Page 4 of Holland
“I’m not gay, not that there is anything wrong with being gay, but I like women. We’ve gone over this Crimson. I helped raise my sisters, I can’t help it if some of their personalities rubbed off on me.” I look at the clock and if I don’t get out of there, I’m going to be late.
“Look, I’m trusting you to behave while I’m at work, which I have to get to like ten minutes ago.” I grabbed my lunch out of the fridge and high-tailed it out the door before I could be embarrassed any more.
Chapter Three
Bella
Holland was nothing like I thought he’d be. When I heard my sister was with a cop my mind automatically thought he was using her. In my experience, men didn’t do things for you without there being a price to be paid. Holland wasn’t like any of the men I’d ever dealt with. He cared about my sister like she was his own. I won’t lie, it made me slightly envious of her.
“He’s pretty awesome isn’t he?” Crimson asked, startling me from my musings. I shrugged my shoulder in a noncommittal way.
“Oh don’t give me that shrug missy, you know he’s hot. I know he’s hot, so I know you know he’s hot. I’ve been trying to tempt him since day one with no luck.” I wanted to fucking kill our parents, and maybe I would if I ever found them for putting her into the position, she’d been in.
“You shouldn’t be trying to tempt a grown ass man, especially a cop that’s letting you live with him for free. Were you trying to get kicked out, because that’s how you get kicked out?” Crimson shook her head laughing.
“First of all I’ve been with men much older than him. Second, Holland isn’t like that Bell, he’d never kick me out because I was being a dumbass. He actually gives a shit about me. Like really gives a shit. I told you he had requirements for me living here, and not the kind of requirements that I need to be on my knees or on my back either. I had to get my GED, get a job, and help around the house. He’s the genuine article sis, a good man.” I still found it hard to believe that a man would take in a teenage girl who by all accounts was a prostitute when he found her without wanting something in return.
There was no mistaking the man was fine; he had this clean-cut thing going for him. Something I didn’t usually go for, because bad boys were usually my thing. My last bad boy got me my freedom from my parents, not that he turned out to be much better, but at least I got away from them. Holland just had this aura about him that screamed good guy though, but without looking like a weakling. No, it was obvious that man had some seriously restrained power behind him. I briefly wondered how much of that restrained power would come out in the bedroom.
“Yeah whatever, you found yourself a genuine white knight, he even comes with a shield.” We both laughed. Crimson got up and started cleaning her dishes and tidying up.
“Wow, look at you so domesticated, he’s got you trained up right.” Crimson gave me a frown like I’d offended her. I meant it as a joke, but she didn’t seem to find it funny.
“He taught me that taking pride in where you stay makes you want to take pride in yourself and the things you do. My therapist taught me that cluttered surroundings can lead to cluttered minds. And cluttered minds can bring on the bad thoughts I have sometimes.” That’s when I realized that the sister, I left wasn’t the sister I found. She’d grown, she’d lived through hell, and come out the other end better for it. Instead of letting what happened break her, she’d had support that let her grow from it.
“Holy shit Crim, that’s some deep shit right there. I’m so fucking proud of you, you know that right. I thought when I got here, I’d find some frightened girl being abused by some fat cop. Instead you’ve blossomed into a strong independent woman.” I pulled her into a crushing hug, holding back the tears that threatened to flow.
“Who lives with a hot cop, don’t forget about the hot cop thing. I mean did you see his ass, girl you could bounce a quarter off of it. Not that he’d ever let me, but damn.” She made grabby hands like she was trying to grab his ass and I shook my head at her.
“You’re incorrigible, you know that. But you’re right he’s hot.” We giggled like schoolgirls talking about our first crush.
I started thinking of the ways I could thank Holland for everything he’d done for Crimson. Naughty ways. Ways to make his back arch and his toes to curl. Maybe even bring him to his knees ways of thanking him. Yes, I was definitely going to thoroughly thank Holland for taking such good care of my sister.
The rest of the day, we spent sitting around watching television and talking. Crimson opened up about her time with the sick fuck-faces that prostituted her out for their own profit. She told me how they auctioned off her virginity to the highest fucking bidder. Some old fat fuck who had a hard time even getting it up and blamed her. The fucker was lucky Crimson didn’t know who he was because he’d be a dead fat fuck.
We ordered pizza about thirty minutes before Holland was due home. Crimson told me she usually made dinner for the two of them before she left for work and Holland made breakfast. I had to admit I was slightly jealous of their very domestic relationship. If it wasn’t for the fact that they weren’t fucking it would almost sound like they were in an actual relationship.
“Did you know that the woman who took me was Holland’s mother?” We’d been watching a romantic comedy while we waited for the pizza when she blurted out that information.
“What the actual fuck? Please tell me you’re kidding?” My first reaction is anger at Holland, even though I know from my own experience that sometimes your parents are complete assholes.
“Nope, it was her. She didn’t even recognize him when he showed up either. This bitch tried to sell me to him to get her ass out of trouble.” My mind is racing a mile a minute trying to piece everything together.
“Did he arrest her? Is she in jail for what she did?” My breath is coming out in short pants as my temper starts to rise.
“Nope bitch ran away right after trying to sell me. Holland’s been trying to find her, but he hasn’t had any luck. That bitch is slithery like a damn snake; she’s probably hiding in some cave somewhere waiting to strike her next victim.” He’d let her go, of course he did it was his own mother. I bet he wasn’t looking very damn hard to find the skank whore bitch either. The woman who was responsible for my sister being used by men and he couldn’t bring himself to arrest her because she was mommy fucking dearest. I was about to tell her to grab her shit we were leaving when Holland walked through the door.
“You sonofabitch!” I yelled at him.
“Woah, what the hell did I do? I’ve been at work all day. Is this one of those things where you watch something on TV and suddenly I’m the bad guy kind of things?” He had the nerve to grin at me, didn’t he know who he was messing with. I wasn’t some young girl who would take his fucking excuses.
“Bella what the fuck? Why are you yelling at him?” Crimson stood up and got between the two of us.
“You’re honestly going to stand there and defend his ass. He let his fucking mother get away with that shit. Don’t you get it? He kept you here so you couldn’t say anything to the cops. So his mother could get away with that shit.” Crimson looked pissed and Holland looked like I’d slapped him in the face.
“Bella, you are way off base here. You don’t know what you’re talking about. He was going to let child services take me. I begged him not to, me not him.” Holland put an arm on her shoulder.
“It’s okay Crim, she doesn’t know me. I get it. She doesn’t know that I haven’t seen my mother since she abandoned me and my sisters when we were little. That’s why she didn’t recognize me, because she doesn’t know what the fuck her own son looks like!” Holland’s chest was heaving, and his face was red with anger. But I didn’t back down, not until Crimson broke down.
