Page 13 of Sinful Desires

Once we had our food, we were back on the road. I took the time, savoring each bite like it was my last. I never knew when I’d have another meal like this again.

Surprisingly enough, the moon wasn’t out yet, and neither were the stars. The only light we had to cling onto was from the streetlamps adorning the side of the road and the headlights.

“How much longer?” I whined, stuffing my trash into the bag once I was done eating.

“We’re almost there,” she assured me. “About another twenty minutes.” She paused, glancing over at me. “Keep your head down here, Aspen.” Her words were soft and sincere, pain laced throughout them like she almost didn’t want to leave me here.

“I can take care of myself.” The words were meant to come out strong, but they cracked a bit as I said them. “I don’t need another lecture,” I added more firmly to cover up for it.

Her face twisted into frustration, and she shot me a glare, before snapping her gaze back to the road. “I don’t care about how bad you think you are. If you’re not careful, this place will chew you up and spit you out.”

“How poetic,” I retorted dryly.

She didn’t bother to say anything else, and I concluded that she was done trying to talk any sense into me.

We sat in silence for too long before she pointed out the window. “There.”

My lips popped open in surprise as I followed her gaze. The last thing I expected was for this place to be in the middle of nowhere on some sketchy ass backroad.

I watched in fascination as we strolled up to a large black metal gate. Rolling her window down, she typed something into the little black box that hung beside it.

She must have sensed me watching her, because then she said, “People can’t come or go without knowing the passcode.” The gate slowly opened for us, and she put the car in drive.

Green grass stretched on for miles it seemed. Straining my eyes, I found myself squinting to get a better look at the large building sitting up ahead. Smaller buildings littered the area, along with a large parking lot full of cars.

“On the bright side,” she said, capturing my attention. “You will have the opportunity to make up for all of the credits you’ve missed over the years.” A small, genuine smile captured her lips. “This is your chance, Aspen. Don’t throw it away.”

I nodded, unsure about what she wanted me to say. This was all so much and as we approached the building, I couldn’t help but notice how much it looked like a castle.

Rebecca pulled the car into a parking space, and then turned to face me. “Counseling sessions are mandatory for newbies,” she explained. “You’ll be required to see a therapist once to twice a week until they think you’ll be fine to continue without them.”

I groaned, throwing my head back into my seat dramatically. There was no way in hell that I’d be telling anyone anything about my life or my feelings. Nobody was going to force me to either.

As if reading my thoughts, she arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “I’m just trying to help you, Aspen. Counseling sounds like a miniscule issue in the grand scheme of things. Just…consider everything I’ve said, okay?”

I bit my lower lip hesitantly, before nodding. I’d consider it, but that didn’t mean I was going to follow through with any of it. Rebecca just wouldn’t shut up if I didn’t agree.

This seemed to please her, and her shoulders sagged slightly like this had been weighing her down. “I’ll be back in a month to check on you.”

“Okay.”

I stepped out of the car before she could say another word. Chances were, by tomorrow, I’d forget everything she said. That was the way our relationship worked. She talked, I’d pretend to listen, and we’d go our separate ways.

She popped the trunk for me so that I could gather my things. I threw them over my shoulders like I was some kind of grinch—though, it was a fitting title for me—and I proceeded toward the front of the building.

As I reached the doors, I dropped one of the bags at my feet and opened the door, wedging my foot between it as I did so. My shoulders were already burning from the amount of pressure they’d endured today, and a massage sounded fucking fantastic.

I stepped inside after hoisting my bag back over my shoulder. The floors were a white marble, the dim lighting reflecting off them.

Locating the main office wasn’t a difficult feat, considering it had Main Office written across it in a bold font as soon as I turned to the left. The office was a large glass box that permitted you to see inside. My eyes immediately landed on the woman behind the desk who I assumed was probably the principal.

I hesitated before striding forward and grabbing the handle. As soon as I opened the door, a bell jingled from above me, forcing my eyes to follow it.

The room was decked out in black and white, and I found that I liked the contrast. It made me think of dark and light—good and evil. Not that there really was such a thing as good and evil anyways. Everyone did messed up things.

“Good evening,” the woman said as she gathered a stack of papers into a neat pile on her shiny, black desk that probably costed a fortune. “Aspen, I presume?”

I sat my things down by my feet and rolled my shoulders back, thankful to give them some relief.

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