TRANCE, Inc. — Chapter 14
I was so exhausted, crossing the floor after Terra’s punishing workout, that I almost didn’t remember to pause before I left. I leaned on the low wall that separated the sea of blue workout mats from the tiled entrance area to the dojo. My palm was clammy, and my fingers pressed into the wood as my body swayed drunkenly for a moment.
I swallowed around my parched mouth, pulled in a breath, and then straightened. “Ma’am?” I said respectfully. It was the dark-haired woman’s preferred title, and I made sure to use it. Doing things the way she preferred, I had learned, was a way to take a slight edge off the intensity in my daily ration of hardcore cardio.
My martial arts instructor was by one wall, putting away the X-ray papers and padded equipment she’d used to help train my fledgling skills. After she’d punished me for missing a day without notice, the woman had returned to teaching me basic punching, kicking and combinations. All Terra wore above the waist was a black and red sports bra, so I could see the muscles of her back tense for a moment before she turned. Maybe she heard something in my voice, but she crossed her forearms under her perky, rounded breasts and raised her sculpted eyebrows.
As always, I forced myself not to check her out. The fact that she was in incredible shape didn’t help, nor did her lovely, exotic features, but I’d found that the more time we spent together the easier it was to view her as my teacher and not as a potential sexual conquest. Maybe it was just the fact that it was hard to be into someone when I felt this worn out.
I straightened, despite my tiredness. “I’m not going to be here tomorrow,” I said. “I wanted to make sure I told you, so that you wouldn’t think I meant to be disrespectful.”
Respect was big for Terra, and I thought I could see her thaw a little. She nodded, slowly. “Of course,” she said. “You will be celebrating Thanksgiving.” Her tone indicated that the holiday was something odd or alien to her, like the thought of it had only just now crossed her mind, but that she accepted it as a matter of course.
That’s not too strange, though, I reminded myself. A lot of cultures and parts of the world don’t celebrate that, right? And Terra was definitely from a different part of the world.
I nodded. “Right. So I’m hoping…” I trailed off, hoping she caught my drift.
Terra rolled her eyes and her long, dark lashes fluttered. “You are hoping that I will not take out the missed day on you like a blood tax.”
I hesitated. Not how I would have put it, but… “Yeah,” I agreed. “That’s basically it.”
The woman seemed to think for a moment. “You’ve done well,” she said, and it seemed almost grudging. I felt a flare of pride in my chest at her compliment, enough that I ignored the muttered, “For what you are,” that she added afterwards, mostly to herself.
“Thank you,” I told her.
She jerked her chin in a curt nod. “You may have this extra day,” she agreed brusquely. “But I will expect you back in the studio on Friday, at the usual time.”
“Of course.” I smiled, feeling much more lighthearted than before. “I’ll have to work off all those mashed potatoes somehow.”
The woman snorted in amusement as she passed me, walking to the doorway of the small office that occupied a corner of the space.
I decided to take her reaction as a good sign from the normally stoic and aloof woman. It brought a thought to my mind, which made me pause with my hand on the door. I cleared my throat, and she glanced over. “Are we…” I hesitated, feeling suddenly uncertain, then pushed ahead. “Are we friends?”
Terra’s almond eyes narrowed slightly. There was a moment of silence. Then, “No.”
I pressed my lips together tightly, surprised at the hurt feeling that welled up.
So much for being on a roll, DC chuckled gleefully.
But the woman wasn’t finished. Her hands settled on her hips, like she was giving a lecture. “We are not friends. I am your master, and you are my student. You are a lump of iron I am forging into a sword. Is a smith the friend of iron?”
Again, talking like you’re from a medieval play or a samurai movie… I thought, but I shrugged outwardly. “I don’t know…”
Terra lifted her chin, like I’d given the wrong response. “I expect an answer on Friday. I will see you at the usual time.” She walked into her office, then, and I lowered my head and pushed out the door with my tired shoulder.
The exhaustion was hitting me hard as I drove back to Starside.
Carmen and I had left my apartment the evening before, after the conversation when we’d both said, “I love you.” We told the others that we wanted one last night of video gaming before the long weekend of ‘family time,’ and the women had seemed to find nothing unusual in the idea. Daisy had commented, teasingly, that we should remember to hang out with them sometimes, which had made me laugh while Carmen shrugged and went to go grab her coat.
The valet on duty nodded respectfully to me and took my keys without a word. He was a bit older than James, maybe mid-thirties with a rangy build and Hispanic features. This man seemed much less bothered by my sweaty workout clothes and beat-up car than my usual nemesis would have, and I stopped as I was walking towards the lobby.
“What’s your name?” I asked, turning back around.
The man raised his eyebrows, driver door half open. “Diego.” He had a bit of an accent, but just only enough so it hinted that a long time ago he had probably learned English as a second language.
“Thank you, Diego,” I said. “I’m Chance.”
Diego nodded, a small smile twitching to life. “I know who you are,” he grinned. “James complains.”
I chuckled, then raised my hand. “See you around.”
I heard the car door shut behind me as I went inside.
Carmen was waiting for me when I came in.
I had texted that I was on the way, and the sultry young redhead had taken full advantage of the time. The twins had lent me their spare key, and I let the door swing shut behind me as I stepped into the wide open entry.
Oh wow…
The teenager was lounging in the living room, but she made lounging look like the hottest activity of all time. The modern furniture was smooth and darkly monochromatic, so her pale skin and crimson hair stood out where she reclined on the sofa, raised up on one elbow. I was frozen in place as she rose gracefully to her feet, slinking toward me with swaying hips and daintily-placed bare feet.
