Page 16 of Passion

“Nonsense. You’re going to help me or I get all your fancy jewelry when I find it.” I threw a pillow out of one of the laundry baskets at her, and she caught it and threw it back.

“The hell you do.” That lit a fire under her, and she pulled another box off the stack and sat back down to open it. When I joined her, carrying a box of my own, she clicked her tongue at me. “You know, this guy is pretty loaded. You sure you know what you’re doing?” She reached into the box and pulled out her iron, setting it beside the other items that were hers.

“Yeah, I do.” I hadn't even opened my box and I was tired. I was with her for a split second—the idea that throwing it all out and starting over was very appealing. Until I realized that the entirety of my life was in these boxes and without some of these essential things, I’d be out thousands of dollars when I did get a new place. As it was, I’d have to buy a new bed.

“You sure? Because I’ve had a couple of sleazeball boyfriends. You need to be careful. He has money and power, and that turns a man into a monster. Just promise me that if you try leaving and he stops you, you will call me and I can come and take you away while he’s gone?”

I smiled. It was sweet of her to worry about me. I’d have moved in with her at her new place except it was a studio and she could handle it on her own. She deserved the next step in her life as much as I did. “Thank you for caring. I swear, if it’s too much, I will call you.”

“You remember that guy Shaun? He wanted me to do breast implants and offered to pay for them. Then he told me if I did them he’d make me aSportsIllustratedswimsuit cover girl. He might have had the money for the implants, but he had no connection toSports Illustrated. He was making porn, and I about blew my career.”

“You got free boobs, though,” I said, poking her in the chest playfully. I laughed hysterically, and she scowled at me in her normal fashion.

“Funny.” She dug into the box again and continued talking, half buried in kitchen items. “My point was you never know people sometimes. Just be careful.”

“It won’t be long. I’ve got a lead on an apartment, and I have a few job interviews coming up. My savings will cover everything for two months. I had enough for three, but now I’ll have to cover rent and deposit and pay for a new bed. After that, hopefully, income from a new job will replace that, and I can be back on my feet.”

I tore open the box and stared into it. It was mostly cosmetics and hair accessories, combined with beauty tools—hair dryer, flat iron, curling irons, hot rollers. All of them belonged to Midge. “This one’s yours.” I pushed it at her, and she looked into it briefly, then tossed her toaster and whisk into it.

“Thanks. So, you don’t want to keep the sugar daddy around a while?” Midge folded the flaps of the box shut and picked it up, carrying it over and setting it by the door.

My cheeks burned. I avoided eye contact with her as I pulled another box off the stack and sat down with it. He was not my sugar daddy. Lucas was anything but that. I did like him, and I felt horrible for using him to have a place to stay. I hoped he didn’t think for a second that I wanted him to be my sugar daddy.

“What?” Midge plopped back in front of her open box and continued riffling through it.

“He’s not that. You know? It’s complicated.” I tore open the box and noticed it was office supplies, probably from my desk in my bedroom. I looked through a few things and decided it was mine, then closed the flaps again. I just didn’t have the emotional energy to stand up now, to carry it to the finished stack.

“Well, that’s sort of what he is. You have no relationship with him. You fucked him. He’s giving you everything. Classic definition of sugar daddy, if you ask me.”

“Midge, stop saying that.” I covered my face with my hands and hid from her. I knew what it looked like. To anyone in the outside world, they’d think either he was throwing money at me to manipulate me, or I was throwing sex at him to get his money. I didn’t believe either of those things were true. Lucas was too kind of a man to do that to me.

I really liked him a lot, though, and I didn’t want him to think I was using him for his money. I hadn’t asked him for anything except to make good on his offer to let me stay here. I had no intention of asking him for anything if I could help it. And besides, we hadn’t had sex since I moved my things in here. If I were going to keep him as a sugar daddy, sooner or later, he’d start expecting that. I had no intention of putting out just to keep a place to live.

“I’m sorry, Vera. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just call it like I see it. If you don’t want people to think that, then maybe you should move out sooner rather than later.” She stopped sorting through her box and turned to me. We hadn’t even touched the mountain of work and we were already having this discussion. I’d hoped to at least make it to dinner.

I dropped my hands and laid back on the sofa. “I am screwing my whole life up. I can’t believe Daven was such a jerk. Now look at me. I’m at it again, throwing myself at the first guy who comes along. I thought it would be a one-nighter at the resort, and he turned out to be Mr. Perfect. I have no home. The hurricane made sure of that. I have no job. Daven made sure of that. What am I supposed to do?”

“Okay. There is one way to tell whether this is actually something that might legitimately work out, or if you are working with an egotistical maniac who wants you for sex. Have you had sex?” She stared me down like I was in a police investigation room.

“I mean, we had sex on the island, and then again on the plane ride.” I shrugged. “He brought me home on his private jet so I didn’t have to wait until commercial airlines opened back up.”

“Fuck’s sake, girl.” Midge rubbed her temples. “And since you’ve been back in Miami, have you slept with him?”

“Define ‘slept with him’. ”

She grimaced. “Fucked. Have you fucked him since you got back?” Her intent gaze wasn’t letting up. I squirmed uncomfortably.

“We’re sleeping in the same bed, but we have not had intercourse. Though he does kiss me when he gets home and when he leaves.” She wilted, shaking her head and groaning. “What? I feel bad that he’s being so nice and taking such good care of me. I’m supposed to refuse his kindness? What if he kicks me out? Where will I go?”

Midge pushed her box away and scooted around the sectional to sit next to me. She lifted the box off my lap and set it on the floor, then pulled me into her arms. “Vera, you have a sugar daddy. It’s only a matter of time before sex is what he wants instead of just kisses. He’s letting you adjust to the idea. The fact that he wanted sex on that plane in exchange for the ride…”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Lucas walked in the front door and dropped his briefcase and jacket on the table in the short entryway. “Ladies! I see all the things have arrived.”

I straightened and pulled away from Midge. “Yes, thank you.”

“Midge, it’s nice to meet you. You can stay for dinner. I’m just going to go up and change, and I’ll come back and we can eat. I can help with the sorting if you’d like afterward.” Lucas walked over to me and leaned over the back of the couch, kissing my forehead as he was accustomed to doing.

“Thanks, I think I might take you up on that.” Midge leaned away from me, and as Lucas walked away, she scowled at me.

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