by Sophia Gray
“Get out of the city. Get out of the country, even, just to be safe. Because if I ever see you again, I can’t promise you that I’ll be as merciful as my girl here. Get out.”
Katrina and Papa Giustini rushed out of the parlor, running down the hall toward the exit. Nyssa felt a deep sense of satisfaction as she heard the door slam behind them. There was no guarantee that they wouldn’t be back someday, but somehow Nyssa got the sense that they wouldn’t bother trying anytime soon, at the very least.
She turned around to look at the parlor, staring at every single inch of the place before turning to Sebastian again. “Let’s tear the curtains down,” she said.
“The curtains?” Sebastian said back to her, a little confused even though a slight smile started to spread across his face.
“Yeah,” Nyssa said. “I want to let some light in.”
Epilogue
“Come in!” Nyssa called out after hearing a gentle tap at her bedroom door.
Kimmie stepped inside and closed the door carefully behind her. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure if she was sleeping or not.”
“She’s awake, just being quiet for once,” Nyssa said with a laugh, gesturing to the crib that held her infant daughter.
Over a year had passed since the debacle with the Giustinis. Thus far nobody had seen any sign of them anywhere in the country, but Nyssa still felt on edge most of the time. She didn’t know if she would ever totally relax about the Giustinis. Maybe the day she eventually stopped worrying about them would be the day they finally came back to seek their revenge. Who knew? Nyssa sure didn’t, and she kept praying every day, wishing that she and Sebastian and baby Rose and Kimmie could live relatively quietly, in peace.
But for some reason Kimmie had a slightly scrunched-up, worried expression on her face now. “What’s up?” Nyssa asked, patting the empty spot on the loveseat beside her.
“I was just… wondering if we could talk about my role here. Like in the household, you know?” Kimmie said.
“What do you mean?” Nyssa asked.
“Well, you’ve said I can stay here forever, and I appreciate that, but it’s been a year now and you’re not pregnant anymore. You don’t need me hanging around to protect you all the time. Maybe it’s time I get going.”
Nyssa reached forward and grabbed both of Kimmie’s hands, keeping her in place. “Kimmie, no. Listen to me. You’re a part of the family. I can’t lose you.”
Kimmie smiled sadly and shook her head. “I wish it were that simple. Nyssa, you’ve got the perfect fairy-tale life here. Sebastian is great for you. You guys are great together, and now with the baby you’re a perfect family. You’re the one helping Sebastian run the drug operation into the city. The best I’ve been doing is occasionally sleeping with a guard here and there, but that was more because I wanted to get laid than for anything else,” she said with a self-deprecating chuckle.
Nyssa struggled to come up with the right words to say. How could she reassure her best friend that she had a purpose here if she herself didn’t feel inspired about her life?
Just then, Rose started wailing, high and sharp, her cries piercing Nyssa’s exhausted ears like knives. “Oh, baby, it’s okay, I’ll be right there!” Nyssa called out as she got to her feet. “Don’t go anywhere, Kimmie,” she shouted over her shoulder as she approached the crib. “We’re not done talking yet.”
Nyssa checked Rose’s diaper. It was still clean, and she’d been fed just twenty minutes earlier. She couldn’t be hungry, not yet. What was wrong with the baby?
“Sorry, Kimmie, I’ll be right there. I just want to get her to stop crying, and then I’ll—”
“It’s okay, no problem, Nyssa,” Kimmie said. A second later, Rose stopped crying, cooing lightly under her breath.
“That’s weird,” Nyssa said. She leaned down to take her daughter into her arms, but after a few seconds of adjustment she burst into tears again, screaming right into Nyssa’s ear. “Oh, Jesus, no, baby, no! It’s okay, darling! I promise it’s okay.” Nyssa groaned a little and let her head rock forward between her shoulders, limp and useless. She was usually so much better than this at taking care of her baby, but she hadn’t slept in a little over a day and her nerves were being worn down to nothing. She didn’t know how much longer she could do this, but Sebastian probably couldn’t take over baby duties tonight, either.
“Well, let me hold her for a minute. Maybe she just needs—” Before Kimmie could finish her statement, the baby quieted down again and pressed her head into the crook of Nyssa’s neck. “Wow. Her moods change fast,” Kimmie whispered.
“I think I know what it is,” Nyssa said, thinking out loud. “Come closer, Kimmie.”
Kimmie did as she was told, and Nyssa was at least temporarily relieved that Kimmie didn’t intend on running out on them right away. She still had a chance to keep her best friend in her new home. “Oh, jeez, Rose is so beautiful. I always forget it, and then I see her again and it hits me right in the face. She’s the cutest baby I’ve ever seen,” Kimmie said softly.
