Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 20

**Across Distant Skies Lies Hope Waiting To Be Found by Kade Rowan Flint**

**CONTENT: Get on your knees**

**Grace**

If someone had the audacity to claim that the devil was merely a figment of our imagination, I would look them square in the eye and unveil the chilling truth.

He exists. And I have unwittingly made the grievous error of crossing his path.

Apollo Reed loomed before me, so close that I could barely draw in a breath. His presence enveloped me like a heavy fog, suffocating and inescapable. When he looked at me, it felt as though his gaze penetrated my very soul, peeling back the layers of my being, exposing the hidden truths that I had buried so deep within. The parts of me that I had sworn to protect from the world.

His eyes moved slowly, deliberately, traveling from my face down to every inch of my body.

It was as if he were undressing me with his gaze, stripping me of my defenses, layer by layer. By the time his eyes returned to mine, I could have sworn I saw a flicker of something—was it amusement? Satisfaction? Or perhaps my mind was merely concocting a protective fantasy, trying to convince me that this was all just a bizarre, unsettling dream.

“Hmm,” he mused, his voice low and tinged with a hint of boredom. “You certainly take your time pondering before you speak. Should I interpret that as a confession to your misdeeds?”

My eyes widened in shock. “N-No!”

The denial burst forth from me, an involuntary explosion of sound.

His eyebrow arched slightly at my outburst, and that small curve of his lips ignited a fire in my cheeks.

In a moment of panic, I slapped a hand over my mouth, as if that could somehow contain my embarrassment.

“I didn’t mean to shout, sir,” I mumbled through my fingers, my voice barely a whisper.

He leaned back, a casual observer as if he were merely enjoying a brief interlude in an otherwise mundane day. “Then enlighten me. What exactly brings you to my office, sneaking around and handling items that do not belong to you?”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry as sandpaper. My hands trembled, betraying my anxiety.

“I’m G-Grace,” I stammered, the words tumbling out in a rush, my head bowed slightly in submission. “I’m one of the new PR employees. I was instructed to bring something to you.”

I gestured toward the folder still perched on his desk, my heart racing so violently that its rhythm echoed in my ears.

God, this situation was utterly absurd. Out of all the people in this sprawling building, why did I have to stumble into his office unannounced? Why did it have to be me, the one person who was desperately trying to avoid any encounter with him?

He remained silent, his expression inscrutable. I dared to glance up at him again, and this time, I noticed he wasn’t even looking at my face.

What?

My heart dropped as I followed his gaze, and the realization nearly knocked the breath out of me.

My cardigan had slipped open just enough to reveal a sliver of black lingerie beneath. It wasn’t merely suggestive; it was glaringly obvious. My figure was practically on display for him. But was he actually looking at me in that way?

I shook my head in disbelief. What was I even thinking? There was no conceivable way someone like him would view me with that kind of interest.

“I-I was just here to deliver the files from Mr. Aiden,” I stammered, inching closer to the desk and waving my hands frantically at the folder. “That’s all. I certainly wasn’t attempting to steal anything.”

His expression remained unchanged, and I felt the ground beneath me shift, wishing fervently for it to open up and swallow me whole.

“I mean, I just happened to notice a book on your shelf, and I recognized it,” I continued, my voice stumbling over my own thoughts faster than I could keep up. “I wasn’t even planning on reading it or opening it! I just wanted to touch it, just once.”

“L-look around your office, sir. There’s a plethora of expensive items here. If I were going to steal something, do you really think I would choose a book?”

It was a feeble defense, but it was all I had left.

“You should have done your homework,” he replied coldly, his tone like ice.

“W-what?”

He took a step closer, and my feet instinctively shuffled backward, driven by a primal instinct to escape.

Big mistake.

I locked eyes with him, and I could have sworn I saw my entire life flash before me in that moment.

First, he had thought I was a sex worker, which was my fault. Now, he believed I was a thief.

Also technically my fault. But how was I supposed to know that touching a book would be treated like robbing a vault?

I was merely a victim of circumstance—a deeply unfortunate fool with a penchant for literature and a dreadful track record with men. And now, I stood just a breath away from a man who could ruin my life with a single word.

My voice emerged as a mere squeak. “I….I really just wanted to touch it.”

Apollo ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that seemed to convey both frustration and amusement, before he finally stepped back, his gaze lingering on me for a brief moment before he crossed the room.

He reached his desk, casually perching himself on the edge as if he had all the time in the world, and placed the book down beside him.

I stood there, an awkward statue, my heart still racing. My palms were clammy, and I could feel the heat radiating from my cheeks. At least he hadn’t called security yet.

I cleared my throat, cautiously taking a small step toward the door.

“So, does this mean I can g-go?” I attempted to sound nonchalant, but my voice cracked halfway through, betraying my nerves.

He remained composed, his demeanor unyielding. “Before you go, I want to confirm something.”

I frowned, confusion knitting my brows together. “Confirm, what?”

I took another slow step, my eyes warily scanning his expression.

Still unreadable, still intimidating, and still unfairly handsome.

His gaze lifted to meet mine, his voice dropping to a low, commanding tone.

“Get on your knees.”