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I wasn't sure there was another woman around who would give me fashion advice. "Actually, keep this one. Sandy gave it to me," she said, tossing the wine-colored 'shrug' at me.
Sandy was her most recent girlfriend. "That went south already?" I asked, realizing I had done the 'sympathy voice' when she raised a brow at me.
"Apparently it was a deal-breaker that I don't like cats," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I'm with you on that. I hate being covered in hair."
"Right?" she agreed, dropping down on her bunk. "So, I am going to slip into nurse-mode here for a quick second. Are you on the Pill?"
"What? Ah, no," I said, shaking my head, thrown off a little by the abrupt change in conversation.
"Shots? IUD?" she went on.
I shook my head. "No, I ah, had a implant put in last year," I said, rolling up my sleeve to show her the matchstick-size piece of plastic just under the surface of my skin.
"Why isn't that in your file?" she demanded and I could tell she was genuinely unhappy with me for not providing that information. It was her, among others, job to keep track of our medical records. "I did your last pap," she went on.
"I had it done in Canada last winter. I was due for a checkup and the doctor recommended it to me since I can't do the Pill."
"You should have told me. It alters things in small ways when you're on hormones."
"Well, you can put in my file that for the next five years, I have hormones in me."
"Alrighty, well, I don't have any seeing as I don't get involved with cocks of the real variety," she said, giving me a small smile. "But I know the reputations of those Henchmen. If you plan to hook up, or," she cut me off as I started to object, "even if you don't plan to hook up, please buy a box of condoms and keep them in your bag. Better to be prepared."
"Okay, Mom," I smiled. I didn't tell her that I always had condoms because, implant aside, I had made it into my mid-late twenties without ever having had sex without a condom. I'd like to say it was just genuinely being overly careful, and there was that, but I was sure that a bigger part of it had to do with that level of intimacy and the fact that I was never fully comfortable with it.
"Okay, so I think you're all set," she said suddenly, jumping up and shoving a bunch of things into my bag so fast that I couldn't even make out what the items were and before I could complete a full breath, she was zipping up the bag and picking it up. "Let's get you to your redheaded biker man."
I felt my stomach do a flip that I wasn't entirely sure was dread. In fact, it felt a lot like excitement to be perfectly honest. But as I tossed my bag in the back of the car and drove down the hill toward town, I tried like hell to convince myself otherwise.
If I was going to survive this job, I needed my wits about me and my guards up. Even if I would be wearing galaxy-printed leggings and a wine-colored shrug. Even if I didn't fully feel like myself because I was playing a part. I still needed to be careful.
Because a part of me recognized that Renny was dangerous to me. Not because he would hurt me, but because he had that power. No one had that power. Not since I was a kid.
I walked into the compound a complete bundle of nerves, every inch of skin seeming to spark off, my belly in tight knots. The common room had two new faces I didn't recognize, obviously brothers if the eyes and noses were anything to go by. The one without the beard also had a nice jaw to show off as well.
"Well now, who do we have here?" the bearded one asked, slowly getting out of his seat with a charming smile.
"Sit," Lazarus demanded casually, looking over at me. "She's taken."
As if on cue, I felt strong arms wrap themselves around my belly from behind and a warm chest curving around my back, a face ducking into my neck. "She's taken alright," Renny's voice said close to my ear, his breath warm, sending a shiver across my skin as my sex did an unexpected tightening. "Welcome home, baby cakes," he said and I had to bite my lower lip to keep from telling him to not call me that. I was supposed to be a woman in love who wanted pet names, no matter how ridiculous they were. "Aw, you're all tense from work," he said, giving my belly a squeeze. "Well, why don't we go to our room and I can... relax you?" he suggested and the bearded guy whistled, Laz chuckled, and the other one did his best to look like he hadn't overheard though he absolutely had.
