TRANCE, Inc. — Chapter 13
It’s easy to miss things when you’re just chugging along in your daily rhythm, but I noticed a change in the week following the late night texts from Mike Lassiter and the disastrous phone call from Carmen’s father.
To begin with, I started to meditate every morning with Daisy. This didn’t seem particularly significant, until I realized that I was waking up at 6 o’clock — pretty much the crack of dawn — for no other purpose than to sit there silently and have Daisy guide me through a “gentle mindfulness exercise.” A month ago, I wouldn’t have believed myself capable of something like that. I wouldn’t have believed myself capable of waking up at that hour, let alone having the presence of mind to focus without coffee — which was brewed by the time I returned from my morning run.
That, right there, was another change. Not only was I waking up at the crack of dawn, but I was also, in fact, the one waking Carmen up for our morning training sessions. The teen hadn’t been her usual energetic, up-and-at—’em self, and despite my best efforts to keep her in her usual routine the young woman’s mood slumped in the following days.
She was quiet, and spent a lot of time alone in another room while the rest of us were relaxing chatting or watching a movie. Daisy confided to me that her sister’s work had suffered. After a couple days at the studio, the girl took the rest of the week off. I happened to know that she spent those days on the couch, gaming in front of the massive screen in the twins’ apartment.
The twins’ agent expressed his disapproval, which I learned while discussing the situation with Daisy.
“Do you think I should… say something to her?” I asked, and even though Carmen’s sister shook her head her pretty face was troubled.
“Sometimes you just get hit by the feels,” the 18-year-old answered. She took a hit of her vape and offered it to me.
I passed, as I always did. I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but the e-cig had become Daisy’s consistent companion. I didn’t have a big problem with it — everyone seemed to have one these days — but I was raised on the ‘smoking is bad for you’ mentality.
“And after a big emotional experience,” she continued, “like what happened this Saturday, it can take a little while to settle down again. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
We were standing outside of my apartment on the landing, leaning against the rail and looking down at the street, stories below. There were bushes, and a narrow strip of lawn, in front of my building. It was evening, and the sun was setting somewhere out of view, so the sky had a warm, orange glow.
A cloud of vapor gathered between Daisy’s red lips and then obscured the grass as she exhaled it out into the space. “You’ve been doing the right thing,” she added. “Being there for her.”
I shrugged. I’ve been trying, I thought. After all, I feel partly responsible.
Even though Carmen had been quieter and more withdrawn, I’d been making sure we spent plenty of alone time together. She had silently welcomed my company. Some days, when she was a bit moody, I would just sit and we would game for hours without talking. I would leave and come back, and then invite her to come eat or spend time with the group. Sometimes she would, but usually not.
We had intense, crazy sex several times on that gaming room couch. Carmen would turn to me, green eyes blazing, and I would know what was on her mind. I couldn’t honestly say that I was bothered — she was a stunning, seductive pornstar, after all — but I wondered if I was, somehow, taking advantage of her.
Of course you are, Devil Chance commented, sauntering up my shoulder. DC never missed an opportunity to make a comment, but even though I was getting better at ignoring him he still kept chattering away. You invaded her life, turned her into your loveslave, then got her yelled at by her parents because they heard she was going out with some bozo who had no class.
Daisy rested her head on my shoulder before I could contest the point, her eyelids drooping with relaxation. “Mmm…” she murmured. “It feels good to be here with you.”
I let her words squash DC, and turned my thoughts away from my inner demon. “Thanks, cutie,” I said.
While my relationships with the twins continued, in many ways, to improve, my bonds with the other women of my life were also changing.
Victoria and Amber seemed constantly busy. It was Friday evening, a couple minutes after Daisy and I had come back inside from the landing, and yet the two older women were nowhere to be found.
Still at the office, I thought, and I struggled against a momentary spurt of irritation.
“Huh,” I muttered to myself. I had overcome my uncertain feelings about my girls having sex for a living, but I was still jealous when their time got “taken away” by work. Especially when I expected them to be working less.
In spite of Lassiter’s prediction, Amber had been getting booked more than ever, several shoots a day, and when she came home she was so exhausted that she’d even stopped initiating casual sex. It was strange, because she was as enthusiastic a partner as ever when I brought it up, but I hadn’t noticed before how much I enjoyed it when she was the one coming on to me.
Victoria, too, had been throwing herself into work. Later nights at the office meant less time at home, and the twins and I had even gotten permission to watch several episodes of Suits without our other companions. I couldn’t have said for sure, but a guilty part of my brain told me that they were spending so much time at the office because they were trying to avoid time at home in a one bedroom apartment that was being occupied by five people.
By apparently unspoken agreement, no one had brought up the idea of moving to the twins’ place to have more room. Our experience on Saturday had tainted the possibility.
By Christmas, I promised myself. We’ll have a place chosen by then, with enough space so that no one feels stifled and closed-in. We can move in for the new year. I felt satisfied with the idea, and then came back to myself to realized that my phone was buzzing in my pocket. I’d been standing in the darkened kitchen for half a dozen minutes, staring blankly into space.
I lifted the phone to my ear. “Talk to me, Mike,” I said. It was about time. My only interaction with the man had been several days ago, and he’d made no significant progress on discovering why TRANCE directors were interested in “replacing” Amber.
Lassiter paused. His voice was measured when he spoke, but had the slight hesitancy that made me worry he still hadn’t uncovered anything. “The Director of Platinum Services is named Landon Shrike. He is a… surprisingly cautious man. I know what make of car he drives because he parks next to me every day in his executive parking space, but I don’t know where he lives, whether he’s married, if he likes to play golf or what kind of work he does for the company. Usually those kinds of things just come up in conversation around the conference table, but as much as I rack my brain I can’t remember any time Shrike has offered personal information. I managed to get a look at some files by talking to my associates in Accounting, but all I learned is that Shrike makes at least five times as much as any of the other Directors.”
“Shit…” I muttered in surprise, and I could hear Lassiter’s grunt of agreement.
“What is, perhaps, helpful,” the man continued, “is that by looking at the accounting files I found an interesting pattern. Shrike arrived at the company a little under five years ago as Director of Sales. At that time, TRANCE, Inc. was just one of the middle-sized production companies in the industry. Then, not more than a few months later, Shrike’s title was changed, his salary quintupled, and TRANCE, Inc. started to rise through the ranks at speed.”
