"Please dad, it's only for the night and I'll answer all your phone calls."

Looking up at my father with big, blinking puppy eyes I desperately try to convince my father to let me go out with my friends for the night. Most might think that this would not be a difficult task, but those people haven't met my father.

"You're just going to Grace's, right?" He muses as he leans back in the chair. I nod my head eagerly before shifting closer to him on the sofa. Resting my head on his shoulder I sigh deeply and mournfully, the last thing I need to do before getting my way.

"Well..." he gently wraps an arm around me and pulls me into his chest, "as long as you stay at her house and you answer all calls and texts from me, do you agree?"

"Yes, yes, thank you." I squeal as I squeeze him tight making him groan slightly in surprise before chuckling.

"You know it's just because I love you, right Katie."

"I know." I smile before standing up and skipping towards the kitchen.

"Careful!" My dad exclaims from the other room. I roll my eyes but keep my mouth tightly closed.

One might think that this over exacerbated level of protection would have petered off the older I got, but nope. I'm 18 now and I'm fairly certain that my father is more protective of me now than when I was 10. It appears the threat of boys and relationships has set his protective settings to 1000%.

Sighing, I pull out my phone and text Grace that I can make it tonight before pouring myself a glass of water.

Before I am allowed to leave, my father pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly to his chest, so tightly I'm not entirely convinced he is planning on releasing me.

"Daddd..." I squeal as he sighs heavily and kisses my forehead.

"I know monkey, but promise me you'll stay in contact."

"Yes, yes dad I promise. And please don't worry about me I will be fine."

I give him one last squeeze before pulling away from his embrace.

"I know, you have a good time." My dad opens the door for me and watches me as I walk up the path towards my car. I can still feel his gaze even after I'm out of sight.

I often wonder whether my father would have been quite so protective, had my mother lived to support him. Unlocking my car, I sit heavily in the driver's seat and pull out my phone to tell Grace I'm on my way.

"Katie!" Grace squeals down the phone, she's clearly already tipsy. "Are you on your way?"

"Yes Grace," I laugh at my hyper friend, "I'm leaving now."

I've known her since we were 7 and her energy level has never dipped below hundred in all my years of knowing her.

"Oh, by the way, there are a few more people coming tonight than I might have said, is that ok?"

"What?" My heart is instantly in my throat and a tight weight slams onto my chest like rocks. I've never been very good with new people, especially when they are unexpected.

"Oh it's just a few more girls, I'm sorry girl they just texted and I couldn't say no."

"Oh, it's fine... don't worry." I hang up the phone and anxiously look out of the car window and back towards my house and my father. Biting my lip, I hesitate over my decision for the evening.

If I go back to my father now, he may never give me permission to leave again. It took me three days of preparation and begging before he even began to agree, I'll just have to do this. I guess if I hate it, I can always leave.

The drive to Grace's hand is only a couple of minutes away. I strongly suspect that her close proximity to the compound is one of the reasons my father is always ok with Grace and I being friends.

At the moment my father is convinced that a rival club is after his territory. For this reason I can already see three bikes following behind my car, my protection for the evening. They'll stay out of my sight but at least I know they're there. It sounds silly but it does make me feel safer knowing that nothing will go wrong.

It's an occupational risk of being the only loved one to a president because you constantly have the looming threat of leverage over my head. Any enemy to my father knows he would do anything for me and that makes his love for me dangerous as well as my existence.

I switch off the car engine and scramble from the car. The sounds of thumping music and booming cheering fill the night sky from Grace's house. Once again I hesitate, pondering on whether I can just go home or if this will even be worth it.

Deciding to be brave, not a strength for me, I walk up to the front door and knock on the door.

No one answers. I shift from foot to foot as I wait for someone to answer the door. Swallowing hard, I knock again, louder.

Reaching down, I carefully test the handle of the door and find it unlocked. I guess Grace doesn't care who walks in at the moment so I open the door and step over the threshold.

