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Me: But they weren’t sleeping! Stop using my home for baby-making business. Use yours!
And then I shiver thinking about other things. I need to know.
Me: You watched the video? Like for real?
My stomach rolls. I feel so damn violated. My breathing becomes so painful I gasp.
Leif: I couldn’t tell it was you, kitten. And I don’t pass up an opportunity to watch good porn. You should know.
Idiot, I want to kick him just to see him in pain. I raise my head and give him a stern look, blinking away tears of humiliation. Leif watches me, seeing everything. His forehead is sharp with worry. His fingers fly typing again.
Leif: Relax, I stopped when I realized you were the porn star, couldn’t watch both of you fornicating. It was gross.
My face tingles from the influx of blood, and I linger on the keyboard, not knowing how to respond. Why is my life so out of control?
Leif: Are you freaking out? Don’t. I do worse to your sister, and she loves it. Besides, I already saw your boobs before. It was a boob fest when you breastfed your kids.
Grossed out, I throw my phone into the corner of the sofa, disturbed by the image. My brother-in-law laughs out loud and winks at me. What an idiot! Except, his distracting tactics worked. I’m less anxious about my own problems.
My head twists to Mark sitting next to me. He’s stiff and has a strange look on his face.
“Mark?”
He turns his gaze to Darren and my awareness spikes.
Is he jealous? Damn it, we need to talk about a lot of things. I close my eyes, fighting the ache in my chest.
“Let’s discuss the recent events and the contingency plan,” Darren’s words snap me out of my pity party.
I hope Darren doesn’t mean we’re going to talk about my bunny business.
20
Smoke Mirrors
~Cassandra~
Browsing the Internet for the articles about me on my laptop, I drink cappuccino and watch my two appointed bodyguards pretend I don’t exist. They probably hope that no one notices their black suits, militarily haircuts, or sharp eyes, scanning people at the coffee shop. But they do. A few women, farther away from me, giggle and gossip, eyeing them like they’re in the candy shop.
You know when you’re little and believe if you cover yourself or close your eyes, the monsters won’t see you? I wish my sunglasses would work the same magic, but I am no longer that girl, believing in magic. Or that woman who used to hide from the world.
“Excuse me.”
My head snaps at the young man towering over my table with a shy smile, gracing his attractive features. His short haircut and mischievous eyes sparkle at me with humor, eyeing my sunglasses, reflecting his face back to him.
One of my bodyguards, with a permanently etched mean scowl on his face moves as if to block him. I shake my head slightly to stop him from advancing on the waiter, and he halts.
“Would you like to order?” The guy holds some sort of black envelope under the stack of menus and passes me one, shifting on his feet nervously.
“If you give me a few more minutes.”
He nods, but instead leaving he lingers at my table.
“My friend hasn’t arrived yet. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to order.” I try to hint that it might take a while.
His cheeks start to glow, but he hesitates to leave.
“Is there something you need from me?” I ask as he stares at my bodyguards.
