Love Around the World 16: Phnom Penh

I had no idea my daughter had ever looked at me as anything except a loving and devoted father in return. Nothing was too much for her. I knew I spoiled her from time to time though I made sure she didn't feel entitled. I made sure she found a job to make her own money and become more responsible.

Hearing her three friends were of the same opinion... I was left wondering if incest was actually that prevalent in society. Were hundreds, thousands if not even millions of daughters with their fathers? Mothers with their sons? Brothers and sisters? We're raised from an early age to know that it's wrong, immoral and illegal. But I guess what happens behind closed doors and all that... I mean, my little sisters were beautiful, and I guess I'd had a fantasy or two over the years, but that's all they ever were.

Waking a few hours later, I slid out of bed and found my daughter fast asleep on her bed with Melissa passed out next to her, Angela and Bethany in the guest bedroom. I couldn't help smiling as it was obvious that they'd all had a great night. Her three friends had been constant visitors over the years and had blossomed into beautiful young women. I also knew their fathers as they were good friends. I wonder if they were as oblivious as I'd been.

I was cooking breakfast when Charlotte walked out into the kitchen looking a little worse for wear. Kissing the top of her head as she cuddled me, resting her head against my chest, I cuddled her back.

"Have a good night, sweetheart?"

"It was a lot of fun, Daddy. Had a few drinks, enjoyed a dance... Some guys tried hitting on us. We told them to go away. Is it like that for young women out there? That all we do is get hit on all night?"

"Go to a gay club," I suggested, "Lots of straight girls go there so they're unbothered most of the night."

"But wouldn't that mean we get hit on by lesbians?" she asked, leaning back and smiling.

"Possibly. I guess they'd have it figure out if you were gay or not though." Clearing my throat, I added, "Noticed your friends here. Want to get them up so they have something to eat before they go home?"

"Sorry I didn't tell you..."

"It's okay. I'd rather they're safe and sound here than heading home alone or with someone they don't know. You know they're always welcome here, and now that you are going out and having fun, I'd rather you all head home together."

"Thank you, Daddy. I tell them all the time that you're the best!" Leaning up to kiss my cheek, that made me smile as she giggled. "I'll go get them up... They're going to like the tight t-shirt, Daddy. You trying to be some sort of model?"

I'll be honest, I'd worn it on purpose after hearing what my daughter said last night as I was wondering if she would remember the conversation that she'd had last night. I was serving up when the four girls returned, each of them greeting me with a quick hug as they hadn't seen me the day before. Conversation flowed easily as they told me stories from the night before. When I mentioned a gay club again, the four of them all giggled but thought it might be a good idea if they were always heading out only to be bothered constantly. Unfortunately, some guys can't take a hint, and some won't give up even when given a firm 'no'.

Things passed slowly over the next few weeks as my daughter prepared for her final exams. Remembering the conversation, I took notice of how she was behaving and though I wouldn't have been oblivious, I did notice a few things. Such as she started showing off a lot more skin. Would walk around the house in a crop top without a bra, and her nipples were almost constantly hard. She'd walk around in just panties that left little to the imagination.

She didn't make any overt moves on me though. Considering what she said about being a virgin, I amused myself by thinking she probably didn't know all that much about the art of seduction. Don't get me wrong, she knew how to arouse me. My daughter is a beautiful young woman. Some delightful curves. She wears a D-cup bra though I'm not sure where she inherited her breast size as Lyn was only a B-cup. And I knew she shaved as, well, going by the panties she wore. And then the bikini she would sometimes wear when out by the pool. She was definitely smooth...

To celebrate the end of their exams, I suggested to my daughter that she invite her friends over for a weekend party. I'd get in plenty of food and drink, including booze, and as her friend's fathers were my friends, I figured I could invite them around. Charlotte loved the idea, practically leaping on me before squeezing me tightly and kissing me lightly on the cheek.

To my amusement, she only invited her three best friends. Each of them arrived with her father in tow. Mike was the father to Angela, Steve the father to Bethany, and John the father to Melissa. Greeting them each with a beer, the four girls quickly ended up in the pool and I didn't miss eyes lingering.

