“Right now I’m more interested in you and what’s been going on since the last time I saw you. Have you been selling your clothes online Emily?”
“Oh lord.” She covered her face in shame.
“Tell me.” She dropped her hands but refused to look at me as she told me about her friend’s idea. I listened without interruption until she wound down, my feelings for her becoming more confused by the minute.
“I’m proud of you.” She gave me a bewildered but skeptical look until I smiled at her. She wouldn’t know this, not ever having been without before in her life. But for someone who didn’t come from such wealth, who wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth, I saw what she did as survival one-o-one. Better yet, it was something mom would’ve done.
Most spoilt little rich girls would never think of parting with their shit, no; they’d look for someone else to take care of them and with her looks I’m sure she had any number of willing men who would be glad to take advantage.
That last thought had me sitting up straight as a shot of jealous anger grew in my gut. I looked around for any evidence that anyone had been here but how the fuck would I know? I’ve never been here before. “Yeah well, you might be proud but the rest of the world is laughing.” She covered her face again.
“Fuck ‘em.” She snorted and looked through her fingers at me.
“Come on, where’s your mother?” I pulled her up beside me having no real idea of where we were going from here. I wanted to take her home with me, take care of her; make this all go away.
“Oh shit, mom.” She looked towards the stairs with a crestfallen look on her face.
Her shoulders slumped and I waited, ready to catch her if she crumbled. Instead she straightened herself up and a look of raw determination replaced the look of defeat that was just there a second ago. My admiration only grew more at that and I could all but feel her sucking me in.
It was that strength that I had seen in her before that had me by the balls. That resolve that mirrors my own commands respect, something I’m not ashamed to say was never high on my agenda when looking for a bedmate. It was this that was going to trip my ass up. But even knowing that, I couldn’t seem to stop myself. I was way past the point of putting the brakes on. I knew that shit when I flew out of my house to come to her.
EMILY
What’s he doing here? I remember asking the question but receiving no answer. I must look a mess and I’m so nervous I keep babbling on and on. “I have to go to her before one of her ‘friends’ call her up.” I knew she hadn’t seen it since she only watches soap operas when she wasn’t putting herself to sleep with medication. I needed even more to get away from him before I made an even bigger fool of myself.
He had a tight grip on my hand and I tried to convince myself that it meant nothing more than a show of support. Maybe for him, but for me it was doing something a hell of a lot different as can be attested by the butterflies doing sky jumps in my stomach.
“You do that, I’ll be right here.” His voice compelled me to look up at him and I wish I hadn’t. I know that look in his eyes; I’ve seen it countless times before. Only this time it didn’t make me want to roll my eyes in disgust, but fall into his strong masculine chest and feel his arms come around me. Oh you’ve really gone off the deep end this time.
He was probably just here because he was somehow involved in daddy’s mess. That made no sense but what the hell, nothing really has since this whole mess begun. I slipped my hand from his and walked away without looking back. I was suddenly very conscious of my scanty attire.
I’d just taken a much-needed bath and fallen into bed to spend the rest of the night numbing my senses with drivel when the show came on. So I was wearing silk babydoll sleep shorts and a fitted tank. As I took the stairs one at a time I wondered if he could see my ass under the leg of my shorts as I got higher. My face burned and I fought not to look back at him.
I could actually feel his eyes on me as I moved, so I hurried up the last few steps and turned down the hall towards my parents’ suite. I held onto the wall for a second to catch my breath and stop the wild racing of my heart. Why does he do this to me? Why is it that even with my world crumbling around me, just five minutes in his presence and I forget everything else but the feelings he sets loose inside of me?