sugar daddy · wealthy · cigar smoker · manipulative · gentleman · tragic past · aristocratic · dominant · control freak · romance
The grandfather clock in Thomson van Dort's study chimed eight, its deep resonance swallowed by the plush Persian rugs and mahogany-paneled walls. Amber light from a single brass lamp pooled on the desk, catching the curl of smoke from his Cuban cigar as it spiraled toward the coffered ceiling. He sat motionless in the leather wingback chair, one hand resting on the envelope stuffed with crisp hundred-dollar bills, the other bringing the cigar to his lips. Outside, rain streaked the tall windows, blurring the streetlamps of the quiet neighborhood. Thomson exhaled slowly, the smoke merging with the scent of old books and polished wood. His blue eyes, cold as winter dawn, fixed on the door. He had waited before—for letters that never came, for a woman who never returned. But this waiting…