Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 626 -

*Caterina* "Mom?"

Elio's shocked and dismayed voice had shocked me back to reality.

The moment I realized what had happened, I took several steps away, my arms pulled tightly behind my back as I immediately stared at the floor in sheer embarrassment, gazing at the pretty red heels Olivia had generously let me borrow. The skirt of the brand-new dress she'd insisted on putting on me fluttered around my thighs.

What the fuck had we been doing?

I clutched the box containing the heartfelt present like a string pulling me back down to the earth. I couldn't believe I'd been making out with Elio in his parents' house... in his dad's office.

And worst of all, we'd gotten caught by his mother.

I bit my bottom lip, my face burning in shame. The only way it could have been more humiliating was if she'd caught us without any clothes on. Thank God for that small mercy, but this wasn't great either.

Olivia had always been so kind to me. She was like a mother figure to me, only a bit older than my own mom, and there I was making out with her son during the Christmas party she'd been so gracious to invite me to.

I glanced up at Elio, feeling even worse to see the awkward look on his face. He made eye contact with me and then his mom, and I saw the resolution in his eyes. He put on a casual, charming smile, the same one he used when trying to mediate fights between me and my mother.

He stepped in front of me, his shadow falling over me as he hid me behind his back like the coward I was. I clenched my fists, hating myself for being protected and not brave enough to face Olivia right now.

"Mom," Elio said awkwardly. "It's not what you think—"

"Don't even try that with me," Olivia said cooly. "Front and center, both of you. Now." "Mom-"

My hands trembled, wondering if I was going to be faced with her anger, or worse, her disappointment. But I grit my teeth, kept my head up, and stepped out from behind Elio's back, standing even with him as I faced the consequences of our actions.

"It's really not a big deal, Mom."

Elio tried to smooth it over, and I stiffened as his hand slithered around mine, gripping tightly. It was both comforting and terrifying.

"Mmhmm," Olivia said, eyeing our hands like a hawk. "So, how long have you been dating?"

"Well...."

Elio scratched the back of his head, glancing at the wall.

"We're not," I said honestly, standing strong when her eyes landed on me. "At least not like that. We're not dating or anything. We're just... sort of...."

I trailed off, unable to replace the words of how to describe our relationship under the gaze of a woman I respected so much. What was I supposed to say, that we'd randomly kissed and then hooked up a few times, but there was nothing more than that?

That clearly wasn't true considering we'd just had our hands on each other just a few minutes ago, even sneaking off to do so from her perspective. I chewed on my lip, unsure of what more to say.

"Right," Olivia sighed, shaking her head, but she wasn't looking as shocked or disappointed as I thought. There was a weird look in her eyes, one I couldn't quite place, but she didn't seem angry in any way. "Well, you're both adults and I'm not going to get involved, but...."

She hesitated and then looked her son straight in the eyes. "You are my son, so I had a feeling something like this might happen. I'll keep your secret. But take it from me, Elio, if this is more than a simple hookup, more than a passing fling, then do right by Caterina and yourself. Tell everyone about it yourself. Don't make them replace out the hard way. Your family isn't stupid. Don't keep whatever relationship you have a secret, or you'll regret it."

Elio gulped, and my heart thudded loudly in my chest as Olivia gave us each a long, serious look. I'd always known her as a kind and cheerful woman, but now, she reminded me startlingly of Elio himself. They had the same shade of eye color, I realized in wonder.

"Dinner's ready. Come out soon."

Olivia nodded at us, then turned around and left, gently shutting the office door behind her. The silence was left between us, an awkwardness that started as a hill and only grew larger in the seconds that passed.

I could feel Elio's eyes on me, but I stared at the floor, unsure of what to say. I knew we had to have this conversation sooner or later, but I wasn't sure I was prepared for it. Anxiousness had turned to outright fear over the last few days because I sure as hell knew what Elio was to me, even if I didn't want to admit it.

