Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Kayleigh guffaws.
“And his stepdaughter is a better choice?”
I shrug. “I guess.”
Kayleigh’s eyes narrow. “You’re the only one he wants, you mean. Don’t be naive, girlfriend.”
I take a breath, let it out slow. The coffee is suddenly sour in my mouth. “It’s not like that,” I repeat, but the phrase sounds less convincing this time.
Kayleigh leans back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest. “No seriously, there’s something fishy about this scenario. But are you okay with this, MK? I mean, seriously. You don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”
“I know.” I stare at the cup, watch a bead of condensation slide down its side. “But I owe him, Kay. Kent paid for my tuition, my apartment, everything. He gave Jeannine and me a real home. It’s the least I can do.”
She is quiet for a long moment, then says: “Did he tell you how to do it?”
I shake my head, face burning. “Not yet. He said he would show me the technique. There’s a special way to do it, or you could, like, cause permanent damage.”
Kayleigh whistles low. “Wow. Just wow.”
Then my friend leans in again, her voice a soft, and almost gentle. “Are you nervous?”
I nod, and my hair falls into my face. “Terrified. What if I fuck it up and hurt him somehow?”
She shrugs. “You’re not going to break his balls, Mary Kate. Literally or figuratively. You’re the most careful person I know, and you’re gentle.”
A lump rises in my throat, and I have to swallow twice to get words out. “Thanks.”
Kayleigh reaches across the table, puts her hand over mine. Her fingers are warm and reassuring. “Just be careful,” she says. “And if you ever feel weird about it, you call me. I’ll come get you.”
I nod, then squeeze her hand back. “You’re the best.”
She grins, color flooding her cheeks again. “You know it.”
We sit in comfortable silence for a while, watching the people outside slip and slide on the frozen sidewalk, their coats pulled tight against the wind. The world looks so simple from this side of the glass, like nothing bad can reach us in here.
Finally, Kayleigh breaks the spell. “So, are you gonna use oil, or lube or—?”
I shrug. “I have no idea. Kent said lotion, maybe, but nothing was super clear.”
She makes a face. “Probably for the best. I think lavender ball stones would haunt my dreams.”
I laugh, real and loud, and for a second it feels like I’m floating above my life, just watching two girls talk about nothing, everything.
But then the weight settles back in. I stare at the Italian worksheet, the blurry ink, and think about what’s waiting for me back at the mansion. The massage table, the closed door, the sound of Kent’s voice growling my name. I’m not sure what scares me more: that I want to help, or that I want something else.
Kayleigh can read my thoughts, and cuts right to it: “Seriously, MK, do you want to do this? Like, do you really want to?”
I hug my arms to my chest, partly to fight the cold, partly to hide the tremble in my hands. “It’s not about wanting. It’s about helping. I can do it, so I should.”
She rolls her eyes. “That’s not what I meant. Does your stepfather even need it? Or is he just—” Her voice goes low and fierce. “Is he just faking it because he wants your body?”
I flinch, a whole-body jolt. “Jesus, Kayleigh.”
She doesn’t let up. “You’re gorgeous, you know that, right? Like, if I was a forty-something man, and I lived with you, and my wife left? I would be thinking about it. All the time.”
I shake my head, but my face is burning again, and I can’t meet her eyes. “Kent’s not like that. He’s a physician. He knows this stuff. If he says it’s a thing, then it is.”
Kayleigh scoffs, the sound sharp as a chip in glass. “Doctors can be creeps too. Especially the smart ones. They think nobody can catch them because they know all the big words.”
I want to say something smart, something that will shut this down, but all I can think of is Kent’s face when he asked me for help, the way he didn’t look away, not even for a second. “He’s not a creep,” I mutter. “He’s just a man in pain. Literally.”
There’s a silence, thick and heavy. Kayleigh rubs the back of her hand across her nose, sniffing. “And you’re sure you want to do this?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. The air is warm and humid, smelling of cinnamon. “Kent took care of us, Kayleigh. My mom was a single mom for a long time, and she’d work those overnight shifts at the rehab center when I was little, which were real tough. Kent gave us breathing room, footed the bills, and let us move into his mansion. He’s never asked for anything in return and in fact, pays my tuition even now. This is nothing compared to that.”