I waited. That was interesting. Then, I realized that the man had stopped talking. “Where did he come from?” I asked. “What did he bring in with him that was so valuable?”
Lassiter didn’t answer.
I frowned. “Alright,” I said. “Find out. And let me know as soon as you do.”
“Yes, Sir.”
A pause.
“Anything else?” I asked.
A beat, and then Lassiter said, “There’s still the other matter. As per Shrike’s instructions, I’ve been looking for a replacement for Amber.”
It was strange to hear the man speak my girlfriend’s first name in such a familiar way. It was strange to remember that the man had actually known Amber for much longer than I had, ever since she’d first come to work for the company.
“Uh-huh…” I responded. Why is he bringing this up?
“It’s been a task and a half, let me tell you,” the man continued. His voice had relaxed a little, so he no longer sounded like someone giving a battle report to his superior. “Amber is a beautiful woman with… ahem, almost unique assets.”
Is he… just chatting with me? The change in tone had been fast, but in spite of my surprise I chuckled at his comment. “I’m aware.”
“In a strictly aesthetic sense, you understand,” the man added. “But finding another girl like her is proving… difficult. She has such a photogenic face, her rack is spectacular, especially for someone natural, and her legs have the perfect amount of muscle tone.”
It was odd, because this was another man who was talking about my girlfriend’s body with easy familiarity. But it also wasn’t strange, because he was saying it all in the manner of an art collector describing paintings.
This was an odd turn for the conversation to have taken, but I suddenly realized that it had been a long time since I’d talked — actually talked — with another man. I sat back, leaning against the edge of the kitchen table. “I can see the trouble,” I agreed. “You’d be looking for someone with who looks like the girl next door, only sexed up into your dream-girl fantasy. She’d have to come across as sweet but also desperate for the D. Young, fit, with great tits and a killer ass. Probably blue-eyed blonde, if you want to keep the same aesthetic. Maybe platinum blonde, though? Would that work?”
Abruptly, my brain seemed to snap back into focus. I realized I was staring out the kitchen window and across the alley. In the next building, Mia stood talking with one of her sorority sisters. I replayed the last thirty seconds of conversation, and realized that I’d simply been describing what I saw through the window.
“Interesting…” Lassiter was muttering. “If I widened my range a bit to include blonde variants I could get someone similar but also potentially unique…”
Mia’s brief conversation concluded, and she turned back to the dishes that were piled in the sink. I pulled back from the window instinctively, like the young woman might become aware of my gaze. Luckily, it was still dark in the kitchen, so I doubted she could see me staring when she lifted her head and glanced around.
“… a good idea,” Mike finished.
“Good. Good,” I muttered. I heard the front door open. “Listen, Mike, it’s been good chatting. We’ll talk soon. I’m gonna go now.”
“Yes, Si—”
I hung up just as Amber walked in, click-clicking in her work heels, and brushed aside the distracted thought that I had been chatting with Mike Lassiter like a friend, and not like my hypnotically-compelled corporate spy.
“Hey, sweetie,” my girlfriend said, smiling as she dropped her purse on the table. “Just standing here in the dark?” Her bouncy tits pressed against my side as she leaned in for a hug.
I still hadn’t brought up my investigation with Lassiter, and I hesitated before answering. “Just a phone call,” I said. Then commented, “You’re home late,” as I kissed her absentmindedly on the forehead.
“More work than I know what to do with,” Amber gushed. She didn’t seem to notice my hesitation. “It can get crazy around the holidays. Lots of single and-or lonely viewers at home looking for some comfort in fantasy.”
Despite the huge impact it had had on our lives, we rarely talked about her work or about adult film, and I felt a certain surprise. She sounded glad of the work, like she was giving something special to her ‘lonely viewers.’ Hearing the blonde’s voice, Daisy came down the hall from the living room. She paused in the doorway, flicked on the light, and then crossed to the table. She joined the group hug.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the window across the way was empty. Funny, I thought. Once, just the sight of Mia might have fueled some jack-off fantasies. Now, though, I have four beautiful babes who want nothing more than to make me happy…
Amber rested her face against my shoulder and sighed contentedly. “I’m glad to be home,” she murmured.
There’s a certain amount of responsibility in that, I appended silently. Making people happy isn’t always the easiest job. Ironically, recognizing that fact made me think about the one woman who didn’t seem to care about making me happy.
Terra.
Terra was not gentle.
Every day this week, I’d dragged my wrung-out body to a workout with a trainer who seemed intent on punishing me for years of unhealthy habits and behaviors. I’d only missed once, on Monday, when I’d convinced myself it was okay to take the day off after a long, tiring weekend.
Wrong move.
When I came in on Tuesday, Terra said nothing about my absence. I noticed, though, that all of the basic punching and kicking combinations we’d started to incorporate had been stripped from the ensuing workout. We were back to the beginning, a punishing circuit of suicides and bodyweight exercises that wrung my lungs out until I felt like I was sweating oxygen and couldn’t keep the breath inside my body.
Despite the pain, though, it was strangely exhilarating. When I got through a particularly grueling set and fell flat onto the mat for a brief respite, I felt a certain respect emanating from the exotic woman. When her stern expression eased it felt earned, like my invested effort was a worthy offering to my still-somewhat-frightening mentor.
We rarely spoke. There was little conversation, at least. She ordered, and I followed those orders. My body ached and strained but I remembered why I was doing it and I kept going. I didn’t want to disappoint the woman. I was also starting to learn, slowly, that I didn’t want to disappoint myself.
I was pleased that I was seeing things in such a positive light, and part of me wondered if it was my time spent with Daisy, who seemed able to see the good side of any situation.
“This is great!” the beautiful redhead grinned, as she and I turned the corner into Daphne Park.
It was early Saturday morning, and after last week’s antics our Friday night had been a tame, stay-at-home event. Despite an early bedtime, Carmen had been impossible to rouse this morning when I woke for our morning jog.
“’S the weekend,” she groaned, with a kind of bone-deep weariness that I’d only ever seen mastered by teenagers. I left, hoping that more rest would do her good. Luckily, her sister had been more than happy to accept my invitation.
I smiled back at Day, happy to be sharing the place with an enthusiastic newcomer. “Your sister is really the one who found it,” I commented, wanting to give credit where it was due. “She showed it to me and thought it would be a great place to have some sort of get together. You know, like a barbecue with friends and all that.”
