So now here I am in my new house, walking to the door opening it for Lara. This is her first weekend back home from college and I am so excited to hear all about it.
“Bestie!!”
“Bestie!!” We both shout at the same time hugging each other. This will be the first time we have been apart this long since we met all those years ago.
“Oh my gosh Lexi. You look so different. I can’t figure it out, but something about you looks...bright. Serene maybe. This life definitely suits you.” She says holding my hands out as she inspects me. I can feel myself blushing because I know she is right. I find myself looking in the mirror as well and I can see it. It’s maturity sure. But it is more than that. I feel...happy. I feel warm and fuzzy. Loved and cherished. But most of all, it’s what I don’t feel. I don’t feel like a burden or something to be used for someone else’s gain.
“Thank you. It’s probably the tan.” I say shutting the door and taking her luggage.
“No. It’s on the inside of you, girl. That cannot be attributed to the sun.” Well, ok. We walk around the house and I show her everything, giving her a second to do her ooh’s and ah’s. She of course has a lot of questions for me about the interior decorator. She asks a lot about the art on the wall and I love having someone else as enthusiastic about this place as me. See, we both wanted to go into interior design. That was our plan for as long as I can remember, until the day I realized my parents had no intention of letting me go to college. Once I take her to her room and she gets settled, Siri, our housekeeper, has lunch set out for us.
“Wow. You have a housekeeper too?” she asks.
“Yea. It was Saxson’s idea. He said he doesn’t want me worried about cooking for him. He wants me to figure out what it is I want to do and do it. He said he will support any decision I make.”
“He sounds amazing, Lexi.” She says it a bit wistfully. She seems like herself, but not.
“What’s going on Lara? How is school? Have you heard from Ramone?” I rattle off the questions not sure when Sax is coming home.
“School is great. I love my classes and having a room to myself is nice. I miss you though. And no. No Ramone. But, that’s ok. I have decided to move on. I found a local BDSM club close to campus. I have been taking the sub intro classes. Just making sure I know what I am getting myself into.”
I am about to ask her if she tried reaching out to Ramone, when I hear the garage door open and close. Damn it. I turn to say hi to my husband and in walks Saxson and none other than Ramone. Huh. This is getting intriguing.
“Hey baby.” Sax says leaning over and kissing me. My mind stops working for a second. His touch does this to me. It shuts down everything but the ability to feel him. Smell him. See him. When he moves back and rubs my cheek, I can’t help but smile at him. Looking behind him, I see Ramone standing to the side of Lara, glaring at her.
“Ramone. Didn’t expect to see you here. To what do we owe the honor?” I ask him, not bothering with hiding the sarcasm leaving my voice.
“Hey little sis. I wasn’t expecting to be here either,” he says that last part, his eyes kicking toward Lara. “But this is what happens when people don’t do as their told.” I catch the sardonic tone of his voice. I also see the look of guilt flash across her face before it is replaced with defiance.
“I told you when you dropped me off, I didn't have to do as you tell me to. I can go wherever I like.” She stomps her foot as she says it. I cover my mouth to hide the giggle that is forcing its way out of my mouth.
“Be careful little lamb. Let’s not do this right now. There will be plenty of time for us to have this conversation again, in a more...amenable setting, later. Enjoy your visit.” He says before walking toward the back of the house. I see Lara about to say something back to him and I jump up to stop her before she gets herself into something, she is not ready for.
“Well, Lara and I were going out to shop. Will we see you guys for dinner?” I know Sax is going to be pissed that he didn’t know about this, he hates for me to take last minute trips out of the house when he has not had the time to plan for what he calls adequate security. He still won’t tell me what is going on with my parents and Jared’s dad. He just says that it isn't safe for me to be near them right now and he is working on something. When I brought up the fact that my father wanted me to marry Jared, his whole demeanor changed. He walked away from me for a bit before he came back and told me about the girls Jared and his father run. He told me how they are treated and what they are made to do. I still can't get the thought out of my head. Or the disgust. To think, my own father was going to subject me to that. I shudder when I think about it.