12 Little Warrior

Lisa's P.O.V.

"So? When did this happen?" Liv asked me, taking sweet Abi back.

She was asking about Davis and I. I could see Lucas was talking to Davis about something in the kitchen. They were keeping their voices low, letting me know they were more than likely talking about me. I smiled at Liv with the heat of my blush staining my cheeks.

"Not long. He saved me one day, and then he started to train me after I saw your fight. Things just kind of escalated from there."

"I am glad. He's good for you, Lisa. Davis is a wonderful man, and this is the first time I've seen him interested in a woman. I am not going to lie. I thought he was secretly gay or something," she laughed.

"Really?"

I did not know that Davis had been so conservative before me. I just assumed that he had many women. He was handsome beyond reason, any woman's wet dream. How could he not have women falling over themselves to get to him? I was sure he did, but I guess he denied them all.

"Yeah, really. I mean, I've seen some women hit on him before, but he flat out denies them immediately."

"I had no idea."

I looked into the kitchen again, seeing his eyes already on me. I smiled, feeling my heart warm at the sight of him. He was my happiness, my light, my savior.

I won't let him go.

"Honestly, Lisa, I am glad this is happening. Definitely didn't expect it, but I am happy about it."

"Really? You don't think it's weird? I know Davis is like a dad to you."

She shook her head at me with a smile.

"Not at all. Davis is like a dad to me, yes, but I definitely won't think of you as a step-mom," she laughed at the idea, making me blush further. "I just think you're both good for each other. It makes me happy to see you two happy. He's an important part of my life, so if it's you that brings him joy, then I am one-hundred percent supportive of it."

"Thank you, Liv."

"Rose, my dearest wife, let's go home. We'll leave these two love-birds alone." Lucas winked at me as he approached Liv.

Turd.

"Are you guys sure you're going to be okay?" I asked, worried about Dad interfering with their happy lives.

"Positive. Don't use us as an excuse to not be happy. You're allowed to be with the person you want, Lisa."

Lucas' words hit me like a ton of bricks. Tears welled in my eyes instantly. His permission was the one I wanted most, the one I needed to hear.

"Thank you."

"We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"I know you will, Lisa."

He hugged me tightly, letting me stay in his arms for a moment. He and I weren't the most affection towards each other, but I felt that was changing more with time. Liv has opened him up more, and Davis was doing the same for me. Maybe one day soon we would hug each other more often.

Probably not.

They told Davis goodbye, and left out the front door, leaving Davis and me alone again. He wasted no time wrapping his arms around me and holding me close. This was my new favorite place, inside his warm embrace. I closed my eyes, enjoying this moment before time snatched it away.

"Time to train."

"Again?"

"Yes, my Little Warrior, again."

I sighed, but I followed him to his home gym in the basement. Davis didn't let me rest, or take a day off. He wanted me to become strong, and he drove me towards that. He knew I had a goal, and he wanted to help me achieve it.

There was no going back. He took everything seriously, including my own goals. I liked that about him the most. It was good for me, because, oftentimes; I was one to give up and quit.

"I think that's good for today. How about I teach you how to throw a good punch now?" He smirked at me, knowing I have been waiting for this.

"Finally!"

I spent the next hour learning how to throw a decent punch, practicing it on the punching bag. My knuckles felt raw, throbbing by the time Davis had me stop.

"You'll have to get used to that feeling, my dear."

"Like a callus, then?"

"In a way."

Davis placed a bag of ice over my knuckles, making me wince at the chill on my skin. He rubbed my hand with his thumb sweetly, locking eyes with me. I was so happy to have him in my life.

Never thought I could be this lucky, and honestly, still didn't think I could be. I was just waiting for the other shoe, called Dad, to drop on this happiness I had found.

"So what now?" I asked him, wondering what he had planned for us.

"Now, you rest. We order some food and we watch your favorite movie, because I want to know what you like to watch."

"Okay, but you order your favorite food, because I want to know what you like to eat," I told him with a smile. He nodded, agreeing with my terms. His eyes twinkled with mischief as he grabbed his phone and placed our order in a language I didn't know he spoke. Japanese.

"What the hell?"

"What?" he asked with a coy smile as he set his phone down.

"I didn't know you could speak another language."

"I can speak four, actually." He wiggled his eyebrows in a funny way, making me smirk.

"Okay, what are they? Obviously English, but what are the other three?"

"Japanese, Italian, and Spanish. I learned them in college and went abroad for a semester to Japan. Grace spoke Spanish, so I learned for her, and I learned Italian for work. I had a lot of mafia cases when I was a lawyer, and knowing what they are discussing proved to be very useful in court."

"That's amazing!"

Davis was full of surprises, it seems. Surprises I very much like.

