Page 50 of Valentine's Slave

I have no idea what he’s talking about, but as soon as he drives away, I open my inbox on my phone. Emailed to me are two first-class VIP tickets to the Bring Me the Horizon concert tonight. My and Malcolm’s previously normal general admission tickets have been upgraded, including early entry with a sound check, meet and greet with the band, and special seating in the VIP booth.

My mouth drops open. Valentino must have spent thousands of dollars for these two tickets alone. And now I’m more confused than ever. He’s never going to see me again. He wouldn’t even kiss me this morning, even though while we were fucking, he did. And now, this. What to make of it?

I send him a text.

Me:Wow, I’m speechless

Valentino:No words necessary.

Me:Thank you, really. Why did you do this?

Valentino:I try to do good where I can.

He sounds vague and general again. Surely, he doesn’t do good for justanyone.

Me:Am I allowed to tell Malcolm who the gift is from? Hailey knows I could never afford it

Valentino:So subservient of you to ask for permission. But you know, you could afford it now.

I roll my eyes since he’s not here.

Me:I haven’t given her too many details on our situation, either

Valentino:Tell whom you wish. I’ll leave it to your discretion and personal comfort.

He sounds so sweet and considerate when he’s not stripping me naked and strapping me to his sex equipment. I try to contain my smile as I head up to the apartment.

Malcolm opens the door for me, wearing his black-and-white Drop Dead hoodie that Mom got him for Christmas. His eyes are sparkling, and I give him a big hug, ruffling his hair.

“You excited, buddy?” I ask.

“You bet.”

We head to the kitchen where I give Mom a hug, and Hailey pulls the homemade pizza out of the oven. I give her props for trying to be healthy while still providing party food, though she does break out Malcolm’s favourite bacon-and-cheese-flavoured Doritos.

“How are you feeling, Mom?” I ask.

“Wonderful, honey,” she says, smiling as she watches Malcolm. “What a beautiful boy he’s growing up to be.”

“Ava—haven’t heard from you for a long while,” Hailey says, raising her eyebrow at me. I haven’t given her many details of the low-down, but I just smile, knowing she can’t say anything about it in front of Mom and Malcolm. And yet, how will I explain Valentino’s gift? Am I allowed to say who it’s from? Do I even want to?

Yeah, the guy who paid me to be his fuck toy for a week bought us special VIP tickets for tonight’s show. That would go over real well. But then again, what else am I supposed to say, the email magically appeared in my inbox? That’s almost weirder.

Hailey is still studying my face, and I realize I’ve lost myself in thought.

“Yeah. I’ll fill you in soon. Been pretty busy lately,” I say, grabbing some plates to help Malcolm set the table.

“Uh huh.” Hailey just smirks at me, and when her back is turned to Malcolm, she smacks her fist to her palm. Yes, we’re fucking, and she knows it.

“Don’t be getting jealous now,” I shoot back. Hailey has been single for the last little while, and I know that’s not her preferred status.

“Do I get an early peek at the birthday pie?” I ask the birthday boy.

“We made it last night,” Malcolm says with a huge grin. Hailey is teaching him to cook, and I think that’s a great decision. With any luck, he’ll be a master in the kitchen just like Valentino. Then again, I shouldn’t want my nephew to be anything like Valentino.

Malcolm proudly shows me the pecan pie that looks all crunchy and sweet. He doesn’t like cake, so Hailey lets him choose whatever other dessert he wants for his birthday. Last year it was cinnamon rolls, but this year’s pick looks even better, with pralines and cream ice cream. Normally, we all go toHailey’s house for Malcolm’s birthday, but with Mom’s current state, it was easier to come to her house than to have one of us pick her up. She doesn’t travel alone anymore.

Hailey finally leaves me alone, and we all sit down to eat. The pizza is scrumptious, and Hailey and Mom chat about Mom’s neighbour, who has a habit of adopting different animals, while Malcolm and I go back and forth, guessing which songs BMTH will play at the show and naming our favourite must-hears.

---