Page 77 of Devoured

"Oh. Well, yes, but I just use them as monitors. They're hooked up to my computers." The only T.V. I ever watched on them was games with Ian.

She glanced at the leather sofa in the corner. Where I still had a pillow and blanket.

She turned back to me. "So the rest of your apartment is immaculate because you spend all your time in here?"

"I spend most of my free time in here, yes."

"Well, you seemed very judgy of my wonderfully comfortable dorm room bed. Yet, you usually sleep on a leather sofa?"

"I've been finding it hard to fall asleep in my bed when you're not in it with me." I pressed my lips together. It was odd being so blatantly honest. Odd but…refreshing.

"Oh." Her cheeks flushed.

I’d forgotten how much I loved when she got flustered. Her rosy cheeks reminded me of the matching color her ass turned when I spanked her.

She walked over to my desk. "So this is where all your personal stuff is?" She lifted up a picture frame off my desk. "Are these your siblings?"

I walked over to her and stared at the picture. “Yeah.” I was younger in it. A much better age for Penny. But I’d been a fucking mess back then. I was happy in that picture, but the feeling had been fleeting. I barely even recognized myself with a smile on my face. If I was worried about ruining her now…I definitely would have ruined her then.Breathe.

"What are their names?"

"Jennifer and Rob."

"When was this taken?" she asked.

"At the launch party of my company."

"Is that a thing? That's rather extravagant."

"It was a P.R. nightmare."

"How old were you?"

"22." It felt like a lifetime ago.

"Hmm."

"What?" I smiled down at her.

"You look so happy in this picture. Do you miss it?"

Miss what exactly? Living under my parents’ thumb? Being high every night? Slowly killing myself? I had a feeling her question wasn’t so heavy. I cleared my throat. "Running a company?"

"Yeah."

"You'd think that being a C.E.O. would mean I didn't have to answer to anyone." I sat down on the edge of my desk. "But most of my time was spent doing things I didn't love. I do miss certain parts though."

"Is that why you're thinking about starting a new company?"

"Well, as you have so eloquently pointed out, I've had a lot of free time. I needed something to occupy myself." But that wasn’t the only reason. In the back of my head, I was worried my time at this university would be cut short. That Penny and I would be found out. And if I didn’t have something else lined up, I was worried what that free time would do to me. I wasn’t good at being idle. I needed a routine. I needed structure.

She laughed and moved between my legs. She put her hands down on my thighs. "I had a question about my present."

"And what is that?"

"The tickets to the Thanksgiving Day parade. Is that an invitation to meet your family?"

I smiled down at her. "If you want it to be."

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