Rose shifted a little in Nyssa’s arms, reaching out blindly with one tiny arm toward Kimmie.
“I knew it!” Nyssa hissed. She felt oddly triumphant, feeling a ridiculous amount of love rise up within her chest. “It’s you, Kimmie! It’s you!”
“What do you mean?” Kimmie asked in a hushed whisper as she played with Rose’s tiny fingers.
“Here,” Nyssa said, offering to pass Rose over to Kimmie’s arms. Kimmie hesitated for a second before nodding and accepting Rose into her hands.
“Hey, pretty girl. Hey, there, pretty girl,” Kimmie cooed, smiling down warmly at the baby in her arms. “So what do you mean, Nyssa?”
“The baby!” Nyssa said, like the answer was obvious. “Come on, Kimmie! She piped down every time she heard your voice. It’s you! You calm her down. I knew it!”
“That’s crazy,” Kimmie scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. “You’re her mother. She’s so close to you that she can detect when you’re upset or exhausted or annoyed. She could just sense that you were stressed-out. That’s the only reason why my voice worked instead of yours.”
“Maybe,” Nyssa conceded. “But she definitely didn’t have that reaction to any of the guards who came passing through here five minutes ago. She only gets this way around you, Kimmie. She loves you.”
Kimmie shifted Rose around in her arms until the baby was pressing her head against her shoulder. “Well, thank you,” Kimmie finally whispered, seemingly accepting defeat. “That really… means a lot to me.”
“It means a lot to me, too,” Nyssa said. Her chest burned with new purpose now, her goal so clear that she could practically taste it. “That’s why I want you to be Rose’s nanny, Kimmie.”
“What?” Kimmie asked. Her face looked awash with confusion, like she didn’t even comprehend Nyssa’s words.
“You should be her nanny,” Nyssa repeated. “You’re the only one I trust with her around here. The only one I know would do anything to keep her safe.”
Kimmie stuttered for a second before saying, “But… I’m… all I’ve ever been is a whore, Nyssa. How can I…”
“You’re so much more than that, Kimmie,” Nyssa said, putting her hand on Kimmie’s shoulder, right next to her daughter’s head. “You’re my best friend. My only friend, really, other than Sebastian. You’re the best nanny I could ever hope for.”
Kimmie smiled then, her face lighting up just like it used to in the old days, when they were young and stupid and didn’t have big things to worry about. But then a moment later it faded, and Kimmie wore a stony serious look, making Nyssa’s heart accelerate with worry yet again. “What? What is it?”
“Well, I was just thinking,” Kimmie began, rubbing the back of Rose’s head as she supported her weight. “You deserve a night off.”
“From what? Rose?”
“From being a mom,” Kimmie said. “Look, I’ve seen how hard you work for Sebastian and for your little girl
. It’s time for you to relax. You deserve it after everything we’ve been through.”
“But who will…?” Nyssa gestured toward Rose, still resistant to the idea of taking any time off.
“Me, of course. You just hired me, stupid!” Kimmie said teasingly. “I’ll take Rose to my room, watch over her all night and maybe even tomorrow, too. You can just take the time to relax, unwind, destress, et cetera. Whatever you want to do. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
“I—but I—I’ve spent every moment with her since—” Nyssa stuttered out.
“Since she was born, I know,” Kimmie said with a wry smile. “And I think it’s time you learned to let go a little bit. I’ll take good care of her. We’ll be right across the hall, pretty much, for the whole time. Okay? Just let me prove that I’m really as good a nanny as you say I can be.”
Nyssa considered for a moment, her brain briefly in turmoil as she considered snatching her child back and never letting anyone else hold her ever again. But Nyssa realized she was being an overdramatic, overprotective mom, and she forced herself to relax, blowing out her breath and nodding. “You’re right. I need to loosen up a little bit.”
“More than a little bit,” Kimmie said.
“Fair enough!” Nyssa said, playfully slapping the side of Kimmie’s torso lightly. “All right. Go ahead. Get out of here.”
“Really?” Kimmie asked.
“Yeah, really. Go on, do it before I lose my nerve,” Nyssa said, waving them away.
“Okay. Call me if you get worried. I don’t mind reassuring you,” Kimmie said as she headed for the exit.
“Yeah, yeah, just go!” Nyssa said.
“I’ll take really good care of her!” Kimmie promised as she left the room.
“You better!” Nyssa shouted, chuckling to herself a little. It took a few seconds before it hit her. It was the first time she’d been alone in months, in over a year, really, if she counted the pregnancy. She was free, at least for a night.
