Page 135 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

“Don’t worry. I won’t scratch your car.”

“Fuck that car. Cars can be replaced. You can’t.”

If she didn’t stop smiling, her jaws would start hurting. “I’ll talk to you later. Be safe.”

“I will, love. Bye.”

“Bye.” Ending the call, Monique headed back into the restaurant, where she resumed sipping her beverage and eating her grilled chicken salad.

“That was good.” Meka dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “I may have to get the rest of this to go.”

“Me too. But I like that they give large portions.” Toya stared down at her unfinished plate.

“Let’s ask for to-go boxes,” Meka suggested.

It didn’t take long for them to pack their food and pay for the meal.

“Where to now?” Meka questioned as they strode to the car. “How about a movie?”

“I promised Orazio we’d go back to the casino.”

“Boooo!” Toya jeered. “Let’s ride along the strip or go to the beach.”

“Or, we can go back to the casino and gamble,” Monique recommended.

“Boring,” Toya declared.

“Raz is a worrier,” Monique told her friends. “He thinks we’ll be safer in the casino. I want to humor him for now.”

“That’s actually kind of sweet,” Toya told her. “But next time, let your man know I stay strapped. So, I’ve got this.”

“I wanted to watch a movie,” Meka complained.

“The casino has a theater room they usually rent out to private groups,” Toya informed them. “That irritating ass guard, Leo, was telling me about it this morning. Maybe we can watch a movie at the casino. We can ask the guards to set it up for us. For Monique, I’m sure Orazio won’t mind.”

“Sounds good to me,” Monique agreed. “I just need to stop by my house for something.”

“What for?” Meka asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Ah,” Monique replied with a sly smile. “That’s a secret.”

“Ooh, mysterious. It’s probably a sex toy,” Toya teased, grinning playfully.

In the car, Toya found a radio station they all agreed on. They sang to the pop song as they journeyed to Monique’s place. Monique pulled up into her driveway.

“You ladies want to come in?” she offered, but Meka and Toya shook their heads.

“We’ll stay here,” Meka declared, turning up the volume on the radio as her favorite song started to play.

“Alright then.” Monique exited the vehicle, excited to retrieve her self-growth journal.

It had been a while since she’d written in it, and she couldn’t wait to document how much better she was doing now. Plus, there were some things she’d written in it that she’d completely forgotten about.

Some fantasies that she’d never lived out because her ex hadn’t been capable of giving her what she needed. She wanted to show them to Orazio. Together, they could bring those fantasies to life.

She hurried into her home, the familiar scent of vanilla greeting her thanks to her Glade plug-in. She grinned as she thought about what she would write and how her life had changed since meeting Orazio.

The last time she was here, she’d felt nervous about going out. She’d considered staying in and retreating into herself, which was her coping mechanism. Since then, she’d changed so much.

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