Page 25 of Give

It’s been years since I skated, but having played ice hockey for most of my youth with Murph, it’s like riding a bicycle. With our hands laced together, we circle the rink many times, talking and laughing. It’s strangely odd to have this close intimacy with another where it doesn’t involve sex. No doubt Anisten will end up in my bed tonight, and I’ll blindfold her and bind her hands together with one of my ties. But this part, I’m finding, is just as important as sex itself.

“Do you still practice your faith?” I ask, one of the many questions we’ve exchanged as she speaks of growing up in the church.

“I may not attend church as often as my parents would like, but my faith is important to me. I know I’ve not waited until marriage, and I swear like a sailor sometimes, but I think there’s more to faith than those things.”

She’s a deep thinker, so full of wisdom, I’m finding out. “Tell me about growing up in a mansion the size of some small town?” she asks.

Our time together isn’t just about skating. It’s building to a future I’m finding I want with her.

“My parents’ house is a little ridiculous, just for the four of us, but it’s what they wanted, and I have fond memories. Whereas some rich kids, like Murph, barely had their parents around, my mom was a little too invasive for me at times. My dad still runs many companies, and I can count how many dinners he missed on one hand. He never traveled, and if it was warranted, he took us, even if it meant pulling us out of school.”

This isn’t something I tell most. Murph knows because he was at my house more than his own. With Anisten, I want her to know everything about me. I need to tell her my most profound secret, but I plan to, and very soon.

“Can we talk about some of the ridiculous rooms in your place? A wine cellar, a bourbon room, a sauna, and a video game room?”

I shrug my shoulders. “What? They’re things I swore I would have in my own house one day.”

“You don’t even have a guest room,” she counters.

“I only have one person who is allowed to stay overnight, and she currently sleeps in the same bed as me.”

“Should I be jealous?”

“Nah, you’re hotter,” I tease, and the cutest giggle leaves her mouth.

“I first thought you had a modest place for a man with your wealth.”

“I think I do. I don’t want space just to have space. The wine cellar is a converted bedroom with climate control. The same goes for the bourbon and video game room. Then the sauna was a bathroom I’d never use. Including my home office, I looked for a five-bedroom home with a kick-ass view of Chicago. I could have gotten a bigger place, but I’d figured it would just be me to live a lonely life.”

“I hope you’re not as lonely as before, Luc?”

“Nah, I tolerate you and the sex; it’s out of this fucking world. So I keep you around.” Again, we tease one another equally, but I’m getting used to having Anisten with me always.

“Ah, fuck,” I mutter under my breath, hoping Anisten doesn’t hear.

“What’s wrong, Luc?”

Before I can explain it, a man in his mid-thirties skates up to us, and Anisten and I stop in front of him as others detour around us.

“De Santos. I thought that was you. Hell, I figured with the press you’re getting on this lawsuit of yours, you’d be hiding out.”

I tighten my grip on Anisten, not hurting her, but I don’t want this slimy fuck anywhere near my girl. As I think this, his eyes roam up and down her body, hidden by a long winter coat.

“Oh, and who might you be?” Even his voice is fucking creepy.

“No one you need to concern yourself with, Greene.” Like the day I staked my claim on her in front of Murphy, I do the same, this time even more assertive. No one will touch what’s mine, but with Garrett Greene, it goes one step further. The fucknut isn’t allowed to set his eyes on my girl. I may break him. “By the way, I’m sure you’re counting the ways to take over my clientele, that is, if I were to be found negligent, but….”

Anisten interrupts us. “I think that’s all the pleasantries you need to exchange.” She pulls at my arm, and the lawyer in her comes out. She doesn’t want me to say anything to my competition, who could construe and twist if asked to testify.

“Oh, I see who calls the shots in this relationship.” Garrett Greene is attempting to bait me.

She squeezes my hand as I try to skate away, something I don’t want to do. “Oh, and, De Santos, by the way, people are already jumping ship. I’ve snagged some of your clients already. So thanks for doing shady shit. It’s certainly helping my business.”

It’s Anisten’s spirit, her ability to calm me, as she stands next to me. It may be why Garrett Greene isn’t the recipient of my fist in his face.

“Well, isn’t he lovely?” Anisten asks, pushing up on her tiptoes, placing a chaste kiss on my cheek. “And because you didn’t lose your shit, as his only objective was to get you wound up, I think you’re getting a special blow job tonight, or maybe even two.”

Her blow jobs are more than special, they’re memorable. “Oh, look at the time, Heaven. We should be getting home.”

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