Darla Ch. 02

The sight of Darla, gently padding naked into the kitchen the next morning was one of the most satisfying yet arousing vista's I ever beheld. That I must have been gaping was obvious when Darla returned my gaze with a stink eye. I pulled my jaw taught, forced a neutral expression on my face and said,

"Good morning, Darla. After breakfast we can work out and then it's off to your studies. We both know that you are a smart woman but boys, and goofing off took precedence over your studies. If you want another chance at college you are going to have to sharpen your mind. I have set out a course of studies for you. But first, a refreshing and nourishing breakfast."

Darla seemed to drink my words in and replied, "OK, can I have some clothes, Daddy? I feel funny being naked all the time, and I don't like the way you sometimes look at me."

"If you get passing marks in the quizzes you take after your first week of studies, you will earn yourself some clothing. The higher your grade, the better your subsequent wardrobe. Squeak by, and you get little more than rags. Ace everything and you get an entire designer outfit. Somewhere between the B's and D's and you get intentionally garish and ugly outfits that a supposedly stylish young woman like yourself would not want to be caught dead in. I KNOW that you can excel Darla and I will settle for nothing less."

"Daddy, do you think a college will really admit me again? My ears are still burning from the insults my adviser screamed at me when I flunked out."

"If you posses evidence that you have the capacity to learn and that you are serious the second time around. It should not be a problem. You also have an ace in the hole, a rich father who will give the university a nice donation in exchange for admitting you."

I winked and Darla laughed. We ate and fell into easy conversation. I had heard rumors about how much of a nutcase Bonnie, my ex-wife had become, but Darla's stories were a revelation. Bonnie was obsessed with young guys to the point where Darla stopped introducing her boyfriends to her because Bonnie would try to put the Mack on anything reasonably attractive in trousers between the ages of eighteen and twenty five. Bonnie had also been drinking, a lot. Even the admittedly bizarre living conditions I had imposed upon Darla, even the mandatory nudity, where more comforting living with her mother.

"Do I get any rest time, Daddy?"

"There are breaks built into your day. When school and other instructions are over you can hang out by my pool. I expect you to fill your down time with reading and grasping topics such as art appreciation."

"So none of my friends can come over?"

"If you do well, you might have a small birthday gathering with a few friends."

"What about boys?"

"Darla, " I began, "Boys are one thing you definitely need to put out of your mind for a season or so. Your taste in men is appalling in any case. Perhaps after a year or so you will be able to discern young men who are worth dating from those only interested in screwing you."

"And what would the right kind of boys be like, Daddy." Asked Darla suspiciously.

"Well." I replied blushing, "I'm not too bad as far as men go."

"Daddy!"

"I'm serious, Darla. If you remember I was a rather conscientious father and a responsible man. The divorce was certainly not MY doing. Think Darla, you and your mother have the SAME taste in men. Aside from me, has Bonnie ever picked out a winner?"

That realization really affected Darla and she was silent for many moments.

"But what if I get horny?" she asked when she spoke again.

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it. In any event a little celibacy never killed anyone."

I paused and took a look into her deep green eyes, "In any event, so long as you live here, I have final authority of whether you have sex or not. Right now you are far too immature for a relationship. When you have matured some, there MIGHT be a chaperoned date or two."

"Chaperon?"

"Yes IF you do win yourself the right to date, you won't even get a chance to neck. Our great grandparents had marriages that lasted a lifetime and when their dating consisted of nothing more scandalous than holding hands."

"Killjoy!"

"I'm not doing this to be liked, Darla. I'm doing this to save your life. Metaphorically, there are days ahead when you will fight every moment when I am dragging you out of the rip tide. Now finish up you have to do thirty minutes of spinning and then then twenty of yoga. After that we hit the books."

Darla surprised me by applying herself very well that first day. It was amazing how comfortable we became with her constant nudity. Darla seemed to understand that the focus and educational opportunities I was offering was a transitory thing. If she did not grab and hold on this time she would never have another chance to win the rodeo. I let her knock of early and even rewarded her with the movie of her choice in my home theater room.

I wasn't sure if I should make it a rule that I be solely responsible for bathing her. That idea seemed a bit extreme and might ultimately prove counterproductive. Still I preferred that she take her baths or showers off of my bedroom so that I could control how much time she spent in the tub and regulate the length of her showers.

