Page 200 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

“Mine.”

Chapter 44

Ihad a horrible habitof waking up two minutes before my alarm. I suppose it was better to wake up naturally instead of the jarring discomfort of being wrenched from a dream by a blaring alarm, but it didn’t make it any less annoying to be awake at five am. This morning, however, something felt different.

There was someone in bed with me. Or rather, on top of me.

Alice’s hair was splayed out over my face, her legs tangled with mine, and her face pressed against my chest. She was drooling a little, but she looked so cute and relaxed laying on me. I dismissed my alarm and decided to lay there for a few extra minutes, just enjoying the feeling of her body on mine.

I tried to remember last night. I’d gotten home, hugged Alice, basically passed out on her, and then she’d somehow gotten me into bed. I had a blanket over my legs that I didn’t normally use, an old quilt that had been on my mom’s bed. The fabric was soft and buttery from years of use, and the colors were faded, but the ivory and green double-ring pattern was beautiful in its own way, because it was hers.

Alice must have found it in the closet and put it over me. I also noticed a full glass of water on my bedside table. My heart squeezed at the realization.

I knew you were a good girl under all that hurt.

As I rubbed her back slowly, she eventually stirred, smacking her lips and flipping over on her side.

I reached over and flipped on the light. Alice groaned and pulled a pillow over her head.

“Good morning, trouble.” She only grunted in response. “Any particular reason you’re in my bed and not in yours?”

“Coffee,” she muttered.

I huffed a laugh and dragged myself out of bed. For only getting five hours of sleep, I felt amazing.

“I’ll come get you in an hour, okay?” I brushed her hair off her neck and let my lips rest against her skin. She was already asleep again.

Over breakfast she was more subdued than normal. “Everything alright, little monster?”

She smiled at me and nodded, her eyes big and full of something sweet, like appreciation. “You talk in your sleep.”

“Oh do I?” I laughed. “That’s a new development. What did I say?”

A mischievous look came into her eyes. “You said, ‘Alice gets as many orgasms as she wants, and I’m going to buy her lots of candy because I love her so much!’”

“Really.”

“Yep.” She looked proud of herself, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Well, we’ll see about that. I need your help today, little bug.”

“Project?” she said, quirking her head like a curious bird.

“Sort of. This weekend, I’m having some people over for dinner. It will be formal, and I’ll need you on your best behavior. I’ll also need you to do some serving. Have you ever done that?”

“Only making coffee and doing dishes and stuff.”

I measured my words as I spoke. “I’d like to send you to service training for the day if you’re comfortable with that. I won’t have you serve dinner per se, but I’d like you to be available to assist and serve as needed for the meal, and possibly serve dessert and coffee afterwards. It’s a serious discussion between me and a few friends and I need to pay them respect in the way I treat them. They are all lifestylers, and there’s a certain protocol that is expected for something like this.”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Okay.”

I’d expected more resistance from her. “You look excited.”

“I like learning new things and planning parties. It’s exciting.”

“Am I not keeping you busy enough?”

“Is there such a thing as being busy enough?”

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