8 Beach Date

Bridget

I wake up with a delicious scent plastered on my nose. I breathe it in deeply, then sit up, looking around.

This is not the bed I was assigned to in the slave girls’ bedroom. Where am I?

Everything is so fancy and neat. There are bookshelves lined along the walls, and the sheets are made of pure silk, I can tell.

I slip out from under the covers and walk over to the door. I push it open, then peer curiously down the staircase.

I walk down it and go to open the other door when it’s suddenly thrown open and Lucien pushes me against the wall, shutting the door behind me.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

I was in his room.

I mean, it shouldn’t surprise me considering he’s been practically stalking me the entire week that I’ve been here. He watches me cook, watches me serve, most likely stalks me on the camera when I’m in the library, and bothers me when I’m trying to sleep.

I wonder what he’d do if I pretended to pass out or something. It’s like he’s waiting for something to happen.

“Did you have a nice rest, little human?” he breathes against my ear. As much as I’d like to loathe him and ignore him, I can’t. My brain screams in rationality, wanting me to stay as far away as possible, but my body and heart yearn for him, crave him in this way that I can’t explain.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

“Can I go work?” I ask in a whisper for some reason I don’t know.

“Would you want to work if I told you that you didn’t have to?” he asks, watching my facial expression.

“Yes,” I answer quickly.

He chuckles before stepping back. “Inform the girls that there is a beach meeting happening today. Have them try on some different clothes. If some of the mistresses aren’t going, Sebastian and Alec will pick from them. Understood?”

I nod, and he opens the door, making me leave the area, which I will gladly do.

I hurry to the slave girls’ bedroom, where all the girls are, sitting on the floor, playing Uno with Marilyn.

“Hey,” I say quickly, coming over to them. “Lucien says that you guys should prepare for a beach meeting.”

The girls squeal.

“Are you sure?” Libby asks, standing up, her shoulder length brown hair uncombed and messy.

“Yeah,” I say, sinking down onto my mattress.

“What were you doing with the Don anyways?” Rosanna asks curiously and I shrug.

“I guess he put me in his bedroom because I don’t remember what happened after going to the library to read poetry.”

The girls shrug, and Marilyn begins laying clothes out. I sit and watch as the girls pick out stuff.

“Can I be of assistance?” I question, and they look at me. “I used to model, remember?”

“Oh, yeah!” Shelia says. “But you should put some stuff on too, because you might be able to go!”

“First, everyone knows that I’m not available for some fucking reason only known to Lucien, and second, what’s the point? Lucien is going to take Layla, not me.”

“Still,” Libby insists. “You’re the model here and I wouldn’t mind seeing a few outfits on you.”

“Fine,” I grumble, then go over the clothes. I select a black tube top, blue mid-thigh length jean shorts, and a white business suit jacket.

I disappear into the bathroom and come out, twirling around for them to see.

“You are definitely model material,” Libby giggles, and I select the yellow sundress for her. She puts it on, then comes out. I seat her on the bed, order Rosanna to wear the pink tank top and white shorts, Shelia to wear the blue off the shoulder shirt and black shorts, and then start combing through Libby’s hair. My hair looks great when I just roll out of bed, because it has that natural slight wavy look, and all I have to do is run my fingers through it to look nice. It’s a chocolate brown color.

I remember Eliza used to tell me I could pass for mint chocolate chip ice cream, with my chocolate brown hair and light green eyes and beautiful tan skin.

I use a curling iron to curl Libby’s golden hair, letting it lay in softly on her shoulders. I put the left half behind her back and push the right half forward.

When Rosanna comes out, I braid her hair, put it in a bun and pin it to the back of her head. I don’t have plans on going, or allowing myself to be picked, but these girls probably need a good day at the beach. If I am to go, however, I want Rosanna or Libby to go with me. No offense to Shelia, but she’s way too girly and gossipy for my likings. Rosanna likes to chill quietly and Libby and I get along because we have similar interests and feelings towards the creatures we’re stuck with.

I part Shelia’s hair down the middle when she comes out in her outfit and put two buns on top of her head. I pull little pieces of hair out on each side of her face.

“You could be the model and the make up/hair stylist,” Libby says as we all stand in the mirror, looking at ourselves. Marilyn has on a pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt, her hair in a ponytail. She looks like a hot mom.

We all laugh amongst ourselves before the door opens and Carson reveals himself.

“Let’s go, ladies,” Carson says, and I stay behind as the others go up. Carson gives me a look. “You too.”

I shake my head in defiance and sit back down on my bed.

Carson shrugs and shuts the door, leading the other girls out. I fall back on my bed and stare at the underside of Libby’s bed that’s above me.

I’m always afraid I’d fall off the bunk bed, so I requested one on the bottom, and thankfully Libby didn’t mind taking a top one.

I need to figure out what’s going on between Lucien and I, because right now, I have control over the cloud that seems to fog my brain whenever I breathe in that delicious scent he carries on him. To be honest, and don’t call me weird, it kind of smells like a freshly baked boston cream pie, and it’s absolutely mouthwatering. It makes me want to eat him or something, but that’s a very far-fetched thing.

A few moments later, the door opens to reveal Carson once again.

“Don requests that you come to be seen as well,” he says without missing a beat.

“Why?” I ask blandly.

“Just listen for once in your damn life, Bridget,” Carson says, clearly aggravated. “I wouldn’t have had to come back if you had just listened earlier.”

I sigh and slip off the bed, running my fingers through my hair before following Carson.

As we go downstairs, I catch sight of Lucien’s piercing silver eyes, watching me come down the staircase.

When I come down, I see Libby is standing next to Sebastian and Marilyn is next to Alec. The other girls are just happy to be in regular clothes, sitting on the couch side by side.

“I’m taking you,” Lucien says to me, his eyes darkening as his eyes sweep down my body. “You...Miss Bridget...are a piece of art.”

“That I’ll say,” Sebastian says, then whistles. A quick hiss from Lucien silences Sebastian, but he gives Lucien a strange look, while Alec looks completely engrossed in Marilyn who looks very much the same with him.

I can see right through them. They are definitely in love.

Lucien slips an arm around my shoulders and tugs me towards the door with the two other couples following us.

“Don’t try anything stupid, Bridget,” Lucien mumbles as he pushes me inside a car that someone is driving. I recognize him as the man who sat on the right side of me and wanted to “taste” me.

Lucien climbs in beside me.

“To Corolla beach, North Carolina,” Lucien says, and then shuts the divider between the driver and us.

“Where are we?” I ask, and Lucien grins at me.

“We’re in Tennessee, darling,” he says, “so we have a long drive ahead of us. Don’t you just love being in close quarters with me for two and a half hours?”

My face pales and he grins.

“Oh, and Bridget,” he says, turning to look at me with those silver eyes. “This is by no means a beach date.”

“Oh, I know,” I murmur back, then stare out the window