance during the day and give me the ultimate fantasy to remember as I use my fingers to recreate pleasure again at night.

  “I’ll stay,” I agree. “Thank you.” I peek up at him from under my lashes, aware that the look in his eyes has transformed from the kind man who wanted to help me to a hungry beast. A long shiver runs down my spine, but I don’t shy away. I like that I can bring out this side in him. I want his body against mine again.

  Jackson threads his fingers through my hair, but this time, he grabs a handful at the base of my neck and tugs down hard enough that my head rolls back under his control. A whimper softly escapes my lips as he kisses me hard, walking me backward until my back is flat against the wall.

  The slow, tender kisses from the other night are gone. Instead, he tugs my bottom lip into his mouth as his hand slides up under my shirt and he cups my breast, squeezing it. I sigh and he lets go of my hair, quickly slipping his other hand under my sweater as he tugs it off over my head.

  “I need you, Ella. I fucking need you again,” he murmurs in my ear as his fingers make quick work of freeing me from my pants.

  I step out of them, no longer trembling like a little leaf in the wind like the other night. Tonight, I feel powerful. Tonight, for the first time, I’m getting a taste of that feral need I can bring out in him. Of how he can make me wet with only a tug of my hair. It’s intoxicating and I want more.

  “I need you too.” I’m surprised at how vulnerable the confession makes me feel. Like, for the first time, I’m showing him a side of me that’s still so new, so unfamiliar, yet so exciting.

  Jackson rubs his thumb down over the top of my panties in a small circle, teasing me, testing me, and I mewl for more as he strokes it over my clit. “Later, I’ll take my time with you,” he growls, “but right now, I can’t wait.” His hand bunches up my panties, twisting them so tight I’m sure he’s going to rip them right off me.

  Yanking back hard, the fabric twists against my skin before the seams give out and snap over my flesh in a tiny explosion across my hips. Jackson quickly opens his pants, shoving them down in the front along with his underwear and his fat cock is exposed to me as my pussy clenches with desire.

  He fumbles with his wallet, reaching inside for the crinkly foil packet, but I grab his hand. “Please, let me feel all of you tonight,” I beg him, my body aching for the heat of his cock inside me.

  “Are you on birth control?” He studies my face and I shake my head. “I’ll have to pull out then.”

  I’ll do whatever it takes to have him, every inch of him.

  Jackson slides his hands under my thighs, lifting me up as I giggle. He holds my legs open and slides his cock up into me, pushing me flat back into the wall and fucking me hard and fast. His gentle, sweet, slow thrusts are replaced with a rabid fury of need as my pussy clenches against him and I hold on to his shoulders tight. I watch as his thick member slides in and out of my pussy, each time disappearing deeper inside until I gasp at the slight pinch I thought I’d never feel again as he completely fills me.

  He holds me tight in his grasp, keeping my quaking thighs still in his strong hands as his dick pushes into me hard, deeper, filling me in a way I’ve never thought possible. My body tightens and my breathing grows rapid and shallow as an intensity floods through me. It’s not like the orgasm I had the other night, where it billowed out and filled every part of me. This time, it’s more intense and focused as he fucks me so relentlessly I can barely catch my breath.

  Jackson’s face contorts and his hips rock out of rhythm as his breathing grows raspy. “On your knees,” he commands and drops his hands from my legs, letting me slide down the wall in front of him.

  His hand jerks his cock furiously and I’m not sure if he wants me to put him in my mouth or if he’s going to cum on my face. I open my mouth, letting my tongue hang over my lips as he holds himself with one hand ag
ainst the wall and quickly slides his hand over his shaft. He groans loudly and his warm, white cum spurts out, streaking over my chin and tongue and spilling down onto my tits. Jackson keeps pulling on his cock until every drop spills out of him and he slumps against the wall, breathing hard.

  I stand up, wiping my face with my hand and smearing his seed into my breasts as he pulls me into him close. I can smell his musk as tiny beads of sweat trickle down his brow.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up.” He kisses my earlobe tenderly. “I’ll run a bath for us,” he murmurs as exhaustion creeps into his voice.

  “I’d love that,” I tell him honestly and let him lead me out of the room toward the bathroom, toward my new life, with him protecting me, looking out for me, and keeping me by his side.

  25

  Jackson

  I wake up with my arms snugly wrapped around Ella’s waist and my hard cock pressing against the crack of her unbelievably plump and sexy ass. I slowly grind my hips, enjoying the throb of pleasure that courses through me as her full cheeks tease my shaft.

  “Damn, if this is how I get to wake up from now on, I don’t think I’ll ever get out of bed,” I growl in her ear and let my hands roam up to her heavy tits.

  Ella edges back against me, pushing her ass into my cock shamelessly. It gives me dirty ideas about how we can start the day. “Oh, no!” She jumps up suddenly, leaving me hard and confused as she stares over at the alarm clock in a panic. “I have to go.” She looks just as flustered as the last time she spent the night. Like she’s about to go into full meltdown mode.

  “Hey, get back here.” I grab her hand and tug her back onto the mattress next to me. “You’re done with all that, remember? No more curfews, no more slavery, you’re staying with me now. I’m taking care of you,” I reassure her as her muscles unknot and she slowly sinks back into the bed.