All she wore was a pair of lacy pink panties and a bra that did more to enhance her bouncy young tits than restrain them. If I had learned one thing from spending time with four knockout pornstar babes, it was that when she wears it well a woman can be even more alluring in lingerie than she is completely naked.
“Hello, lover,” she purred, green eyes flashing. Despite her age, Carmen was experienced. She knew how to take the mood and twist it in her small hand, ratcheting up my desire until my cock was rock-hard in my shorts and I was unable to hold back any longer. Her voice was just the first tool in her arsenal, but she used it like a weapon — smoky and beckoning and even a little bit coy, all rolled into one.
I took the step forward, my arm wrapping around her slender waist and my lips covering hers.
She kissed me back enthusiastically, moaning and pressing her body even closer against mine. Her arms were around my neck, and she ground gently against the bulge between my legs. She pulled back, eyes shining, and then leaned in to whisper, “I am so fucking wet for you right now, baby…” Her breath was hot on my cheek, and it sent a zing of pulsing electric energy right down into my core.
My prick throbbed, begging to be released, and I felt a growl of lust that rumbled deep in my throat. I leaned in, my hands sliding lower and squeezing two handfuls of her ass. “I’m going to do something about that,” I promised as she moaned.
“Please, Daddy…” she gasped, squirming under my touch and grinding harder against my manhood. “Fuck your needy little girl…”
I hesitated for a fraction of an instant. The words hit me a little strange, especially given her familial tension of late, but then I dove past the pause. Who was I to deny this young woman her roleplay fantasies?
Also… I couldn’t deny that there was some part of the taboo that revved my engines on a primal level. Desire was pounding in my body now, making me forget my tiredness and any resistance as I bent slightly and then lifted Carmen into the air. The teen moved in tandem, hopping into my arms, her legs wrapping around my waist as she covered my jaw and throat and shoulders in kisses.
My body was surging, my temples pounding with the lust that soared up from the depths of my core. My cock was hard as a steel beam as I lowered her down onto the couch, staring first into her shining emerald eyes and then devouring her body with my gaze.
Her legs were still locked around my waist and she used them to pull me down. “Kiss me…” she murmured as I fell forward, my hands landing on either side of her slender figure. “I love you…” she whispered against my lips, and then her small hands were sliding down my shoulders, over my tee shirt and to the aching, throbbing tent in my shorts.
“Fuck I love you,” I groaned, and then lifted my body up so I could tear the tee shirt over my head and toss it somewhere in the direction of the kitchen.
“Oh wowww Daddy…” she murmured, eyes widening and staring up at me. She bit her lip as she ran her gaze down my chest and stomach. “Have you been working out? Have you been getting stronger so you can manhandle me, throw me around and make me your naughty little sextoy?”
Her words followed her hands, which had slipped under my waistband and now ran teasingly up and down my cock through my boxers. They made me pulse with want, and the teenager squeezed my length while she glanced back up into my eyes with a flutter of her lashes.
I actually growled. “Oh yeah, baby girl. I’m going to fuck you until you cum so hard your mind will melt and you’ll beg to please me any way I wish.”
“Gawddd…” Carmen shuddered, her eyes widening at my words and her tongue wetting parted lips. She looked like she couldn’t imagine a better fate than having her brain fucked right out of her pretty little head. “Please, Daddy…” she groaned. “Please…”
My hands were on her breasts, squeezing her pliant young tits and feeling her nipples hard as little erect pebbles against my palms. She moaned, arching her back and pressing herself up into my grasp, but then my fingers slid lower, to her panties, and I pulled away from her stroking hands and she let her legs release me.
My bottoms hit the floor as I stood over her, and the sexy pornstar teen was lifting up her hips, wriggling out of her panties and kicking them away. I was kneeling between her legs probably before they hit the floor, my cock in my hand, throbbing against my palm. The head of my length nudged against her outer folds and I could feel the heat of her wanton desire.
She was like a furnace, hot and wet and ready and willing. “Tell me you want me, Daddy…” she gasped, eyes glazed with desire and her voice twining through the air and slipping into my primal, cave man brain. “Tell me what you want to do to me…”
Instead, though, I simply stared into her face with an intensity that made her expression melt. “I love you,” I grunted. Then, my cock was splitting her body in half and I was hitting the back walls of her womb with my manhood.
“Holyfuck I love you!” Carmen cried out softly, and her body tightened around my plunging length as she came.
I was fucking her fast and hard, mercilessly, not slowing as the orgasm shuddered through her frame. Carmen’s fingers clutched at my upper arms, which were tensed and straining. My fingers curled into the smooth leather couch and my length filled her again and again and again. Her hot, wet walls were squeezing and milking my girth. My balls were heavy and tight, taut and yearning to explode in her willing young body.
The pornstar’s eyes had rolled back in her head, her face tight as she rode out the orgasm and rode my dick with the same fevered pleasure. Her lust enveloped me, amplified my own, and my head dropped forward to fasten on the pale skin of her throat. I kissed her, hard, and she gasped. I felt a split second of uncertainty, and then her voice hissed by my ear, a gasp of arousal.
“Mark me, Master…” she begged. “Show the world who owns your sexy, wanton fuckdoll…”
My lips sealed and I kissed even harder. Her back arched, pressing her breasts up into my chest as she groaned, and when I pulled back she sagged down into the couch and shuddered again.
That’s going to leave a mark, I thought, and instead of uncertainty now all I felt was surge of satisfaction. My hips were still moving, a pounding rhythm that shook her slender figure. Her volcanically hot tunnel squeezed my manhood tight, begging me to explode, and it took all my will power to lower my head and kiss her on the mouth, holding back my primal urge to fill the girl up with my seed.
