Chapter 1 #2
“We can tell them my parents were very religious and kicked me out at sixteen when they caught me with a boy.” The words came out in a rush, and Asad froze for a moment, his gaze jerking up to meet hers.
She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She suddenly realized she was smoothing her hands over her napkin, over and over, feeling the silky material against her palms. Immediately, she pulled her hands away, dropping them to her lap and folding her fingers to clasp them tightly.
That was a little detail she hadn’t mentioned at the time she’d been interviewed by Master Patrick and Lexie. Naomi and her husband knew, but she’d asked them not to share it with anyone. With everyone she’d met, she’d shared a little less of her past, and things had gone better for her. Mostly.
She wasn’t going to tell Asad that Master Jason had been no boy.
He’d been twenty-five and her piano teacher, which had made her parents even angrier.
Not with him, with her. The evil seductress who had tempted a good man into sin.
She knew now that had hardly been the case, but back then, she’d truly thought she’d done something wrong.
“I’m very sorry about that,” Asad said, sympathy filling his dark eyes.
Morgan frowned. She didn’t want him to change how he saw her. This was why she didn’t tell people things.
“It’s fine. I have come to the conclusion that I am better off without them.” Especially after the one attempt she’d made to get back in contact with them last year. It had reaffirmed her decision to focus on her current life and not on her past.
“Well, I’m sorry about that, too. My parents might be a pain in my ass, but they love me.” There was something odd in his voice as he said the words, and he seemed almost relieved when the server reappeared at their table with their drinks.
Morgan was relieved, too. Once the server stepped away, she decided to see if she could move the conversation to a different topic.
“What else do you think your parents might ask about?”
“Probably when you want to get married and have babies.” Asad grinned at the expression on her face.
She could feel the horror practically emanating from her. Asad would make beautiful babies. He was a beautiful man, but Morgan wasn’t sure she wanted kids, much less marriage.
“Looks like we’re on the same page for that question, but maybe try not to make that exact face when they ask. A simple ‘we’re nowhere near that point’ will do, and if they push, tell them they should talk to me.”
He said ‘when’ they asked, not ‘if,’ so it sounded like it was a foregone conclusion that they would. Morgan would try not to make the face.
“Are we getting more serious?” she asked. “You are taking me to a family wedding.” Her understanding was that it only happened in serious relationships. Something she had no experience with. It was probably going to be fun to pretend and good practice for her.
She now understood what she’d had with Master Richard wasn’t at all normal, even within the kink community.
Morgan was looking forward to playing ‘boyfriend and girlfriend,’ especially because it wouldn’t really matter if she messed something up since she and Asad weren’t together, anyway.
Though, of course, she was going to do her best because she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his family.
“More serious, but nowhere near living together. In fact, you living with Brian is something that will drive that home, so make sure you bring it up.” He grinned at her. “If that’s okay.”
“That’s fine.” She had never intended to lie about her living arrangements.
“So, we are seeing each other more often but not living together and definitely not talking about children or marriage. And your brother had childhood leukemia. Is there anything else I should know about him? Or his bride… Anna, right?”
“Anna.” He nodded. “I’ve only met her a few times, so it makes sense you wouldn’t know much about her.
Cyrus and I aren’t really close, either.
He went into accounting and works at my dad’s firm, whereas I rebelled, got my GED, then went to school to become an engineer.
Which makes me the black sheep of the family. ”
“You’re a black sheep because you’re an engineer?” Morgan was confused. Her friend Carolyn had told her that Asad had a really good job that made him a lot of money, something Carolyn held in high esteem.
“Maybe not a black sheep exactly, but my parents were disappointed I didn’t follow the family line.” He shrugged with one shoulder. “They were also really disappointed about me not walking across the stage for graduation, but I wasn’t sad to miss it.”
“I never graduated, either,” she suddenly felt compelled to share. “I got my GED, too.” She’d gotten hers last year, something else she didn’t share with many people.
“So, we have that in common.” Asad winked at her.
Something inside her fizzed with happiness in response. She liked having things in common with him. Everyone liked Asad. He was impossible not to like, and he was really good at focusing on a person and making them feel special.
Morgan liked feeling special in a good way.
“The wedding is right outside Pittsburgh, right?” she asked.
There was a club there she wanted to visit called the Outlands.
Naomi had told her about it. That was where she and Drew had settled after he’d left the service and they went on occasion.
Morgan liked the idea of trying out another club again, somewhere not everyone would immediately know who she was.
Though, because of that, she wouldn’t feel comfortable scening with anyone but Asad, but that was okay since he was going to be her fake boyfriend for the week.
“Yup, and we’ve got a whole week of activities.”
Their food arrived, and Morgan listened happily as Asad described the schedule his mom had sent him for the week.
It sounded like an interesting combination of his culture’s wedding traditions and the bride’s.
She was looking forward to all of it. Especially because she’d never attended a wedding before.
This one sounded even more interesting than the ones she’d seen in movies.