Page 49 of Wicked Arrangement

“It isn’t David who treats me like a toy. I’m just here for you to fuck and treat as your plaything,” I reply pointedly.

Yaroslav remains composed but I can see the hurt in his eyes. “You have never been just a toy to me,” he says, almost so quietly I think I’ve misheard him.

Before I can get a chance to respond he abruptly turns on his heel and walks away. Leaving the door wide open behind him and me surrounded by destruction.

Chapter 24

Kimberly

I’ve been tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep, my restless mind filled with questions. Does Yaroslav want me to stay just for David, or for him? He said I’m not a toy to him, but why does he keep shutting me out? If he really sees me as more than just a fuck buddy, why doesn’t he ever sleep in the same bed as me?

As if proving a point, he was the perfect gentleman this evening, we enjoyed dinner together but then he politely walked me to my room, bidding me goodnight with a chaste kiss on the cheek, leaving me even more confused. I wanted him, wanted to lose myself in the bliss of sex with him. It’s not that I want him to not have sex with me to show me I’m not a toy. I guess I just want… more.

Do I want more than he can give?

If I stay, what does that mean? Surely I’ll lose my job, I have to be realistic, I can’t live in a bubble forever. Yaroslav wants me to stay but he hasn’t considered these realities, my world is different from his. He probably thinks I can just stay until he’s bored of me and then that’s it. He’ll stay living his life of luxury while my life will be in tatters.

I lie there in the darkness of the guest room I’ve been moved into, staring at the ceiling. Perhaps I should go see Gran tomorrow, if she’s coherent, she’ll be able to advise me and help me decide what to do. If not, being with her still helps me to clear my thoughts. I glance at my phone, the bright light of the screencasting the room in eerie shadows, the display shows it’s 3:42 am. I sigh, there’s still hours left until I can reasonably get up, and even longer until visiting hours.

A moment later, there’s a knock at my door. Immediately I sit up, on high alert, who would be knocking at this time? And why?

I pad over to the door, and open it, wincing at the bright light of the corridor. It’s Yaroslav, his handsome face stricken.

“Kimberly, I’m sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night…” he starts before trailing off, seeming at a loss for words.

“It’s okay, I was awake. What is it? Is everything alright? Is it Gran? David?” I ask, immediately fearing the worst.

He shakes his head, running a hand through his hair, “No, no. Your grandmother and David are both fine.”

“Then what is it?” I ask, confused.

“Can I come in? I think we’d better sit down,” he asks, his voice level and giving nothing away though I can tell something terrible must have happened.

I nod, stepping aside to let him in and flicking the light switch. The smaller but still beautiful room I’m in is flooded with light, unlike the suite, there’s only a bed in here, no chairs, so we move to perch on the edge of the unmade bed. The foam mattress sags under Yaroslav’s impressive weight as we sit, and I’m involuntarily pushed closer to him. I can feel the warmth of his skin through his shirt. It’s then that I realize he’s fully dressed.

Has he been up all night?

“Kimberly, there’s no easy way to tell you this… It’s your apartment. I’m afraid there’s been a fire. Kimberly, your apartment was completely destroyed,” he tells me, looking at me closely as I try to comprehend what he’s telling me.

My hand flies to my mouth in shock. “Oh my god, did everyone in the building get out okay? Is Abigail alright?” I ask, worried for my dear friend.

“Everyone’s fine, Abigail is being treated for smoke inhalation but she’s going to be fine. She’s the one who called the fire department,” he replies.

“Good, that’s good, do you know what hospital she’s in? I’d like to go visit her. It’s a miracle everyone’s alright. Do they know what caused it? I’ve been saying for years that the landlord needs to deal with the wiring in that place, there’s issues with the lights in the corridors all the time and the elevator is always breaking down. Or was it the junkies upstairs, did someone pass out with a lit cigarette? You hear about that all the time,” I ask, rambling slightly as the shock of the information starts to set in.

Yaroslav shakes his head slowly and places a comforting hand on my knee. “You misunderstood me, Kim, it’s not the apartment building that’s burned down, it’s just your apartment.”

I blink at him slowly, my brain taking a moment to catch up with the information. “Wait, what? How is that possible? I’ve not been there in three weeks, all the appliances are turned off.”

Yaroslav takes a deep breath, steeling himself for what he’s about to say, “They think it was a targeted arson attack.”

A cold shiver runs through me, “An attack? Against me? Who would want to do that?”

I don’t allow myself to think how different things could have turned out if Gran and I were home as usual if I hadn’t met Yaroslav.

“The police are looking into it now, they want to speak with you, of course, to see if there’s anyone you can think of,” he explains, still looking at me intently as though expecting me to break down at any moment.

I rack my brains and shake my head, “There’s no one. I’m a nobody. Unless it’s some racist hate crime against Gran, she used to be a well-known figure in civil rights debates. But she’s an old, sick woman now. Who would do such a thing?” I ask horrified at the thought.

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