Her lips were eager and soft against mine, one of her hands rising to tangle in my hair and pull me deeper. Her tongue danced with mine, and then she pulled back, kissed up my jaw, and whispered in my ear. “Cum for me, Daddy…” There was a hot, desperate edge to her voice that plunged down through my chest and pulsed like an electric current between my legs. “Fill me up… Make me yours…”
I couldn’t resist. Not any longer. I buried my cock to the hilt in her body and came, the orgasm so hard it made my vision flash for an instant with white lightning. My toes curled and I grunted a harsh, hoarse sound that Carmen stifled with another kiss. Her hips circled up, her well-trained body massaging and milking my shaft as my roiling balls emptied their load in her core. Spasm after spasm, pleasure washed through me and I knew that this was good. It had to be good. Nothing bad could feel so amazing or so right.
“Yesss…” the teen hissed. Her breath was hot on my cheek, her fingers stroking down my face. “Ohmygod yesss…” Her head fell back, crimson hair spilling everywhere across the dark leather of the couch, and as I stared down at her. Her face was locked in an expression of bliss, her red lips tight in a grin of release.
On her throat, the mark of my mouth was slowly darkening from red to a dull purple.
I pulled back with a groan, sliding free. I sagged sideways against the back of the sofa, the exhaustion of my workout and the additional, rigorous sexercise hitting me like a truck.
Carmen’s eyes slid open slowly, glinting with a deep-seated satisfaction. She bit her lip, looking up at me and tracing one finger down my chest. “Shower?” she asked, grinning.
I nodded mutely, shuffling to my feet and stumbling. “Damn,” I grunted. My knees locked up momentarily and I put a hand out to steady myself. “I feel like an old person.”
“You are old,” the girl teased, but when I squinted at her in mock anger she just giggled. “Want me to join you?” She widened her eyes innocently and stood with languid grace. She stepped closer. “I could help… Wash you off…”
You are insatiable… I thought, and an ember of arousal once again flared in my body. Good thing I am as well. I took the teenager’s hand, leading her down the long hallway towards her bedroom.
The shower was quite a bit longer than strictly necessary.
I wondered if being in love had always been so good.
I indulged in a short catnap after washing up, and came to fifteen or twenty minutes later to see Carmen sitting across the room on Daisy’s bed. There was a camera up to her face, pointed in my direction.
“What’re you up to?” I asked, groaning quietly as I pushed myself up onto one elbow and rubbed at my eyes.
Carmen looked surprised that I’d woken, glancing away sheepishly and fiddling with the settings buttons. “Sorry…” she muttered. “You just looked so cute…”
I raised my eyebrows. “I’m not upset, cutie,” I answered. “Just curious. I didn’t know I was going out with a photographer.”
The girl blushed, then tried to shrug it off. “I used to be into photography. In high school. I thought I was pretty good for a little while…” She trailed off, biting her lip, and then set the camera on the mattress beside her.
I stood and crossed to her, but she didn’t look up. “What happened?” I asked gently. I was becoming more used to this sensitive, vulnerable Carmen, but even though it was so different from the usual bouncy, confident persona that she displayed I found myself caring for her more and more as she opened up to me.
The teenager twisted her hands in her lap. “The usual,” she said after a few seconds. She leaned against me when I sat down beside her. “My parents got involved. Thought they should buy me all this expensive equipment, enroll me in classes, the works.” Her hand reached out to brush gently over the camera.
I didn’t know much about photography, but it looked expensive.
“It stopped being fun. I didn’t want to do it anymore, but how could I tell them that? I had to stop, and then they found out I’d been skipping lessons with the photographer they hired. It… Well, they weren’t very happy. And all of it just ended up driving me away.”
I wet my lips but wasn’t sure what to say.
Must be nice, DC commented snidely. Having parents who just want to lavish you with gifts and—
Shut up, I told him.
Carmen shrugged and shook her head. She sighed, then said softly, “I was just watching you while you slept and I thought I might want to try again. Something about being in love… It makes me want to create things. Capture moments like this and keep them in a jar. Ya know?”
She pulled away a little now, glancing up at me, and there was a quiet warmth in her eyes that made me melt just the smallest bit. There wasn’t lust or arousal in her gaze, just an affection that was somehow… fragile. Like she was trusting me with something precious and was worried I would leave, taking it with me.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I know. I want to hold on to this moment, too.”
I didn’t add the second, guilty, part of the thought, which recognized that I was spending extra time with Carmen to put off going back home. That knew I was holding on to this moment because I wasn’t looking forward to what I’d have to do when we arrived.
“You invited who?!” Daisy’s voice was shocked. The hurt in her voice cut me to the quick, but there was no way out except through.
“Lassiter,” I said. “Mike Lassiter. From work,” I elaborated.
“I know who he is.” The 18-year-old redhead seemed stunned, and she actually backed several steps away from me. She leaned against the kitchen table, and her chest rose and fell several times, heavily. “What I don’t know is why…”
The girl was wearing an apron and had her hair back in a simple ponytail. In this, she matched Victoria and Amber, both of whom were looking at me with mingled surprise and dismay on their lovely faces. The three of them had started cooking around midmorning, and the kitchen was warm from the oven and filled with the smell of Thanksgiving goodness. I don’t think it was helping anyone feel a particular holiday cheer.
I hesitated. “He’s been… helpful, recently,” I managed. The reason sounded lame. It fell flat, even to me. “You know, with letting me stay here not working and… yeah.” I trailed off, knowing I was just digging myself into a deeper hole.
This is even more uncomfortable than I anticipated, I thought. And that was saying something.
“Chance…” Daisy swallowed, and when she looked up into my face I was surprised to see shiny, unshed tears in her deep green eyes. “How did you… How could you think that was okay?”
