Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Daisy
Ithink Mav is upset. I peer through the slightly open door. He’s frowning at his phone.
He looks up in my direction suddenly, and I gasp, skittering back, and hoping he didn’t notice me watching him like a creeper.
But I hear him walking toward the door.
My eyes dart around the room and I see my school bag on the floor. Desperate to appear to be doing something, I snatch it up and put it on the bed, pretending to rummage around in it.
I hear him come into the room behind me.
‘Tulip?’
When was the last time he even called me that? I suddenly feel sad.
‘Yes?’ I choke out.
‘What did you have for dinner last night?’
‘Sauvage and I had some room service delivered to his office,’ I say, still pretending to search my bag.
‘I thought you were going down to the lab last night when you left.’
Fuuuuuuck.
I did say that. My hands stop rifling.
‘I—’
‘You didn’t like your burger?’ he asks.
I let out a small sigh.
‘The burger wasn’t the usual one I get from there. I tried it, but it was covered in BBQ sauce. I couldn’t eat it,’ I say honestly, not turning around.
‘So, you went to Sauvage?’
Is he angry? I glance back but he doesn’t seem like it.
‘I didn’t need to go to the lab,’ I say truthfully. ‘But after we... After the sex, I didn’t want to be here, so I went to see Pierre. He was having dinner anyway so I joined him.’
I shrug. ‘It’s not a big deal.’
‘Having dinner with Sauvage isn’t a big deal,’ Mav agrees. ‘But the reasons you felt like you couldn’t stay up here with us, or the fact that you didn’t want to, that you’ve been avoiding us—’
‘You’ve all been avoiding me, not the other way around,’ I blurt out and then wince.
I turn, meeting Mav head-on. I’ve started the conversation now. There’s no going back.
‘The others will be here soon,’ he says cryptically.
‘What will they say?’ I ask, my expression devoid of emotion.
Mav steps closer. ‘Daisy, they aren’t going to say anything, nothing bad. But we need to talk. You’re unhappy.’
I search his face. He’s right, I realize. I am unhappy.
‘But what if the talk just makes me more unhappy?’ I ask quietly.
He gives me a smile. ‘We love you. You still love us too, right?’
I nod and he looks relieved.
‘Then we just need to communicate. That’s all. You tell us why you’re unhappy. We’ll tell you if there are things bothering us. And then we’ll fix it, okay?’
I nod a little hesitantly, and he takes my hand, drawing me out into the living room. He sits me on the couch and sinks down next to me.
‘Something happened today,’ I say, searching his face. ‘You looked upset when I came in. You were drinking.’
Mav lets his body fall back hard against the couch. ‘Applegate called me to his office. My grant is gone.’
'The non-opiate?' I ask.
'It's dead.'
Mav had a real problem and I’m angry because I’m not getting enough attention. I think I might be the asshole.
I let out a long breath, and I take his hand.
'It won't be forever,' I murmur, hoping I’m saying the right thing.
'That's what Applegate said.'
He doesn’t look at me but he does squeeze my hand in response.
‘It's just a cold comfort, you know?’
I nod. 'What happened?'
'Novelle,' he mutters. 'Andrew is taking the reins and making changes. He’s taking to the power like a fish to water,' Mav snarls viciously. 'If only Shade had been born two minutes earlier.'
I climb into Mav’s lap.
‘I’m sorry that I made it all about me,’ I say quietly. ‘I didn’t mean to.’
Mav’s arms envelope me. ‘No, Tulip. You didn’t. You haven’t. I’m sorry. I’ve been in my own head. I was obsessing. I think I was afraid something else was gonna happen and stop me from working on it. I just wanted to see it through, you know? Get it done before we graduate.’
I nod against his chest.
We sit together for a little while and I wonder what else I can do. I think I’d want to be brainstorming and finding fixes to the problem in this situation, but maybe he doesn’t want what I would.
I clutch his hand, trying to think of how I can make him feel better, but my mind has gone blank.
'Is there anything I can do?' I ask, deciding to go for the communication route because that’s the theme for today.
He gives me a small smile that doesn't make his eyes crease up.
'No thanks, Tulip,' he says. 'I'm not sure what you could do. Applegate just advised me to take it on the chin. Said it happens.'
He shakes his head.
'Can you not work on it here in the lab downstairs?'
'It needs to be above board, in a lab that’s legit,' he says.
‘When it was the campus lab, with the oversight by Applegate, the grant money…
it all means prestige for the project. It goes a long way for perceptions.
