Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
“We won’t leave the fifth floor, not even for a tablecloth,” she assured him.
“Good girl. Be good. All of you.” He gave them what he hoped was the fear-of-God look before they all scampered to the elevator.
Chapter Seven
“What was all that about a tablecloth?” Juniper asked as soon as the elevator doors closed.
Zara sighed. “It was my fault. I didn’t take my Daddy seriously when he told me not to leave the top floor. We were planning a party, and we needed a tablecloth, so we went down to the laundry room to get it, but it turned out the man who managed the laundry room was working for the bad guys.”
Celeste shuddered. “I still get chills when I think about it. Mark was so nice.”
“Yeah.”
“Who was after you?” Juniper asked.
“Human traffickers,” Zara murmured. She lowered her face. “Some people seem to think I’m…pretty.”
Celeste chuckled. “Don’t say it like that. You are pretty. We are all pretty in our own ways.”
“I agree,” Juniper said as the elevator doors opened. “I might not have thought much about my own looks before today, but after meeting Magnus… Well, he makes me feel like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“And he should,” Sadie said as she came out of the stairwell to join them at the entrance to the apartments. “That’s what Daddies do.”
Warmth filled her chest. Juniper hadn’t felt this light and happy in months. Not since before her father had died, for sure. She’d been in a slump. She hadn’t even taken as many pictures as usual, and photography was usually her life.
Suddenly, she had three amazing friends who seemed to accept her exactly as she was, and she already knew they were family.
She chewed on her lip, pondering that thought as she led them to Magnus’s apartment. It’s yours, too. He said so. She hadn’t intended to stay here for any length of time. She’d come to Danger Bluff because she’d been feeling nostalgic about her father.
Now, it seemed like her mind was twisted around and upside down. For one thing, she was questioning what her father’s involvement might have been in what appeared to have been a very large robbery. She hated doubting him. She’d always thought he was the most amazing man, larger than life.
Had he been involved? Had he been killed for something he’d known?
“You okay?” Zara asked softly.
Juniper realized she’d stopped walking as soon as they’d entered Magnus’s apartment. She’d gone into her head. “Yeah. I was just thinking about my father. I miss him.”
“That’s understandable. I’m sorry he passed,” Sadie said.
Juniper took a deep breath and waved a hand toward the apartment’s interior. “Were all your apartments this boring when you moved into them?”
Zara giggled. “Yeah. The Daddies aren’t too focused on aesthetics. They’ve been busy saving us from the moment they arrived to work at the Bluff.”
“I can understand that.” Juniper looked around, thinking about what the place could use to make it seem more like someone lived here and less like a display home.
“I know he worked on your playroom, though,” Sadie said sheepishly. “I saw all the packages arriving. Working at the front desk sometimes means I know things.” She giggled.
“He did. He even figured out my favorite color was blue. Come see it.” Juniper led her new friends through the master bedroom and into her special room. She felt hesitant, though, as she stepped inside. “Do all of you really have rooms like this one?”
Celeste nodded. “Yep. We all have the same basic furniture, and then we’ve decorated according to our personal styles.”
“But like…” Juniper wandered in and dragged her fingertips over the top of the bookcase, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She hadn’t had time to really think about this room or explore it.
Sadie came closer and slid her hand over Juniper’s, giving it a little squeeze. “Yes, we all have toys, dolls, and stuffies in our playrooms. It’s supposed to be a safe place to be yourself and let go of your grownup side. Trust me. This room is perfect.”
“Oh.” Juniper turned to look at the other women. They both nodded in agreement. Juniper lowered her gaze to the shelves and smiled as she scanned the games and toys. Was that a talking doll?
She moved to the dresser next. Was there anything in it? When she opened the top drawer, she gasped softly. Immediately, she shut it before anyone else could see what was inside. Her face heated a hundred degrees.
Even more unnerving was the fact that her panties dampened and her nipples puckered. The thought of Magnus, Daddy, using the contents of that drawer on her… All of that made her heart rate increase.
The drawer contained things she wished she hadn’t seen. Restraints, sex toys, and even butt plugs. She was pretty sure she’d also seen a tube labeled “Anal lubricant.”