The shock of her words hit me a moment later, a delayed reaction, and I felt my heart thud loud in my chest. She sounded reproachful and I realized, abruptly, that her tears were ones of frustration. With me… And she had every right to be upset.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked, squeezing my hands into fists. I was angry at myself, and it made my tone harsher than I’d intended. “Just call him up and say, ‘Actually, dude, you’re not invited. Kindly fuck off’?”
“Yes, actually.” It was Amber who had responded, stepping up behind the younger woman and putting her hands gently on Daisy’s shoulders. Her blue eyes, which usually looked at me with love and adoration, were just as surprised and hurt as the teenager’s.
I glanced over at Victoria. I wasn’t sure if I’d been expecting an ally, but the mature brunette was pressing her lips together in what was very nearly a frown of disapproval. It struck me, then, that this was the first time these women had ever looked at me with anything other acceptance and happiness. It hurt.
“That man…”
My eyes swiveled back to Daisy.
“He called me up on my phone and took my mind away from me. He ordered me down to the office, took my free will, and then had his way with me.”
I couldn’t recall a time when I’d heard Daisy raise her voice, but she was stumbling over her words now and her pitch had risen.
“All because of some stupid plan to eventually stop him. But you didn’t stop him fast enough.” She jabbed a finger at me as she said it, and it was like she was letting out a torrent of upset that had been bottled up inside her ever since it had happened.
She’s right, I thought. I was too slow… And then, with a hint of shame, I remembered watching Lassiter as he’d done it. I remembered my arousal, and I remembered jacking off in the car as I looked on without lifting a finger to help her. The shame intensified.
You really are a crappy person, Devil Chance commented gleefully.
“And he didn’t just do it to me.” The girl twisted, and pointed at Victoria. “He probably did it to you. And you,” she looked up at Amber, and then past me at her sister. “And you, too, Carmen. He turned us into his playthings and did whatever he wanted with us, regardless of how we felt about it.”
I didn’t voice the obvious response — So did I — because even I could tell in advance that I would be shooting myself in the foot. There was a pause, and the words hung in the air like a brittle armor around her that any sound might shatter.
When support came, it arrived from an unexpected quarter.
“It’s not all about you, you know.”
Even I was shocked, turning and staring at Carmen with wide eyes. The young woman had a set to her jaw and her emerald eyes were almost harsh. She had crossed her arms, and even though I could tell she felt uncomfortable under our collective gaze she forged ahead.
“This is Chance’s celebration as much as it is yours, as much as it is ours. If he wants to invite someone, it’s his right. After all, it’s not like he has a monopoly on awkward social gatherings.” Her finger was the one jabbing accusingly now. “You are the one with an ex-boyfriend whose party we’re visiting the night before our birthday. Do you think Chance is into that?”
Daisy’s lower lip trembled. When she blinked, the first two tears trailed down her cheeks.
Carmen was unmoved. “I doubt he is,” she continued. “But he’s going to do it anyway. Because he loves… us. I can’t believe you would forget that.”
Daisy’s expression had fallen, her flimsy mask of self-control crumpling like paper at her sister’s words. Her face was pale, and her breath was audible and shaky as she stood still as a statue for several short, agonizing seconds. Then, she ducked her head and walked out with short, quick steps that punched my heart like a series of hammerblows.
Her hand was in the pocket of her apron, and it looked like she was holding on to something very tightly.
Carmen stood aside as Amber strode after the teen. The blonde’s stunning body bounced invitingly in the tight apron but for once I was unable to summon up any sort of admiration. I felt drained and weak.
Why don’t you just do what she asks? It was a voice I didn’t hear enough of, as Angel Chance popped imaginarily into existence on one shoulder. AC tapped the side of my head with one tiny finger. Think it through. What do you lose by un-inviting Lassiter?
I sniffed, but didn’t both trying to come up with an answer. I knew I was probably in the wrong. Hell, I was definitely in the wrong. But a deep, twisted part of me didn’t want to back down. That would mean admitting my mistake, and that was a painful, frightening concept. Even for something as small as this, I had to be able to trust my judgement.
Attaboy, DC encouraged. Stand your ground.
I didn’t want to think about what it meant that my inner devil was praising my efforts, so instead I took a deep breath and looked over at Victoria. She was very pointedly not meeting my eyes as she turned back to whatever vegetable she’d been chopping on the cutting board.
“I’m disappointed, Chance.” The words were delivered without malice, but that didn’t stop them from making my heart plummet like an anvil from my chest down through the floor. She didn’t need to add “in you.” Both of us were thinking it.
I swallowed, clenched my jaw, and walked out without a word. Carmen trailed behind me, following me to the bedroom where I flopped down on the bed and pulled a pillow over my face.
Silence.
Then, “Are you and Daisy disappointed you can’t see your parents for Thanksgiving?” I asked. My voice was muffled, but my question was obviously directed at the young woman seated beside me, her fingers stroking soothingly up and down my forearm.
Carmen’s hand stopped moving for a second. “Not as much as they are…” she answered after a pause, continuing.
I could hear the discomfort in her voice, and I knew she didn’t love talking about her family, but in order to distract me she had no problem delving into her own problems. It made me feel a surge of gratitude for Carmen. I felt so close to her, like she was the only one of my companions who could really see my side. It was as if our time together had really given me something tangible, a feeling of closeness and realness that I wasn’t even sure I had with Amber anymore. I felt good around her, like she made me a better person.
“They’re upset,” she added. “They even said they would fly to the City for it, just to see us. But…” A soft, bitter chuckle. “It’s just another attempt by them to butt into our lives. I’m okay with not talking to them or being around them.”
