Page 4 of Belong With Me

While I was on that train of thought, I figured I should probably pack him. He was, after all, the best travel companion. As an added bonus, he never snored or took up too much of the bed.

After locating Bob in my bedside table, I slipped him in his special travel case and tucked him snuggly into the leg of my favorite Alexander McQueen boots. When I’d finished packing and zipped the case up, I knelt on the floor with the medium sized bag and started going through my shoes. Pumps were a must, as were boots and flats too, I supposed. Logically, I would have to do some walking around the properties.

After adding nine pairs of shoes, because a gal never could have too many, I zipped that case up. I slid the shoe bag onto the handle of the large suitcase and wheeled them both over to set by my closed bedroom door.

Finally, I headed into the bathroom to pack my toiletries bag. Makeup, moisturizers, cleansers. It all went in along with my hairdryer, various hair care and dental hygiene products. On the way out the door, I swiped my spare hairbrush from the top drawer, along with some hair pins and ties.

I added the final bag to the pile before turning and surveying my room to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. Quickly, I realized that I wouldn’t get very far without my phone charger. I grabbed it, plus my laptop and charger, from the side of the bed and slid them into the side pocket of my handbag. Not to be left without at least one form of old-fashioned fun, I took two romance novels from my bookshelf on the way past and tucked them into my handbag for reading on the plane.

Finally, with everything packed, there was nothing left to do. Well, nothing I wanted to do was probably more accurate. There was, unfortunately, one more person I needed to see before I headed away for a month. With one final glance in the mirror, I smoothed my hair and ran my fingers under my eyes to remove any traces of mascara that may have flaked off since I’d applied it this morning.

Like Daddy, Momma liked everything to be absolutely perfect. Not a hair out of place kind of perfect. Heaven forbid I should exit my room without my makeup and hair done. She would’ve had a heart attack if she’d seen how I’d dressed for morning classes at Harvard. Or how the guys who stayed the night saw me first thing in the morning, before I had a chance to get up and beautify myself.

As soon as I entered the parlor, I found Momma where she always was: beside the well-stocked bar cart. Her two toy poodles, Candy and Donovan, lay on the floor at her feet. She turned her head as I came closer. “There you are, darling. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come see me before you left.”

“Of course not, Momma.” I walked closer, then leaned down to kiss her on one heavily botoxed cheek. The smell of her perfume was overwhelming, and I could swear when I pulled my lips away from her cheek that they were coated in a fine dust of setting powder.

“Are you all packed then?” She sipped her drink, the ice clinked softly in the glass as she took a few steps to the well-worn chaise near the window, conveniently located next to the bar cart.

“I finished just now.” I dropped a couple of ice cubes into a tumbler and added a splash of whiskey to it. Taking the seat opposite her, I matched my posture to hers.

“You know what you’re going there to accomplish?”

“Yes, Momma. I need to secure the land at all costs. Daddy gave me the rundown.”

“You always were a fast learner,” she praised before ruining it by sniping, “You could have been Miss Louisiana too if you had applied yourself.”

I offered a placating smile and sipped my whiskey. My mother’s biggest claim to fame was once being chosen for Miss Louisiana back when she was twenty-two. Her sash was hanging in the hallway behind framed glass, along with several massive photographs from the day she was crowned. It was practically a shrine to her glory days.

“Daddy wants me to sleep with the men I’m being sent to secure land from,” I blurted, unable to prevent it from bubbling over my lips.

“That’s a problem, how?” Her eyes widened slightly—the closest she’d get to raising an eyebrow. Given the amount of Botox she’d had within the last six months alone, I was surprised she could even blink.

“You mean besides the obvious?” I fired back.

Shaking her head, she pointed her drink at me accusingly. “Don’t be such a prude, Sienna-Grace.”

“I’m not a prude, Momma.” Ensuring I had her full attention, I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I just don’t like the idea of sleeping with someone for business.” They did call it making love after all, not making business.

Shaking her head slightly, she leaned forward and added more ice and liquor to her glass. “You don’t think I didn’t have to suck my fair share of cocks to get where I am?” She sipped the drink, frowned, and added more gin to her tonic water. “You don’t think I secured my crown before those bitches even knew they wanted it?”

“Momma!” I admonished, not used to hearing such crass language fall from her lips. It was so out of place that I almost smiled, but caught myself before I did. I could only imagine the verbal lashing I’d get if Momma thought I was being ‘inappropriate’.

“Don’t you Momma me.” She pointed one of her acrylic-nailed fingers at me. “It’s true, I may not have wanted to do it, but look where it got me. This big ol’ house, diamond jewelry, more money than I know what to do with.” She released a breath of satisfaction at her list of assets. “And a husband who will stop at nothing to make sure we have the best of everything. That we are the best at everything.”

“And me?” I threw in, my tone almost sarcastic in nature. “Because you met Daddy, fell in love, and had me, right?”

“Of course, love. You are my greatest accomplishment, after all.” Leaning forward, she patted me on the cheek. “So, scoot, go and put your big girl panties on, preferably something lacy. Men love lace. And you go out there and sleep with a cowboy or two. Hell,” she added, “sleep with a cowgirlor two even, as long as it gets the job done.” She fluffed her hair with her free hand. “You never know. You may just find you like it.” She laughed while lifting her gin and tonic to her lips, a genuine smile finally deigning to make an appearance.

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