The 18-year-old was striding forward toward several picnic benches. They were conveniently located by a barbecue at the edge of the trees. The morning was a little chilly, so she had worn her usual baby blue tracksuit. It clung to her slender, alluring figure and I couldn’t help but stare.
“Have you started setting that up?”
Her question surprised me from thoughts of approaching her from behind, wrapping my hands around her slim waist and pulling her back against my growing hard-on. “Ahem, no…” I said, feeling suddenly abashed. “I had maybe thought that we could come here for Thanksgiving or something…”
Daisy was turning around, her hands clapping to her cheeks in surprise. “Chance!” she groaned loudly. “We don’t have much time! Thanksgiving is this week, dummy, and then our… well, birthday and stuff. I’ll bet you haven’t even started thinking about Christmas, either!”
I noticed how she rushed over the mention of her own coming celebration, but didn’t want to press. Daisy was an open book when she wanted to be, so I could live with her not talking about her birthday — and the party where she was going to cut things off permanently with her ex — until she was ready.
“Sorry,” I said lamely. “I just… I guess I’ve gotten wrapped up in things. I’m not the best long-term planner.”
“Ha.” The 18-year-old snorted teasingly. “You’re right. From the guy who couldn’t even book a reservation on the way to a restaurant.”
I opened my mouth in a half-laugh, unable to believe she would call me out on that. Then, she winked, calm green eyes sparkling with the kind of mischievous glee I usually expected from her sister. I froze in surprise, then I chuckled darkly, and took a step forward. Mmm… I thought. Someone’s looking to play.
I tried to summon up the persona of a cocky, in-control Dominant responding to a cheeky Submissive. “Watch that disrespectful mouth of yours, darling, unless you’re looking to be disciplined when we get home.”
“Oh?” Daisy had stepped back into the shadow of the small grove, her back against one of the trees. Her fingers rose to the zipper of her hoodie and her green eyes were deep and sparkling. “I thought we might do it right… here…”
My mouth went dry as her hands slowly zipped down the front of her jacket, baring smooth, pale skin. My baggy running shorts were no match for the erection that was now clearly evident. I felt myself slowly padding toward her, like I was being pulled closer by sheer magnetism.
Her perky tits were constrained by a sports bra that, miraculously, matched her jacket and bottoms. I wondered if they came as a set. And if her panties matched, as well. Her abs were bare and smooth, and then my hands were flat against her stomach and sliding around her hips.
Daisy hissed a little at the contact. “Cold…” she murmured, leaning back against the tree.
“Warm me up,” I challenged, and I kissed her.
My mouth pressed her into the trunk, her hood falling back as her head tilted up and her hands caught in the front of my shirt. Her skin was warm under my hands, glowing with heat, radiating into my core and down between my legs where I ground my bulge into her body.
She could feel my hardness and I felt her moan into the kiss, her breath gasping into my throat. Her hands slid down my belly and over the tent in my shorts, squeezing and fondling.
I growled, and pulled back, tugging her lower lip gently between my front teeth. I stared into her eyes. “You’ve been a naughty little minx, haven’t you?” I murmured. “You made fun of your Dom in public, where anyone could see and hear. What will they think of me if I don’t discipline you?”
Daisy widened her eyes innocently and fluttered her lashes. “Sir…” she gasped, playing along. “Right here? In front of everyone?”
I smirked, glancing around at the empty park. We were still on the edge of the trees, but even from here the street seemed vacant. It was still only a little after 6 in the morning. No one was out this early on a Saturday.
‘That’s right,” I agreed, turning back to her. My eyes roamed down her body hungrily, and I suddenly realized that I hadn’t paid much sexual attention to this twin of late. Most of my energy, in fact, had been with the other one. But though the sisters might be nearly identical, physically, they held themselves in different ways, they moved differently, and I abruptly recognized what I’d been missing.
“You’re absolutely stunning,” I muttered.
I could see the blush in her face. It spread across her cheeks and twitched in a cute smile on her mouth.
“Now,” I grunted, my eyes hardening. “Turn around and bend over, so I can teach you a lesson.”
Daisy’s tongue came out to wet her lips, and I heard her catch her breath. Her thighs ground together, ever so slowly. “Yes, Sir…” she whispered.
I stepped back as she pushed away from the trunk, and then tried not to let my eyes go wide as she slowly peeled off her jacket, dropping it quietly to the grass. Her gaze was smoky and excited as it met mine, and then she slowly turned, spreading her legs and resting her palms on the tree as she bent forward, arching her back and presenting her ass to me for inspection. And for discipline.
My cock throbbed, hard and needy in my shorts. One hand slowly began to stroke it through the fabric as I stepped forward. My fingers traced down Daisy’s spine, and I knew my finger was a cool touch on her warm skin. I could see the goosebumps breaking out on her back in the chill air.
She was trembling, though, not with cold but with arousal.
My palm cupped one taut hemisphere of her ass. I squeezed, and she let out a soft groan. My pulsating rod was begging me to rip off my shorts, shove down her bottoms and thrust inside of her without another second of hesitation. But my sense of propriety, whatever was left of it anyway, was still aware that this was a public place. Best to keep it strictly disciplinary.
“Now,” I said. My voice rasped in my dry throat, and I paused. I took a deep breath, controlling myself. “You know what you’ve done wrong. And I’m going to spank you five times to drill the lesson home.”
“Drill me, Sir…” Daisy moaned, and I felt my heartbeat race ahead.
Fuck you’re so sexy… My hand came down with a short sound that bounced off the trees. Not too hard. More of a glancing, stinging slap than a harsh smack. It was just enough to send a tingling wave of pleasure up her body that made her roll her hips back into the next one.
Two, I thought.
“You’ve been such a Man,” Daisy murmured, and I could hear the lust dripping from her voice. “Taking care of Carmen. Accepting my… oh! … tastes and being willing to share them with me. Such a good Dom, punishing his naughty girl for what she’s done…”
Four, I thought, focusing on the count instead of what I wanted to do to this ravishing young woman.
“I just wanted to thank you. On behalf of all of us. Oh! ThankyouSir…”
Five, and I was leaning forward, wrapping my arms around the young woman’s waist, and lifting her into the air with soft squeal. My lips brushed against the back of her ear. “I’m going to fuck you so well when we get home.” My voice was husky, and my manhood was unbelievably hard as I set her down.
She turned in my hands, head tilted back. Her fingers pressed into my chest as she stood on her tip toes. Her breath was hot on my cheek as she whispered in my ear, “Why wait, Master?”
