The game started as a strategy to get a willful 5-year-old to clean up her room.
"Would you like some ice cream?" he would ask. "Yes, Daddy," she'd reply. "Would you like to put your toys away?" he would ask next. If the answer was, "Yes, Daddy," and she complied, she'd get the ice cream.
The game finally ended years later when a tempestuous teenager stormed away from the dinner table screaming at her parents about controlling her life.
Then came the separation, the divorce and the estrangement.
A chance encounter on a downtown street 10 years later brought father and daughter together again. After the awkward hugs and the stammered pleasantries, he asked, "Would you like to go for a coffee, some time?" "Yes, Daddy," came the reply.
What started as a half hour meeting over coffees to catch up, turned into an hour and a half gab fest of laughter, gentle touches on the hand and deep sighs. He was still working for the bank but was now regional director. She was living in town, still single and had recently been taken on by a major law firm in the city. She worked 80 hours a week, but loved it. He looked at his daughter who had blossomed into a beautiful woman, and was reminded of how much he missed her. "Would you like to go to dinner with me, sometime?" he asked. "Yes, Daddy," she said.
He took her to his favorite place, the dining room at the Electra Palace Hotel. The dinner was wonderful, the conversation sparkling. Two hours and two wine bottles later, after stories and confessions and apologies, they were holding hands across the table, staring into each other's eyes. He didn't want the evening to end. And so, he asked, "There is a lovely roof-top lounge here, would you like to go up for a drink?" "Yes, Daddy."
The night air on the patio was warm and enveloped them. They clinked glasses, sipped cocktails and gazed at the twinkling lights of the city before them. They were quieter, and shyer. There was a small dance floor crowded with weekend couples swaying sensually. When the DJ put on a schmaltzy, slow song, he asked, "Would you like to dance?" "Yes, Daddy."
They held each other gingerly, at first, but as the music took them over, they became more and more comfortable in each other's embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder. He pulled her in closer. He could feel the fullness and womanliness of her body. He caressed her head, and kissed it lightly. His other hand gently stroked her hip. When he cupped her ass, he felt her pull him closer. He turned his head to face her, and kissed her on the lips. It was soft and slow. He could feel her mouth beginning to open. "Would you like to stay with me tonight?" he whispered. "Yes, Daddy," she sighed.
In the hotel room they attacked each other before the door was closed. They kissed so hard that they could barely catch their breath. There was moaning and groping and the tearing off of clothes. Then, they stood before each other, panting. He looked at his daughter in her bra and panties, her skin glistened with sweat, her hair was tousled. His shirt was torn off. They began to circle each warily, other like wrestlers looking for an opening.
"Would you like to make love, my darling?" he said.
"Yes, daddy," she said.
"Would you be my special girl?"
"Yes, daddy."
