Page 4 of Trapped In His Harem

“Yes!” I protest. “You know what Ellie said. Logan Daniels doesn’t get out of bed until noon at the earliest. I thought I’d be long gone before he made an appearance.”

Lily pinches the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes as if a migraine has just struck.

“And how did you introduce yourself to Mr. Daniels?”

I look down at the carpet, chastened.

“I told him I was visiting my friend, like we agreed,” I explain in a small voice. I purposely leave out the part where Logan didn’t seem to know who she was, in case that might hurt her feelings.

“And did he suspect anything?” Lily presses.

I shake my head slowly.

“I don’t think so. I hope not.”

“Okay,” shrugs Mom. “That doesn’t sound so bad, then.” Satisfied that our cover hasn’t been blown, she goes back to painting her nails. “You know you’re not supposed to be here, Jasmine. This is serious stuff and you need to stay out of sight going forwards.”

I bite my lip, working my toe into the carpet.

“I know, but there’s more,” I manage in a small voice. Like a hawk, Mom looks back up at me, her brow furrowed. She can sense that something’s wrong, and I take a deep breath. “So Mr. Daniels noticed I was new, and invited me to a movie night he’s having tonight. A private movie night. He wants us both to go, actually.” I can tell Mom has stopped breathing.

“And you declined, right?” she asks pointedly.

I twist my mouth with agony.

“How could I?” I reply. “Wouldn’t that be super suspicious? I mean, the man puts a roof over our heads. It would be fishy to say no.”

Mom sighs and puts down her nail polish, thinking.

“You’re right,” she agrees. “You have to go. You don’t have a choice now.” A wave of excitement washes over me at the thrilling prospect that tonight is actually going to happen. “And you have to go without me,” Mom continues, to my relief. “Because I don’t want Mr. Daniels to suspect that you’re my daughter. If he sees us together, he’ll know.”

I smile wanly.

“I can make an excuse.”

Lily nods, thinking quickly.

“Yeah, just tell him I have a migraine or that I ate something bad,” she says. But then Lily stands up and starts pacing the floor with a pained look, as she blows on her nails to dry them.

“What?” I ask, suddenly concerned. “I think those are good excuses. He doesn’t want you barfing during a movie.” But my mother doesn’t immediately answer, and I worry that I’ve upset her. Even though the conditions aren’t exactly ideal, this is the closest I’ve been to her since I was little, and I’d hate for us to lose this connection before it even has a chance to blossom.

“It’s just,” Lily sighs, “this is not the life I wanted for you, Jasmine. I never wanted you to be exposed to any of this to begin with. It’s why I didn’t want you to come live here. What mother would? You’re a smart girl and you’re going places. You deserve better than this.”

Affection for her swells within me as I understand that it wasn’t because she didn’t want to live with me. She was trying to keep me safe.

“It’s okay, Mom,” I smile reassuringly. “It’s just a movie night. It’s not going to be a big deal. One movie, and then we’re off the hook.”

But the look Lily throws me immediately wipes the smile off my face. It’s a look that says,“You innocent fool.”

“That’s the thing Jasmine - it’s not ‘just a movie night,’” she says in a tight voice. “The fact is that Logan Daniels has invited you to his private quarters. He’ll want something. This isn’t just chit chat and fun and games, honey. You’re old enough to know that.”

She’s right. I do know.

“So what do I do?” I whisper.

“You have to keep Mr. Daniels happy,” Mom says resolutely, fixing me with her green eyes. “If you don’t, you may stand out too much, and he might start asking questions. And if he finds out the truth about who you are… well, we could end up on the street.”

“But how do I keep him happy?” I squeak. “I’ve never… you know…I’m a virgin, Mom!”

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