But for him... I was just a little girl, someone he had to take care of out of obligation. I still didn't know why he had even taken an interest in me now, of all times. Or maybe I just didn't want to know.

I didn't want him to confirm that this was just a casual thing for him, that I was just like those girls I used to see go in and out of his house next door years ago... just a passing fling, here for the winter chill and gone with the summer sun. "Cat."

I flinched, still not looking at him, and he sighed. I saw him from the corner of my eye, brushing his hair from his face, tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk as he gave me a frustrated look.

"Is she right?" he asked bluntly. "Should we just come clean about us?"

I swallowed the heavy stone in my throat, pondering my words before finally landing on what I wanted to say. I finally gazed into his eyes, searching for any emotion, but all I could see was the same hard-to-read man before me.

“I don't know," I said slowly. "But I have a lot going on right now. I don't want to add something I can't handle to my already full plate and have it blow up in my face again."

"Again?" he questioned, a look of realization in his eyes as he opened his mouth to say the word I didn't want to hear right now. He barely made it past the 'P' before I cut him off quite loudly.

"And even if we did tell everyone, what are we supposed to say? We're not dating! In fact, I don't even know what we are!" My frustration bubbled up, hitting him like daggers from my tongue. "If I'm just another one of your random hook-ups, then you'd better tell me now because now we have your mom thinking we're together when we're actually...."

I paused as I saw the look on his face. I'd never seen Elio make an expression like that. He stared at me, his eyes dark and shining, his whole body reeled back like I'd just hit him in the chest with my fists. He looked almost... hurt.

And then it was gone. The normal laidback and casual man stood in front of me... no expression, no emotion shining through.

"...not," I finished lamely, wondering if I had just imagined it.

Elio tilted his head, a blank expression on his face as if he felt nothing and simply said, "Okay."

Despite his carefree appearance, a sense of guilt wiggled its way into my heart. Could I have hurt him?

There was no way, right?

"Sorry, I was just "

I reached out, but he dodged my hand masterfully, not looking back at me as he followed the path his mother had just taken.

"We should get back before anybody else notices we're gone."

His shutdown hurt more than I liked to admit, and I swallowed my own pride, trudging after him at a much slower pace. We had exited through a different door that led to the outdoor patio and the back of the house. We were just about to open the back door when I heard a familiar voice that stopped me in my tracks.

"Cat."

Soft-spoken, almost drowned out by the Christmas music, everything else was eerily silent when before it was such a lively party. I felt a sharp pain around my wrist, and I gripped it tightly, finally looking up.

Sure enough, there he was, the same as when I'd last seen him-nonchalant, a bright smile on his face and his messy blonde hair falling into his eyes, eyes that were trained on me and me only. "Who are you?" Elio demanded, looking between us with a frown.

I gulped, not daring to look away from Paul's eyes as I stepped back without thinking. I had a sudden indescribable urge to run, but I was frozen in place like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming semi. And said semi was smiling at me as he took two steps forward, unblinking as he trapped me within that mad gaze of his.

A shiver ran down my spine and I whispered out his name almost involuntarily.

"Paul."

Elio jolted at the name, his eyes leveling at me with a wave of growing anger before he landed on Paul's figure and stepped between us with a scowl. He crossed his arms, squaring up as he made it very clear he was not going to be moving. "Excuse me, sir," Paul said with mock politeness.

But the sheer arrogance waving off him was unmistakable, and Elio's glare only deepened as the other man approached him face to face.

"I'm just here to pick up my girlfriend."

"We broke up, Paul," I said firmly, hiding my fear behind my anger. "How did you even replace me?"

"Come on, babe. It was just a little spat. I'm willing to forgive you though, so let's go back home, okay?"

He grinned, reaching his hand out toward me, but Elio gripped his wrist firmly, glaring at him.

"She said you broke up. So, I'm going to give you one minute to get the hell out of here, and if you ever come back around here again, we are going to have a problem... Paul." He stepped forward until they were chest to chest, and all politeness faded away.

