Page 139 of Sunrise

It’s been a week of laughter, love, and lots of fucking.

I’ve never been happier in my life and have finally caught up on my sleep and the audiobooks Knox bought me. He truly has impeccable taste in smut.

The guys and I have a schedule in place that works pretty well, too. At least for now. Knox goes inearlier and leaves a little earlier so he can meet us at the Monarch by closing time. We have some fun there and then head back to his house for the rest of the night. He’s already dropping hints about the three of us living together.

I’ll admit, I want that too. I love my house. I love this sleepy neighborhood. I plan to bring up the idea of them moving in with me here. But first, I have to adult and tackle the job battle.

Checking my voicemails for the first time in weeks, I brace for anger to rise when I hear my ex-boss’s message. Only it’s not my ex-boss who leaves it. It’s Human Resources.

“Yes, this Debra Perry. I’m calling regarding a claim made on your behalf. Please call me backimmediately,as this is an urgent matter.” She goes on to leave the number, sounding very robotic and disinterested. Jotting it down, I delete the message, move onto the next one, and start rummaging through old mail that’s collected on the side of my kitchen counter.

Every time I swing by my house to grab more clothes, I’ve just dumped all the mail onto the counter and walked away from it. My bills are paid online, so I don’t really go through my regular mail often. It’s turned into quite a pile of junk flyers and ads.

Rifling through it, I listen to a confirmation about my hair appointment, which I went to already. My blowout still looks amazing. Worth every fucking penny.

Delete.

There are no new messages.

The clock on my stove reads eleven thirty. I swear today is dragging. I miss my guys. Vault’sdoing a system upgrade on the software at the Monarch and Knox had to meet a seafood delivery guy at the restaurant. Then he was going over payroll and invoices with Tara before prepping for tonight’s dinner service. He’s got a whole new menu for the month.

I need a job.

I’m going stir crazy sitting here all day.

Junk, junk, junk… oh a sales ad, which is… more junk, junk, junk.

I unearth a folded piece of paper amidst the flyers. It’s an origami butterfly with the words,I miss you, Kon the wings.

Wow. Knox is seriously coming on strong lately. This is the third one he’s left in my mailbox over the past couple of months. The first one said,You’re beautiful, Kand the second one said,I want you, K.But this one is folded a little more intricately.He took his time with it, that’s for sure. I never say thank you for them, and he never brings them up. It’s just an unspoken secret we share, like the encrypted phone I have with Vault.

My doorbell rings, causing my heart to jolt.

Dropping the butterfly on the counter, I peek out the side window and see a man holding a huge bouquet. His van is out front with the florist’s logo on the side. Normally, I wouldn’t answer, even for a delivery I’m expecting, but Vault’s surveillance system has totally fortified my sense of safety. Because of that, I feel like I can finallyliveinstead of hide when I’m alone.

Swinging the door open, I greet the guy with a big smile. “Hi!”

“I have a delivery for Sophie Ross.”

“That’s me,” I say, waving awkwardly at him.

Wow, could I be any more embarrassing? This good mood I’m always in makes me corny as hell.

“Here you go, ma’am. Have a nice day.”

“Thanks. You, too!”

Grabbing the massive bouquet, I kick the door shut with my barefoot and gawk at the roses. Blood red like the ones on Knox’s neck tattoo. Each rose has a head the size of my fist. They smell incredible.

Squealing with excitement, I carry them into the kitchen and get a vase to put them in.

There’s a card in the center that says,“A rose by any other name…”

Knox just used Shakespeare on me.

And it’s working.

Cutting off one of the heads, I gleefully rush up to my bedroom and grab the encrypted phone I use with Vault. Pulling up my skirt, I press the cut stem side against my pussy, spread the petals with my fingers, and take a picture. I send it along with a text that says, “Knox just used Shakespeare on me. What are you gonna do about it?”

---