Page 12 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
“Grab a seat, Calla. Breakfast is almost ready.”
She takes the coffee from the counter before heading toward the small table on the opposite wall. It’s more of a breakfast nook than a dining room, but it serves us just fine. On the table is a plate of crispy bacon, fruit, syrup, and a can of whipped cream. Since we both can’t function without coffee, I didn’t bother pouring any orange juice, though I had heavily considered making mimosas to celebrate my new outlook on life.
Once the last crepe is done, I add it to the pile I’d kept warm in the oven, grab the scrambled eggs, and bring everything to the table.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Calla says, waggling her eyebrows.
Despite it coming from my sister, a blush still rises beneath my skin. Hell yes I was in a good mood. How could I not be?
“Calla… I…” Tears build behind my eyes and I try to shove them back. I told myself I wouldn’t cry, yet here I am, blubbering like a fool. After taking a deep breath, I try again. “Thank you for last night. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
She grabs my hand, squeezing slightly. “Oh shush, Lil. All I want is for you to be happy. Whatever I can do to help, you know I’ll do it.”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat and focusing on the food in front of me. How goddamn lucky was I to have someone like Calantha on my side? Honestly, I felt bad for anyone who grew up as a single child. There’s nothing quite like the bond of a sibling, even if she used to annoy the hell out of me when we were kids.
The farm might have fucked us up in more ways than one, but at least it brought us closer. Our bond was that much stronger, and as long as we had that, nothing could hurt us.
“Okay, spill,” Calantha says, placing her fork and knife down on her empty plate.
I grin behind my coffee mug, taking a long, slow sip just to annoy her.
She tosses a blueberry at me. “You’re the worst, Lil.”
I pick up the yummy fruit and pop it in my mouth before standing to clear the table. “It was surreal, actually. Like if my body didn’t ache right now, I might not believe that it really happened.”
“Gah! I’m so jealous.” Calantha pouts, putting the leftover fruit back in the fridge. “Was he cute? Or was it a she? You’ve got to give me more, Lily. Come on!”
I bite my lip, remembering Wes’s handsome face and wishing I knew what Fitz looked like. Something told me he was a little less reserved than Wes, more carefree, so maybe his looks encompassed that.
“Well, actually…” I peek over my shoulder, catching my sister’s eyes before turning back toward the sink. “There were two of them. Both guys. Though I only saw one of their faces.”
Our apartment falls into complete silence. I turn to find Calantha staring at me, her eyes filled with suspicion. Without adding more to the conversation, I continue rinsing the plates and adding them to the dishwasher while she stands there unmoving.
Finally, she says, “Oh my God. You’re not joking, are you?”
“Not even a little.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?” she teases, grabbing a dish towel and snapping it at my leg. “No wonder you ache after spending the entire night withtwomen!”
“It still hasn’t really sunk in. But I also feel different somehow, like now I know it can be good and not so bad that I need a sedative.” I laugh, even though the joke isn’t funny.
Calantha steps forward and pulls me into a tight hug. “Our uncle and his gross friends can’t touch you anymore. Never again, Lily.”
We pull apart, and I catch an odd look on my sister’s face. “What is it?”
“It can wait. I don’t want to kill whatever buzz your body must be on after all those hot orgasms.” She laughs, but it comes out forced.
“Well, now you have to tell me, otherwise you know I’ll overthink and end up at the worst plausible scenario.” We are polar opposites in that regard. Where Calantha can compartmentalize her thoughts and worries, all of mine stand at the forefront of my mind, screaming and compounding on each other until I’m on a first-class trip to anxiety station.
“Fine. I heard from Detective Briggs yesterday. You can guess what he said, since it’s been the same every single time we’ve made an anonymous tip. Apparently they looked into our accusations on the farm but couldn’t find anything incriminating.”
As shitty as it is to hear, I’m not exactly surprised. We’d tried to shed light on what was happening at the farm at least twice in the years since we escaped, and each time, we’d been shut down. I knew my uncle worked with some pretty important people, but I never would have guessed he’d have law enforcement in his pocket too.
“We might need to find another tactic, since clearly he’s got friends in high places. Thanks for telling me. I’d love to expose him, but at this rate, I’m worried he’ll figure out who the anonymous tips are coming from, and that’s the last damn thing we need.”
“You’re right. We’ve got enough to focus on now, anyway. Between your new job and my upcoming final exams, we’ll barely have enough time to search for those two hunks you spentthe night with.” Calantha slaps my ass on her way by and rushes out in a fit of giggles.
Try to find Wes and Fitz? I couldn’t. There had to be some rule to protect the club and its staff. I might not have been a stalker, but I wouldn’t doubt there were people who would go searching with bad intentions.
