Page 10 of Carnal Desire

“Oh no, thanks, I’m not hungry.”

I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sadie,” I said firmly. “You need to eat. Sit.”

She lowered herself into a chair.

“Good girl.”

Sadie’s eyes flared and a myriad of filthy thoughts raced through my mind before I tore my gaze away. Going into the kitchen, I retrieved the plate I’d kept warming in the oven for her.

“This is a bacon and vegetable omelet with a side of potatoes,” I said, heading back to the kitchen to grab some things from the fridge. “Here’s butter, jam, ketchup, and a fruit salad.”

Sadie stared at the little bowl of fruit for a long second before looking back up at me. “Eat.”

I went to the other side of the table and pretended to work on my laptop while covertly watching Sadie eat. For someone who professed that she wasn’t hungry, Sadie tucked into that omelet like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. It made me happy, watching her eat the meal I’d prepared for her. I liked taking care of her.

She’d nearly cleaned her plate when I heard a quick knock on the door, followed by the sound of the keypad beeping. Theo.

My assistant was a tall, slim Black man, totally bald, with a small diamond in his left earlobe and the whitest teeth you’ve ever seen, thanks to his religious bleaching routine. He was dressed in sharply creased grey pants, a shiny silver shirt open at the neck, and shoes that cost a thousand bucks. I knew, because I’d bought them for his last birthday.

He swept in surrounded by a cloud of expensive cologne, his arms full of shopping bags.

“Ariel, my queen, who have we here?” he asked dramatically, looking Sadie up and down. “She’s the cutest little thing I ever saw.”

Sadie shrunk back a bit at his perusal.

“Theo, this is my friend Sadie. Sadie, my assistant and friend Theo.”

He dropped the bags on the chair and grabbed Sadie by the hand, pulling her to her feet. He walked around her, nodding.

“I think some of the clothes from the..,” he sent me an amused look over Sadie’s head, “charity clothing drive will fit you for sure. I’ll just leave everything here and you can send back whatever you don’t want.”

“Thank you,” Sadie said quietly. “That’s very nice of you.”

“Thanks Theo,” I added.

He shot me another look before hustling towards the door. “Okay girls, I’d better get home before my husband sends out a search party. Itisthe weekend and all. We’ll see you at Found Family Dinner.”

Then he was gone, leaving Sadie blinking like she wasn’t sure what to make of him. Theo got that a lot.

Sadie sat back down, reaching for her coffee.

“Do you get seasick?”

Sadie took a drink of her coffee, frowning as if she thought she hadn’t heard me correctly. The poor thing seemed totally disoriented this morning. Some fresh air would do her a world of good.

“Seasick?”

“Yes. I thought we’d go out on my boat today. It’s going to be a beautiful day. I know you just ate breakfast, but I thought we could have a light lunch on the deck later on.”

Sadie perked up. “Oh that sounds fun. I’ve never been on a boat before.”

“Great. Let’s get dressed and I’ll call my car service.”

Ninety minutes later we were walking down the dock at the Chicago Yacht Club. Ricky, my captain, jumped off the boat with a friendly wave.

“Welcome aboard Ms. Fernandez. It’s great to see you again.”

I shook his hand and returned his smile. “Thanks Ricky. It’s a beautiful day for a sail.”

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