Hold Me Steady, Daddy: Age-Gap, Billionaire Romance

Carys I was late. Insanely late. And it wasn’t a good day to be late. The university I worked at as an assistant professor was hosting a seminar on the legacies of feminists and their roots, and as the key speaker, I couldn’t be late—especially with some of the department’s biggest sponsors attending. Damn it, I thought, kissing my teeth as I swiped my access card and rushed towards the closing elevator. “Please hold the elevator!” I yelled, hoping it wasn’t full and the occupants weren’t douches. Just as the elevator’s doors were about to slide shut, a hand shot out stopping them, and I slid in hurriedly. “Thank you—“ I began saying, turning to the person in the elevator. The only person, actually. I immediately froze, willing myself not to climb him like a tree. This man was the definition of my type. The lead actor in every wet dream I ever had. Tall. Broad. Late forties, perfectly tailored suit, eyes that looked like they could see everything. The total silver fox Daddy. My chest hitched, which was unfair because I had zero idea who he was. “Rough morning?” he asked, and I nodded slowly, willing my eyes to move from his broad chest to stare at his face. “So you’re going up?” he asked again, his voice smooth, confident, oozing like caramel, and just low enough to make me swallow. I cleared my voice softly, mumbling something to try it out so I didn’t come out looking stupid. “Those types of mornings, huh?” he asked, chuckling, and I folded my arms, the file folder held against my chest, about to retort when the elevator lurched. I stumbled into him, and he caught me easily, my grip on the folder loosening with papers flying everywhere. I bent to pick them up, and he did the same. “I’m sorry, I’m not usually like this,” I lied; I was grumpier and mute in the mornings. “It’s okay,” he said, grinning. Then: “I’ve been known to be steady.” He added, and I looked up at him, trying to decide what that meant, but he was too focused on the papers he was gathering. “Thank you,” I muttered as he handed me the papers. The moment our fingers grazed, I felt like I’d been zapped by electricity and immediately stepped back. “You felt it too, didn’t you?” he asked, and I feigned ignorance. “Felt what?” I asked, staring at the spot between his lips, wondering how it’d feel to nip at them. His eyes were on me for a while, then he shrugged. “The elevator’s stopped moving a while ago,” he said, like he was asking for bacon with his eggs. “But the doors didn’t open!” I screeched, moving forward to press the button for the top floor. “Well, that’ll happen because we didn’t get all the way to the top,” he stated calmly. I turned to face him. “What do you mean we didn’t get to the top of the floor?” I asked, pressing the emergency button. “The elevator stopped midway through,” he stated before grinning. “So you have no problem meeting my gaze.” He chuckled, and I sputtered. “The elevator we’re in is suspended heaven knows how many feet above the ground, and you’re more interested in me meeting your gaze??” I yelled, and he shrugged. “I’ve already alerted the people who have to know, so I’m guessing they’ll be working on it soon,” he said. “When did you do that?” I questioned, and he smiled. “Somewhere in between picking up your papers and you avoiding my gaze,” he answered, and I turned to stare at the elevator doors, my heart racing—not just from the mild claustrophobia, but from the way he kept staring at me. I heard footsteps behind me, growing closer and closing the short distance between us. His breath fanned my neck before he whispered in my ear: “Like I said earlier, I’ve been known to be steady.” I whipped around angrily—I think. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked, and he grinned like I’d handed him the keys to the universe. “It’s simple, baby,” he began, taking steps forward so I was forced to move back until I hit the elevator wall. “You need a firm hand, baby. Someone who knows how to treat you so good you’ll behave,” he whispered, mouth pressed to my ear. Chest heaving, heart racing, I managed to glare at him. “What do you know about what I want?” I snapped, and he simply licked a strip of my neck, making my knees almost collapse. “Because you came into this elevator and proceeded to undress me with those large black eyes,” he told me, and I felt my face turn red.