Page 63 of The Artist
She nodded. “About six years ago. I wanted to repeat it, but he has a one-time rule, so I used up my quota. It’s a shame because I’m telling you, Victor was as brilliant in bed as he is in real life.” Her face turned wistful.
“I’m not interested in Victor. You can have my quota if you like.”
Celeste laughed. “I wish, but I don’t think that’s how he operates, and now that I’m pregnant fewer men are attracted to me.”
I wrinkled my nose up in surprise. “You still have sex?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“But the baby?”
“Sex won’t hurt the baby. The few times I couldn’t have sex was between the removal of my birth control implant and until my pregnancy was confirmed. Those three months felt like forever.”
My hand went to my left thigh as a sudden thought hit me.
“What’s wrong?”
A vague memory of a missed doctor’s appointment made me question if it was something I’d dreamed. “How long does a device last again?”
“Five years.”
“Right. I know I got my first when I was close to thirteen, and then I must have gotten my second when I was seventeen or eighteen.”
“How old are you now?”
“I just turned twenty-four in November.”
“Then you should have gotten your third stick about a year ago.”
My mind was frantically thinking back. “I know I had the appointment to go, but why can’t I remember getting it replaced? I must have…” With my eyebrows drawn close, I repeated, “Imusthave!”
“Yeah, they would tell you if you skipped an appointment. You’d get a message to schedule a new one.”
My hand clasped in front of my mouth. “I think they did, but I…” Pregnancy prevention wasn’t something I’d given much thought with me living in celibacy for so many years.
Celeste lowered her brow. “Belle, please tell me you got a new implant.”
I nodded, but she must have seen the uncertainty and fear in my eyes because she cursed out loud in French, which made Aubri, Freya, and Thor look over.
“What’s going on?” Freya was fast to rotate her chair and reach for me. “Did Celeste say something to upset you? You look sick.”
Celeste snorted. “Typical that you think Belle is innocent and I’m being hard on her. You always take her side.”
“Because the four of you never hid how much you resented Belle for not being an A-citizen,” Aubri said fast.
“We don’t have a problem with P’s like Belle, we just don’t think she should be part of a delegation of future leaders. Practical members of our society don’t lead; they follow.”
Celeste’s words were old news to me, and I was too upset to be offended. I kept thinking about the fact that Mason and I had been together several times and each time he had come inside me. Last night he’d interrupted my sleep twice to have sex, so that made three times within the last twenty hours, and then there was the first night we slept together when he’d come in me once.
“Stop talking shit about Belle. Can’t you see it’s upsetting her?” Thor told Celeste.
“I’m not the reason she’s pale. She slept with Mason and just realized that her pregnancy protection implant is more than a year overdue for replacement.”
“Celeste!” I gasped. “I told you not to tell anyone.”
Freya, Aubri, and Thor were exchanging stern looks before Aubri crossed her arms. “You’re lying. Mason didn’t sleep with you. He wouldn’t.”
“No, he didn’t. Celeste got it wrong.” My gaze fell to the floor and I fiddled with my hands hoping they would believe my lie.