"How the hell did we end up with daughters like ours?" Mike wondered, "Now that she's eighteen and my son is out of home..."

"Things still that bad?" John asked.

"Wife has pretty much moved into another bedroom. I've told her I'm not going to remain married without intimacy. She's got her head so far up her arse though..."

"What about you, John?" Steve wondered.

"I'm convinced she's fucking her boss for a long-awaited promotion. There are enough signs. I just need to get my ducks in a row before confronting her. Melissa has already said she'd follow me no matter what happens. I'm not leaving the family home, so if it's true, my wife can fuck off and live with her lover or something."

Steve chuckled to himself. "Shit like this is why I'm glad to be single."

"What about you, Mark?" Mike wondered.

"Not sure. Have your daughters mentioned anything about taking a year off?"

"Angela has hinted at something," Mike replied, "I have a feeling they want to sit us down and tell us about going on some sort of gap year."

"Maybe they want to go travelling?" Steve suggested, "I mean, they're probably at the right age. If there's four of them..."

"Could you guys handle that?" John asked, "I trust my daughter. I don't trust a lot of people out there."

I gave it some thought before I said, "There's safety in numbers. If the four of them are wanting to go, then I guess I can agree. There'd be rules to follow, of course. They might be eighteen, but they're still our little girls. Still, our role in life is to protect them."

We fell silent as we were soon approached by our daughters, finding ourselves hugged. Sharing glances as bare flesh was pressed into us, there was no missing the love and affection the four young women had for the older man they were cuddling.

"Daddy, after we've eaten, we need to sit down and talk to you all about something," Angela stated. I wasn't surprised she was taking the lead. Charlotte glanced up at me and smiled.

"Sure, honey. Anything important?" Mike asked his daughter.

"It's important, but we want to talk to you about it as a group."

After we ate as I'd worked the grill, Mike keeping me nice and refreshed by ensuring the bottle of beer in my hand was never empty, Angela cleared her throat, amused that the girls gathered to one side of the table, us men to the other.

"Daddy... We haven't had our results back yet for our entrance exams, but what we would like to do is defer our entry into university for a year so we can work for six months after the holiday period and then go away for six months later next year before we all return and then go to university the year after," Angela explained.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked.

"Not Europe. It'll be too expensive for us," Angela replied, "We're going to go to Asia. The cheaper parts."

"Such as?" Steve wondered.

The four girls all shared a glance. Bethany eventually cleared her throat. "Well, we're thinking of starting in Indonesia. Then Singapore. Malaysia. Thailand. Laos. Vietnam. Cambodia. Maybe Nepal. Bhutan if we can get entry. India..."

The four of us men all sucked in a breath at the mention of India. I'd read more than one horror story of young women who'd been to India and not exactly had the best of times. "We're aware of the reputation of some of the cities there. We haven't completely decided on where we are going," Charlotte stated, "If there is somewhere you really don't want us to go..."

"Where would you finish?" I asked.

"Would probably depend on how long we've been away and our budget," Angela replied, "Sticking to Asia, we would like to get as far west as Turkey and then fly back from there."

We discussed further details. The budget was the most important. They each had a current passport, something I'd organised for Charlotte not long after she turned eighteen. For the next couple of weeks, Charlotte would approach me with a notepad and go over details that she was discussing with her friends. With her studies complete, she was picking up extra shifts at her job and I knew was saving every dollar possible.

I kept in touch with my three friends at the same time, pleased to hear that the four girls were all sharing the same level of detail and seemed to be in constant agreement regarding their plans. Mike and I were in agreement that we trusted our girls and were happy for them to travel. There'd be a couple of requests from us in return, but we knew this could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Steve was a little apprehensive. John admitted to being terrified of a couple of places they wanted to go but was doing his best to trust his daughter.

While all this was going on, Charlotte was continuing her so-called slow seduction of her father. As I knew what was going on, I knew there was only so far that I'd allow her to go before I'd put a stop to it, but as the weather continued to grow warmer she'd walk around the house in just a bra and panties, I guess I'm a man and do have my weaknesses.

