A Deep Dark Secret Read Online Free Page B

didn’t see or hear her father. Maybe he was out with her mom. That’s what she was hoping for, anyway, and she was kind of relieved—relieved enough to kick off her shoes, grab a couple of chocolate chip cookies from the large glass jar on the kitchen counter, and then pour herself a cup of milk. She sat for a few minutes until she finished eating and drinking and then went upstairs to her room. Once there, she performed her normal ritual: dropped her bags on top of her desk, turned on the television, laid across the bed on her stomach, and flipped through the channels until she saw That’s So Raven.
    She watched for a couple of minutes and was already laughing at something Raven had just said. She loved this show, new episodes or reruns, and she rarely missed it.
    But just as a commercial came on, Jillian flinched in fear. She saw her door opening and to her regret, it was her father. He must have been in his and her mom’s bedroom and had purposely kept quiet, so he could catch her off guard.
    Jillian quickly sat up and backed closer to her pillows and headboard.
    “So, how was your day, princess?”
    “Fine. Where’s Mom?”
    “She dropped Layla off at your grandparents’ and then went to dinner with some of the ladies she works with. She’ll be gone at least another couple of hours.”
    Jillian’s heart beat faster than normal, and she wished her father would just leave. Leave her room and leave her alone. But he didn’t. Instead, he did his usual. Sat down on the side of her bed.
    “I’m so proud of you, princess. You know that?”
    Jillian stared at him but didn’t respond.
    “I’m proud because I know you’re going to do so well in school again this year. You’re such an intelligent young lady, and you’re so caring. Which is why you’re the most precious thing in my life. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Layla is my actual blood daughter and I love her with all my heart, but you’re the one who’s the most important to me.”
    Jillian still didn’t say anything, but then her father smiled and stroked the side of her face. Then he stood up. Which was strange because normally when they had their time together, he always sat or lay next to her on her bed. Never under the covers, but always very close to her.
    “Princess, Daddy needs you to do something different for him today, okay?”
    Jillian tried forcing down the lump in her throat. “What?”
    “It’s something very important to me. Something that will make Daddy feel better than his little princess has ever made him feel.”
    She had no idea what he was talking about, but she still had a really bad feeling about all of this. Not because he’d just closed her shades and turned off the television, because he did this all the time, but because for the first time ever, she heard him unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants.
    “Come closer to the edge of the bed.”
    He was still standing, so none of this made much sense to her until she thought back to what she’d read on the Internet and then she thought about the time this boy had asked Nikki to…
    “Sweetheart, Daddy needs you to open your mouth real wide, okay? As wide as you can.”
    “Daddy, no. Please don’t make me do this.”
    “This won’t take long at all, princess. I promise.”
    “Daddy, please. I’m begging you, please don’t make me.”
    “Jillian, are you being disobedient again? Because you know God doesn’t like it when young girls don’t do what their parents tell them.”
    “But, Daddy—”
    “Look, Jillian. You know I don’t like it when you whine like this, so stop it.”
    He was calling her by her first name and his voice was stern, so she knew he meant business.
    “Now, open your mouth,” he said, taking the side of her face and pulling her closer to him.
    Tears flooded her cheeks. “Daddy, I can’t.”
    “You can and you will. Now, do you want your mom to find out that you’ve been disobeying me? Do you want me to pack my things and