Something’s wrong.
I pull away as she peers over my shoulder, her eyes remaining focused on something afar.
“Did you know you have cameras in here?” She questions with a bothered tone, and for good reason. I never had cameras installed in this room.
“Where?” I ask.
“There’s one in the corner over there. That means someone was watching. Someone knows…,” she whispers.
Instead of pushing me away from her as I thought would happen, she pulls me in. I feel a tremor of fear overtaking her desire.
“Fuck.” I close my eyes tightly.
Her mother must have been the one who installed them….
“We’re in a lot of trouble,” she says, swallowing hard as I slide off of her. I kiss her on her forehead. The damage is already done, so we might as well figure out where to go from here.
“Things are going to work out, don’t worry,” I assure her, getting to my feet as I put my robe back on.
If Doreen’s the one who set up the cameras, it’s only a matter of time before she comes at me like a storm. Strangely, I don’t feel fear. I don’t even feel as if I have to explain myself or fight to keep her. In this moment of revelation, without the fight in me, I realize that I don’t love her anymore as I’ve known for some time now.
Now, it’s time to let that be known.
7
TIFFANY
Even after discovering the cameras in the pool earlier, I find myself able to feel relaxed as I lay here in bed. No man has ever been able to bring this high out in me. Maybe because I’ve been dealing with boys and not men…
As soon as my head hits the pillow, I drift to sleep.
* * *
I wake up to the sun beaming in my face and the piercing sound of my mother’s shrill voice coming from downstairs. She’s so loud that I’m sure she’s woken everyone in the house.
I quickly check the clock and see it’s seven-thirty in the morning. Shit! I should’ve been up over an hour ago.
I wonder what the maids think of me right now. I don’t want to get out of bed, but I know that they’re arguing about me downstairs.
I can’t very well let Brady take the heat for all this. It takes two to tango, and I’m as guilty of flirting as he is. I get dressed quickly, jumping in a pair of jeans and tossing on a top that I find in the stack of clothes my mother had given me. I’m sure she’s going to want these back now too.
I hurry out of my room and down the hall, passing Ms. Dana on my way.
“I knew you were going to be trouble.” She says while shaking her head at me.
I wonder if anyone knows how to mind their damn business around here.
As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I catch a glimpse of Brady and my mother arguing in the dining room. They must have been sitting down to breakfast when the fight began, as I can see the food is still perfectly arranged on the table.
None of it touched.
The second I reach the dining room, the arguing stops. My mother shifts her attention toward me.
“You! You’re a disgrace to this family. I don’t know why I thought that things would be different after all these years!” She shouts at me.
“Doreen, you need to calm yourself. This isn’t any of her fault, it just happened.” Brady chimes in.
I love how he’s defending me when he very well knows I didn’t help the situation…