"Eh, it's not that big of a deal. It gets easier to learn with each new language. I'll teach you, if you want. It'll be a workout/language lesson," he laughed.

"Yeah, no. I am good on that front, thanks. This brain cannot handle another language."

Davis and I adjourned to the large white couch he had in the center of the living room. Its material felt nice and soft beneath my bare thighs, under my shorts. His large tv screen felt even bigger from the sofa. Davis pulled me close as he put my favorite movie on.

Rush Hour played for a little while before our food arrived. Davis had ordered sushi, seaweed salad, hibachi steak with rice and tempura. It was interesting to see what his favorite food was. We ate and watched and enjoyed our time together.

I really hope we could stay this happy for at least a little while longer.

"Where are you? You and Chris were supposed to be here ten minutes ago!" Dad's voice boomed from the speakers of my car as I raced towards the restaurant, praying Chris was on his way.

It had already been a week since Davis saved me from Chris that night. He made good on his promise, teaching me to fight and keeping me safe. I stayed at his house with his dick buried inside of me all night, every night. I'd long since run out of my own clothes, using clothes Davis bought Izzy that she never wore.

It felt odd being dressed in clothing he chose for his daughter, so today I had left the confines of his house and went to my apartment. I was getting clothes together to take back to Davis' place when dad called to remind me of my date with Chris and our fathers, having forgotten they wanted to meet with us every few weeks to see how we were getting along. I gritted my teeth at the thought of having to pretend to like Chris.

I pulled into the parking lot, spotting Chris' car in the lineup. I parked beside him, finding he was waiting in his car for me. There were some faint bruises on his arms, but they were hiding just below his sleeves. It seemed Carter and Liv were smart as they beat him. His nose still had that cut from Davis' fist, and I smirked as I saw it. I quickly schooled my face as I got out of the car.

"Let's get this over with," he sighed, holding his hand out for me to grab.

I bit my tongue and took his hand, feeling disgusted by the touch of his skin. We walked hand in hand towards the restaurant, seeing my dad by the front door. The scowl on his face told me he had grown very impatient waiting on us. I just hoped Chris' father was nothing like my own. Otherwise, I would be sitting at a table with three abusive men that didn't know how to handle their anger with prides the size of Texas.

"There you are Chris. I was beginning to worry. Your father is waiting inside. Would you mind if I stole my daughter for a moment? I just need to have a quick word with her."

Dad didn't look at me as he spoke to Chris. It angered me he was asking Chris for permission to speak to me instead of asking me himself. It was like he thought I was Chris' property now, some slave that belonged to him. Chris let go of my hand with a friendly smile.

"Of course I don't mind. She's your daughter, sir. I'll see you inside, sweetheart."

Chris was audacious, taking this chance in front of my father to kiss me. I couldn't react the way I wanted to as his lips parted mine for a moment. Thankfully, Chris didn't drag it out, pulling away from me within a few seconds. He winked at me as if to say 'I dare you to say something'. I kept my face void of my genuine emotions as I plastered my fake smile on.

"See you in there."

As soon as Chris was inside, Dad's attention turned to me. His scowl was back only ten times worse, directing it all towards me.

"Why haven't you been at the apartment?"

I had to try hard not to show the fear that suddenly gripped me. Of course he was keeping tabs on me. I should have figured as much.

"I've been staying with Chris," I lied hoping he would believe me.

"You have?"

He sounded surprised, sending an instant relief through me. He wasn't watching Chris' house, at least. Dad smiled, pleased by the answer.

"Good. For once your whorish ways seem to do me a favor."

His words stung more than I thought they would. I shouldn't care about his opinions of me, yet for some reason my heart did immensely. It wanted the approval of my father, even though he was a sick bastard who had caused me nothing but misery. What is wrong with me?

"Gee thanks Dad, just what a girl wants to hear."

I rolled my eyes at him, stupidly. He hates when I do that, it only makes him angrier. I saw his fists coil at his sides before he shoved them in the pockets of his blazer.

"Just keep your mouth shut while the men talk. Don't embarrass me, Lisa."

His voice was soft, but his tone was cruel with a deep threat hidden in it. I took a deep breath, exhaling heavily before I nodded my head in agreement. I was forever grateful that Davis was saving me from this hell. This would have been my daily life for years to come had I stayed with Chris that night. If Davis had not carried me away, there was no telling what kind of state I would be in right now.

Dad led the way inside, having me follow closely behind, but never allowing me to walk by his side. He had to lead, and I had to follow like a dog. I kept my head held high, despite Dad's best attempts to break my spirit. He seemed to want to degrade me any chance he got, thinking that was how he would keep me in place. Who really knows what goes on in a twisted mind like his?

