ChapterEighteen
“Are you all right?” Sam held the elevator door open. “Did something happen at dinner?”
“Not here.” Bianca stepped inside and hammered the button for her floor. She couldn’t get home fast enough. Although the two of them were alone, she had so many thoughts running through her mind, so many feelings welling in her chest, that if she opened her mouth now, she wouldn’t be able to stop them from erupting forth uncontrollably.
As soon as they were safely inside Bianca’s apartment, Sam drew her to the couch. “What’s the matter?”
Bianca sat beside her, leaning her head on Sam’s shoulder. “My family… My mom. I love her, and I know she loves me, but…”
Sam wrapped an arm around her. Only then did Bianca finally allow a few pent-up tears to fall.
“I came out to her,” she finally said. “I came out to everyone. Even my sisters’ girlfriends. Even my father. But my mom had the strangest reaction. I expected her to be angry. Maybe blame my sisters for ‘corrupting’ me. But in the end, she just… blamed herself. It was like she wasn’t even there anymore. Like she just… gave up. And my father, he just kept trying to change the subject to anything else. I don’t get it. Neither did my sisters, by the looks on their faces.”
“I’m sorry.” Sam ran her fingers through Bianca’s curls. “Your mother is probably feeling very overwhelmed right now. Whoever’s stalking the family is really ramping things up. Did your mom tell you about what’s been happening?”
Bianca nodded. “The photos. They got a picture of you and me. Mom and Dad told us that much. But they still won’t tell us what’s really going on.” She lifted her head to look up at Sam. “You knew about the photos already?”
“I found out earlier today. Your mom said she’d tell you herself at dinner, so I kept it to myself. I wanted to tell you, but when it comes to my job, I have to keep things confidential at times. Which can be hard when we’re… you know.”
“I understand.” Bianca clung to Sam with both arms. “I know you wouldn’t keep anything from me that really mattered.”
“Still, I’m sorry. And I’m sorry you’re going through all this. Families can be complicated and messy at the best of times. You’ll get through this, I promise.”
“I hope you’re right.” Bianca wiped away the last of her tears. “I don’t want to think about this anymore. I just want to get away from it all.”
“We could get out of here,” Sam offered. “Go for a drive, find somewhere else to be.”
The only place Bianca wanted to be was heading south, a trailer packed with her wardrobe and most prized possessions, en route to Southern California and a brand-new destiny, Sam by her side.
That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. But there were other ways to escape.
“Our options are limited this late at night,” Sam continued, “especially when it comes to locations that are secure, but—”
Bianca rolled her eyes. “You can’t go five minutes without thinking about security, can you?”
“I’m just trying to keep you safe. You know that.”
“Yeah, by never letting me do anything fun.” Bianca folded her arms across her chest. “Are you always this much of a stick in the mud? I think that’s your kink. Stopping me from having fun, controlling my every move.”
Sam’s eyes narrowed at Bianca’s sudden turn. Bianca could see the gears turning behind them. It was exactly what she wanted.
“Looks like I hit a nerve.” She slapped a hand against her bodyguard’s shoulder. Sam didn’t flinch. However, Bianca could see the part of her bodyguard that she needed right now starting to emerge. “Do you get off on being a control freak?”
“Do you get off on being an insufferable brat?”
“I wouldn’t say I get off on it, but it’s so much fun.” Bianca peered up at her from under her eyelashes, a coy smile playing at her lips. “If you don’t like it, what are you going to do about it? Spank me again?”
“I don’t think so.” Sam removed her arm from around Bianca’s shoulder. “You enjoyed it far too much last time. Girls like you need to be put in their place, not given what they so clearly want.”
“Fine. I guess I’ll just wait until you fall asleep and then sneak out again. You’ll have to throw me over your shoulder and drag me back—”
Her words were cut off by a squeal, followed by a sigh of relief as Sam pushed her down onto the couch, overpowering her with a hot, hard kiss that carried the force of her entire body.
Finally! Bianca had started to think she’d have to beg, which wasn’t something her pride could handle. Because now more than ever, every fiber of her being yearned for Sam’s brand of tough love to soothe her aching soul. She needed more than soft lips, lust-filled kisses, ravenous fingers. She needed Sam’s strength, enough to overpower her into submission. She needed Sam to persist, no matter how much Bianca pushed her. She needed Sam to take her, master her, prove that Bianca was hers.
With her world falling apart, it was the only way she could feel secure.
As she reached for Sam, desperate hands scrabbling to remove the woman’s jacket, Sam batted her away. “Hands to yourself. This may be your couch, but it’s my show.”