Daddy’s Little Pet

RENEE

“I’m coming.” I yelled as I dashed to the door to see who was knocking.

“Are you certain it wasn’t coming from the other apartment?” Nicole yelled behind me as I rushed to the sitting room, but I ignored her.

I was eager to find out who the person was. Something told me Robert had finally sent me some gifts.

With a smile, I dashed to the front door, taking hold of the knob and twisting it open to find… nobody!

“Huh?” I muttered, my head poking into the corridor when I noticed someone standing at my neighbor’s door.

The knock had not come from here, as Nicole had suggested and my shoulders slumped.

“Hello…” The blonde-haired man staring back at me waved, and I waved back, mumbling some inaudible greeting as I gently shut our door.

“Not again…” I humped, disappointment filling me, and I didn’t like it.

It had been four days since Robert sent me a gift, and I was going insane.

I rushed every time there was a knock on my door, full of anticipation. But I always returned with disappointment.

Looking around the small living room, I stared at the first art portrait he’d gifted me, and my heart skipped a beat.

Caressing the R initial diamond necklace he’d given me again, my mood instantly shifted from excited to solemn.

I began to walk to the bedroom, a hiss escaping my lips, knowing Nicole would be waiting for me.

“Who was that?” She asked as soon as I entered the room, her face lighting up as she looked up from the book she was reading and turned to face me.

However, when she noticed my mood, her smile faded to a frown, and she abruptly rose from the bed.

“Renee? What is it?” She asked, approaching me and touching my shoulder. She pulled me to my side of the bed, and we plopped our asses down.

“Speak to me. Who was knocking on the door?”

“Not our door. It was some random dude who came to visit Mrs. Clara.” I whispered.

Nicole sighed. “I warned you. I knew it wasn’t from our end, but you rushed to open it without paying attention to what I said. You thought it was Robert’s delivery guy, didn’t you?”

“Huh? Why would you say that?”

“Oh, Renee, get off it. We haven’t talked much about Robert in the last few days, but I know you miss him. After all, it’s been three or four days since he last sent you a gift, right?”

“Four days, yeah.” I responded sadly.

“I know. I’ve been keeping an eye on you. You’ve been a shadow of yourself since you woke up today. You go to check the door at every opportunity as if expecting someone, even though we both know you rarely get visitors.”

My shoulders slumped, as I listened to Nicole go on and on.

“Do you know I had an inkling that he’d stop sending me gifts?” I asked after she finished speaking.

“Wow, really?”

“Yes. The other night I was touch…” I trailed off, blushing as I realized what I was about to tell Nicole. I quickly diverted, “The last time he sent me gifts with the numbers, I had a feeling he was going to stop. I told myself that if he did stop, I’d call him, but if he kept sending the gifts, we’d keep playing his game.”

“Really?” Nicole questioned with a raised brow, and I just shrugged.

“Also, I don’t feel anyone watching me at the restaurant these days. He seems to have vanished into thin air. The way he vanished when…”

“Huh?”

“Nothing Nicole. I’m just perplexed.”

“Wow! Since he’s yet to send a gift, why don’t you call him? You’ve already resolved within yourself to do so.”

“I… I just can’t. I mean, I want to, but… I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m more than worried about him, not just because he’s stopped sending gifts, but because I’m afraid something bad happened to him and….”

“And what? You call him and get your facts straight. You have his phone number. Go ahead and dial him.”

“But-”

“Here… This is the first number he gave you.” Nicole interjected, her hand outstretched with a rumpled note in her hand.

It was the first letter he’d written to me, where he’d attached his number in full.

“How did you get that so quickly, and where-”

“That’s not the issue here. Call him.” Nicole interrupted me again, pushing the paper into my hand. She raised her brows and urged me to go on.

“I’ve tried calling this number, but it’s not going through. I doubt if it will work now.”

“Just try.” She persisted. Sighing, I did as she said.

The first attempt went into voicemail, and the second… The server said the number was invalid, and I showed Nicole.

“I told you. The number’s not going through.” I said with a roll of my eyes.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Nicole smiled gently, “Well, we still have another number, don’t we?”

“The numbers from the gifts?” I asked, already knowing what she was talking about. She nodded.

We quickly searched the drawers where the notes were and picked them up. Nicole collected the cards and began saying the numbers one after the other while I typed away on my phone.

“Is it complete?” She asked when she was done calling the digits out loud, and I nodded, flashing my phone screen at her.

“Good. Now hit the dial button.”

“Not so fast, Nicole.” I mumbled, my hands shaking as my heart beat heavily in my chest.

“What is it?”

“What if the call goes to voicemail again? Or what if this is not a real number? Or what if-?”

“Don’t be silly, woman. Call him first, and we’ll figure out the next step.”

I wish I were as confident as Nicole now, and her look reflected the opposite of how I felt.

What would I do if this call went through and Robert picked up the call?

‘You won’t know until you dial the number, Renee.’ The voice in my head whispered all too suddenly, appearing at the right time.

“Alright then. Here we go.” I grumbled, then pressed the dial button and put the phone on loudspeaker, so Nicole could hear whatever response I received.

The first ring went by loudly, and no one answered.

“Do I need to call the number again?” I asked her, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she took matters into her own hands and swiped the call button.

The phone rang again, but no one answered.

“Oh, shit.” I groaned, already giving up when the ringtone died.

“I suppose Robert was playing a prank on me. This is the correct number, but he isn’t picking up. Or is it not his? He told me to keep the notes for the clues. So, why is this happening? Or did we dial the wrong digits?”

“Calm down, girl. He’s probably doing something or sleeping. Let’s redial and see what happens.”

I started to shake my head no, but Nicole wouldn’t take no for an answer and leaned forward again, pressing the dial button.

The phone began to ring loudly, and it was about the fourth ring when she said to me, a pout forming on her lips. “You should cut it since no one’s answering. I’m sorry, Renee. You can try tomorrow.”

I just waved her off with a shaky smile after she apologized.

However, the line went through as I was about to hang up and I almost dropped the phone in shock.

I looked at Nicole, and she looked at me in surprise. We both stared at the phone in my hand.

“Nicole…” I was at a loss for words as I whispered, but before I could finish, a very familiar voice resonated through the phone speakers, making me jump in surprise.

“Hello…”

A gasp escaped me. My lips parted wide at hearing his voice after all these days, and my entire body trembled.

I tried to speak, but my tongue felt heavy, my throat thick, and my mouth dry.

“Hello. Can you hear me?” His voice came back.

I silently cleared my throat and managed to choke out, “Rob… Robert.”

From the other end, I could hear him chuckle softly. “Hello, baby girl.” He said, his deep voice sending pleasurable shivers through my body. “I’ve been expecting your call…”