An instant of resistance.
My self-control broke. I kissed her on the mouth, hard, and then was running my hands down her sides as I slid to my knees. I was kissing down her stomach and my fingers hooked into the waistband of her joggers, tugging them down. Her panties matched the rest of her outfit. Then, those panties were down around her knees with her joggers and I was leaning forward, kissing her bare skin and flicking my tongue across her slit.
“Sir! Ohmygod…” Daisy fell back against the tree, one hand clutching at the trunk to stabilize her while her other dug into my hair.
My tongue slid upward, tasting the wetness of her arousal and then flicking gently across her clit. Again. And then again.
“Chance… Master… What are you doing?” Her voice was a weak moan of shivering bliss.
I licked once more then pulled back. I rose up from my knees, simultaneously dragging down my shorts and boxers. “You taste amazing,” I told her, grinning down into her face. My hands settled on her hips. “And I wanted to make sure you were ready for this…”
Then, with a slow, achingly-perfect thrust, I slid my length into her entrance and up inside her tight, hot core.
“Ohfuckme…” The usually reserved teenager groaned like a pornstar as I bottomed out inside of her.
I pulled back, almost free.
Her eyes fluttered open. “Please, Master… Fuck me in front of the whole world.”
My heart practically stopped. And then it was beating in time with my pounding rhythm as I fucked Daisy like my most primal self had been unleashed. My throbbing manhood was clutched by her inner walls, her body responding like it had been trained to drain my seed inside of her. I pistoned like a jackhammer, my arms flexing as I lifted the girl from the ground for several beats and my thrusting cock hit the deepest walls of her womb.
“OhChance! OhMaster! Ohfuckme…”
Daisy came, her body clenching and releasing and falling back against the tree behind her. Her palms scrabbled at the bark and then she steadied herself. Her climax swept over her, dropping her head back an inch into the trunk. Her hair spilled out from her hoodie and her nipples, hard in the cold, pressed against my chest through my tee shirt as I stepped even closer.
Her green eyes were warm and bright. “Please, Master…” she murmured, voice shuddering. “Cum with me.”
My body had been waiting for her words.
My hips thrust one more time and then I was buried in her dripping pussy, her heat and clenching orgasm tight around my rock hard length. My balls tightened and then my pulsating rod was unloading into her waiting body. My hands tightened into her skin, holding both of us upright as we climaxed in sync.
“Wow…” I groaned eventually, opening my eyes.
We disentangled ourselves and I slowly came back to reality as I tugged my shorts and boxers back up over my softening cock. Daisy looked suddenly abashed. “I hope Carmen doesn’t mind,” she said, and then she glanced at me and giggled.
I furrowed my brow in confusion.
The teenager shrugged and bit her lower lip, focusing as she hopped several times to roll her bottoms up over her pert, bubble butt. “Maybe she was planning on christening this place with you.”
As her jiggling body settled I blinked and said, “What?”
Daisy rolled her eyes, giggled cutely and then pecked me on the mouth. “Nothing to really worry about, cutie,” she said. “Just kidding around. Carmen doesn’t get jealous of things like that.”
I nodded. “Good. Okay.”
Then, to my amazement, the 18-year-old was back to flitting between the trees and the picnic tables, slinging her zip-up hoodie over her shoulder and saying, “I think we might have time to organize a small event. Maybe just us and a couple close friends who won’t be going home to see their families? What do you think?”
I coughed, lifted my eyes to her face, and raised my eyebrows. “Yeah, uh-huh, that’s what I was thinking,” I agreed.
“My mom loves to plan things like this,” Daisy said, her voice abruptly lower. “She always tried to make Thanksgiving a real family event. At least, so she said.” The teenager paused a moment. Then, she shrugged and perked up a bit. “And so do I. Which is why I think it will be fun to help my sexy, but inept, man put on a great Thanksgiving meal for our first holiday season together.”
I crossed the space between us and hugged her. She held me for a quick moment, then said, “It’s a little cold out. Can we go home?”
I nodded, and kissed the top of her head. “Sure thing, Day.”
Carmen was awake when we got back.
She’d made a pot of coffee, and was pouring me a cup as we entered the kitchen.
“How was your run?” she asked. She kissed Daisy on the cheek as the other teen headed for the coffee, then added. “You’ve been wearing a lot of perfume recently, babe,” she said. “Pretty strong. I can smell it even after your run.”
Daisy nodded, pouring a mug with her back turned to us. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Carmen glanced back at me. “So? You led my sister on a run? Great job!” Sleeping in seemed to have done her good, because she said it with some of her usual enthusiasm.
I smiled proudly. “I showed her Daphne Park. I told her about your idea for throwing a party there and she suggested we do Thanksgiving.” I smiled sheepishly. “I forgot that it was so soon.”
Carmen raised her eyebrows and took a sip of coffee. “Oh,” she said, a second later. “Well, that sounds fun.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. I nodded several times, then added. “If you think of anyone you want to invite, we thought it might be nice to have some close friends, as well.”
Carmen bobbed her head. “Sounds good.” She took another gulp, and I hoped the coffee would pep her up again.
Then, Daisy was back in the mix with her own mug and we were chatting around the kitchen table for an hour or more — planning for the coming event — before Victoria and Amber joined us with gorgeous, sleepy faces and tousled hair.
Carmen, who had originally seemed chipper, grew much quieter. She was the first to excuse herself from the group to begin her Saturday.
I called Drake this time, instead of just sending a text. It was Monday afternoon, late, a time that Daisy and I had begun to unofficially block off to spend chatting out on the landing and basking in the sunset. The coldest part of season was still to come, but the early evenings out in the air were beginning to require jackets.
The line rang several times. Then, just before I was about to hang up, I heard a click.
“Hello, this is Drake…?” It sounded sort of like Drake’s voice, but the phone added a strange quality to it.
“Hey, man,” I said. “It’s Chance. I know we haven’t talked in a while but—”
“One second…” Drake cut me off. I could hear a scuffling sound on the other side of the line, and several giggles. Feminine giggles. “Cut it out…” Drake said to the owner of the sound, in a tone that was clearly an invitation to continue. His voice, I realized, was deeper than I remembered, more confident.
“Should I call back?” I asked, feeling a little bit uncomfortable and a little bit irritated.
“Hey, sorry.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay, look man—”
“Hush, babe. Anyhow, this is Drake. If you want to leave a message, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!”