I bobbed my head in acknowledgement, but wasn’t quite sure what to say to that.
“I don’t know how my sister feels about it,” Carmen told me, “but I’m just glad to spend the time with someone I really love, you know?”
Her first comment struck me as odd, because I’d always thought the twins shared everything with each other, but I pushed the pillow aside and smiled wanly at her. “I’m glad you feel like you want to be around me, and the others. I’m so lucky that I met you, babe.”
The teenager scrunched her face up in a cute frown of confusion, brushing her fingertips across my forehead. “What do you mean, lover? Lucky how?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it before,” I admitted, “but it feels like luck. The very first time I asked Amber to invite you guys over, I had only asked for her to invite Daisy. As a present, she surprised me by inviting both of you. And that’s how you showed up. So, even though I didn’t expect it, I met you. And fell in love with you.” I smiled up at the ceiling, then glanced back over at the girl.
To my surprise, her face had closed off into a purse-lipped expression of surprise. “Oh…” she said quietly. Then, she took a breath and shook her head, looking down at me. “Well, cutie, I didn’t want to bug you by following you in here. You probably wanted a bit of alone time, so I’ll let you be.”
I blinked. What?
But the teenager was already squeezing my hand reassuringly and rising quickly from the bed, turning around to flutter her fingers at me from the hallway before closing the door behind her. I stared after her for a moment, gears spinning in my mind.
Was it something I said? I wondered. Or is she really just trying to give me space?
I groaned and fell back, dragging the pillow once again over my face. For a couple of dark, suffocating seconds I tricked myself into feeling like things might turn out for the best. Then, when I breathed and pulled the thing away, I knew I was lying to myself. Things weren’t going to improve unless I did something about it.
I just didn’t know what.
I felt low for the next hour or two, like my happy mood from the morning had been dragged through mud and stomped in the muck. Carmen returned a little while later and tried to cheer me up, but though the teen did her best I was feeling too bad for some snuggles and cute, affectionate murmurs to pull me back from the depths.
I ended up brooding, and as I reflected I realized that one of the things that hurt the most was how the women had responded. I was used to them showering me in affection, praising my every word and deed. Their reaction to my news had hit me in an unexpectedly vulnerable place.
Not like you should have expected any different, AC told me reproachfully. The little haloed Chance hovered at the forefront of my imagination, tapping his foot like he was waiting for me to fix what I’d broken. You were being thoughtless when you invited Lassiter without thinking of the girls.
I knew it. But repeating the condemnation to myself wasn’t helping matters.
Devil Chance just shrugged and picked at his fingernails. You just wanted a friend. No harm in that, he commented. Besides, you’ve been spending his money and taking advantage of him for a while now. Doesn’t the man deserve a meal, at least?
I paused, opening my eyes and staring up at the ceiling. Had I invited the man because I felt guilty? That seemed absurd, when I thought about it, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility. After a moment of consideration, I shook my head.
It hardly matters now, I thought. The only way to fix the situation was if I did something about it. Despite what he’d done in the past, I couldn’t bring myself to just give Lassiter the cold shoulder. But maybe I could try and show that, under my hand, the man was turning over a new leaf.
Carmen’s head was on my chest, and my fingers were running through her dark red hair, but she pushed herself up when I started to move.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I’m going to make a phone call,” I said. I wasn’t ready to turn the other man away, but I knew that he would have to be thoroughly briefed before tomorrow. And there was no time like the present.
Amber and Daisy were nowhere to be found, and when I asked Victoria she told me that they’d gone to Daphne Park to figure out how best to set things up for our event tomorrow.
“They needed some alone time,” she said pointedly, obviously wanting some alone time herself, and I tried not to snap back at her.
She’s not the problem, I reminded myself. Instead, I thanked Vi and then made myself scarce.
I called Lassiter from the landing outside. Leaning on the railing and looking out over the late afternoon street, I wondered if he had any more news about Amber. The thought was too painful, though, and I pushed it away.
One hurdle at a time.
“Sir?” Lassiter sounded surprised.
“Mike, listen. Something’s come up about tomorrow. I’m going to need you to do a couple things for me…”
Briiing!
It was the doorbell, and everyone’s head swiveled as one in my direction. We were only expecting a single guest, and that meant we all knew who was at the front door.
All five of us were in the kitchen: Amber and Daisy at the table, Carmen seated up on one of the counters with her legs swinging and Victoria wrapping a pot of mashed potatoes in tinfoil so that they would stay warm on the short drive over to the park. I was leaning casually against the doorframe, hoping my face didn’t betray the roiling uncertainty that clutched at my chest. I think I may have flinched when the sound split the air.
My idea was seeming dumber and dumber by the minute.
Thanksgiving is family time, I thought. Why on earth would you thoughtlessly invite a stranger — no, practically an enemy to the event? But it was too late now, and all I said aloud was, “I’ll get it,” before escaping down the hallway.
“Did you bring what I asked?” I said, pulling open the door.
It was the first time I’d seen Lassiter dressed in anything other than a tailored business suit, but somehow his look still struck me as the epitome of a successful businessman. He was wearing khaki trousers and a polo, tucked in, with a sweater thrown over his shoulders. It looked heavy enough to combat the occasional autumn breeze. The man hesitated as he met my gaze. His dark eyes were uncertain.
Actually, it was the first time we’d been face to face, I realized, since I’d used the TRANCE hypnosis video to turn him from my corporate superior into my corporate spy.
Then, he nodded abruptly and reached down by the door. He straightened, now holding a simple bouquet of flowers in one hand.
“Good… good.” I was still standing in the doorway, awkwardly, suddenly hoping that I could delay the inevitable.