I instantly regret it as the house is packed with people. Grace and I had planned a Disney movie marathon, this definitely isn't going to happen.

"Ahhh Katie!" Grace exclaims as she flies down the busy hall towards me. "You came!"

"Yeeaah... you told me we were just going to be hanging out. This is a party isn't it?"

"Look, please don't be mad but I knew you wouldn't come if I told you it was a party."

"I wouldn't have, because I don't like them."

A loud, drunk boy slams into the side of me and droplets of beer splash on the sleeve of my cardigan.

Grimacing, I shuffle away and rub at the damp sleeve surreptitiously.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry." Grace looks down at me with big puppy dog eyes but I still want to leave.

"Look," she grabs my arm and gently begins to pull me towards an undisclosed location, "just try it. I'm sure you'll like it."

I wince and shake my head, I know I won't but I'll do this to please Grace for the time being. We both plonk ourselves down on the sofa which is already cramped and uncomfortable.

Grace sits next to me for only a second watching the people dancing in the space in the room, before she quickly gets up.

"I'm going to get a drink, what would you like?"

"You're leaving me... oh Grace I don't know about this."

I begin to squirm as I feel my blood pumping in my veins. I really should have gone back home and sat with my dad, damn my attempt at socialising.

"Look, it'll be fine. What do you want?"

"Oh, a water please."

She huffs and rolls her eyes before disappearing into the crowd. I begin to nibble at my thumbnail as my eyes dart around the crowd. I don't know any of these people and it's making my heart rate thunder, I want to go home.

"Water, really?"

I jump at the unknowing voice and turn my head to look at the boy who spoke to me. He leers towards me and smirks, I squirm and shrink as far away from him as possible.

"C'mon let lose, I bet you'd be fun with a few drinks in ya." He places his hand on my thigh and begins to squeeze, bile churns in my stomach.

"No thank you." I say curtly, I turn my head away from him and set my eyes firmly on a picture on the wall. Tears of panic begin to spring in my eyes and I frantically blink, I shouldn't show weakness.

The boy scoffs and moves his hand further up my thigh. I shudder in disgust and jump up from the sofa.

"Don't touch me!" My voice raises shrilly and the nearby people turn their gaze towards up, towards me.

I can't cope with so many people looking at me, I glance around panically and suddenly realise my harasser has stood and is behind me.

My brain begins to kick in from the fear and forces my feet to move.

Pushing blindly through the crowd, I gasp for air as my lungs begin to close. My vision is blurry with tears and confusion but I finally see the front door within my grasp.

After throwing the door open, ignoring the calls of exclamation from the party goers, I stumble down the path towards where I know my father's men will be waiting.

I'm right. The three of them are standing down the street, leaning against their bikes and smoking.

"I want to go home." I choke out, frightened and cold.

The men jump and all their eyes fall on me. They quickly jump into action as one of them pulls out their phone to call my father and the other two move to stand in front of me.

Finally feeling protection, I let myself cry. Whimpering and sniffling, I begin to ring my hands as the men look on awkwardly. I don't blame them for keeping their distance and not moving to comfort me, my father has firm warnings over any contact with me.

They all know to stay away, he doesn't mind me talking with their old ladies, if they have them, but I know he's vary wary of the single men.

I don't have long to wait before the roaring of motorbikes fills the night air. My father's dominant form appears on a bike and the coils in my stomach instantly relax.

I always feel safe when my father is around.

He dashes towards me as my lip begins to tremble with the need to cry once again. His arms pull me against his chest and he gently strokes down my back.

"Are you ok, monkey?"

I nod my head against his leather cut but he still doesn't relax.

"Who made you cry?" He grits out through clenched teeth.

"No one, it's just me being silly."

"Katie..." His tone is unconvinced but I really just want this night to be over so I quickly look up at him.

"Dad please, I just want to go home."