The beep several seconds later made me hang up without a word.
What the hell? I thought, stunned. I was so confused.
When last I’d spoken to him, Drake had been a nerd of the highest order. He did math for a living, basically, and his unsuccessful romantic relationships had been the topic of more than one conversation over midnight beers. Now, his voicemail practically declared ‘I’m a player’ and he sounded like a classic Chad.
I thought about sending him a text. I’d wanted to invite him to the Thanksgiving lunch we had planned. Even if he was busy, it might be an excuse to reinitiate contact. But, before I could, Carmen was coming out the front door and joining me by the railing.
I slipped my phone into my pocket. “Hey there,” I said, smiling. Almost on instinct, I held out my arm to the teenager and she ducked underneath. The girl snuggled back against my chest. She was wearing only an oversized tee shirt and short pajama bottoms, so I tried to wrap her in my arms for warmth.
“What’s up?” I asked. We had finished watching several episodes of our new web series just half an hour ago.
“Mmm, nothing,” she answered. “Just missed you.”
“Aw.” I felt a little glow and kissed the top of her head.
“What’s up with you?”
I shrugged. “Just waiting for Day. Usually we hang out for a minute and watch the sunset and chat. Just a bit of quiet time.”
As if we’d summoned her, the other sister opened the door and came out. She was wearing the baby blue hoodie again, but with black yoga pants that didn’t match. She still looked like a walking advertisement for sexy streetwear, as far as I was concerned. She seemed surprised to see Carmen, and hesitated a minute before closing the front door behind her.
“Hey,” she said quietly, leaning against the railing a couple feet away. Daisy’s hand was in the pocket where she usually held her vape, but she didn’t take it out.
“Hey,” I smiled. “Look who I found while I was waiting for you.” I tucked my chin on top of her twin’s head and laughed softly.
Carmen snuggled back against me and Daisy laughed softly, glancing away. “It’s getting colder,” she commented, looking up at the sky.
It was a clear day, but the sun was still struggling to keep the chill at bay.
“I was just chatting with Vi,” Daisy said.
“Oh?” I asked.
“Yeah. You know, you should ask her about it. We were talking about a project she’s thinking of starting, but she’s not quite sure of herself.” Daisy tugged at her hood self-consciously with her free hand. “I bet you could give better advice than me.”
“Huh,” I said, intrigued. “Maybe I will. But hey! Don’t put down your own advice.” I hugged Carmen a little for emphasis. “Your advice was what kept me from interfering too much with this one’s alone time last week. And it seems to have turned out for the better.”
Daisy shrugged and looked away, and I felt Carmen wriggle a little in my arms.
There was a moment of quiet.
“So I just called an old friend of mine,” I said. I felt something ease as we left the silence. “I got his voice mail, but it was so strange because…” I elaborated, including mentioning my previous texts and unanswered messages. While I explained the strange situation, I waited for Daisy to take out the vape pen and have her usual puffs, but she never did. “And so I’m really not sure what to do,” I concluded. “Do I stop trying to get in touch with him? Is he just too busy right now?”
Daisy shrugged. “Do you still want him to be your friend?” she asked.
I hesitated. “What do you mean?”
“If people don’t at least respect your effort, maybe they aren’t worth the time.”
“Oh…” I had never really entertained the idea of giving up on a friend before. It was strange, but it seemed like a much different experience than losing friends due to distance or too much time apart. It seemed like a conscious act, and I didn’t really like that.
“Just something to think about,” Daisy added. “He’s your friend. I don’t know him or anything about him.”
I nodded. I wasn’t sure quite what had happened, but the usual, easy banter that Day and I had during our afternoon chats just wasn’t around today. Even her advice seemed a bit forced, and less confident than usual. “Hey, is Victoria still inside working on that project?” I asked. “Maybe I’ll go check in on her now.”
Daisy shrugged. “Should be.”
“Cool.” I smiled, to try and make sure the teenager knew I wasn’t leaving to be rude, and then unwrapped my arms from her twin’s shoulders. “See you when you come back inside.”
Carmen hesitated a moment on the balcony behind me, then ended up following me back into the warmth of the apartment. She turned into the bedroom and I watched her flop down on her stomach next to Amber, throwing a leg across the other woman’s back and kissing her shoulder.
The blonde, who was watching something on her laptop, turned and gave her a brilliant grin. She tugged out an earbud. “Want to join?” I heard Amber say as I walked the next few steps past the living room and into the kitchen. “I can start at the beginning of the episode…”
Victoria was at the kitchen table beyond: elbows on the cheap wood, fingers steepled against her forehead, staring at the screen of her own computer.
“Hey,” I said, leaning against the doorframe.
The woman blinked and looked up. “What? Oh, hi.” An alarm went off on the screen, grabbing her attention for a second. Then, “Hold that thought,” she said, lifting up a finger. The brunette beauty rose and took several quick steps across the kitchen.
She scooped up an oven mitt as she went, bent over, and opened up the oven door. A homey, delicious smell wafted out, and it seemed like the entire room grew a little warmer and more cheery. With a quick, careful touch, Victoria slid a large casserole dish off the metal rack inside and deposited it on the stovetop.
“Oh my god…” I groaned. My stomach rumbled at the scent, and I realized that I was famished. “Is that lasagna?”
“That’s right,” she said. I could hear the satisfaction in her voice. “Came out pretty well, too.”
“Homemade?” I asked, amazed.
Victoria shot a glance over her shoulder at me. She grinned, a bit self-consciously. “That’s right, mister. My nonnina’s recipe, so you better count yourself lucky. I’m technically not allowed to share this with anyone.”
“Yeah…?” I sidled up behind her as she removed the oven mitt and deposited it on the counter. I kissed the back of her neck before she could turn, my hands on her hips slowly pulling her away from the stove and against my chest. “I should count myself lucky my gorgeous boss loves cooking and playing house for me? That she can’t stop being the most responsible, caring over-achiever? I think you’re probably right…”
“Oh you are bad, Chance,” Victoria groaned, her head turning so she could kiss my chin. Her fingers rose to touch my cheek and down my jaw. “You’re supposed to be blown away by my culinary expertise and instead you’re blowing me away.”
She had worn a sensible, if brief, pencil skirt for work. My hands had by now worked their way over her hips, down her thighs and up under the hem. Her panties were already damp under my slow, circling fingers.
“Chance…” she murmured plaintively. Her hand was on my thigh now, nails dragging slowly upward.