“I left the rest in the car,” Lassiter added. He gestured over the railing to the street, where I could see a sleek silver Porsche parked next to the narrow strip of lawn. “Since you mentioned we would be going someplace else to eat?”
I nodded distractedly, but blinked back to reality at the mention of food. “That’s right,” I agreed. I hadn’t had any appetite for dinner the night before, and always skipped breakfast on Thanksgiving to leave room for the main meal, so I was actually ravenous. My body, which had begun to demand more and more fuel as my daily workouts ramped up, was craving the juicy turkey and buttery mashed potatoes that Victoria had led the others in preparing.
How bad could it be? I asked myself, and stood aside, gesturing for the other man to enter. “Come on in, Mike,” I told him. “We were just getting ready to drive over.”
Lassiter followed me inside, closing the door behind him and plunging the hallway into shadow. The walk back to the kitchen felt long, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of the drumbeat pulse in my ears or the apprehension that prickled down the back of my neck.
“Hey, everyone!” I called, announcing our arrival. “Look who’s here!” I tried to sound upbeat and jovial, but it fell flat for everyone except Carmen.
The 18-year-old redhead hopped down off the counter, a smile breaking out across her face. I couldn’t tell if it was genuine or whether she was only putting on a show for my benefit, but she did the perfect impression of a teenage hostess. She offered Lassiter a fist bump.
Nonplussed, the executive started to respond, then realized he was doing it with the hand holding the bouquet. Awkwardly, he shifted hands and bumped knuckles with the teen.
The girl laughed softly, easily. “Those aren’t for me are they?” she asked, a teasing smile curling across her red lips.
Lassiter hesitated, and a light of panic flashed in his eyes for a split second. They darted over to me.
Crap, I thought. Of course…
The man couldn’t tell the twins apart.
“Actually, Carmen,” I said, emphasizing her name ever so slightly, “I asked Mike to bring those here for someone else.” I hoped beyond hope that the subtle message would be clear to everyone in the room — I was taking responsibility for the man, and I hoped that I could show them that I was making him turn over a new leaf.
“Ah, of course. Carry on.” Carmen’s smile was as bright as ever, but I thought I sensed something in her tone as she pulled away.
Not important, I thought. My gaze was swinging, instead, deeper into the room. It met Daisy’s. All of us knew that the flowers were for her, a symbolic apology from Mike. And also from me.
The girl though, rather than watching Lassiter, was staring at me intently. Her deep green eyes, usually pools of calm, were uncertain. She took a deep breath as she watched me, and I knew she could see the plea in my own face.
Daisy turned to Mike. “Thanks,” she said, standing. I think all of us could hear the tightness in her voice. “We’ll put those in water when we get back.”
The tension in my body eased ever so slightly. That’s probably as good a response as we’re getting…
Daisy glanced at Amber, and the stunning blonde rose to her feet as well. “We’re going to head over to the park,” the redhead said quietly.
The two women walked swiftly out of the room and down the hallway. As they passed Mike Lassiter, who was still standing just inside the doorway, neither of them glanced in his direction. The door front opened, then closed, and there were several seconds of silence.
“Well…” I said, rubbing my hands together and trying to nod confidently. “Victoria? How can we help? You have three willing pairs of hands to help transfer the wonderful feast you’ve prepared.”
The gorgeous brunette pursed her lips, considered me for a moment, and then nodded. Her eyes were boring into mine, and I knew that she could tell how hard I was trying. Then, she turned to Lassiter. “Hey, Mike,” she said, and her familiar tone made me remember that they were colleagues.
“Victoria.” He nodded respectfully, and then glanced around and lifted the bouquet awkwardly. “Is there somewhere to leave this so you can give me something to carry? I’d like to help out any way I can.”
The woman nodded at the table. “Put them there. We’ll deal with those when we get back.” The way she said it made me sense that the issue wasn’t entirely closed. “For now, though…”
We spent the next few minutes preparing, stacking up picnic supplies and tinfoiled pans. I took one or two trips down to my car in the garage, securing turkey and gravy and salad in the back seat on the floor, where they hopefully wouldn’t jostle around and spill. When I got back, Carmen was tugging a sweater over her head and the kitchen was empty.
“Where did the others go?” I asked.
Carmen shrugged, then shot me a sideways glance. I was growing better at reading her moods and I could tell something was bugging her, but she just said, “They took the stairs down to Mike’s car. Victoria said they’d see us at the park.”
“Okay.” I nodded. Then, I watched as the redhead readjusted her hair, tucking it back behind her ears. She wore a chunky blue sweater and a pair of dark harem pants. The outfit somehow made her look comfortable and stylish at once, like a model for sexy pajamas. “You look really good, babe.”
The compliment made her smile a little, green eyes dancing for a moment, before the brooding look once again dropped over her features. She had looked away, at the flowers on the table.
“Is something wrong?” I asked. I knew there was a problem, but I couldn’t tell why she was keeping it from me. This wasn’t just about what had happened between Lassiter and Daisy. It was something else.
“No, I’m fine.” She flashed a smile, then, and even though she acted for a living I could see the effort in it. Then, her shoulders sagged a little and she took several slow steps forward. She hugged me. Her face pressed to my chest, and the teenager murmured something into my shirt.
“What’s that?” I asked, kissing the top of her head gently. I could smell her perfume, a scent that was becoming more and more familiar to me.
“Nothing…” Carmen replied, pulling back. She shook her head, looking up at me. “Sorry. I’m just… tired.” She glanced around again, then back up. “Lots of stuff going on.”
“You can say that again,” I snorted. I started to wrap my arms around her again, but then remembered that Victoria and Lassiter were on their way to the park.
