It was tempting

Rick asked himself one important question. Did he owe Nicki anything?

If Rick's gut feel was right, Dan Hughes was fucking his own daughter. Stealing away the girl would hit Dan in ways that messing with Olivia never could. But screwing the girl might just mess her up permanently. So, did he owe her anything?

Messing with Dan was all good. Permanently scaring a teenage girl who just happened to be in the way, who was more of a victim than Rick was, who might be a bit of a princess but who was also a human being with the potential to possibly amount to something positive in the world was a higher price than Rick was prepared to pay.

He tossed a towel over Nicki's boobs, grabbed a chair, and sat next to her. "When did it start?"

"I... I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure. Not recently, though, right. Maybe when you were little."

"I was on the child beauty circuit. My daddy would fly me, first class, to all these cities and dress me up pretty."

"Did your mother go along?" Parents often try to use their children as surrogates to make up for their failures but Olivia certainly hadn't failed on the beauty circuit. She'd just failed when it came to picking a husband who cared for anyone but himself.

"No. Just daddy and me."

"And daddy had needs, right?"

"It wasn't like that."

"Okay. What was it like?"

"I think I'm going to go now." Nicki sat up, spilling the towel off her spectacular chest. She made sure Rick had plenty of time to admire it before slipping on her bra and hunting up her skirt.

"Are you worried that you're too old for your 'daddy' now?" Rick watched her carefully. He was pushing but he really wanted something more.

"I said I'm not talking about it any more."

"I get it. Don't talk to me. Did you meet Kat. Talk to her. Ask her about what she went through. Ask her about becoming a strong girl. What happened to you is not your fault but what happens to you in the future is your responsibility."

"You could have fucked me, you know. If you hadn't wasted your time on all this psychological bullshit."

"Yeah, I'd really feel like a he-man then. When you're ready to talk, try to get some help. See you around, Nicki."