Page 11 of Ravage

But as I grab my handbag and move towards the door, he grips the back of Dante's head and rams himself down the other man's throat.

Grinning, I wave and pull the door closed behind me, shaking my head. Dante is like a puppy half the time, so eager to please and get rewarded for it.

I think of all the sex workers at Dark Desires, he is the one who comes to Sebastian the most frequently. Not that I can blame him. Our enigmatic boss is an expert on human pleasure and is generous in how he takes care of us all.

Most of the staff here live in the employee suites on the third floor, so their commute is a breeze. I've opted to keep my own apartment, though, so I make my way to my car, slide behind the wheel of my Mercedes convertible, and drive down the driveway, feeling more relaxed than I have in days.

There's no way I could give this up. I'm perfectly content with the life I've fallen into, and can't imagine any reason why I'd want to change it. But a niggling voice in the back of my mind has been growing louder over the last twelve months, wondering if I'm missing out on other life experiences. I've let myself grow comfortable in my unconventional bubble, and almost all the people Isocialise with are colleagues now, save for my sister and an old university friend. The same friend who introduced me to this place.

Sighing, I turn the sound up on the car's stereo and let the soft rock song playing drown out the voice, refusing to let it get to me.

5

CROTCH GOBLINS

IMOGEN

Tuesday morning,my sister calls for a chat.

"You realise you never ask me to catch up for coffee anymore, right?" Diana complains as soon as I answer the phone.

"Yes, I do. We literally had coffee last week. I think the baby brain has kicked in," I say, as my infant niece makes baby noises in the background.

"Oh yeah... Was that last week? I swear, my life is just one big stretch of no sleep right now." She yawns loudly.

"Really selling this whole motherhood thing, big sis," I say with a laugh.

"Like you're ever going to have kids, Immy. Aside from Tabitha, you've literally never been near a child in your life."

"True. You can keep having the crotch goblins, and I'll just keep enjoying having all the procreation free sex."

Diana splutters a laugh. "That's a new one. I've heard you call children many names, but crotch goblins is a first."

"Just here for your entertainment," I reply, returning to thekitchen where I was getting my breakfast ready when the phone rang.

"What are you up to today? Steven is home, and I need to get out of this house and have some husband and baby free time." I can hear her banging around, and it sounds like she's trying to wrestle Tabitha into her highchair, judging by the squeals.

I wince when my niece lets out a particularly loud whine, one that she does whenever she's seen food. "I'm working this afternoon, but we can do lunch before, if you'd like?"

"Oh, yes, please! The usual place?"

"Yep."

"Awesome. See you at twelve." She hangs up, and I get on with my morning.

The days when I have later starts, I usually prefer to hang out at home, enjoying the peace, but Diana has been out of sorts for months, and I know the change in lifestyle since Tabitha was born has been getting to her.

When I arrive at our regular cafe of choice, she's already there, book in hand, as she lovingly strokes her thumb up and down the side of the coffee mug she's cradling. She's wearing what I've come to refer to as her 'mum uniform', messy hair, oversized jumper and black leggings. Before Tabitha came along, Diana never left the house without checking to make sure there wasn't a hair out of place, her makeup always impeccable and her outfits on point. Motherhood has been a rude shock for her, and while I'd been on the fence about it before, it has definitely cemented that babies are not for me.

"Hey, been waiting long?" I ask, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek before taking a seat.

"Yep, but that's cause I told Steven we were going to get pedicures first before we ate. Needed some extra time to myself."

I raise an eyebrow. "Won't he notice that your feet still look awful?"

She shoots me a horrified look. "They don't look awful!But Steven wouldn't even notice either way, cause he's as exhausted as I am these days."

The server arrives, and we put in our orders. Once the girl leaves, Diana leans back in her chair and looks me over.

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