Venom & Velvet

you're up

back a smile as I antic

res

push open the adjo

am I supposed

ated sigh. I can picture h

ddie, you're suppose

unately, it's

t the

n on the shower, stretching out

is last night, the n

lling, Cassie. I'm trying

gency probably has loads of appl

e you on yo

e's silent for a minute. I can hear the car's engine revvin

l go wake A

for school, drive her to school, and pick her up late

ight,

dy chu

's my

e on the shelf and step

water lushes over my naked body. I sigh and tilt my face upw

stopped tingling. The dream was so real. I can still feel Maxwell's slimy pre-cum on my

sp as my fingers brush the clammy

are you

still on the phone. I

st friend since I moved into my foster home at 8 years old. She was the first girl in the neighborhood that invit

ls clacking on the tiled floor. Cassid

, shutting off the water and

?" Concern col

but it doesn't need much work. I'll brush it

lance. I toss her a small smile as I brush past her to enter my bedroom.

her brows and t

ant to tal

ake me admit the effect it's having on me. I want to

'd rath

hes out a hand to pat my sh

nt to listen either. M

ge a ch

ed when I told her what happened in the restroom at my 19th birt

ised to stand by me. She stood by me when I told my foster fami

r forget. That single act has been haunting me for y

aws. "I'll go get Abigail ready for school. Call me

going to be my fourth collaboration with Vivid Design Agency, and I'm keeping my finge

*

's one of the biggest skyscrapers I've ever seen - sixty-two flo

lady to step out from one of the offices and attend to me. Mike says I must check o

s an older man wit

h engineers in Boston and his company is ju

ards him, my lips cur

s as he covers the space between us, s

got here. I hope I'm not late. Tra

e things. I don't want to jinx this chance. I need to save more for a vacation with Abigail before the year ends. And there's th

give you a little tour of the s

words and concentrate on trailing behind him as he walks to what appears to be

u and the others will be working on." He tosses me

d," I say with a grin

nother door, three doors from the one he says will be my new office. "This is going to be for your team. It's spacious,

te used to. In the previous firms I worked for, I always had to shuttle between my office building in Newbury Street to wherever it was. This time, I w

gh that stress. But why do I feel like