I flick the remote, turning it up two more notches. The panties are now vibrating so hard that I can feel it buzzing against my thigh.
Kaia closes her eyes and kisses me desperately, needing to come. She thrusts and rocks her hips, her fingers pressing the vibrator into her clit.
“Oh, I’m going to—“
She spasms violently, her whole body convulsing, her mouth dropping open. She howls with pleasure, panting when she’s done riding the wave of ecstasy. Only then do I turn off the device.
Only then does Kaia open her eyes, dropping a kiss on my lips. We lay together like that for a long time, drifting, unwilling to break the intimacy of the moment.
27
Kaia
“No sucking in your stomach!” Gus, the elderly costumer, reminds me for the sixth time.
I scrunch up my face. “Sorry, Gus.”
He tuts and goes back to fidgeting with something very close to my butt. I pull myself upright, so I look grand standing on a three foot tall step stool, trying hard to keep my body shape the same. No sucking my stomach in, no letting my back and ab muscles relax either. It’s a special kind of torture, I’m pretty sure.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I cock my head. The woman standing before me seems so slender beside the portly Gus. I’m dressed head to toe in shimmering fabric. My tutu is a dark purplish red, the bodice of it stark white. Trailing down and crossing my whole body are the most delicate, intricate lilac flowers I’ve ever seen.
That part makes me smile. I am the Lilac fairy, after all. I’m dancing the part of the fairy that saves Sleeping Beauty — or gets as close as she can, anyway.
I bite my lip, unable to suppress a little grin. I’m content.
No, more than that.
I’m happy.
Rehearsals start soon. I’ve told Calum about H’s threats and he has promised to deal with them. And on top of all that, I think Calum will finally seal the deal soon.
This could be my last week as a virgin. And I honestly cannot fucking wait.
“Too much belly!” Gus snaps.
“Oh, sorry, sorry!” I try to suck it in just enough. “Is that okay?”
Gus doesn’t answer, he just hmmphs. As I stand perfectly still, staring at myself, I start to imagine people in the mirror. Specifically I see my father heading down the hall, his face set in a stoic pout. I wrinkle my nose at that.
Of all the people to conjure, I chose him? I close my eyes and try to keep myself perfectly still.
It’s not until my father actually growls at me that I realize that he’s really here, in the fitting room with me.
“Kaia!” he barks.
My eyelids snap open. I take a half step back, only to be reprimanded by Gus.
“What are you doing!?” he hisses.
I can’t take my eyes off of my father. He is glaring at me, his fists clenched, his jaw locked.
“Do you want to have this conversation here?” my dad asks.
I swallow and shake my head. We are on my turf, so I feel safe enough talking to him… and there is the fact that I don’t want anyone to know just how little my own father thinks of me.
“We’re going to have to finish this fitting later, Gus,” I say.
Gus shoots me a glare. “You cannot leave right now.”
I step down, only vaguely even aware of Gus’s presence. “I’ll be back.”
Behind me, Gus throws up his hands in a baffled gesture. “You have pins all along your back! Don’t even think of sitting down!” Gus yells at my back.
Eyeing my dad, I head out of the costume room and take a right into a long backstage passage. Leaving behind the bright light and airy space of the costume room, I advance down the dimly lit, cramped hallway.
My father is right on my heels, grabbing my arm and jerking my body around to face him. His fingers dig into the flesh of my upper arm. “I’ve been calling you,” he says.
I swallow, my gaze raking his face. All my life, I’ve been conditioned to say yes, to give away what little I have to make my father happy.
But no more. Lifting my chin, I try to keep my tone even. “I haven’t been picking up because the last time I saw you, you tried to sell me.”
My father bares his teeth. “And if you had just been reasonable then, this whole situation would be resolved right now. But as it stands, things are so, so much worse.”
I try to wrest my arm from his grip. “Let go of me. You are hurting me.”
He squeezes my arm even tighter, his touch brutal. “Good. You need to listen this time instead of running away like a little girl.”
I pull back, affronted. “I am your little girl!”
His face contorts with rage. He gives me a hard shake. “Shut the fuck up and listen to me, you stupid, worthless whore. You and I are going to leave right now and go back to Tony. And we are going to beg for him to take you.”
I shake my head, my face heating. “No! Why would I do that? Why would I do anything for you when you treat me like this?”
My father grits his teeth and pulls me in close, talking low. “Because, Kaia. I owe a lot of money to some very bad people. And either I make good on their investment, or they start looking for ways they can take their money back. They have made that crystal clear. And I don’t think your mother would make it very long as a hooker.”
My jaw drops. “What?!”
My head spins. My dad is talking about my mom as if she’s just another of his possessions. I can’t wrap my head around the idea that my dad owes so much money that he’s lining up me and my mom to sell off like we’re cattle.
Of course, there is no mention of my dad working off the debt or my sister being involved in any way.
My dad takes a step forward, pushing me back against the wall. “If I don’t come up with three hundred thousand dollars in the next two days, I will have no choice but to sell your mother and your sister to the mafia. With you, I’ve worked out a sweet deal. But your mom and your sister are not worth nearly as much. Do you want to know what kind of life you’re consigning them to, Kaia?”
“That is such bullshit!” I yell, pushing him back a step. “This is your mess! You should have to clean it up, not me and not your family!”
My dad’s eyes go black. He flings me against the wall, pressing the pins in my garment into the skin of my back. Then he puts both his hands around my throat and starts choking me.
I flail, my eyes going wide, my airway suddenly obstructed. I try to swat at my dad’s hands, my fingernails finding the flesh of his forearms.
But that only makes him more angry. “If you won’t come with me, you will be punished. I paid for everything for you growing up. And I will be repaid for it all or I will kill you.”
My vision starts to swim. I try to call out, try to kick at my dad’s legs. But I am powerless against him, struggling mindlessly.
“Kaia!” comes a familiar shout. “What are you doing—“
Calum steps into the passage, looking aggravated. It only takes him a second to register that I’m in danger.
“What the fuck?” he shouts, rushing at my father and me headlong.
My dad takes his hands from my throat, throwing them up in self-defense. “Mind your own business!”