Opening up her last gift, Ariana squealed in unison with her friends as she pulled out a VISA prepaid card which had been hidden inside the paws of a new purple stuffed animal--something he saw at the mall and couldn't help getting for her. She ran up to him like an ecstatic little girl again and kissed him on the cheek happily.
"Thanks, Daddy!"
He smiled brightly and watched her almost immediately return to her friends to play with her new brand new smart phone.
"Damnit, I love her."
Ariana's step dad couldn't believe how much he loved her. One more year meant that he had one less year with her, and it made his heart twinge to think that this was indeed his last year with her. Every part of him was anguished at this thought, but in the back of his mind was one tiny glimmer of hope that kept his heart beating--albeit pure fantasy. Secretly he hoped that she might choose to stay with him when she was old enough to decide--but he knew he would not allow it. She deserves to be free, like other girls his age. He sat there deep in thought with his laptop on his lap as giggles broke his train of thought.
The girls all ran to the kitchen to grab some snacks, and then off to his daughters' room. He smiled to himself when he heard the radio switch on and excited teenage babble coming down the hall.
"I still have time," he thought.
Doing his best to not think about the five teenage girls in their pajamas in the room next to him--he decided to take a short walk to clear himself.
Coming back from an eternally long walk--he couldn't help his curiosity and thought he might just peek in on them. Coming inside, he made his way down the hallway; so curious to know what they were doing, he completely forgot to knock and got quite the eye-full for his thoughtlessness!
His sweet little daughter was tonguing her best friend on her bed, with her hands cupped around the friends' breasts.
"What the hell?!"
Ariana's body had never moved so fast as it did at the sound of her Daddy's voice.
"Daddy!"
All the girls filed out of the bedroom faster than running water as he stood there divided as to what to do here. Shutting the door behind him, he told her friends to call and come get picked up.
"Baby--"
His voice cracked at the incredible hard on he had from that visual--but he was her Dad, and those girls were not his, after all. He'd have to handle this tenderly.
"Daddy she just wanted to know how to kiss! We're all girls!"
"You're not supposed to KNOW how to kiss! That's our secret, remember?" He could see her eyes darken when she realized what she'd done.
"Well, they know I'm adopted they probably just think I learned it in foster care. I did, you know."
"In any case, baby girl--I have to send them home now."
Tears welled up in her eyes and he hated this so much. He supervised the safe return of all of her friends, before returning to her room where she sat there, sulking.
"What are the boys at school going to think when they hear about this? You know they're going to want you to show them, too!"
"Daddy I made them swear--they're not telling anyone!"
"Hmm.. Do I trust five teenage girls to keep a secret like that? No, I don't baby girl. Should you?"
Ariana's stomach turned as she realized he was right. Tears welled up in her eyes and her head nodded down to the side in humiliation.
Sitting on the bed beside her, Daddy wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Aw baby, I love you. You can still have a good birthday!"
He always had a way to cheer her up and just having his hands shake her a bit while his voice tried to appease her, automatically made her feel better. She half smiled at her daddy, and pushed her legs together in embarrassment at the scene he'd just caught her in.
"Yeah! Let's watch a movie--and then go get ice cream, okay sweetheart?"
Her mood lightened but she wasn't satisfied. She knew what she
really
wanted for her birthday.
Reading her like a book, he halted in half consonant before he went ahead and asked,
"Do ya want to spend the night in my bed with me tonight?"
Immediately her face shot up to him and he knew that's what she was holding out for. It
was
her birthday, after all. How could she resist? His fingers began tickling her slightly at her armpit and his other hand started poking her side.
Immediately she started giggling and thrashing slightly before she returned the favor, her fingers easily locating his ticklish spots and he stood up quickly to avoid embarrassment. Still, she tickled him as he stood up and giggled.
"Well, grab a blanket and some pillows. We'll order pay per view tonight!"
--------------------------------------------------
Halfway through the movie they'd picked to watch--Ariana's daddy left the room and came back with something in his pocket. It was her true birthday present.
Cuddled up together on the couch, he handed her a jewelry box. Her eyes lit up like stars and he just smiled at her while she unwrapped its' satin bow.
"Oh, Daddy. What did you do?"
Her gaze couldn't break from the necklace he'd given her as she pulled it out of its' box. Her fingers delicately scanned the chain of her white gold chain and necklace. At the end, dangling in front of her beautiful face was an elephant pendant. He watched in contentment as her eyes sparkled pure delight. In the center was a gemstone in the shape of a heart, an amethyst.
"Daddy!"
Her body spun around towards him and hugged him thoroughly as her eyes were continuously enthralled by her present--tearing up after a few minutes.
"Elephants mean.." Her voice was reminiscent and overly emotional now as she calmed herself.
"--Happiness. I know, I remember baby."
Tears welled up in her eyes as Ariana remembered her mom telling her this on a regular basis before life so cruelly took her from both of them.
"I love it."
A great sense of relief rushed over her Daddy. He wasn't sure if it would upset her or not, but he wanted to give her a present that meant something nonetheless.
Their embrace brought them both back to the first moments they had had together as more than father and daughter. The were enthralled in each others' arms like this, feelings flooding their bodies. It all started one dismal night as he tried to comfort Ariana at the loss of the only mother she'd ever known: his wife. Hours passed just talking, and he got caught off guard by his own emotions and somehow the conversation switched to how Ariana's mother was as a wife.
It was a little over a year after her death--when he suddenly felt his daughters' lips on his.
His entire body was frozen and electric at that moment--his mind screamed at him, and he just brushed her off as a girl in turmoil--nobly holding her at a slight distance from his lips the rest of the night.
It wasn't until a few days later that he knew she wasn't just having a phase. She tried to kiss him goodbye for school--on the lips. After that, she began to purposefully tempt him with her hot little body and now that he was thinking about her that way, it was working.
"Daddy, I want you."
He woke up one night to her lips at his ear lobe whispering softly. Her eyes were as wide as a doe's, and he could tell she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.
"Ariana! Go to bed."
"No Daddy."
Something inside of him switched at these two words and her obstinsnce. He was awe-struck at the scene which had ended itself up in his bed. For a minute, he thought he was dreaming until he realized her hand was on his stomach.
"Please Daddy? I want you.."
"I can't. You need to go to bed right now."
His breaths were quick, his entire body rigid at what she had done to him.
"I'd rather stay here with you, Daddy."
Arianas' sweet little girl facade fell away almost instantly. He could see the virility in her eyes and saw her for who she truly was.
Her hand on his belly button twitched into action and began scratching his skin softly down towards his crotch through the sheet.
"What are you doing, baby?!"
"I want to be here in your bed with you like this. Some boys took me at the foster home, it's all right. Now I want to be yours. I need you, I'm all alone.."