Page 94 of Reaper

“Anyone else?” Harrison asks.

No one moves to say anything.

“Good.” He leans down and kisses the top of my head. “I’ll let you do your thing, and I’ll see you when you're done.”

“Bye,” I say quietly as he walks out, taking Wrath with him but leaving Jacob.

I know he’s doing that for me. So I know he has someone watching, but not in the condescending way I’m used to.

He wants me to be watched because he cares about my safety. He cares about me.

Taking a deep breath, I turn back to the group of women who are eyeing me.

“Recently I learned that things are like a free-for-all around her. If the guys say jump, you ask how high even when you don’t want to because you're worried about the repercussions of what would happen if you said no.”

My eyes find Tara, and she offers me an encouraging smile so I keep going.

“I think it’s kind of fucked up. You are supposed to satisfy these guys sexually, but you aren’t offered any birth control, so that’s going to change.”

“What can you really do about it?” one of the girls asks.

“What’s your name, sweetie?” I ask her.

“I go by Baby here.” She seems shy.

“Well, Baby. I’m going to start by setting each of you up with an appointment with a woman’s health doctor. After that evaluation, we will discuss how to proceed forward. If you want birth control, then we will make sure you get the correct counseling about each option so you can make the best-informed decision. If you don’t, then that’s okay too. It’s your body. You get to make the choice. In the future, if any medical issues arise, you will notify me right away, and we will get you an appointment. Condoms will be freely available and the guys are not the ones who get the option on whether or not they use them. You do.”

“What if we get pregnant?” another of the girls asks.

“You make that decision with the man whose baby you carry. Services will be offered for each option available to you.”

“And if we don’t know who it is?” the same girl asks, looking a little ashamed.

“Then you make the decision, or we figure out who is the father. We work together,” I reassure her.

“I mean, it’s not an issue with me,” she rushes to say. “I’ve just seen another girl get knocked up, and when she told the guy, she practically disappeared. It makes us nervous that if an accident happens, then we will be forced out too.”

Writing down her concern in my notebook, I nod. “That’s a good point. At no point will you be forced out for something like that unless there is proof you have done so on purpose such as poking holes in condoms or going off your birth control and not telling your partner.”

Some of the girls seem to brighten up at my answer. I feel like I’m finally getting through to them. It’s a heady feeling.

“What about disease checks?” Tara prompts.

“Yes, I will be setting you each up with a monthly test. It’s not a requirement, but I urge you to keep track of your sexual partners so if we do have an incident, we can take care of it swiftly and discreetly.”

“Tell us more.” Baby is practically on the edge of her seat now.

So I do. I tell them everything I had discussed with Harrison and the madam. I asked questions. I took notes.

All in all, I felt like it was productive.

When I finally call the end to a meeting, one of the women hesitantly asks, “Are you serious?”

I frown. “Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure there are other things that I haven’t thought of too.”

“This is a hell of a start though.” Tara smiles.

“I don’t get it. What’s the catch?” Lola chimes in.

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