I didn’t want to leave Lassiter unsupervised, even with Victoria around to handle things, and I hurried us out the door and down to my car. For the drive over, Carmen curled up on the passenger side with her knee to her chest and stared out the window silently.
To my surprise, things seemed to be going smoothly. Under Victoria’s supervision, Daisy and Amber were setting the picnic tables while Mike fetched things from the cars. We had the last of the provisions in mine, and soon everything was prepared. At my request, Lassiter had brought dessert — apple and pumpkin pies, still wrapped in foil and warm from the oven — which Victoria gracefully accepted.
It was a full-on Thanksgiving feast, and I made sure to lead a chorus of gratitude thanking Victoria. The woman actually blushed, and the warmth in the air was a feeling of, at least partially, rejuvenated good cheer. I sat between Mike and Daisy as everything began with Victoria cutting into the turkey and starting to pass slices around. Carmen had asked if she could sit next to me, but I figured it would be better if her sister and my guest didn’t have to sit across the table watching each other the whole meal. The teen seemed less than pleased with the arrangement, but she’d nodded understandingly.
The TRANCE, Inc. executive didn’t talk much, but he devoured the food that Victoria offered him and he complimented each and every dish in the kind of eloquent way that made me wish I were better with words. By the time we were halfway through the meal, Victoria seemed to have thawed, and even Amber, seated across from Mike, was talking with him about a random television series that both of them had seen and enjoyed.
I was filtering most of it out, basking in the warmth of my apparent success, when Amber glanced over at me. “Do you think you could grab some more sparkling cider from the car?” The blonde bit her lip uncertainly, upending the green glass bottle over the grass to demonstrate that there were only a few drops left.
I started, blinked, and then nodded hurriedly. “Yeah… yes, of course, totally. Good call.”
Abruptly, I realized that the request was the first time we’d spoken all day. Her eyes were hesitant, and even though her tone was casual I could see the doubt in the set of her features. She wasn’t aware that I knew about her lies regarding TRANCE, but she could tell that I’d been decidedly more closed-off lately.
I stood, taking the proffered cider bottle and extricating myself from between Mike and Daisy. I hesitated only a second before nodding again, turning, and heading for the car. On the way, I dumped the bottle in a handy recycling bin and then approached the passenger side.
Carmen had been carrying the drinks, and when I unlocked the door and glanced down to her floorspace I immediately saw the two or three spare bottles. Beside them though, to my surprise, was a chunky bag with a long strap bundled on top of it. It took me a second, but then I recognized the bag as the type photographers use for their cameras. I smiled broadly, warmth glowing in my chest.
It felt like a good sign, that Carmen was picking up an old passion again. What did she say? I thought. That being in love makes her want to create things? I nodded. That definitely seemed like a positive. Bottles in hand, I closed the door with my foot and headed back for the table.
I was only a couple feet from my destination, watching Daisy and Mike and grateful that they seemed to have remained civil without the Great Wall of Chance in between them. Daisy was wearing her baby blue hoodie with the top down, and had her hair back in a braid. She had brought it forward over her shoulder and was playing with it in her fingers, and I realized that for a lot of the meal she’d eaten sparingly, hardly touching her food. Beside her, Mike leaned forward to scoop another spoonful of potatoes onto his plate, then glanced around.
Without thinking, he reached out to tap Daisy on the shoulder. “Could you pass the butter?” he asked politely, indicating the foil-wrapped block that sat a couple inches beyond her plate.
From behind, I could see the teenager stiffen abruptly like she’d been shocked, and then take a slow, deep breath. Around the table, conversation froze, and I felt powerless to move as the girl turned to face him. She frowned, and the firm expression was an unfamiliar sight on her pretty features. She stared at Mike Lassiter for a moment, and the certainty of her voice surprised me.
“You need to apologize.”
The executive’s face twisted into a quick series of expressions — surprise and then discomfort and then uncertainty. His head turned slowly around the table, and as I followed his gaze I could see that Amber and Victoria were watching him with equal sternness. The man glanced back over his shoulder and, seeing me, his eyes silently asked for guidance. Unfortunately for the man, I was as startled as he was. I drew breath, tried to think of a comment, but just managed a quirk of my mouth before I shook my head and glanced away feeling useless.
“You’re kind of a hypocrite, you know?” The low, hard tone cut through the air, and I felt my heart plummet.
Everyone’s heads swiveled as one across the table, to where Carmen was setting her fork and knife down beside her plate. I think we were stunned into stillness, because no one stopped the girl when she paused a moment before raising her eyes again and staring at her sister.
“You’re always talking about looking at the bright side, finding the silver lining. But now all you’ve been doing is mope around because you fucked a guy you didn’t want to fuck.” The crimson-haired teen leveled a stare at her twin, and her angelic features clashed with the harsh words spilling out between her lips. “You’re a pornstar. Just like me, and the others. You fuck for a living. Sometimes you fuck guys you don’t like. Plenty of times. So why can’t you do what you always say and find the bright side? Or the silver lining, or whatever?”
“Carmen…” It was Victoria, and the warning look in her dark eyes reminded me of how nervous the woman used to make me.
But the teen shook her head. “No, Vi. I’ve had enough. Look, Day, what about this — if it wasn’t for Mike then you and I never would have met Chance. Is that bright enough? Silver enough?” Her gesture included me, now, and I realized that I was part of this conversation whether I wanted to be or not.
I did not want. But before I could protest and attempt to talk the girl down, Amber chimed in, her voice troubled. “Carmen, I think you need to take a second to—”
“This is just like her!” Carmen had raised her voice now, and my chest clenched. There was frustration in it. Venom, even. “Acting all innocent and put-upon, like she’s always the victim. Getting other people to stand up for her, so that she can keep on being the perfect little angel. I’m tired of it. Get off your high horse, babe, and actually admit that you’re just making drama because you’re not getting all of Chance’s attention anymore.”
