Page 110 of Dark, Forbidden, & Taboo

“Relax, Ry. I didn’t do anything with her sweet, little thing either. She’s still innocent. Sort of,” I finish wryly.

“You need to tell me what you did so I know how to handle this if she comes in,” she says as patiently as she can.

“Call the cops if she shows up. There’s no discussion to be had,” I answer simply as I turn on my side.

“Hold on.”

Ry covers the receiver with her hand as she greets a client, then sets the phone down on the desk. I yawn again as I can feel myself starting to get sleepy.Afternoon? What time is it?

I pull the phone away from my ear, then chuckle when I see that it’s ten past two and wonder when the last time was that I slept so damn well.

A few moments later, my sister picks up the phone. “I’m coming over. Starla is going to watch the desk for me, since I feel like we can’t have this conversation over the phone.”

“Ry—”

“See you in twenty,” she cuts me off before disconnecting the call.

I groan as I toss my cell phone onto the nightstand then turn onto my back.

I’m not in the mood for lectures.

Especially not since I woke up feeling like today was going to be a good one, but I guess Ididcross a line I shouldn’t have.

Oh well, fuck it.

Rolling my shoulder, I try my best to get comfortable again, but the impending “talking to” that’s headed my way is inhibiting my ability to fall back to sleep.

With a grunt, I reach over for my phone and tap out a quick message to my sister to tell her that I’ll take care of things and to stay at the shop.

I place the phone on my chest as I rub my eyes with the palms of my hands. It takes Ry a few minutes, probably spent deciding what to do, but she finally agrees to stay put if I promise to make things right.

With a grin on my lips and a new plan formulating in my brain, I say what I need to in order to put her mind at ease.

I promise, Ry.

___

My hands slide down the slick, bathroom tiles as I stand under the hot torrent of water.

Ava is a casualty in a war that she doesn’t even know she has become part of, but those are the breaks, and I’m sure she’ll get over it eventually.

Besides, it’s not like I fucked her.

I didn’t place a finger on her, orinher, so I think I actually made my move against Her Holiness in the suavest way possible.

Can’t go to the pen for watching a girl practically fucking a toy horse until she comes,I muse with a chuckle as I turn around and finally begin to wash the shampoo out of my hair.

I’m actually kind of proud of myself for thinking of that on the spot. When I took Ava to the park, I had no fucking clue asto what the night would entail, and it was better than just letting her get away scot-free.

As I turn the water off and step out of the bathtub, I shrug and repeat,she’ll get over it,to myself more times than I want to.

Maybe she will.

Maybe she won’t.

Either way, the blame should go squarely where it belongs; on Her Holiness.

I clasp my hands over my head as I stretch, then blow out a heavy breath.

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