Of course, maybe I’m so desperate to have an actual connection to someone, I’m projecting my feelings on to these hot studs. It doesn’t hurt that they are the three Bs—big, buff and beautiful.
“My chaperones were typically females approximately ten years older than me. They were paid friends and enjoyed the lifestyle their connection to me afforded them. You’ve probably heard of a couple of them. One of them dated a famous rap star and made a sex tape. She now has her own entourage.”
Porter leans forward on the island, locking gazes with me. “We don’t deal in pop culture, Epi.”
“Did you know who I was before this morning?”
He shakes his head. “No. If we had seen you before, we would’ve remembered.”
His gaze is so intense and penetrating, I need to look away. “Do we have anything to drink?”
“We have bottled water, seltzer water, but that’s about it.”
“No alcohol?”
He shakes his head. “We’re on duty, but if you want us to pick up something tomorrow, we can do that when we’re out.”
“That’s right,” I nod, even though sadness fills me as I remember my father paid them to protect me. I’m just another job, and after this is all over—on a day that I hope is a happy ending for my sister—I will most likely never see these guys again.
Our conversations have been too intimate and too revealing, so I put on my camera-ready face and glance back and forth between them. “How long until food is ready?”
* * *
After dinner, I sit on one end of the couch with my knees tucked under my chin. I am beyond bored, and I have no idea what to do with myself. I’ve never gone this long without being connected to something, whether it be my YouTube channel or my Instagram feed or even a good book. Right now, I can't even listen to music. Without my phone, I have nothing to hold my attention.
I want to return to our conversation about their lifestyle. Have they ever shared a girlfriend, or has it just been women they have sex with? How does a woman date three men? Does she see them one at a time, or does she go out with all three of them, but only pay attention to one at a time? They never answered my question about whether they aretogethertogether.
“How much longer do you think it will be until Lee gets here with my stuff?”
Case looks up from a gun he is cleaning. “I wouldn’t expect to see any of your stuff until morning.”
“Morning? Am I supposed to sleep naked?”
The guys exchange a look and say nothing for a good minute until Porter finally says, “If you’re ready for bed, you can have one of our shirts.”
Ohhh. I like the idea of sleeping in one or both of their shirts. Why is wearing a guy’s shirt so sexy?
“And my toothbrush? My face cleanser? My silk, hypoallergenic pillowcase?”
Case laughs. “We have new toothbrushes in their packaging in the bathroom. Other than that, I don’t know what to tell you.”
I huff, wrapping my arms around my stomach, pushing up my breasts. Porter sits across from me at a computer that they informed me is not on the Internet. It’s a closed-circuit monitor tied to sixteen cameras spaced around the property. This place has sensors on the road, cameras in the trees and additional triggers on the driveway. There’s no way someone is sneaking up on this property without them seeing it. “Have you guys heard anything about my sister yet?”
Porter glances down at his watch and shakes his head. “Even if the guys got there before sunset, they will wait until oh dark thirty to extract her. They need time to survey the property and see who comes and goes. Then, depending upon what they find when they go in, they will have to move her to a secure location. We won’t hear from them until all that’s done, which I suspect won’t be for a few more hours.”
“Why don’t you relax, Epi?” Case sighs. “I know you’re twitching without all your stuff, but the best thing you can do is go to bed and try to get some sleep.”
“Where am I supposed to sleep?” I walked through a bedroom upstairs that had an attached bathroom, but I hadn’t seen another bedroom or bed.
“You’ll take the master bedroom. We’ll sleep down here.”
“Fine. I guess I’ll go to bed. I don’t suppose either of you have a sleep aid?”
Case and Porter exchange a look filled with unspoken words. Porter stands and goes to his bag, grabs a prescription pill bottle and pulls out a tablet, breaking it in half. “Do you always require a sleep aid?”
I shrug, trying to come off nonchalantly. “For years I was constantly changing time zones, so I got used to taking something to help me sleep. Now I can’t fall asleep without them.”
He hands me half a tablet and my bottle of water. “These are formulated for my weight, so we’ll start with half.”