I blinked. How am I at the center of this?
Daisy actually started to speak now, to protest, but her sister talked over her.
“You’re so used to having everything handed to you that you don’t like it when I finally start having things go my way. You’re so used to getting the attention that when it’s on someone else for a minute you need to blow something out of proportion to get your time in the spotlight. And you’re so good at it that I’m the only one who sees what’s happening.” Carmen was crying now, tears of frustration that didn’t slow her down one whit. She was standing, too, knuckles white as she pressed her fingers into the tabletop.
“After all, who was always the perfect, quiet daughter that I needed to model myself after? You. Who did mom and dad literally choose and provide a great boyfriend for? You. Who did Chance…” she hesitated, and when her eyes flickered over to me there was a haunted look inside them, “want to meet, when he first got the opportunity? Not me. You! It’s a classic. It happens over and over and I’m so goddamn sick of it. Oh, look at Daisy — she loves reading, she’s so thoughtful and sophisticated and mature. Meanwhile, I’m the one that has to deal with the late night phone calls complaining about our life choices while you get to dance your ass off in the club next to our man. And if you don’t want to admit it, this isn’t even the first time you’ve done this. When I carved out some special morning time to spend alone with him, you just had to show up and take part. You weaseled into that and then, not satisfied, you took even more time with him in the evenings for your ‘deep balcony chats’ or whatever the hell you call them.”
The girl shook back her hair, her chest rising and falling with emotion.
I was stunned. Where did all this come from? Carmen looked like she could go on, but I knew I had to step in and try to dam up this gushing torrent of anger. “That’s not her fault,” I protested, trying to simultaneously appease and quiet her. “That’s on me. Day was just going outside for her evening smoke and I decided to join her…”
Daisy’s face had turned toward me, hope in her eyes, but as the words left my mouth I could see her visibly pale.
“What?!”
I said something wrong, I thought, but I didn’t have time to figure out how to retract my words before Carmen rounded on her sister, face darkening.
“You’ve been smoking again?!”
I couldn’t tell if it was anger now, or disappointment and a flaring protective instinct. “It’s just a vape…” I protested weakly. “It’s not like it’s cigarettes or something.”
“It’s not tobacco,” Carmen scowled. “It’s weed. You can’t fucking tell because of the chemicals and scents they put in the vape carts. And because little miss perfect here is amazing at covering her tracks. But she’s been using that stuff since high school and it took me long enough to get her to quit it the first time.” Her eyes were wet and she wiped at them with the back of one hand.
I blinked. Could it be true? Had Daisy been getting high all this time and I hadn’t even noticed?
One look at the 18-year-old’s stricken face was enough to confirm her sister’s accusation. My heart sank. It wasn’t that I had anything against smoking marijuana. As far as I was concerned, it was about the same as drinking alcohol. But I knew there were still taboos and judgements associated with it, and the fact that Daisy hadn’t been willing to trust us with her habit was… troubling.
Then again, Carmen’s continued rant made me understand why Daisy might have been hesitant.
“It was messing up your life, Day!” the girl went on. “Maybe you don’t remember, but I do. You don’t know what it’s like, watching your favorite person just… turn into a freaking vegetable for days at a time. It hurt your grades, it hurt your health, you know that it hurts your brain at our age. I had to hide it from Mom and Dad, which made them prefer you even more!” The words flowed with the passion of a freshly-opened wound, but I could tell that they came from an old argument. One they’d had before.
“I can’t believe you’d do this all over again. And why? Just because you can? Because Mom and Dad aren’t looking over our shoulders anymore? Because you think it’s cool? Why? Why why why?!” Carmen’s head dropped forward and her shoulders were rising and falling as she stared at the table, panting.
“Maybe it’s because I have to constantly worry about being an adult for my thoughtless little brat of a sister.” Daisy’s voice wasn’t harsh. Nor was it mean. She said it with the kind of mellow weight that I was used to hearing when she offered me her calm, measured insight, but that just made the words strike even deeper.
Carmen flinched like she’d been slapped, and when she raised her head there were two spots of red on her pale cheeks. Her jaw was trembling. She swallowed, then stepped back away from the picnic table. She didn’t say anything as she stalked silently around the end. She stopped, turning on one heel for a final, parting shot.
“He loves me, you know,” she said, lifting her chin defiantly. “He told me. I love you, Carmen. Has he said that to you? The words I know you’ve been waiting for. Are you sure you aren’t just jealous? Because it sure looks like it to me.” Then, she spun and stalked towards the cars. After half a dozen strides she seemed to realize that she had the keys to none of them, and swerved in the direction of the street.
I stood still as a statue, watching her. My heart raced and my thoughts were so jumbled it was like I had none at all.
Amber’s voice was quiet behind me. “I think you should go with her, Chance.”
What…? I turned, slowly.
“If you really do love her, you should go with her.” The woman’s lovely face was set in an unreadable expression, but there was pain in her gaze.
I opened my mouth, my eyes turning from one woman to another. Amber. Victoria. Daisy. All of them were watching me with closed-off, stone wall features. I had no allies here. I knew, suddenly, that this was how Daisy must have felt when I invited Lassiter. Like someone she loved had turned around and stabbed her in the back, vindictively and senselessly.
I closed my mouth.
Wow did it hurt.
Without a word, I walked to my car. The keys turned over, and with a rattling cough the engine rumbled to life. Clenching the wheel in white-knuckled fists, I drove up the street after the hunched figure of the distraught teenager.
I felt so low that even the devil in me didn’t have the heart to rub it in.