Page 45 of The Assignment: Room 3

“Flex…”

“Tell me you don’t want me to kiss you right now.”

“I…” He brushes his lips over my eyelashes—such a tender caress.

“Tell me you don’t want me to take you in that house and fuck you the way you deserve to be fucked after taking your punishment like such a good little girl.”

I fist my hands in his raven-black hair and pull him to my level, my lips crashing down on his. Even on my tiptoes, I’m struggling to reach him, and he wraps a massive arm around me, lifting me off the ground as our tongues twist and tangle.

My stomach does somersaults as he explores me—the crisp night air a stark contrast to the soft warmth of his mouth. Every nerve ending in my body comes alive, but I know I have to stop.

It takes everything I have to break our kiss. “I have to go,” I say, breathless from his devastating kiss.

“Then invite me in.” His voice is dripping with sex and full of dark, dominant promise.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I just can’t.”

He sets me down on my feet and releases his hold. “Goodnight, Celest.” Gesturing for me to climb the steps to my front door, he leans against the car and waits until I turn the lock and open the door.

It’s unsettling to see the club intersect with my real life. Without a word, I slip inside, unable to look back, and when the lock clicks into place, I crumple to the floor, my back against the door. My silent tears fall unbidden as I wait for the sound of Flex’s car leaving.

He’s waiting.

What for?

Just when I’m about to peek through the glass, my mom appears in front of me, dropping to her knees. “Are you okay? What happened?”

I struggle past the lump in my throat. “I’m fine.”

She cups my face in her hands. “You arenotokay. What’s going on?”

“I…” I descend into incoherent sounds, unable to voice the emotions fighting for dominance right now. “I just want my life to be normal. I want so much more than this,” I say, gesturing to our humble abode. Having a terrible credit score and no paper trail has limited my choices since I had Gracie. I’m saving for a nice little home in a good neighborhood, but I feel like nothing I want in life is within reach. Gracie deserves so much better.

I drop my head, unable to face her. She gave up everything a year ago to come and be with Gracie and me. I let her make that sacrifice for us, and I know it was selfish, but Gracie needed someone other than me in her life.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I should never have called you.”

“Look at me.” I can’t do it. “Look. At. Me.”

My silent tears burst forth, bringing a strangled sob with them as I fall into her arms. “I’m so sorry.”

“Never apologize, sweetheart. You did what you thought was right for Gracie.”

“Was it right, though? We live in a part of town I’m afraid to walk at night. She doesn’t know her father. She’s growing every day, and with the hours I work, I feel like I’m missing everything.”

“Where is this coming from? You’re an amazing mother, Celest.” Her voice becomes thick with emotion. “I’m glad you asked me to join you. I’d make the same decision a thousand times over.”

“You had a good life and a lovely home. I brought you to this shithole because I couldn’t cope by myself.”

I cry until my tear ducts run dry, my body spent after punishment, and my mind weary from the constant fear of disappointing everyone in my life. “I’m so tired, Momma.”

“I know, sweetheart. But, whenever you feel like you can’t go on, walk down the hallway and look at that precious little girl sleeping soundly in her bed, safe in the life you’ve built for her.”

“Will it ever get better? Will I ever get the chance to have a normal life? Maybe I don’t deserve it.”

---