Often, we had a hart to heart talk afterwords and when I tucked her in that first night of instruction, she kissed me on the cheek. This became a routine that continued. Just being under my roof seemed to take a ton of stress and frustration from her. In so many ways she seemed decades younger. Her body however was all woman.

Even though her grade point average was a fraction off of what it should have been, I decided to buy her the outfit anyway. Darla's eyes lit up as each package was delivered. Despite her desires I would not let her open anything until everything had arrived. She seemed very happy indeed when she was tearing open the packages.

"A garter belt and stockings, Daddy?"

The short navy dress met with her approval as did the matching shoes. The rather lacy underwear, which had my full approval, came from a very exclusive boutique.

"Nothing makes a woman feel more feminine, Darla. You have been careless to your dressing habits and your sense of style could use an overhaul. I don't expect to go back to the white glove fifties of Donna Reed but you should be able to turn heads everywhere you go. Right now you tend to dress as the invisible woman, What is not cookie cutter has no pizazz . It is a complete package, if you don't wear everything you don't get to wear anything. It is a lovely day and we can take a walk around the block. There is a small frozen custard stand on the way."

"You are a dirty old man!" She said before finally sighing heavily and beginning to dress.

Since I had seen everything, Darla did not ask me to leave the room while she dressed. I tried to freeze my face into an immobile blank. I'm positive, however, that as I watched her gently tug the dark nylon stockings over her toes and up her phenomenal legs, that my tongue was hanging out. Fortunately, Darla did not notice.

She looked absolutely smashing in the outfit. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror and twirled a few times for me to take her in from all angles. I reveled in the delight on her face. I put on some snappy clothes, grabbed my wallet, presented my left arm, and proceeded to lead her out the door and around the block.

The beautiful weather meant that many folks were outside. Both Darla and myself noticed the appreciative stares she received. The teenage clerk at the custard stand became flummoxed to the point of embarrassment when he tried to wait on Darla. My step-daughter laughed. She would not have been interested in that boy if he were the last sentient creature on earth, but Darla DID realize that she would never have gotten the same reaction had she been dressed in her old clothes.

We sat on a bench and people watched for a while. A small park sat directly across the street and we observed the various activities. Her first words were rather interesting,

"This underwear feels divine. You have excellent taste, Daddy. I can't wait until you buy me more dresses like this!"

"Darla. I'm not buying you these things, you are earning them. And your next several outfits will not be dresses. You have to earn workout attire and practical clothing before an outfit like this crosses the threshold again. And this particular outfit is going under lock and key when we return home."

"Aww, Daddy" moaned Darla. In her only real complaint of the day.

I made one of my most Delicious dinners to celebrate Darla's first week under my roof.

"Oh, Daddy, I have not had it this good in a long time. Nobody makes it like you do."

"Thank you, Darla. I haven't had anybody I wanted to make for for an equally long time."

Our eyes met and we stared intently at each other. Darla seemed moved by my words. She could plainly see the sincerity of my words in every line of my middle aged face.

"Have you really missed me that much?"

"Absolutely, Darla."

Darla looked at the floor and then gazed at me.

"Now I remember the reason."

"The reason for what I asked?"

Darla flushed and said, "Now I remember the reason why, when I was a little girl, and my friends asked me who I wanted to marry when I grew up, I always replied, 'Daddy, I want to marry my Daddy.'"

She slid off her chair and walked around the table to my own chair. She sat her naked self in my lap and kissed me on the lips very deeply.

"Daddy, you are the only man who ever truly loved me. Even though you are not my father, you loved me better than my own. I've been wracking my brains ever since you took me in as to why you are so kind, sensitive and strong. I thought you had ulterior motives or that it would all be a charade designed only to humiliate me. But it is not that at all. You LOVE me, Daddy, love me in ways no other man has or can. All the while I've been living here, I've been trying to deny, that what I felt for you was anything more than philia love, but it goes much deeper than that. All my life I have been looking for someone who is as smart as you, as kind, as you, as strong yet gentle as you and it finally dawned on me while eating this meal that you made out of love for me that the man I have been looking for is YOU!"

An even more passionate kiss followed the first and this time I kissed Darla back.

"I just know that making love to you will be exceptionally wonderful, Daddy. But do not take me until I am truly ready, I know that I have a great deal to learn from you in everything."

With that, her head fell against my chest and Darla sobbed tears of joy. To my utter astonishment I was sobbing as well.

The two of us kissed for a very long time and Darla hugged my very tightly that night before I tucked her in. Despite the hornet's nest both of us had just plunged into, we slept very well that evening.