10. Lissa
Lissa
When I arrive at my apartment later that evening, I’m greeted by the sound of happy laughter coming from the kitchen. It warms my heart that Henry and Bethany get along so well. She’s been a huge part of his life for the last year, seeing us almost every week.
When I lived with James, he hardly ever allowed me to see anyone, so it’s great to have her back in my life.
My heart lurches when I think of the impending operation, of everything Henry is going to have to go through.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Bethany says as I come through the door, smiling broadly as Henry slips off the stool and runs to me.
The smell of hot chocolate is in the air, and I frown at Bethany with mock fury when I see the marshmallows and whipped cream on the counter.
“Someone left these outside your apartment door, right, Buddy?” Bethany says to Henry, who looks up at me very solemnly and nods. “We had to use them, didn’t we?” Bethany says. “Because otherwise it would have hurt the marshmallow fairy’s feelings.”
Henry nods as I laugh, lifting him up and kissing him. “Is Aunty Bethany looking after you better than Mom?” I ask.
“She took me for ice cream!” Henry squeaks, and I can smell the sugar on his breath. I know he shouldn’t be eating so much, but I can’t get past the ecstatic look in his eyes right now.
“You look tired,” Bethany says, coming over to me. “Come on, Hen, we said we would get into PJs when Mom got home, right? And then Bluey for half an hour.”
I mouth ‘thank you’ at her as she goes into our room to get my son settled. It’s so nice to have someone to look after him for once, giving me a few precious minutes of alone time after the office.
I’m not used to the new job or the new duties yet, and it all feels very overwhelming as I lower myself onto a stool and finish Henry’s hot chocolate.
Twenty minutes later, Henry is sitting right up close to the tiny TV I bought for the apartment, watching Bluey avidly, giggling along to the show.
Bethany, the angel that she is, bought a bottle of wine for us, and it’s a good one. She pours us both a glass of rosé and comes to settle beside me. Her long hair is tied back with a beautiful ribbon. She sees me admiring it and flicks her ponytail at me.
“I bought you one, it’s on your bed.”
“Stop spoiling me,” I say, throwing a blanket over both of us and settling down on the cushions.
“So, how was it?” she asks immediately. I glance at Henry. He looks too engrossed to care about our conversation. Still, I need to be careful what I say.
“Good. I think. Weird.”
“Is he being a dick? Because I’ll walk right in there and punch him.”
She lowers her glass, wincing as Henry turns toward us, immediately proving my point.
“Bethany said a bad word,” he singsongs, and I kick her playfully.
“Aunty Bethany is allowed to because she’s a grown-up.”
Henry’s eyes are drawn back to the TV again.
“No, he’s not being a d-word,” I mutter. “He’s… thoughtful. I think. It’s hard to tell what he is. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion.”
“So it was good? Did you… You know...”
“No,” I say, lowering my glass and giving her a quizzical look. “Is it normal for a guy to, well, do stuff, without wanting anything in return?”
Bethany raises her eyebrows. “Sometimes, but with the clients I’ve had, it’s super rare, to be honest. He didn’t want anything in return?”
“It didn’t even come up.”
“I doubt that,” Bethany says with a wink, and I laugh through my blush, taking another sip of my wine. I can feel the tips of my ears going crimson, and she stops laughing, patting my leg gently.
“Hey, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m not expecting you to suddenly be okay talking about this stuff. You had like no one to talk to all your life. I get it.”
“I just feel like he’s paying me a lot for not a lot, you know?”
“It’ll happen. From what I know of Oliver Heath, he’s a bit of an odd guy. The last girl who was with him said he was into all kinds of weird stuff. It’s why I’d told Pippa he wasn’t the right client for you. But if it’s going well, I’m happy to admit that I was wrong.”
“What, for the first time ever?” I ask with a smirk.
“First time for everything,” she says, topping off her wine. “So, you’re okay staying there for a bit?”
“I’ve earned almost ten grand already,” I say, and Bethany doesn’t even look surprised by that. “Is that standard?” I probe.
“No. But Heath is loaded. I’m not surprised. He clearly likes you; he’ll want to keep you. Just make him happy, and you’ll have all the money you need in no time.” We both look over at Henry. “Did you hear from the doctor?”
“Yeah, she has the payment plan and the schedule and wants me to come in this weekend and talk it through.”
Her hand finds my knee beneath the blanket and squeezes gently.
“It’s a good thing, Liss, they’re gonna look out for him, get him better, and this will all be a distant memory.”
I look at my son, at my whole world, sitting there laughing at cartoons, and feel tears welling in my eyes.
Please, God, let that be true.
The next morning, before work and before Henry starts school, I pack everything we need into a bag and head to the gym.
I’ve been working out every other day for close to ten years. I really don’t have the money to spend on the gym membership but, sometimes, I feel like it’s the only thing keeping me sane.
I found an amazing gym near Henry’s school with a small play area, and Gabriella, the woman who runs it, always makes time for Henry when we go.
There are a few other moms who leave their kids there to play, but he’s getting kind of old for it now. I put his headphones over his ears, hand him his iPad, and kiss him on the head before heading to the treadmill.
He has heavy shadows under his eyes this morning, even though he said he slept well last night. If there was a way I could reach into his body and just rip out whatever is wrong with him, I would. No child of six should have to go through this.
I get on the treadmill, set my usual warm-up speed, and start pounding through the miles, watching the news on the screens ahead of me. It’s a small gym, but very busy, and I’m lucky to get the machine before they’re all taken.
I run three miles and hit the weights, but by the time I’ve done a few sets, I’m struggling to focus. My mind is already focusing on the day ahead and what Oliver might expect from me.
Yesterday was mind-blowing in more ways than one. I had never experienced anything like that before. Not just the pleasure but the care he took during the act. He was totally focused on me, not thinking about himself at all.
I find myself anticipating the day at the office with a lot more enthusiasm than I expected. He’s so damn intense, but I can’t help but be intrigued by him.
Something about the way he carries himself and his thoughtful questions is messing with my head. Whenever I think about him, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
I really want to give him the same pleasure he gave me. More than I thought I would. I’ll probably be terrible at it, though, and what if he fires me right afterward? I can’t imagine sucking his dick; it must be as thick as my wrist if the rest of his body is anything to go by.
Placing the dumbbells back on the rack, I check the time. My workout was shorter than usual, but that’s okay, I have something more important to do before I start my day.
After a very quick shower, I get dressed in my new work clothes and go and pick up Henry. He gives me his usual adorable smile as he looks up, jumping off his chair and running over to me, his headphones around his neck.
“Have you said thanks to Gabriella?” I ask and he turns and does a silly little bow making Gabriella laugh.
“Nice suit,” she says, wandering over. “New job?”
“Second day.”
“Dios Mio, how is it?” she asks.
“Great!” Henry exclaims from below us. “I got ice cream.”
“I’m spoiling him,” I say, about to make a comment on his impending operation, but stop myself. Gabriella doesn’t need to know about that. The fewer people who are aware that Henry’s sick, the better. I don’t want it somehow getting back to James.
“You want pancakes for breakfast?” I ask, completely ignoring my intentions to steer clear of sugar. I’ll start tomorrow…
Henry’s eyes light up. “Before school?” he asks excitedly.
“Just this once,” I say, laughing at Gabriella as she ruffles his hair, and we head out. There’s a great little diner a few doors down, and this time I can buy him anything he wants without worrying about the money.
And that feels really good.