I kissed her playfully on the side of the neck and stepped back quickly, raising my hands innocently. “Whatever you say,” I agreed.
She huffed, turning and scowling at me. Her hair was just a little bit disheveled in a way that I very much liked.
I stuck my tongue out, grinned cheekily at her, and then backed up towards the table when she squinted her eyes in mock anger. I sat down in the chair she’d been using and glanced at the screen of her laptop. “Is this what you’ve been working on?” It was opened to an internet browser with at least two dozen tabs. The current one looked like the product page for some sort of Chinese eBay.
“What? Wait, hey!” Victoria started toward me but then hesitated, like she didn’t want to seem too defensive. “I’m not… That’s nothing.”
I glanced back at the screen. “Day said you were working on some sort of project. Or thinking about starting one. Want to tell me about it?” I stood, offering the chair to her in what I hoped was a gentlemanly manner. “I’m all ears.”
The lovely woman paused. She blew out a breath, shaking her head. Then, she glanced again at me, smiling. “Daisy sent you, eh?” She crossed to the table and lowered herself gracefully into the seat. “I admire that girl, really I do. She’s got a lot of maturity for her age, and I’m saying that as someone with more than a decade on her.”
I leaned back against the wall beside her, crossing my arms. “Oh?” I asked. I don’t think I’d ever heard Victoria talk about her age before, despite the fact that she was certainly the oldest among us by several years at least. “And how old are you, exactly?”
“Ha,” the woman snorted. “Keep it up, babe. If you want dinner tonight, keep it up and see what happens.” She flashed a smile at me and it met my own chuckling grin.
“Alright,” I said, bowing my head. “I give in to your great age and wisdom. But seriously, what is this project I’ve heard about?”
“Mm…” Vi made an uncomfortable noise and glanced back at the laptop. “Yeah. It’s just something I’ve been thinking about. In my spare time.”
I nodded encouragingly. “I’m interested to hear.”
She seemed to take my enthusiasm well, because I saw her lift her chin a little. “Ahem. Anyway, the project is a business. A side hustle, like they say. Just something to do and maybe make money on the side. I’ve been looking into online business, and it seems like a really cool opportunity, but I don’t know if it’s as good as all that or if I have the know-how and skill to make anything worthwhile or if I’m just going to fail so why even bother with it…”
Victoria trailed off, probably realizing she’d started to ramble.
It was strange to see the usually confident, in-control and responsible woman acting this uncertain and out of sorts. I wasn’t sure I knew exactly what she was talking about, but I nodded again. “This sounds like something you’ve put some thought into. What kind of business is it, again?”
The brunette flexed her fingers on the keyboard, ran a hand through her hair, glanced at me and then shrugged slightly. She moved to another tab, clicking and scrolling through several screens. They all seemed to be selling products of some kind: lots of clothes and other personal accessories. “E-commerce,” she explained. “I would be creating a web site that is like an online store for… stuff. You know. Whatever stuff I happen to be selling.”
“Right, right…” I agreed. “I swear I see ads for those kinds of web sites all the time.”
Victoria nodded. “Exactly.”
There was a second of quiet.
“So what’s the hang up?” I asked. I tried to sound supportive. “Is it super expensive to start? Or really complicated? What’s making you feel uncertain about the thing?”
The woman hesitated, then shrugged. “Not really,” she admitted. “I don’t know. I guess… I don’t have the confidence for it.” She glanced up at me, shrugging dismissively.
I furrowed my brow. “But you’re…” I paused, and then couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “You’re one of the most capable people I know. Maybe the most,” I amended.
Victoria glanced away, rolling her eyes.
“I’m serious,” I insisted. “You’re a totally successful businesswoman already. You have experience in managing things and keeping everything in line.” I grinned. “I remember when you used to keep me in line.”
“Ha,” the brunette laughed softly.
“You probably have a lot of great business ideas to go along with your skills,” I added. “I bet you’d be really good at running your own side hustle.”
Vi shrugged. “You’re probably the only one who thinks so.”
I frowned. “What does that mean, babe?” I stepped forward, leaning against the table with my hip and on one hand, trying to look into the woman’s face.
“Nothing. Just that, at work, none of the other Directors ever seem to listen to me.” The woman seemed upset and was chewing at her inner cheek. A second later, she went on. “It’s like they don’t see me as a valuable member, someone with those sorts of skills and ideas. My thoughts or feedback are entirely ignored, like I’m just there to do whatever they tell me is my branch’s responsibility. Sometimes during meetings I just space the hell out, honestly, because they don’t even talk to me for so long.”
I shook my head. I felt irritation rise in my chest. It was a defensive, protective feeling. “That’s not okay, Vi. They need to treat you better.” I paused, listening. The front door closed, and I continued. “You’ve got to stand up for yourself. You’re better than that sort of treatment, and if you get real with them…”
I chuckled darkly, and the woman looked at me with confusion.
I smirked. “I’ve already told you how intimidating you can be. And that’s even though I know you’re super into me.” I winked. “Those guys don’t know that, and so if you hit them with your intense boss attitude they’ll sit up and notice. You’ve got this dangerous look that you do.”
Victoria met my eyes. “Really?”
“Really.” I nodded. “If you don’t want to start this project right now, that’s totally understandable and everything. But you should feel like a badass at work, which you are, and so standing up for yourself is something that you may need to make happen.”
The brunette hesitated.
There was a soft knock on the doorjamb and we both glanced over.
“I knew sending you in was a good move,” Daisy said, smiling. The young redhead seemed more relaxed than she’d been earlier, and the smile on her mouth was easy and natural.
I glanced at Victoria, and she nodded quietly at me. Message received, she seemed to be telling me.
Daisy’s appearance on the scene relaxed the intensity that was taut in the air, and I turned toward her with a broad grin. “Hello, cutie,” I said. “You were wise, as always, and as a reward…” I gestured toward the stove. “Victoria has made an Italian feast!”
Green eyes widened and turned toward it. Her feet padded across the room. Silverware jingled as she pulled open a drawer and removed a fork. The girl poked at the lasagna experimentally, and then glanced over at us. “Is it ready to eat?” she asked. Her expression seemed somewhere between puppy eyes and sincere pleading. Her fork inched toward the food.
Victoria laughed softly. She rose, closing the laptop and tucking it under her arm. “Just wait a minute, you hungry teenager terror. Let me go get the others and we can set the table and eat like civilized people.”
