Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
“Oh! The kitten,” I whisper to myself and creep back into the pantry. I scan the canned goods stored there and locate a can of tuna. I’m sure Chris won’t mind if I feed it to the cat. He must have known she would have to eat when he let me bring her.
“Come on, kitty,” I call, bending over the partition.
“Nice view,” I hear Chris say from behind me and I freeze. From this angle, he must be looking right at my panties. Oh my god, no.
I drop the bowl, stand up, and spin around, pulling the shirt down as I do. My toes curl, and my fingers fidget with the oversized sleeve. I know I’m red from head to toe. “My dress has gone missing. Do you know where it is?”
His eyes are at half mast, and his hands are resting in the front of his pants. “Yes, you can’t go shopping in my shirt so I picked it up earlier for Maggie to wash.”
“Maggie? The housekeeper?”
“Yes, Maggie the housekeeper. It should be dry by now. Why don’t we go and get it? I’ll take the dogs out for you today. You can’t be running around outside in that. My guards will get distracted, and I won’t have a choice but to gouge their eyes out.”
My cheeks go red and I feel like my face is on fire.
“Thank you” is all I manage to say.
Chris leads me to the laundry room where my yellow dress has been pressed and is hanging on a clothes rack.
“There you go. Now, go up and change. I have someone coming by to take you shopping in about an hour. Do you want breakfast?”
“Breakfast would be nice. Thanks.”
“Go. Hurry.”
I take my dress and rush back up the stairs. I don’t know who I’m supposed to be going shopping with, but I hope it isn’t one of his guards. They’re creepy and they smell funny. I want to remain as far away from them as possible.
Dressed and looking somewhat human again, I go back downstairs for breakfast. Chris has a plate set for me at the table with eggs, bacon, oatmeal, and fresh fruit. Back home, I would have considered just one of these items a complete breakfast.
“Do you drink coffee, Cassidy?”
“Yes. Well, sometimes.”
He brings me a cup and sets it down beside my plate.
“Are you eating?” I ask him, already shoving a forkful of eggs in my mouth.
“I did, two hours ago.”
“Should I be getting up earlier?”
“You don’t have to. I’m not much of a sleeper.”
“I could sleep for days in that bed upstairs. It’s very nice.”
“My bed is bigger and nicer, though.”
I choke on the food, and while I’m thumping my chest, he stares at me from under his lashes, face darkening. There it is again, the electricity zapping through the air.
We’re saved from the awkward situation when the doorbell rings. Moments later, the housekeeper enters the room with another woman. She’s a tall, thin blonde, wearing a black pantsuit and high-heeled boots. She’s covered in makeup and jewelry but very attractive and sophisticated-looking—exactly the type of woman I expect Chris to be involved with.
My ego and self-esteem completely deflate when I see her.
“Morning, boss,” she says.
I swing my head to her and grin. Boss? Not a lover? That works for me.
“Good morning. Sarah, this is Cassidy. She’s the one I was telling you about.”
Sarah starts eyeing me up and down, assessing and judging. “You need me to help her shop?”
“I know how to shop,” I whine.
“No offense, baby, but based on what I see, you don’t.”
Her words sting a bit and I sink in my chair, hating all this attention.
“I need you to assist her. She’ll have my card, and I want you to get her anything she wants or needs.”
“Sure.”
“Sarah?”
“Yeah, boss?”
“Get her whatever she wants or needs. Your input isn’t required unless she asks for it.”
Her expression is pinched as she nods. “Okay, I’ve got it.”
I can’t take it anymore so I rise from my seat and wipe my mouth with the napkin. “Thank you for the breakfast and for taking the dogs out.”
“You have to eat and you know why I let the dogs out. Now, go with Sarah. Make sure you’re back in time to feed the dogs dinner.”
I nod and follow the long-legged blonde out the front door to where the limo is waiting for us.
“Fancy, fancy.” Sarah laughs and slaps the driver on the butt. “I never get to ride in the big car.”
We get into the car, and I break the silence by turning to her. “What do you do for Chris? Are you like a stylist or a consultant?”
The driver looks at us in the rearview mirror and chuckles.
Sarah gives me a lopsided grin. “No, baby. I’m a dealer.”
“You mean…drugs?” I whisper.
She bursts out laughing and waves a hand in my direction. “No, blackjack. I guess the boss just thinks being a woman makes me more qualified than him to go shopping with you. So, what’s your story?”