Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
I wear it with pride, a smile on my face, breathing heavily and feeling satisfied, if only for now.
He breathes deeply, looking at me. He’s not as enthusiastic as I am, leaving me worried something happened that shouldn’t have. He lays me down on the bed as he scoots to sit at the end of it, and for a time, he’s silent.
“Did... did I do something wrong?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “You were incredible, Clara. You were wild and loud, and I love nothing more than that.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
He stands up, looks at me, and forces a smile. He says nothing more before heading back down his tunnel and to his room.
I feel worry. Sympathy. He has all the money in the world, a huge house, and he has to be the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. What does he have to be depressed about?
I’m not going to solve his problems. Not now. Too tired. Everything that has happened has brought me from fresh and ready to face the day to utterly exhausted.
Whatever his problem is? It can wait another day.
For now, I simply enjoy the delicious ache of my body, the aftershocks of bliss.
I don’t know what comes next, but I’m sure I’m going to enjoy it.
6
SEBASTIAN
I wanted nothing more than to climb into bed with Clara and spend the night with her in my arms.
But that would be too personal.
This whole arrangement was meant to keep my willing vessel at a distance. And I feel like I’m failing spectacularly at that already.
The next morning, my cook comes in to prepare breakfast as well as some other meals for reheating later. A dutiful older woman, she always asks me a question to which she knows the answer. “Just you again, Sebastian?”
For once, her assumption is wrong. “No. I have a woman here with me. Prepare food for two, Irene.”
She lights up, clutching her hands together. “Oh. That’s sweet. Any dietary restrictions? Vegan? Vegetarian? Kosher?”
I stare at her for a moment. It makes my fascination with Clara all the weirder as I know nothing about her. “I’m not sure.”
“I’ll make some options just in case. Let me know if you need me to come back in, I wouldn’t want anyone to go hungry.”
I pull out my phone and write out a text. “Are you coming down for breakfast?”
“Huh? Breakfast?”
“Yes. In the main hall. It’s not hard to find.”
“Didn’t think I’d be invited to that.”
“Why wouldn’t you be?”
“Uh. Okay, I’ll be down after a shower.”
Yes. A shower. After everything we did last night and the mess we made of one another, that’s only wise.
Twenty minutes later, she walks into the hall clad in a nightgown with a robe over the top of it. The robe is one of mine from years ago. I wondered where it got off to, and the guest bathroom is as good an explanation as any given I haven’t been there in just as much time.
“Hope you don’t mind I borrowed the robe, it’s a bit chilly around here.”
“I don’t mind at all. And I'll have the heat turned up.” I look her up and down, her hair slicked back, freshly combed and still wet. “You look absolutely beautiful today.”
She blushes as she sits down at the table. “Um, thank you.” She struggles to keep eye contact, her face red, the memories of last night clearly still in her head.
The door to the kitchen swings open and Irene comes out with two plates full of pancakes. “Breakfast is served,” she announces as she slides the plates toward us.
Irene looks at Clara with a smile. “And you must be the woman Sebastian was talking about.”
“Um... hi.”
“How charming. I always thought Sebastian needed a good woman in his life. Hopefully you can be that for him.”
“Uh..” Clara’s eyes drift away, trying to ignore the comment as she has no idea how to respond.
“Anyway, you two enjoy yourselves. I hope blueberry is fine with you, it’s Sebastian's favorite. And there’s authentic maple syrup in the metal jug there. Use as much as you want. And butter underneath the glass tray if that’s what you prefer...”
“Thank you, Irene. We got it.”
She nods. “I’ll be in the kitchen working if you need me.”
My cook disappears into the kitchen, leaving only the normal level of awkwardness between Clara and me.
Clara starts to eat, ravenously. She worked up quite the appetite last night, and so did I.
I don’t see the point in rushing breakfast, however.
With two of her pancakes down, she looks my way, that same pink bashfulness still in her face. “So, uh... um... we never really discussed certain things.”
“Like what?”
“Like what a willing vessel actually is. What have you hired me for, Sebastian?”
I stop eating and go silent.
“If you just wanted a fuck buddy or something, I feel like you’d cast a larger net if you said that instead of being all cryptic.”