Page 52 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 5
“No! I mean…no, we aren’t doing that. But I’d be safe if we were.” Who was he to tell me about safe sex? I was literally a walking example of why he wasn’t a reliable source. It was hilarious that he thought he could tell me any of this.Don’t laugh. Brooklyn, don’t you dare laugh.
He nodded. “All your tests came back clean. A clean bill of health is better kept than tainted. A sexually transmitted disease could jeopardize your health.”
“I’m not having sex.” My voice came out squeaky and high-pitched.
He cleared his throat. “Do you have any questions about sexual relations? Or the aforementioned diseases?”
This isn’t happening.It was like the awkward conversation with my uncle about condoms. Only worse because I didn’t even know this man. And at least my uncle didn’t use weird big words when talking about STDs. “My mom already taught me about the birds and the bees. The public school system covered that topic pretty thoroughly too. And I’ve had this conversation with my uncle. I’m all up to date, I promise.”
“Very well.” He stood up and brushed off his pants like sitting on my bedspread had been a dirty thing. “But there probably are a few more options for you in regards to birth control now that you’re living with me. You can get on the pill, or there’s even a shot. Please come to me first before you put anything like that into your system though. We’ll want to take a thorough read-through of all the side effects, yes?”
“Sure.” Did anyone ever read those things? They were pages long.
“And I’d be happy to accompany you to any such appointments to discuss these things with Dr. Wilson.”
This conversation was so invasive even for a normal father, let alone one I just met. “Sure,” I said again, even though I wouldn’t be going to any such appointment. Especially with him or Dr. Wilson.
“Will Matthew be joining us for dinner?” The air of concern about my sexual activity had vanished. Mr. Pruitt seemed to be in a good mood.
“Oh. I don’t know. I didn’t ask him.”
“I’ll extend the invitation. How about you freshen up and meet us downstairs in the dining room?”
I nodded.
He disappeared as quickly as he’d come.
What the hell was that? I buried my face in my hands. I didn’t know whether to be mortified or pissed or just plain confused. The last option won by a landslide. Mr. Pruitt was so weird. He went from terse to overly caring in two seconds flat. Why did he even think I was having sex? Matt had clearly been dressed.Matt.I couldn’t leave him down there alone with Mr. Pruitt. That would just be asking for trouble. I didn’t want to walk in on them talking about sex either.
I ran toward my door but then remembered that Mr. Pruitt had basically told me I needed time to freshen up. When I reached the bathroom I was horrified to see my hair in a tangled mess.No wonder he thought we were banging.
I grabbed a brush that was lying there and pulled it through the mess. My hair detangled in one stroke.Huh.I looked down at the brush. It must have been some magic, rich person brush. I put it down gently, afraid that I might break it. And then I went to go save Matt from what was surely an awkward conversation.
But when I walked into the dining room, it was only Matt sitting there.
“Hey,” I said. “Where’s Mr. Pruitt?”
“He said he needed a few minutes in his office. But that we could start without him. You want me to stay, right?”
“Of course.” I sat down next to him at the table, avoiding the chairs Mrs. Pruitt and Isabella had sat at the other night. “If it was up to me, you’d never leave.” I opened my mouth to say something else, but one of the staff members I hadn’t met yet bustled in carrying a tray of salads.
She didn’t question the unannounced guest, the absence of Mr. Pruitt, or the fact that Mrs. Pruitt and Isabella were missing.
“Thank you,” I said when she placed a bowl down in front of me. “This looks great.”
She seemed surprised that I was talking to her. “You’re welcome, miss.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t meet you the other day on my tour. I’m Brooklyn. What’s your name?”
She glanced at Matt nervously. “Tiffany,” she said. Her skin was so pale that I thought she might faint. But then I thought that maybe she was just never allowed to leave the apartment.Like me.Besides, the rest of her looked healthy enough. She couldn’t be much older than me, and her mousey brown hair was shining and I wondered if she had one of those magical hairbrushes too. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
Tiffany smiled, but it faltered when there was a noise from somewhere in the hall. It almost sounded like the heat had just kicked on, even though it wasn’t quite chilly enough for it. She scurried away as quickly as she had come.
“Why does everyone always look so shocked when I talk to them?” Justin had acted the same way earlier. I shoved a huge forkful of lettuce in my mouth.
Matt laughed.
I looked up at him and tried to swallow my food as fast as I could.
