Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
BONNIE
“Where have you been?” my mother asks as soon as I step through the front door. “And whose car was that?”
I sigh as I kick off my shoes and close the front door. I knew I should have got the car to stop away from the house, but my mind was so muddled from being with Darius that I didn’t realise we’d stopped outside until the driver announced it to me.
“I was with a friend,” I tell her, making my way to the stairs.
“You missed Sunday lunch,” she scolds, and I scoff.
“I’m sure you managed to enjoy it without me.”
“That’s not the point. Sunday lunch is the one day of the week that we all sit together and catch up.”
“Catch up?” I say, my voice high-pitched as I turn around and look at her incredulously. “And by ‘catch up’ do you mean pointing out everyone’s faults bar yours and Kelly’s, or putting me down at every opportunity, telling me I’m not good enough to be in this family?”
“How dare you,” she starts, but I just roll my eyes and turn around to continue walking up the stairs. “You’ve never been good enough, not like your sister, and you never will be.”
And as I enter my room, leaving the bag by the door and kicking it shut, I fling myself on the bed, the tears I’d kept at bay all day leaking out now, but it’s not from my mother’s words. No. It’s because I’ll never forget the look on Darius’ face as we said goodbye, the haunting look in his eyes, the same look I know was reflected in mine.
It’s been five days of hell. Pure hell. My mother isn’t speaking to me. Kelly has been spitting acidic insults my way all week after hearing my mother’s version of events. And my father has been, well, crap as usual, saying nothing, keeping his head down and ignoring all of the drama that my mother and sister create.
I’m tired, fed up, and I’m sat on Sadie’s sofa, bawling into a bucket of ice-cream, finally telling her about last weekend and this week.
“Bonnie, what the hell?” Sadie exclaims as she puts her glass of wine on the coffee table and brings me a new box of tissues to dry my constantly weeping eyes. I’ve bottled it all up, all week long, but I can’t with her. She knows me too well.
“Sorry,” I say on a hiccup as I take a fresh tissue and blow my nose.
“Don’t apologise, there’s no need.” Sadie waves off my apology as she sits beside me and puts her arm around my shoulders. I lean my head on hers, and we sit like that for a few moments, the silence stretching out as we both reflect on everything I just told her. “You need to go to him.”
“What?” I gasp.
“You need to go and be with Darius, find out what this is between you both, because this isn’t your normal escort meets client, this is him knowing what he wanted and making sure he got it, and in the process you found out what you wanted too.” Her words floor me.
“What do you mean, knowing what he wanted and making sure he got it?”
“You, Bon. He wanted you, he got you, and now look, you’re miserable as sin after a weekend with him because you miss him.”
“I do.” I can’t even deny it. “No one has ever made me feel like he did.”
“Then go to him. He told you he’d be at the penthouse again, so he left it up to you to make the next move.”
“And what about Kelly?” I say, although, I don’t really feel anything about her anymore, it’s just something I guess I think needs to be said because she’s my sister, even if we don’t like each other.
“What about her? She would go for it in a heartbeat if it were the other way around. And let’s be honest, Bon, do you truly care what she thinks?” Sadie asks, and I shake my head, because I don’t care.
“What if it goes tits and then I can’t go back home?” I say, voicing my concerns.
“You’re not going back there anyway, not after what they’ve done to you all week long. Fuck them, go after what you want, and you’ll be staying with me until the foreseeable, no arguments,” she instructs.
“I don’t want to get in your way. And I’ve got no money, other than my shitty tips from waitressing until payday.”
“What about your fee for the weekend?” she asks, her brows furrowed.
“I got the bank to refund the payments,” I tell her quietly.
“You what?” she gasps.
“It didn’t feel right to keep it,” I admit, and her eyes soften.
“You really like him, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I really do.”
“Well, come on then, wipe your snotty nose and let’s get you fixed up, ready to go and knock his socks off,” she announces, flouncing from the front room and returning with supplies to fix my blotchy red eyes.
“You really think he’ll want to see me?” I ask her, those doubts creeping in because it’s been radio silence and a part of me expected something, but like she said, he left it up to me, and it’s not all down to him.
“I know so. Now, put that ice-cream down and let’s get cracking.”
All dressed up and the blotchiness eradicated with the help of Sadie’s handiwork, and I’m standing outside the penthouse door once again, except this time with no intention of getting a payday. This time I’m here to claim him openly, without a contract, without anything other than wanting to be with him.
I just hope that he still wants me.
Knocking on the door, I wait, I fidget on the spot, and when the door opens, his eyes are boring into me. I’m about to speak, but I don’t get the chance as he launches at me, grabbing me, kissing me, lifting me and carrying me inside, slamming the door behind us and pinning me against it.
“You came,” he says against my lips.
“I did.”
“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he declares, and I feel fireworks go off inside of me, this crazy attraction ramping up and consuming me—us.
And it’s the best feeling in the world.