"Snuggles with daddy," she whispered when sitting on my lap one evening. She was wearing a small pair of panties that exposed both perfect little arse cheeks and her bra was showing so much cleavage, she might as well have just had her tits out. Running my fingers along her smooth skin at her side had her sighing happily.

"You realise if anyone saw us like this..."

The giggle she released was a dagger to the heart. "You know how much I love you," she whispered, kissing my cheek, "Have you heard from Mike about his wife?"

"Yeah. Apparently told her he'd had enough. She could either go to counselling, return to their bedroom, or she could move out and go live with her parents."

"Are you surprised that she chose option three?"

"To be honest, not really. I think Mike was convinced in the end that she cut him off because she was getting it somewhere else too."

"Kind of like John then?"

"At least John got confirmation that his wife was fooling around from her PA. From what John told me, her PA was disgusted by her behaviour so happily handed over the evidence. Her confronted her, she couldn't deny it, so he kicked her out. Good for him." I couldn't help but sigh. "Three marriages now over."

I was left wondering if Angela had worked her way into her father's bed yet. Same for Bethany and Melissa if I thought about it. Charlotte hadn't taken that step with me yet. We both had work in the morning, so we eventually bid each other goodnight. I always read a chapter or two of a book before I would turn out my light.

I woke sometime during the night, I felt the sheet I was lying under lifted up and a warm body join me. I felt her go still when I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to me.

"Daddy?" she whispered.

"It's okay, sweetheart."

"It is."

"I'm guessing you want to snuggle?"

"So much..."

Rolling onto my side, she spooned back against me, wrapping my arms around her as her back rested against my chest. "I thought you'd get mad," she whispered.

"Never. I remember we used to snuggle all the time. We only stopped because..."

"Puberty and people would think it was weird."

"Unfortunately, people just think the worst of men at times. I could have been the best father in the world, but it would just take the merest hint..."

Waking in the morning, I opened my eyes and saw the back of my daughter's head. Then I felt my erection pressing into her. Thankfully, she must have sensed me shuffle as she immediately giggled. Tickling her had her squealing as she eventually rolled over, so she was facing me, her cheeks a little coloured as she shuffled as close as possible. Stroking her back kept the smile on her face as I kissed her forehead.

From that night on until the night before she was due to leave on holiday, my daughter spent more time in my bed than she didn't. We never did anything except sleep. She didn't push any boundaries, at least when she was in my bed, but she did turn up the wick in other ways. There was no missing she would disappear into her bedroom to masturbate, and I'm certain I walked into the living room more than once and she only just put a stop to it.

I got to know her scent rather well. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but I did walk past her bedroom more than once, hearing her moan and whimper... And there was no missing she was thinking about only one person as I heard her moaning 'Daddy'. Whether she knew I was nearby or not, I don't know, and I wasn't going to go and ask her.

I could sense my daughter was nervous the day she was due to depart. I didn't really blame her as she'd spent months preparing, but she was still only a nineteen-year-old woman and had never been outside of the country. The four of them had been away on holiday before though only within the borders of Australia. A long weekend on the Gold Coast, and they'd been to Melbourne for a concert.

"I'll miss you, sweetheart," I whispered as I hugged my daughter before she was to pass through security, "Make sure you keep in contact."

To my surprise, all she did was cry. And I heard reassuring and comforting words from three other fathers. I had no doubt the girls were ever so excited about their immediate future, but I had a feeling that they were going to miss us terribly. I'd teased Charlotte more than once about meeting a handsome young man on holiday. She practically glared at me and said she was still a virgin and would remain one until she returned.

"Does it make you happy to know I'm still a virgin, Daddy?" she had asked later that night when snuggling against me in bed.

"You're nearly nineteen, sweetheart. I'm not going to be angry if you were sexually active. It would be expected."

"I've never done anything," she whispered, "No-one's ever seen my pussy except you, Daddy." Then she giggled to herself. "Well, I have walked around the house naked a few times."

"Yes, one would think my daughter is a little exhibitionist."