It meant that everything was reputable. I'd already had interest from some pharmaceutical enterprises. '
I let out a sigh, wondering what I can do to make him feel better right now, and then, like a light bulb in my brain, I think I know. I haven't done this before. I haven't taken the initiative, and a part of me is afraid that he's going to say no or not want to, or say he's not in the mood.
I sink down off the couch to the floor in front of him, getting between his legs.
He looks down at me, brows raised, and I look up at him imploringly as I unzip his pants. My movements are slow, in case he wants to tell me to stop, but he doesn't.
He leans back, giving me more space as I delve into his boxers and draw out his impressive cock that's already rapidly hardening.
'Is this okay?' I ask quietly.
He doesn't speak, just nods.
I lick the tip. It's salty, but not unpleasant. The smell of him is musky. It’s not horrible, but it's still not my favorite.
But this isn't for me, it's for him. So, I take a breath through my mouth and begin to work him with my lips, very gently.
I hear his quick intake of breath, and I look up into his eyes. He's staring down at me, his hands resting on his thighs, almost clutching.
'You don't have to do this,' he murmurs.
'I know,' I say, 'but will it make you feel a little better?'
He gives me a small smile. 'Yes, Tulip. I think it'll make me feel a little better.'
'I know it's not a real solution,' I begin, but he puts his finger to my lips and shakes his head a little.
‘It’s perfect. Keep going.’
My grin is wide and I let out a chuckle. He really wants me to continue, so I do.
I move my mouth over him, using my tongue to swirl around the tip and play with the underside of the head.
My hand fists him, working in tandem with my mouth because there's no way I'm going to fit his entire length down my throat.
I move backwards and forwards, using my tongue a lot and creating a bit of suction, my cheeks hollowing.
His hands clutch at the sofa as his hips bounce under me, making me take him deeper.
I gag and pull back a little, giving him a reproachful look.
He lets out a small laugh. 'Sorry,' he rasps, 'I didn't mean to make you choke.'
I get back to my rhythm, picking up the pace just a little.
The sounds he's making make me feel happy and like I've done something good for him. This is making him feel better, even if it's just on the surface.
'I'm going to come,' he says through gritted teeth.
I look up into his eyes, sucking harder, working him a little faster. I feel him spill into my mouth, and I close my eyes tightly, making myself swallow it.
It's not the most pleasant, either, but I can do it. Just.
I lean away from him and he takes my cheeks in his hands, caressing my face.
'You're amazing,' he murmurs. 'You know that, don't you?'
I give him a small smile.
He’s with me. He’s present. The thing that I’ve been missing is here now.
'I'm sorry I don't know how to make you feel better really,' I whisper, hating this shortcoming, hating that a normal girl, a girl who's not like me, would probably instinctively know exactly what to say or do.
But he surprises me by pulling me back up onto his lap and holding me close.
'You are everything I need,' he says. 'Don't ever think that you're not. I love you. You're perfect. I’m sorry that I’ve been so off in my own head. I won’t do it again. I promise. Okay?'
I give him a nod.
He kisses my lips, and I errantly wonder if he can taste himself, though he doesn't say anything. We sit together for a little while, and then I feel my phone buzz.
I look down. 'It's Sauvage,' I say.
'What does he want?' Mav asks.
'He says he needs to speak to me.'
'Why doesn't he just come up here?' Mav murmurs, sounding a little bit annoyed.
'I don't mind going to his office.’ I let out a small chuckle. ‘I know he’s, you know, like an actual mobster, but he’s really not that bad. Besides, I’ve seen how you guys listen to him.’
Mav gives me an incredulous look and I grin.
‘From what you said about him before,’ I continue, ‘I thought he'd be a psychotic monster when I first came here.’
‘But you still escaped Joe and came here anyway?’
He looks at me with something in his eyes that I don’t really understand. Pride?
I nod. ‘There wasn’t another option. But it worked out.’
‘So far,' Mav says, giving me an affectionate squeeze. 'Go find out what he wants. The others will be here in a bit.'
'Okay.' I give Mav a quick peck on the cheek and get up, feeling much better about things now that we’ve talked a little.
I leave our room and go down in the elevator to the floor where Sauvage's office is, down the straight, wide corridor lined with ferns.
The door is opened for me by Thomas, who I flash a wide smile.
In Sauvage's office, the gangster himself is sitting behind his desk as usual.
'Chéri,' he greets, standing up and coming to me.
'Is there some problem?' I ask.
'No problem. I have merely had an update from mes enquêteurs my investigators this evening.’
He gestures for me to take a seat, which I do and then stare at him expectantly.