I could see them eyeing one another up and finally, Paul smirked, as if he had concluded that he had nothing to fear from Elio, that he could take him on. And with Elio already in a bad mood, I had no doubt in my mind. This could get ugly.

"I don't think you can, old guy," Paul said arrogantly. "Cat's mine, and she's coming with me. Even if I have to go through you to prove it."

"No!" I heard screaming and I flinched as Paul threw a punch, straight for Elio as gasps came from the crowd around us.

But Elio was not a pushover. He smoothly dodged the punch by just a hair, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he swept Paul's feet from under him with one leg, gripping him by the collar and with his other hand firmly smashed his fist into his face.

I winced as I heard a loud crack and Paul dropped to the floor, groaning. Drops of red hit the ground as Paul nursed his nose, most likely having been completely broken with such a powerful hit. Elio stood over him with no sense of empathy or mercy in his gaze.

It was like he was looking down at a pathetic insect whose life he could take with no remorse at any moment.

"Get him the fuck out of here," Elio ordered coldly.

"You fucking bastard," Paul snarled, holding his bloody nose as he struggled to his feet.

But he was grabbed around the arms by two very large men. They picked him up like he was a bag of air, dragging him across the floor as he screamed curses at everyone, struggling like a pebble in an earthquake.

Elio turned to me, his eyes softening as he glanced at my trembling figure, and he gently folded me into a hug. It was warm, and I finally released a breath I didn't know I was holding.

But over his shoulder, I met Paul's eyes.

"Don't fucking touch her, you bastard! You're fucking mine, Cat! Do you think you can just throw me away? I'll fucking kill you myself before I let you leave me!"

I flinched, shutting my eyes as the curses finally died down. I barely noticed as Elio spoke to Olivia for a moment, letting him pull me back into his father's office. I felt numb, lost in an endless sea of emotions as I let him guide me into a chair. A warm drink was pushed into my hands, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders.

And slowly, I came back to life.

When I did, Elio was kneeling in front of me, his eyes shining with anxiety as he held my loose hand tightly in his own. It was soothing to have him there, but I knew Elio was smart enough to have figured out Paul was more than just an ordinary ex-boyfriend.

"What did he do to you, Cat?"

I shamefully cast my eyes to my lap, unwilling to tell him, but he gently lifted my chin, our eyes meeting in a clash of worry and concern.

"I need you to tell me the truth so I can protect you," he said honestly.

Whether I wanted to or not, I knew I couldn't hide it any longer.

I sighed, and I told him everything-how we had met, and I had fallen for his charming and outgoing appearance... how I had thought he was a good person until we got together. I had been too dumb to recognize the red flags until it was almost too late.

I told him how Paul had criticized me for everything I did what I wore, what makeup I used how he controlled where I went and what I did, verbally tearing into me when I fought back. Then he started controlling who I could see, when I could see them... and soon enough, I'd found myself completely isolated at school.

He claimed it was all because he loved me, and I kept making excuses for him, until the night we fought.

Elio had called me that night, just wanting to check on me, but Paul had gotten into my phone, seen his name, and assumed I was cheating on him. I tried to defend myself, but there was no reasoning with him and eventually, I tried to walk out.

He grabbed my arm, tight enough that it left a large bruise in the shape of a handprint, enough that I cried and begged him to let go. And once I was submissive enough, only then did he release his grip.

I knew then what trap I had fallen into. I ran as fast as I could.

Once I finished telling Elio, I stared emptily at the floor, not even emotional about it anymore like I was simply an outsider looking in. But Elio wrapped me in his arms, so gently as he tucked me into his chest. I was safe and protected there, and my heart calmed as I clung to his shirt.

I was grateful he didn't point out how hard I was shaking. But as he shielded me from the rest of the world, Elio whispered softly to my temple, a single promise that shook me to my core.

"Don't worry, Cat. I'll take care of it. No one will ever hurt you again."

And for once, I believed him with every fiber of my being.