Page 89 of Broken Princess

Back then I was hesitant, but now I know this is the key to winning. I’m aware of the risk of opening myself up to him, and I have to push past the mental block if I’m going to come out whole in the end. I grind my pussy into his face. Hard. Needing a little more pressure. I don’t recognize my voice or my body when my hand grips his hair, shoving his face closer.

He hums against my center, stiffening his tongue, driving it into me. “That’s so good.” I murmur, “So fucking, good,” I coo, bucking against him as I detonate. He stands, pressing his hand against my throat, cutting off my choked moans.

“Nobody hears those sounds but me.” He loosens his grip, and my body shudders as he strokes my clit, pulling the last bit of pleasure from my body. He kisses me, long and deep, before pulling away. “Now you can go see your mentor,” he says swiping his tongue over his glistening lips, smirking at me like I just sold my soul to the devil. I yank up my pants and it takes everything in me to walk away from that look on his face, without reacting.

Logan thinks he won this round, but what he doesn’t know is I positioned him right where I wanted him. I knew the jab about being unsatisfied would be too much for his ego. Did I think he’d right his wrong in the middle of the stacks? No, but this just tells me to be prepared for anything.

I send him a text, smiling when he clicks the link, activating the software that will allow me to access the microphone on his phone. I’m meeting with Noel, but he’s meeting with his friends, and this time I won’t have to wonder what they discuss in their fucked up little think tank, because I’ll be listening in.

Thirty-Four

Jordanna

Ipace the floor, switching my phone to my other ear. “I know what I agreed to, but I can’t flunk my classes either.” I listen as the person on the other end of the line reminds me of the importance of finishing this assignment. “I’m handling it, and I’ll have some more information soon. Yes. I’m really close.” I get another earful of meeting obligations and time management before we get to the point where we end the call. “Okay. See you soon.”

I turn when I hear a sound in the hall behind me. When I get to the door, the hallway is empty. I don’t know how people with multiple jobs and a family do it. I’ve got school, the dean’s office and the paper, and I feel like I’m letting everyone down. Not to mention this little scavenger hunt I’m on trying to track down the history of Pepper’s compact.

Searching the shadows in the hall again, I can’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. Now that I have secrets I’m keeping, I feel like I’m always on guard. The only time I don’t is when I’m in my room, or for those blissful moments when I surrender control to Logan. But that’s just a temporary fix. As soon as this is over, I’ll be back to having to manage my paranoia and stress on my own.

There’s an email message waiting for me when I get back to my dorm. I check the sender and it looks like it’s from one of the archive searches I sent out. The message says there’s an article I might find helpful, but it’s on microfiche and will be hard to read if scanned and uploaded. I write down the address of the records building in a town I’d never heard of until a few weeks ago. My maps app says it’s somewhere halfway between Carryville and New Haven. The closest bus stop is two hours from there. I calculate the average cost of a cab, and the round-trip bus ticket. There’s no way I’m giving up the chance to see what’s in that newspaper article.

Pepper, once again, has made my trip easier by providing a car. Most people would andhavetold me that I should just confront my fear of driving by getting behind the wheel. Push through. They’ve said. Thankfully, Pepper, who I think is the queen of head-on confrontations, doesn’t feel the same. She dialed her car service the moment I mentioned taking a bus. When I worried she’d be without a ride, she snorted. Literally snorted and told me she’d use a backup driver because she didn’t want to leave my road trip in anyone else’s hands.

I even tried to limit the expense by suggesting I only use a car from the bus station to the archives. Well, we know who won that debate, because here I am, leaving campus with her driver.

“It’s good to see you again, Emmett.”

“Good to see you too, Miss Felding.”

“You know, if Pepper insists on sending you to drive me all the time, you should probably call me Jordanna. Sorry about that, by the way. I know you have better things to do then take an unplanned road trip.”

“Mrs. Dane might have insisted I drive, but I don’t see it as an inconvenience. Just like her, I’d rather be assured you arrive at your destination, safely.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you to say, though I don’t know what I did to deserve it.”

“You’re important to Mrs. Dane. You indulge her stories, play chess with her, and have her smiling more than I’ve seen in years. So, it is my honor to help you.”

My maternal grandparents don’t live close by. They’re amazingly sweet people and I love them dearly but with what I’m going through, it’s nice to have the formidable Pepper Dane’s wisdom to rely on while I’m still here.

It seems like no time has passed when Emmett rouses me from my nap, announcing we’ve arrived at our destination. I’m excited about spending a few days in an unknown city, and I can’t wait to explore. We pull up to the quaint little B&B, and I’m immediately taken to my room. I drew the line at letting Pepper pay for my meals and lodging. I have some money I can use without putting a strain on my mom, or my food budget at school. If the buyer at the auction wasn’t anonymous, I’d thank them in person for providing me with this financial freedom.

For a while, I thought it was Pepper, even though I’ve never seen my artwork hanging anywhere in her house. When I asked, she admitted she inquired about the painting, but someone else snatched it up first. I have no reason not to believe her.

The town of Garonet is like the place that time forgot. Tucked smack dab in the middle of two bustling cities, somehow they’ve retained their small town charm. The town square with the clock reminds me of the one in the Back to the Future movies. At any moment I expect Doc or Marty to show up in a DeLorean.

The concierge was nice enough to give me suggestions for places to visit while I’m in town, and I might’ve squealed a little when she said there’s a museum. I’m still struggling with my painting, but I hope I never lose the part of me that loves art in all its forms. I’m also just in time for the beginning of Spring Festival. An eight-week festival showcasing flowers and plants from local growers. Dad would have loved this. I’m glad I brought my camera so I can document this trip.

For the first time in a while, I don’t feel like I’m being dragged down by the weight of sorrow when I think about him. The pain is there, but today, all I feel is happy thinking about flowers and greenhouses. Maybe I can get some seeds and plant something at home. There’s a nice plot in the backyard for a flower garden, and I could probably convince Summer to help.

I’ve got my phone on vibrate, instead of turned off, just in case mom or Summer need me. But other than them, I’m not answering any calls. Taking a deep breath, I smile, heading off to the first stop on my tour.

I smile at the security guard when I enter the archives building. Looking around, I see I’m the first one here. Probably because they only opened about seven minutes ago. Here’s hoping the clerk has already had her first cup of coffee.

“Good Morning,” I say, keeping my voice low like it’s a library, because one it’s early, and two I’ve always thought county archives deserved respectful and reverent behavior within their walls. This one with its marble pillars and etched molding reminds me of Palladio’s Olympic Theater. Yeah, this is one place I don’t think even Logan would try to defile.

“Morning.” The clerk says looking up from her computer screen. “How may I help you?”

“I’m looking for records from late eighteen to early nineteen hundred New York. I was told you may have some housed here.”

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