Once Victoria was out of the room, Daisy sneaked a small bite, then glanced at me and laid her finger across her lips in universal sign language for, ‘Stay quiet, you.’
I huffed a laugh, but nodded solemnly.
She stole a second bite, then, and closed her eyes to hum contentedly. Then, she opened them again, swallowed, and went about setting the table like a perfectly innocent little angel.
Evening rolled around again, another day closer to Thanksgiving, and I still hadn’t invited anyone to our event. After my failure to contact Drake, I’d felt rather hopeless on that front, anyhow. I didn’t reach out to anyone else.
I was just coming in from my evening chat with Daisy when Amber stopped me in the hallway.
“Hey, baby,” she said, smiling and placing a hand gently on my chest to stop me. She smiled at Daisy, and the teenager smiled back, heading toward the living room where she’d left her copy of Dracula. It was a book which — I’d just learned — she had picked up for Halloween and had only now gotten back around to.
“I know that we’re going to be making and eating a lot of homecooked meals in the next few days,” Amber said, after a moment’s hesitation, “and so I had an idea.”
“Totally,” I said, nodding. “Lay it on me.” I tried not to give in to the instinctive suspicion that seemed to arise now, whenever we spoke. Instead, I focused on the fact that the woman was as beautiful as ever.
Tonight, she wore a thick sweater that clung to her big, round breasts and somehow managed to make them even more inviting. I could imagine sinking my fingers into the soft fabric, and feeling her yielding funbags beneath. Hearing her moan in pleasure and that sound sending a jolt of heat right into my—
“What do you think?” Amber asked.
I cleared my throat, embarrassed. I glanced up into her face. “I’m sorry. I was…”
“Distracted?” the blonde smirked. She arched her back a little bit, teasingly.
My eyes flicked down to her tits and then back up to her bright blue eyes. My mouth was dry. “I was, yes.” I felt simultaneous flickers of lust and uncertainty in my core.
“Well…” She bit her lip, and I imagined what that full mouth could do. “I was saying that maybe as a treat tonight you and I could go for Tasker’s and bring back burgers for all of us. Vi and Daisy were planning to cook tomorrow, and I’m sure I’ll help if I can get the time. Might be nice to give us all a night off beforehand.”
I nodded. Then, I blinked and let her words actually register. I nodded again, with more honesty, and met her gaze. “Sure,” I said. “Were you planning on going now?” I gestured at my outfit, which consisted of sweatpants, an old tank top and a big, zip-up hoodie that I had grabbed from the entry corridor on my way out. It probably belonged to Carmen.
Amber smiled. “We can stay in the car,” she said, and I sensed that she was somehow relieved. “It’ll be the whole drive-thru experience.”
I wanted this woman so badly, and I’d been mostly avoiding her ever since Lassiter had first given me these strange suspicions about her professional life. She’s been struggling with whether to tell me something, too, I thought, and I knew it was true. Maybe this will be her chance.
“Okay,” I agreed. I knelt, and picked up a running sneaker. “Let me just put some shoes on. I’m not going in my socks.”
My girlfriend giggled.
Then, another voice asked from down the hall, “Hey. Are you going out? Can I come along?”
I froze. My gaze flicked up into Amber’s.
She looked hesitant for a moment, lips pursed, and then she nodded slowly. “Yeah, babe.” She was smiling by the time she looked back around at Carmen. “The more the merrier.”
For the first time in more than a week, I was irritated by Carmen’s presence.
There was nothing to be done, though, and then Daisy joined as well, so it was actually the whole gang minus Victoria who climbed into my old car and hit the road for the fifteen minute drive to and fro. Amber claimed the front seat with the twins in the back.
There was a small, quiet moment of bickering between the sisters over whose playlist to listen to. It was over in less than half a minute, and by the time we were out of my neighborhood we were happily listening to a classical-orchestra-plus-EDM remix of Daisy’s, but I was disconcerted. I’d never heard them argue before, but the twins’ stress levels had been rising as the holidays came inevitably closer. I thought it was probably not helped by the fact that Carmen and Daisy had both fielded several calls from their parents in the last few days.
In fact, as we pulled onto the highway into the City, a call came in that made Daisy audibly sigh from her seat behind Amber. It was getting dark outside, the winter months making night fall earlier and earlier, so I could see her window light up with the reflection of her phone as she swiped it and raised it to her ear.
“What is it?” She sounded irritated. “I can’t really talk right now.” The frown, evident in her voice, was disconcerting. The Daisy I knew was much sunnier, much more easygoing than that.
“Okay… Yeah, I’m sorry for that. I didn’t think they’d get you involved.”
I glanced in the rear view mirror. Carmen leaning sideways against the window behind me. Her temple was pressed to the glass and she had earbuds in her ears. I guess not all of us were happy with the music selection.
“Why would I expect that?” Daisy was hunched forward in her seat, palm pressed to her forehead like she was just barely holding it together. “… I know that’s what they think…” Pause. A small slump of the shoulders. “Yes, I’m still coming to your party… My party, whatever…”
“Chance?” Amber’s voice had a plaintive note in it, and when I glanced sideways she looked like she wanted to ask me something. Or to tell me something.
“Yeah, babe?” I asked. I smiled as I looked back at the road, but it felt fake. How was it that someone I would have trusted with anything, only two weeks ago, was suddenly able to make me so nervous with just a word?
“I was going to ask you this when we drove out here alone, but… yeah. I just wanted to make sure everything is… okay.” She hesitated, and when I flicked my eyes sideways her blue gaze was dark with worry. “With… us.”
“It’s not my fault,” Daisy insisted. “Just… if they bother you again, tell them to get in touch with me.”
Amber put her hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “Babe?” she asked softly.
I had to answer.
“Of course,” I lied. “Things are okay with us.” I leaned over and kissed her fingertips on my shoulder. “Nothing to worry about.”
In the backseat, Daisy hung up. She lifted her phone in a small fist, then slumped and lowered it into her lap. “That was Seth,” she said, glancing out the window. “My parents have been texting him, asking him to convince me to spend Thanksgiving with them. Sorry if I ruined the vibe.”
Amber and I told her not to worry about it, but the rest of the drive and the way back our mood was considerably dampened.
“Talk to me, Mike.”
It was becoming my standard greeting to the man, and he responded with a quick, “Yes, Sir.”
I could tell the TRANCE executive had new information by the way he took a breath before speaking.
