Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 109096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
My heart soars when I see him there, crumpled in a heap on his makeshift bed.
"Sam!" I rush toward him, kneeling in front of him on the dirty pavement. He won't look at me. "I came looking for you last night. Where were you? I was so worried."
"I had something I needed to do," he mutters, motioning to the brown bag. "That for me?"
"Yes." I pass him the bag and he digs into some cookies. "I brought something yesterday, but you weren't here. What happened, Sam? Where did you go?"
"I told you, I had something to do." Am I imagining it, or is his reply strained and unwelcoming? Either way, he's making it clear he doesn't want any further questions. But I can't help myself.
"Oh, Sam, it's not the drugs again, is it?" He keeps eating, refusing to look at me. "Please tell me it's not the drugs. I was worried sick, Sam."
"Don't worry about me, Dove," he says finally. "You have better things to do than worry about an old man everyone else was wise enough to forget."
"I could never forget you, Sam," I tell him firmly. "You're important to me. Much too important to forget."
He doesn't respond, just eats his cookies in silence. I guess he just doesn't want to talk to me today, so I pick myself up.
"Well, I better go," I finally mutter. "I'm working at the soup kitchen today. Do you want to come over? It's chowder night."
He shakes his head without looking at me. "Thanks for the food, kid."
"You're welcome." I kick at a pebble, unsure what to do next. But Sam won't even meet my eyes, so I decide to write today off as a bad day for him. I quietly mutter a goodbye, but he doesn't respond as I head back to my place with slumped shoulders.
I spend the rest of the day at the soup kitchen, working hard to fill more hungry mouths than we can handle. At the end of the day, I sign another check for a sizable donation to the soup kitchen, and the head, Velma, thanks me profusely. I just smile tensely in return. The feeling that I'm still not doing enough is still there, convincing me I'll never be good enough.
As I come back to my place, my face lights up when I see Robin sitting on my doorstep.
"What are you doing here?" I ask jovially as we hug.
"Thought you could use the company," he grins, holding up a bag. "I brought Mexican food today."
My smile falters because I don't want to eat after everything that's happened today. Still, I'm thrilled to see Robin, and I invite him in. We settle on the couch in front of the TV and quickly catch up while he digs into the quesadillas he brought with him. I know he's going to pressure me about food tonight – I can tell from his tense demeanor. So I'm grateful when his phone starts going off.
"Elise?" I ask. He nods, groaning and running his fingers through his hair. "Maybe you should ask her to come over."
"Elise?" Robin looks shocked, laughing. "What, you didn't get enough of her when you went shopping the other day?"
"I just thought it might be fun to watch a movie. All three of us." I smile innocently. If Robin can tell I'm only doing this because I want to distract him, he doesn't show it, but he does look suspicious.
"Maybe," he finally mutters, his eyes lighting up with an idea. "I'll do it, under one condition."
"What's that?"
"You invite your new crush over, too." Robin's grin is mischievous. "You know, the Raphael guy."
"You want to meet him?" Despite my stressful day, I find myself grinning as my brother nods. "That's actually not a bad idea. But do I look alright? Am I a mess? I've been working all day."
"You look great," my brother insists. "Now call him. I want to meet this mystery guy you're so head over heels for."
"Oh, shut up," I mutter, but for some reason, I can't keep the smile off my face. "Okay, I'll call him. Elise won't mind?"
"Why would she?"
"I don't know."
"Just call him already," Robin laughs. "Let's see if he's worth you getting all flustered over."
Chapter 12
Nox
The white powder I put in Dove's drink works like a charm. She's out in moments, leaving me free to do whatever the hell I want with her body. She doesn't even wake up when I pull the duvet off her. For such a light sleeper, she is deeply slumbering now – there's no way she'll wake up. I've dosed the powder carefully, making sure not to harm her, but also ensuring she'll be fast asleep for the duration of the time I play with her.
After I pull the duvet off her, I take some time just to admire her stunning naked body. The scars are marring her, but they don't take away from her beauty. She is beautiful in an inoffensive way that strikes me to my very core. Her perky pink nipples stand erect, just begging for me to take them in my mouth. Her pussy is waxed bare save for a strip of dark hair running down to her sweet center. She is painfully thin, though, her bones nearly protruding from her pearlescent skin.