An hour later I’m soaking in a eucalyptus and rosemary infused bath. Jazz is playing softly from the speakers, my eyes are closed and I’m laid back, relaxed with a mask on my face. Quiet murmurs rose and fell among the trio of women Papa Knight had sent up to help me dress for the night. Between songs I could hear their feet shuffling around my private sitting room getting things ready.

I’m lost in thought, thinking of my night with Bash and Jax. My fingers trail light circles around one nipple until it turned to a wet, sensitive bead I slide my thumb over. I tug at the half-ring hanging off the barbell pierced through it, and squeeze the turgid tip hard, loving the sting, the rush of heat curling at the pit of my stomach. Like metal drawn to magnet my free hand slid down my flat stomach, dipping between my thighs. I spread my legs, draping one over the ledge of the jacuzzi tub and stroke myself.

You’re probably wondering, what if I get caught. Didn’t give a fuck if one of the women walked in on me, the thought alone had me driving two fingers into my cunt, mimicking the way Bash fucked me with his tongue.

I’m so turned on it took no time at all to climax. Trembling, I squeezed and stroked my stiff clit between my fingers like I plan to use my hand on Bash’s dick, coaxing out a second orgasm.

Fuck I couldn’t wait to see him. The second I get the chance; bet I’m stealing him away to finish what we started.

Don’t judge, I’m one-track minded as fuck.

****

Aunt Morana paid me a visit while I was in the make-up chair. No hello, or how are ya?

Whatever, I was relaxed from the full body massage I’d received and overly pampered from the facial, manicure and pedicure I dozed through.

The sun was setting, casting the sky in a rosy blush. Morana walked into the sitting room where we were set-up, eyeing my things with her nose crunched up as if everything was coated in dust and she couldn’t bear the thought of getting any of it on her.

For a moment I remained silent, watching as she walked directly to the ornate double-doors opened onto my bedroom. She stopped at the threshold and swept the space with a critical eye, before turning back to face me.

 “Satisfied?” I asked.

  The bitch looked anything but.

“Hakon informed me of his decision to introduce you to the families,” she said brushing her hands as if she’d accidently touched something. “I can’t imagine why he wishes to air his indiscretion to the world. Poor Camile must suffer the humiliation of sharing a roof with you, and now this.”

         I’m not heartless. Yeah, I didn’t like Camile and her dry-face daughter and perverted son but I’m a woman first, and let’s just say it could never be me. I’d have fucked shit up if my husband blindsided me with the revelation of an affair, a love child, and the news said child would be living in the home we built together all on the same night, without so much as a discussion.

That’s fucked up on every level. But it also shows the relationship between those two was based on something other than love or even respect, for him to feel comfortable enough to pull that shit.

Like I said, could never be me. On the other side of that coin, big as I am, I was the child in question, and their marriage had nothing to do with me. That was for them to figure out. So, Morana throwing their marital drama in my face was fucked up, and mean-spirited.

Come on now, this was a grown ass woman actively going out of her way to make her own flesh and blood feel small.

Where the fuck was her loyalty, to me, my Papa?

“What is it?” I asked her as Jilly primed my face. “Is it my closeness to him that’s got your panties in a bunch? You come across as one of those nasty bitches that secretly want to fuck their brother?” My disrespectful ass said for all to hear.

The whole room went deathly silent.

“This is precisely why this night will be a disaster. You’re uncouth, an animal.”

“Ah, you’re a classist. For a second there I thought it was a race thing.”

Morana shook her head, like a disappointed mother. “One of these days you will learn to curb your tongue. For now, I can only hope your head isn’t as hard as it looks.”

Here’s what you’ll to come learn about Morana, it was never about choosing Camile over her brother. The woman was the moral compass of the Knight family. She didn’t give a shit who you were, she would always stand on the side of what’s right. Morana loved as strongly as the heat of the sun, fierce and unflinching. But you had to earn that love, and I had not started off on the best foot.

In her eyes, Papa Knight’s delivery of me to the family was the first strike against me. Second, was my course mouth. She abhorred ‘impertinence’ as she called it, and I was as disrespectful as they come. You’d think mum hadn’t taught me better.

Oh, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shamed the dead.

Standing by the window in the shadows, as evening crept over the room, Morana stared out at the aging day in quiet contemplation.

She turned to me after a while. In a voice reminiscent of a preschool teacher, she proceeded to educate me on what to expect on my first engagement, as a ‘representative’ of the Knight family.

Best understand, while we were a family, the name Knight was a brand, and each of us had a role to play. Everyone understood this, no question. In the eyes of the public, we were never to seem like anything less than a united front. If you weren’t family or someone with a vested interest in the brand, you were an outsider, an enemy of the fucking state.

Not one to mince her words, Morana made it clear I was either capable of comporting myself or I wasn’t, the night would tell.

“Make a choice,” Morana said in parting after she’d gotten me up-to-date on who would be in attendance, and the significance of the meeting.

She’d spoken in detail, going over the names of the heads of each family, who were our allies or enemies, and the importance of knowing when to open my mouth and when to keep it shut.

“There are those counting on you to fail.”

“Are you one of them?”