"I like being naked, Daddy. What do you think?"

"Objectively, my daughter is a beautiful young woman."

Our daughters eventually let each father go, soft kisses on cheeks before we stood in a line and waved as we felt our hearts leaving us. I'd seen video clips online of fathers taking their daughters to college and leaving them. I could understand how they were feeling, the four of us eventually exchanging glances, clearing our throats.

"I need a beer," Mike muttered.

"Home is going to feel fucking empty now," Steve said sadly.

"Come on, let's drop our cars at home and go to the pub," I stated, "I think getting hammered will do me the world of good."

It was going to be a long six months for the four of us.

*****

Three months later...

I was dead to the world when my phone started to ring. I never put it on silent as I wanted to wake up in case it was my daughter calling me. Flicking on the bedside lamp, I checked the time to see it was around 3am in the morning. Picking up my phone, I didn't recognise the number calling me, but the country code was foreign, and I could only guess it was my daughter. Why wasn't she calling me from her phone though?

"Hello?"

"Daddy?" I heard my daughter sob, "Daddy?"

"It's me, sweetie," I replied, immediately sitting up, "Charlotte, are you okay?"

"They took everything, Daddy. They took everything."

"Sweetheart... Take a deep breath." I heard her take more than one. "Okay. Now tell me what happened? Where are your friends?"

"They're with me, Daddy. I'm the only one who remembered your number. Um..."

"Did you lose your phones?"

"We didn't lose them, Daddy. They were stolen from us!"

"How, sweetheart?"

"They took everything. Our phones. Wallets. Passports. Anything electronic. I think they drugged us..."

That caused my heart to stop as if they were drugged. "Sweetheart... Did they..."

"No, Daddy," she whispered, unable to hold back the sigh of relief, "They targeted us to rob us, not do things to us."

"All four of you?"

"We're sharing two rooms. They were not locals. They were foreign guys, from what I remember. They were just being friendly as we've only been here for a couple of days."

"Where are you now, sweetheart?"

"Phnom Penh."

"Do you have anything on you?"

I heard her start to cry again. "Only our clothes, Daddy. They took absolutely anything of value otherwise. We each kept a bit of cash in a hidden pocket but it's not enough..."

I was already up and walking around the house, switching on lights and making myself a coffee. "Are you safe now?" I asked as I prepared my drink.

"We're currently at reception. They're doing their best to help us. They've involved the police, but... Daddy, can you come get us?"

"Let me call Mike and the others and we'll put together a plan. It'll probably be a couple of days at least."

"That's okay. We've probably got enough money that we can at least get some meals."

"How are your friends?"

"They're scared, Daddy. So am I. It's so frightening. They could have..." She trailed off and started to cry again. All I wanted to do was hold her in my arms and reassure her that she was safe.

"Sweetheart, I've got the number for the hotel stored in my phone. I want you girls to hunker down in your rooms until I call back with flight details. Go and get all the supplies you need when it's morning, then stick to one room. I'll call the hotel and simply ask to speak to you when necessary."

"You'll come and get me, Daddy?"

"I'm going to come and get you. If you've had your passport stolen and have no other identification, you're going to need something, so I'll bring documents. Let me call the other fathers and we'll put together a plan of action."

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm so sorry..."

"Hush now. It's not your fault. Head back upstairs and try and get some sleep for now. If not, wait until it's light, go out and get supplies as I said, then stay near the phone. I'll keep you updated. The other girls might want to speak to their fathers, so I'll make sure they each call the hotel." I paused and asked, "Nice hotel, sweetie?"

"It was a bargain, Daddy."

"Keep close to a phone and you'll probably hear from the other three fathers by midday."

Hanging up the phone, I immediately called Mike. Naturally, he freaked out hearing the news, telling me that he'd get dressed and head over to my place. Steve and John had the same reaction. Within an hour, the four of us were gathered around my kitchen table, my phone in between us as they each talked to their daughter. There were a lot of tears on the other end of the line and endless apologies. Each father assured their little girl that they were not at fault and that we would be flying out as soon as possible.