Debt

"There's always a choice. You made the choice to be here. You made the choice to tiptoe around the house in those heels as to not cause a stir. Ever think of telling him to go fuck himself?"

"Ever consider what the consequences of that could be?"

"What? What could they be? He won't hurt you. So what could he possibly do?"

Yeah, well, when he put it that way... he was right. He gave me his word that was supposedly everything. He wouldn't hurt me. So he would... what? Be an asshole? He was an asshole half the time. Give me more menial jobs? I could deal with anything if I could do it while mostly clothed. My father was in rehab. He was safely behind locked doors. And even if he wasn't, Byron gave his word about not hurting him as well. He had nothing on me.

"Well, shit," I said, huffing out my breath.

"You can still be sweet while telling him to kindly kiss your ass," he said, throwing my own words from earlier back at me.

"You've created a monster, Matt," I told him as we moved up the aisle back toward the check-out.

"Glad I could help," he told me, shouldering me out of the way when I tried to help load things up onto the belt.We got back and I was forced to sit on the counter and watch him load the groceries in. After that, he took me for a walk of the pool, cabanas, tennis courts, the running track, the hot tub, everything the property had to offer. After that, he informed me that he was off duty and I was on my own. With no further instructions for my day, I hung out in the kitchen with Ella, chatting, helping hand her things while she cooked.

Sometime in the late afternoon, Byron came striding into the kitchen, going to the coffee pot without having noticed my presence. "Hey look," I said to Ella, watching his back stiffen. "He does know where the coffee pot is!"

"I do," he said, turning back around to look over at where I was sitting on the island popping peas out of the pods and into a giant bowl in my lap. "But why I am the one filling it is beyond me."

"I believe I was told that I needed to get out of your hair for the day," I informed him with a casual shrug even though nothing about the conversation felt casual to me.

"Oh, boy," Ella said, picking up on the electric sparking between our bodies. "Okay. I know when I need to go check the contents of the second refrigerator," she said, patting my knee as she walked past then scurrying down the hall to wherever the second refrigerator was.

"What's with the clothes?" he asked, waving his mug at me.

"I like them more than my uniform," I said with a chin lift. "Matt thinks they're sweet," I added for emphasis.

"Does he now?" Byron asked, his face and tone a little darker than usual.

"Yep," I said with a shrug, turning back to popping peas.

"Did you two have fun today?" he asked, the word 'fun' sounding strange on his lips.

"Well, as much fun as you can have in a grocery store, I guess."

Even with my head ducked, I could see him moving across the room toward me. He stopped directly in front of me, slamming his coffee mug down on the counter several inches from my thigh and reaching for the bowl on my lap, grabbing it and slamming it down next to his mug. "Never had you pegged for fickle."

"Well," I said, forcing myself to lift my head and hold his gaze even though the fire there made me want to squirm. "That might be because you don't know the first thing about me."

"Oh, fuck off," he said, almost smiling. Almost. "I know you. I fucking know you better than you know yourself."

"You can't..."

"Why? Because I don't know what your favorite movie is? Your favorite breakfast foods?"

"Partly, yeah."

"Little things."

"The little things make up the big things."

"No, they don't. The big things make up the big things. The little things don't mean shit."

"They do to me," I insisted.

"Fine. Enlighten me."

"Beauty And The Beast and avocados on toast."

"I'll have to overlook that avocado shit," he said, pressing his pelvis into my knees until they opened around the sides of his body.

"What's wrong with avocados?"

"Everything," he said, grabbing my hips and dragging me forward until my pelvis pushed into his. "Do you want to fuck Matt?"

"I dunno. He's good looking. He calls me 'honey'," I added, tilting my head to the side as I watched his handsome face, maybe a little too pleased at the idea of him being jealous.

"Honey?" he repeated, lips curving up slightly like the idea of that was ridiculous.

"Uh-huh. And he told me that I was sweet as stolen candy."