The others were all in the living room watching the fourth or fifth episode of a sitcom I’d never gotten into. All except for Carmen, that is, who was on her own in the bedroom. I didn’t need to watch the rest of the show. The idea of television and takeout had been fun when Amber suggested it, but for me it hadn’t recovered from the events in the car an hour or so earlier. I was walking down the hall, opening the front door and shrugging on a jacket as Lassiter began to talk.
“You remember, last time we spoke, that I mentioned Landon Shrike’s arrival at the company and his almost immediate promotion?”
I grunted acknowledgement as I closed the door behind me and fumbled my earbuds from my pockets. I tucked one into my ear, then plugged in the cord.
“I had to ask a favor or two, but my investigations in Accounting have uncovered a bit more information. I managed to look at some documents that aren’t necessarily my purview — sheets of incoming and outgoing expenditures and investments. The work week ends tomorrow, so I won’t have any more chances to snoop around with a reasonable alibi, and I wanted to update you with what I’ve got.”
“Thanks, Mike.” Damn, I reflected. This guy is thorough. I hadn’t really noticed the quality in the man before, but I felt what might have been the beginnings of respect for my corporate sleeper agent.
“Of course, Sir.”
Not that he has much choice, DC was quick to add. He’s not your loyal friend. He’s the guy you had to mind control to get what you want.
But I shrugged off the slightly-accusatory, slightly-congratulatory voice. It was time to listen.
“I think,” Lassiter went on, “that what I’ve turned up could be the reason for Shrike’s value to the company. Around the same time as when he was promoted, TRANCE, Inc. started to receive large, lump payments from what I’ve determined to be front companies for entities unknown. I’m going to see if I can connect Shrike to those payments, and then use them to unravel the purpose of his department. That should lead me to what he wants with Amber. Without going directly to the source and asking him outright, this seems to me like the safest route to get to the heart of the matter.”
“Alright.” I nodded. This all made sense to me. I didn’t understand how to sift through all this executive spy stuff anyhow. “How soon can you tell me more?”
The man paused for a moment, like he was calculating. “I haven’t gone through all of the papers yet, but I’ve printed them all out and I’m going to be sitting down to go through them over the long weekend. Hopefully I can get some use out of the time off.” The executive said this last in a voice that indicated he knew it was meant to be a vacation, but that he hadn’t been planning on relaxing, in any case.
I couldn’t have put my finger on what it was that compelled me to say what I said next.
“Would you like to have Thanksgiving lunch with me and the girls?”
Maybe it was the voice of Angel Chance, the Light Side part of me who hadn’t had a lot of input lately in my life. Maybe he took pity on the guy whose money I’d been spending, who I’d basically turned into my ever-obedient servant. Maybe I was grateful, at the end of the day, that this man — hypnotized or not — was putting his job on the line to help me. Whatever my motivations, I froze right after I said it. I wondered why I’d invited to Thanksgiving the man who had mind controlled and fucked at least one, and probably all, of my lovers and companions.
Maybe you just want to pretend that you have friends, Devil Chance shrugged. Or maybe you’re just that inconsiderate.
“Is that an order, Sir?” There was a note of caution in Lassiter’s voice, and uncertainty.
“No,” I said hastily. “If you’re not interested—”
“I’m interested.” The man’s tone sounded surprisingly, even genuinely, grateful when he added. “Thank you, Sir.”
I cleared my throat. “Alright, then.” I could have just ordered the man, then and there, to stay away from my apartment and my women. Instead, I said, “I’ll text you the details. It’ll be good to talk to you in person, and on a different topic from the one we’ve been discussing recently.”
You’re definitely just desperate for friends, DC sneered.
“Are you feeling any less worried about Amber?” Mike asked.
I hesitated. “I’m feeling a little bit better…” I ventured. I could open up to the man that much, at least. “Especially since your prediction was off base. She’s been getting booked for more shoots than ever, not less. Holidays and all that. I’m sure you know how it is, since you’re in the managing side of the business.”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
I waited a second.
Nothing.
“Mike?” I asked.
“Sir.” Mike Lassiter’s voice was very serious. “Amber hasn’t been booked for a shoot in almost two weeks.”
My hand, dug deep in my pocket, wrapped around my phone. I had stuffed it in there after Lassiter’s flustered explanation. The man’s voice was gone, though.
I’d hung up.
The front door closed behind me with a dull thud.
I walked down the front hall and turned right, into the bedroom. I ignored the sounds of laughter in the living room and crossed slowly to the bed. I sat down beside Carmen, who was laying with her back up against the pillows and her laptop balanced on her stretched-out legs.
She glanced over, then hastily pushed the laptop aside. She was using her big, noise-cancelling headphones, which she slid down around her neck. Her hair was mussed, but her eyes looked concerned. “What’s—?” she started to ask, but I was already talking.
“She’s been lying to me,” I told the 18-year-old. My shoulders slumped, and I felt my weight sink into the mattress like gravity had just doubled.
Carmen’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Who?”
My fingers curled in the sheets, making a fist. They weakened, and the fist went loose. “Last weekend you heard me talking on the phone,” I said. “About Amber.”
“Oh…” The teen nodded, her eyes widening.
“You heard most of the important stuff, but since then…”
I explained what Lassiter had told me, what he had predicted, what he had dug up. I drew her attention to how much time Amber had been spending at work lately, even remarking on how many shoots she was doing. “She’s hiding something,” I concluded. “I don’t know what it is, or why she’d lie, but…” I blew out a long, slow breath. “It hurts, Carmen… Damn it hurts…”
The teenager had gathered herself up on her knees as I spoke, and had crawled forward until she was almost in my lap, holding my hand. She was looking at my hand now, rolling her fingertips across my knuckles.
“I would never lie to you, Chance…” Carmen’s voice was gentle, and when she looked up into my face her green eyes were very soft. “I love you.”
“I love you too, cutie.” I was kissing her head and squeezing her hand before the words hit me and I realized that I’d said it out loud.
The L-word! screamed DC, awakening abruptly, but he was drowned out by the quiet purr of joy from the girl beside me.
“You do?” The teenager buried her head in my chest, kissing my throat and then tugging my shirt in her fists. “Thank god.”
“I do…” I said, and felt the truth of the words sink into my chest and fix themselves there.
They tried to settle in the space where knowledge of Amber’s dishonesty had ripped a hole, but it wasn’t any real comfort.