Page 25 of The Lawyer
With the mood that Landon's been in, I've been skittish for the whole afternoon. Not because of the way he's behaved around the office, but because I'm nervous he’ll cancel the appointment with Juniper tonight.
Anxiety and excitement are making me impatient, and I’m not too fond of that feeling. There are too many things that are starting to plague my mind, and the journey home doesn’t do anything but wind me up further.
“Oh, good, you’re home,” Ash blocks my path into the house. “I need some money.”
“Um, no. You’ve got access to the house account. You don’t need more than that. Besides, you could try getting a job.”
“No, I need money, Will. Real money.” I take a deep breath and count to ten in my head.
“What for?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Are you five? Of course, it matters. You don’t have a job, and I have to pay for your food, your bills, and everything else around the house. You get to live a pretty easy life, Ash. You don’t get to demand money from me.”
His eyes narrow accusingly at me. “I know you’re good for it.”
“I don’t care. There’s a few hundred left in the house account until next month. Use that.”
“I know you have their money. It’s mine too.”
“What?”
“Mum and Dad's. I want my share of what they left.”
“They didn’t leave a lot of money, Ash. We have this house, and I had to pay for that fancy school and uni, not that you’ve done anything with that. If you think there’s some nest egg, you're wrong.” I push him out the way and head to the kitchen at the back of the house.
“I’ve seen your bank statement. You’ve got thousands in there. Where else has it come from?”
“What the fuck, Ash! You’ve been going through my things?” He, at least, has the decency to look guilty. “I’ve saved. I’m earning a lot more than when I started eight years ago. The mortgage is paid. It’s just you I have to afford.”
“Well, I need the money. Tonight.”
“No. It’s mine. It’s time you stand on your own two feet. I’ve supported you for too long. You’ll always have a home here, but I’m done paying your way.”
His face turns a ruddy red colour as he clenches his fists at his side. I stand my ground, but all the while, my heart hammers against my ribs in fear because, right now, I don’t know what Ash will do.
He finally breaks our confrontation and leaves. I let the breath I was holding go and slump against the refrigerator. Ash and I need to sit down and talk.
Properly.
After the ball.
With the house to myself, I set about putting Ash out of my mind and concentrate on getting ready for tonight, and I know exactly what I’ll wear.
I meticulously rub moisturiser into every inch of my skin after I’ve finished my soak in the bath, paying special attention to my legs and décolletage to ensure I look soft and touchable. While I let it sink in, I pick my midnight blue velvet corset from the collection in my wardrobe. Its soft fabric is subtle and sophisticated and begs me to wear it. Teamed with the same shade of midnight blue lace knickers, the overall effect will be minimal but sexy.
Messing up my hair is easy, and I flick my head upside down and scratch my fingers into my scalp to build volume before setting it to make it even wilder. With my outfit chosen, I set about lacing myself in. The hook and eye front fastening cause my breasts to spill over the top even before I’ve finished tying the laces at the back.
I turn in front of the mirror, and, deciding there needs to be more flare in the outfit, I rummage through my accessories. I find two hair clips that will be perfect. Three gold chains of varying lengths hang from the clasp and hold hand-made peacock feathers. I slide the clips into position and shake my hair from side to side.
Perfect.
The peacock theme is complete with a teal green mask with rhinestones that obscures most all of my face.
Like last time, the car is already waiting for me outside, and with my long, dark coat, I hide the ensemble I hope Landon will approve of. Last time I was nervous for a whole other reason. This time, my mind’s already imagining scenarios that the evening could end in.
All of them involve breaking the rules.
