Show & Sell

And instead of having Anders as my partner, as someone to lean on in times of trouble, I’m all alone. Instead of helping me, I’ve had to sell my virginity for money, and Anders is still blowing through our new fortune.

I’m hesitant to even look at the bank account. I know it’s not gonna be good news.

I take a deep breath, wipe the tears away from my face, and check the account.

To my utter horror, we are five hundred million dollars poorer today. The money’s fading fast. He must’ve done it.

Anders is out there somewhere in New York City, and it looks like he’s playing with the big boys. How else can he spend that much money in such a small amount of time?

It worries me, because he’s blowing through our fortune—but also because I know he must be in bed with some very bad people to have had this happen.

I shudder to think of the trouble he’s gotten himself into.

Somehow, I have to get the account away from him, find a way to protect our assets somehow. I just don’t know how to do any of it. I would love some guidance on the issue, but I have no one to talk to.

Making my usual phone calls to the city jail, to the morgue, and to some of Anders’ friends seems like the only thing to do in the moment. No one has seen him. It’s the usual story, and I’m not surprised.

My thoughts go to dark places as I imagine him lying in a gutter somewhere. I picture him being taken advantage of by bad people. He’s entered this world by his doing.

I wonder if he knows how to get out.

I have to stop thinking about him, though. I deserve to be happy. Jasper’s asked me out on a date, and I don’t want thoughts about Anders to ruin that.

In my room, I turn the shower on so it’s hot. I’m hoping the warm water will melt away my troubles, and I’ll feel like a new person. I want to be reborn and ready for my date with Jasper.

The scalding hot water feels good on my skin. It drowns out the noise of Anders and all of my worries in life.

I wrap myself up in a terrycloth robe and do my makeup. Jasper likes to live life on the edge. He’s kind of a bad boy, and I want to match his persona tonight.

I leave my hair wild, curly. Put on my favorite jeans, boots, and a black leather jacket.

And then, since I have time to kill till he comes over, I make myself a stiff drink. Scotch on the rocks with a twist.

The amber liquid warms my body from the inside out. It does what it’s meant to...it takes the edge off.

Suddenly, with the scotch in my system, my life feels a little less daunting.

I leave Anders a note. I can only hope he’ll be home at some point to see it.

Anders,

I went out on a date. Stop blowing through our money. Stay home. Get clean. Call Dr. Pembroke. He wants to see you.

Love,

Aurora

And then, I hear the roar of the motorcycle outside. I walk to the window and push aside the curtain. That’s when I see him.

Jasper.

My heart catches in my chest. An ache forms in the pit of my stomach, a dark need and desire. I want to see him, but then I don’t.

The thought of being in his presence makes me nervous. The sight of him takes my breath away, and I have to remind myself to breathe.

All the brothers look alike, and yet they’re so very different.

Jasper has this wild sense of freedom about him that I want to behold.

I want him all the time. I want him to dominate me in ways that I could never have imagined.

As if he knows I’m watching, he looks up and sees me standing at the window. For a second, our eyes meet, and the fire between us is stoked.

It’s a good thing I’m wearing jeans and my favorite lacy thong. I’ll need all the fabric I can get to stop the wetness from flowing out between my thighs.

I’m so hot for him already, and the date hasn’t even begun.

Hurriedly, I run downstairs to meet him.Chapter 25Jasper

When she walks toward me, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.

The only way to describe her is angelic.

Tonight, she’ll be my angel.

She won’t be my guardian angel, no, she’ll be a different kind of angel.

I grin. I still can’t believe I’ve gone against the brotherhood and broken the agreement. There’s a tiny bit of guilt settling in the pit of my stomach as I remember our conversation and the promise we made. Luckily, it was only verbal and I didn’t swear to anything in blood.

We agreed not to pursue Aurora. End of story. No phone calls, no flowers, no dates, no contact.