18. Ready for the Weekend

Whatever her Daddies had said to Dr. Pappas apparently worked. He barely looked at her and was actually polite and helpful for a change. His behavior made the class almost pleasant—well, aside from the subject matter—but she hadn't expected him to make it easier for them. They still had to learn the material, and he wasn't being purposely obstructive anymore. Instead of trying to accost her after class, he scurried from the room the minute his alarm went off and he hadn't shown up for any more of their online study sessions.

As she walked into the corridor, Hassan nudged her shoulder and jerked his head toward her Daddies, who, as usual, were seated on the bench across from the door. "Those dudes have been following you to and from class for two weeks. Who are they?"

Nobody special. They're just the people who made me their priority.

"I—"

"Hey, if they're bothering you…" He glanced toward the rest of her classmates, who frowned at Desmond and Bastian. "We'll get rid of them."

Tania wanted to tell her classmates who Desmond and Bastian were. She wanted to bellow, "They're my Daddies!" from the top of the clock tower. She wanted everyone to know how they took care of her.

Aside from cleaning her apartment and taking care of the laundry pile that was fast approaching sentience in her bedroom, Desmond packed fantastic lunches for her, and made breakfast and supper every day. They'd added her to their music streaming service and made a focus playlist that actually seemed to help her concentration.

Bastian even bought her a bookcase and organized her reference materials, so she didn't have to dig for them.

Hell, she had real dishes in her kitchen, along with pots and pans, which Desmond put to good use.

Not only had Bastian filled her gas tank when the idiot light in her car came on, but they'd even replaced her double bed with a queen, telling her it was from one of their guest rooms when she complained about them spending money on her.

And… they fucked her into a stupor every night, and usually in the morning before she got up for classes. She greeted each day with a tender pussy and kiss-swollen lips, filled with wonderment over how she'd gotten so lucky.

Unfortunately, they hadn't discussed taking their relationship public, and it was too new… no, it was too fragile to risk damaging it with her big fat mouth.

"No!" Her face heated and she shook her head. "They're fine. I mean?—"

"We're Ms. Andersen's security guards," Bastian said, giving her classmates a smile as he held out his hand to Theo. The gesture reminded her that she still needed to cancel her date with him, but she wanted to do it in private with just her and Theo—not an easy task when Desmond and Bastian refused to leave her side.

At the rate she was going, Theo would have found someone else to date before she got the chance. Strangely, Theo greeted them as if he knew them, with a wide, knowing smile and a warm handshake. Of course, she hadn't known Theo that long. Maybe he was like that with everyone he met.

She breathed a sigh of relief at Bastian's sort-of fib and nodded. The explanation gave him and Desmond an excuse for staying close. In fact, judging by how the slimy little shit avoided her, Dr. Pappas wouldn't say a word either.

"And we very much appreciate all of you for looking after her," Desmond added.

"Tania shouldn't need guards to go to class," Jason muttered as he accepted Desmond's handshake. "But thanks for making the asshole behave."

"Yeah," Owen added, "he's actually doing his job instead of staring at Tania's?—"

Hassan smacked his shoulder and scowled, making Owen flush. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Owen. It's not like you're wrong." She smiled at him to let him know she wasn't mad.

"Yeah, no. Anyway, we still on for Caruso's tonight?"

"I can't. I have other plans, but maybe we can do it Saturday?"

"Saturday works for me," Owen replied, making her return her attention to her classmates instead of her Daddies. "We on for six like usual?"

"Sounds good to me. See you then!" She waved at her classmates and smiled when Bastian shouldered her heavy backpack.

And boy, did she ever have plans. Desmond and Bastian were taking her to Club BDE for supper, and by all that was holy, she hoped for a scene too—or at least to be allowed to watch a few. Despite her questions, her Daddies hadn't really talked about what kind of dynamic they wanted, and she was dying to see what happened in real life.

Although she'd promised herself she'd never go there again, it was different now. She'd even offered to go with them when they went to see Mr. Braden for a business meeting, but her background check hadn't been completed. The background check hadn't been mentioned for her first visit, and Bastian told her she'd only been allowed to come so he and the Elliott brothers could ensure her safety. She wouldn't complain though. In fact, she liked how they protected everyone.

Dr. Pappas was banned from the property, and knowing the Elliott brothers and Bastian would be there soothed all her nerves. Well, sort of. It still blew her mind that they owned the club, and she felt some kind of way about knowing Mr. Braden and Mr. Damian might see her play with her Daddies.

The only thing that made Tania more or less okay with the idea was knowing that Mr. Braden and Mr. Damian were both engaged to women who were close to her in age. Neither of them would judge her for being with men so much older than her, and she doubted their fiancées would say anything either.

That was the other thing she looked forward to. She couldn't wait to meet Emily and Lottie. Well, Emily anyway. Tania sort of remembered Lottie from growing up in the same neighborhood, but Lottie was a year or two older, and they'd hung with different crowds. She also wanted to properly thank the man in the gold pants for helping her.

"Are you ready to go, babygirl?" Bastian asked.

"Yep." Although she wanted to hold their hands, she kept her arms at her sides, but couldn't help the quiver in her core when she caught their masculine scents. In a softer voice, she added. "We have some time for fun before we get changed for supper."

"You have an appointment first." Desmond held the door and allowed her to exit the building after Bastian. They took their bodyguard duties way too seriously, and never let her enter or exit a building without one of them checking the area first.

"Um…" Frowning, she grabbed her phone from her pocket and studied her calendar. "I don't have anything scheduled. Did I miss something?"

"You have a dress fitting downtown." Bastian looped his arm through hers and hustled her to the parking garage. "We'll make it right on time if we hurry."

"A what?"

"A dress fitting," Desmond replied, opening the passenger door of his SUV. "Then hair, makeup, and a mani-pedi while the alterations are being done."

She blinked. The last time she'd done anything so flat-out girly had been for her senior prom, and only at Mandy's insistence. Tamping down her surprise, she said, "Nah, I'm good. I still have that black dress Bastian fished out of the trash. I think it's back from the cleaners."

"No." Bastian lifted her into the back seat and fastened her safety belt. "When you walk into Club BDE on our arms, you won't be scared and desperate, and I guarantee no one will lay a hand on you."

Desmond squeezed next to Bastian and tipped up her chin with a finger. "You're going to walk in like a goddamned queen, because that's what you are."

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