“Silly girl, I wouldn’t be here, if was.” She paused in the doorway. “But I suspect you’ve deduced as much. You’re smart Hollis, much, I think, to your own detriment. You’re young, beautiful and could easily rise to become the face of this family. It all depends on your willingness to learn and play by the rules.”

She looked away, gave a nod of her head and left as unceremoniously as she arrived. For a while, I sat staring at the empty space she’d been standing in, thinking of my future. I never questioned my place in the Knight’s family. I’d simply accepted what was given to me.

Think about it. I’d gone from being homeless to living in a damn mansion. That was like wandering for days, starving, and stumbling up on a spread of all your favourite food. You don’t question your fortune, you accept it. You eat until you’re bloated, thoughts of tomorrow the furthest thing from your mind.

Suddenly, it was tomorrow. And there I was, in the same predicament before Papa Knight pulled me into his world. I had no plans, no clue what I wanted to do with myself. Sure, there was the short-term plan to finish my education, for everything else I couldn’t be bothered.

You’re probably thinking, well that’s no way to live.

Well, sometimes life takes you on a journey you least expect, changing you in ways you couldn’t have fathomed. Faced with the reality of losing mum shifted something in me. Watching her wither away helpless to do anything about it, my dreams, the life I’d once planed, all became pointless. Every day was a gift, and I began to live as such, mind focus on the present and nothing more.

Morana’s little visit made me realize I needed to shift gears once again. The thing was, I didn’t think I had it in me. Not much scared me. But the idea of plotting my life, while knowing none of it was promised, struck a fear so deep within me, I couldn’t breathe. Slapping at my heaving chest, I gasped for each breath, but the air had turned to stone. I couldn’t pull enough of it into my lungs.

I jumped up, startling Jilly and ran to the en suite. My fingers slipped, fumbling to turn to the tap on. I gathered two handfuls of the rushing water and splash my face. The cold jolted me. My chest loosened. Hands planted on the counter I sucked down a lungful of air. Goosebumps prickled my entire body.

Nothing of the like had ever happened to me before. I’d had my first panic attack, and unfortunate for me, it wouldn’t be the last.  

My breathing slowed, the trembling shaking my body had eased to a slight tremor. Still, I didn’t move, I stood stiffly, eyes squeezed shut.

I felt a pair of small arms wrap around my waist.

My eyes popped open and collided with the reflection of Olida staring back at me in the mirror.

“Your moods are like the tides of the moon.” She frowned. “It affects everything. Why are you sad?”

“I’m not.” I cleared my throat and straightened my posture.

Releasing me she stepped back. “Was that your first lie of the day or your last?”

“What?” I quirked a brow at her, so not in the mood to entertain anyone.

Olida sighed. “I’m trying to cheer you up, but you’re making it impossible.” She grinned, flashing two white rows of frighteningly straight pointy teeth.

“Oh, I…” I didn’t know what to say to the girl, her sudden appearance and freakish teeth had thrown me off balance. “Um, thanks.”

“Jilly’s waiting.” She dropped the smile, as if she was aware, it had unsettled me. “You don’t want to be late.”

I looked her over. She looked as though she’d just crawled out of bed. “Aren’t you going?”

“Of course.”

Again, I looked her over, cocking a questioning brow at her.

Olida giggled, looking down at herself. “Oh.” She brushed off my concern with a flick of her wrist. “I’ve been with my team for years; they’ll have me thrust up and ready to go in no time. Come on, out you go.”

Pushy girl shooed me out of the bathroom and didn’t leave until I was back in the makeup chair. I swear she was thirteen going on fifty.

During Morana’s impromptu coaching I learned each of the six families were associated with one distinct colour often paired with black and gold, ours was red. If memory served me right, I don’t think I’ve ever worn an outfit in full red before. To be honest, I immediately believed the colour wouldn’t look good on me.

Thankfully, I was wrong. Trust when I say, your girl should wear red more often. And you should have seen us, the whole family, save one, congregated in the grand foyer, all coordinated and shit. Us women dazzled in red with touches of black and gold while the men cut sharp figures in black with accents of red and gold. The nine of us looked like a dream.

I don’t think I’ve felt prettier in my life. Unlike the other Knight women, who wore mermaid silk dresses with sweeping trains and a variety of necklines and sleeve styles, Papa Knight had ordered my gown to be tailored to match his suit.

Camile sidled up to me while I was admiring myself in the mirror. “You look, delicious dear.”

I bit back on the urge to cuss her out in front of everyone. Instead, I turned to face her, wishing she had accompanied her son to wherever he’d gone for the past two weeks.

“And you look…” I paused. “Oops,” I said, pointing at her chest. “I think you missed some.”

Her gaze dropped to where I was pointing then flashed up at me, her mouth drawn into a tight line.

“Milking accident?” I chuckled as I brushed by her.

God only knew who was taking Aldis’ place in her bed while he was gone.

The woman grabbed me by the elbow, her fingers digging into my skin. “My Aldis will be back soon.”

“I’m sure the two of you have plans to celebrate. Do the rest of us a favour and close the door.”

She leaned in, mouth stretched into a tight smile. “You’re going to pay for what you did, I’ll see to it.”