"So sorry to keep you waiting, Daniel. This is my daughter Lisa."

Chris' father Daniel was a handsome man, but that was no surprise, as Chris was good looking as well. Daniel stood to greet me with a warm smile. But I won't be fooled again. These Darnell's seem to be two-faced sneaky little devils. The apple rarely falls far from the tree. This apple was pretty rotten, so I could only imagine the state of the tree.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lisa." He extended his hand out as he greeted me. I shook it with my ever present fake smile plastered on my face.

"Likewise."

We all took our seats, and of course I was seated beside Chris with Dad across from me. Everyone looked over their menu as I sat and watched them all. My appetite had vanished the moment Chris' lips touched mine. My stomach still felt sour, turning further at the memory of it.

He literally made me sick, causing bile to rise in the back of my throat. I was staring up at the glass ceiling, admiring a cloud shaped like a turtle, when the server came by. Dad ordered first, as usual, followed by Daniel and then Chris. All eyes fell on me and I just asked for water. Dad's eyes narrowed at me suspiciously, as if I was up to something.

"Are you alright, dear?" Daniel asked me after the server collected our menus and left. "Surely you must be hungry."

"I'm fine, really. Just not very hungry."

"Lisa's trying to slim down for her wedding dress," Chris lied.

I hated that lie more than anything. I have never been one to worry about my weight. My weight had always been healthy and my body beautiful. I took care of myself by eating well and exercising. There was no one here that could call me fat, yet the way Chris' comment sounded, it was as if he thought I could stand to lose some weight. Ass face.

"Nonsense. You're perfectly beautiful the way you are now. I'll flag the server down so you can order. You won't starve yourself on my watch," Daniel informed me as he motioned for the server to come back before I could even respond.

I felt extremely embarrassed when the server returned. I flushed as I was forced to look at the menu and pick something. When I tried to order a small salad, Daniel denied me, telling me he would order me a juicy burger if I didn't pick an actual meal.

Finally, I chose the salmon, feeling I could stomach seafood the best. All the while, Dad was silently fuming over the way I had embarrassed him. How was I supposed to know that Daniel would actually care about what I ordered?

Throughout lunch Daniel continued paying me compliments and asking me many personal questions. I felt a bit put off by his behavior as I tried to eat. Honestly, if Dad and Chris weren't here, I would think he was flirting with me. The questions he asked seemed like the ones you would ask someone on your first date.

Dad was growing increasingly irritated as lunch went on, since he hadn't gotten a word in business wise. He'd told me to let the men speak, and it seemed the man of the hour wanted to hear all about me.

"Dad, you're going to spoil my soon to be wife at this rate," Chris joked, but I knew he was actually serious.

"She should be spoiled, son. I hope you realize what a fine beauty you have here. She's got a good head on her shoulders, a great company to inherit, and beauty like no other. You know a lot of these girls just try to get with you for your money, but you don't have to worry about that with this one." Daniel pointed to me with his fork as he spoke. Chris just sat back, annoyed with his father as if this were some kind of antic he did often.

"I know that, Dad. That's why I asked Lisa to move in with me, and she agreed." This fucking snake.

"What?" Dad and Daniel both asked at the same time.

"She did?" Daniel sounded so surprised.

"That's great news!" Dad exclaimed, a bit too overly-enthusiastic about it.

"Are you sure it doesn't seem rushed? I know you guys are due to wed in a year's time, but you don't have to rush this quickly. You could wait until you've dated at least six months." Daniel was oddly being a voice of reason. I couldn't quite decide if he was a creep or if he was a genuinely concerned father.

"I am sure if she didn't want to move in she would have told me no, Dad. Lisa definitely likes to speak her mind."

"That she does," Dad agreed, shaking his head almost disappointedly.

"Good. Maybe she can talk some sense into you from time to time." Daniel smirked at me, giving me a little wink. It sent an odd feeling down my spine.

"Doubtful," Chris retorted, poking his food a bit too aggressively with his fork. "I would like for you guys to come and visit us. Come see how Lisa has settled in with me at home."

"What a great idea!" Dad agreed happily.

"Yes, I'll swing by tomorrow in the morning. We can all have breakfast." Daniel gave a curt nod of agreement.

It seemed as if I was going to have to make it look like I lived there and come very early in the morning tomorrow. I didn't know what Chris was playing at with this lie, but I knew it wasn't good. I couldn't wait to be away from him again.

Dad finally got to talk business after that, so by the time lunch ended, he sported a smug smirk. They were completing the merger between the companies once Chris and I married. Little do they know there won't be a marriage, or at least I hope not. Davis and I were going to meet with his friend Derek when I got back. He had apparently hit a dead end, but had an idea that involved me.

I guess we would see what it was.