Nyssa started by pouring herself a glass of champagne and heading into the bathroom for a bubble bath, running the warm water until the tub was almost completely full before shucking off her clothes and slinking inside. “Oh, Jesus, yes,” Nyssa sighed, sinking deep into the tub and letting the warm suds slosh over her naked body. “Yes, this is good.”
Nyssa leaned back against the back edge of the tub, letting her legs go limp and loose as the minutes ticked by, only the sound of her own breathing and the gentle “drip-drip” noise of the faucet filling her ears. She felt like the tension was finally sinking away, all of the stress and worry and fear that she’d been carrying around ever since she’d first learned she was pregnant. And, honestly, even before that, when she was just a sex worker doing as best as she could, she never felt safe or secure, not even for a second. But now, for the first time, she had power, and she finally had the time to reflect on it.
This is my life now, Nyssa thought in a distant kind of way, her own thoughts feeling vague and fuzzy, like her mind was filled with a gentle buzzing static. Sebastian saved me. Kimmie saved me. And we’re all together. We’re all safe. We’re all okay.
“We’re all okay,” she murmured to herself, warm water filling her ears.
“Damn right we are,” a muffled male voice said.
“Ah!” Nyssa jumped up in the tub, sending a wave of water crashing down to the tile below. “Oh, Jesus, Sebastian, you scared me,” she said with a drawn-out sigh, rubbing her eyes to get adjusted to the light again.
“Sorry,” Sebastian said with a grin. “Mind if I join you?”
“Go ahead,” Nyssa said. Her heart picked up the pace, banging around inside her chest, but it wasn’t due to fear this time. For once, she felt excited, bubbling up with enthusiasm, her legs already trembling a little bit as she thought about snuggling up underneath the bubbles with her boyfriend.
Sebastian stepped out of his clothes and carefully came into the tub, settling his body alongside Nyssa’s. “I thought you were going to be gone all night and tomorrow, too,” Nyssa said, instinctively wrapping her arms around Sebastian’s shoulder, hugging his slippery body to hers.
“I got lucky,” Sebastian said. “A couple guys canceled on me, and the other appointment went so well we reached an agreement within thirty minutes. I’m all yours, baby. Where’s Rose?”
“With Kimmie. I decided she’ll act as our nanny, so that we can have more nights like this,” Nyssa explained. She wrapped her legs around Sebastian’s waist, tugging him even closer and giggling as soap bubbles got into her mouth.
“I like that idea,” Sebastian murmured softly into her ear, his tongue coming out to slide along the vein in her neck.
“Oh, shit, Jesus,” Nyssa sighed out helplessly, arching her back to encourage Sebastian to lick her harder. His teeth slid along her collarbone, biting into her skin gently but firmly. “That feels good. That’s so good, baby, yes.”
“Hmm, I just want to eat you up,” Sebastian grunted into her neck, licking more forcefully until the entire top half of her body tingled.
She shivered in Sebastian’s grasp, arching back and forth, rubbing her bare crotch against the bottom of his stomach. “Please, I need you,” Nyssa whimpered. “It’s been so long, baby.”
They’d been so distracted lately with the growth of their empire along with the first couple of months with baby Rose. It had been so long since they’d truly explored one another’s bodies, treating each other with special care and attention rather than banging a quick one out whenever the baby was sleeping.
But now, everything was quiet and still, the night beckoning toward them like a warm welcoming shadow, long and luxurious. Nyssa bent her legs behind Sebastian’s back, reaching up to kiss Sebastian deeper, dragging his lips between her teeth.
“I’m all yours,” Nyssa whispered. She twirled her fingers into Sebastian’s thick, long hair, gripping the back of his head and encouraging him to kiss her harder.
Sebastian massaged the base of Nyssa’s jaw as he kissed her, playing at the seam of her lips with his teeth. “You’re so hot, so sweet, so fucking sexy,” he muttered into her lips. He arched his back and knocked their hips together, his cock brushing up against her cunt without going inside. Somehow Nyssa knew that she was going to have to wait a long time before getting what she wanted. Sebastian had that look his eye, this almost devious glint of desire that burned like an eternal flame, making Nyssa feel like her skin was on fire.
Nyssa lifted her hips off the base of the tub, brushing her outer lips against Sebastian’s balls. She felt like she could sense his throbbing, feel his heartbeat throbbing through his most sensitive skin. Sebastian’s hands started at her breasts, playing along with her nipples while his teeth kept nibbling at her lips. “Yes, yes, yes, ugh, yes,” Nyssa moaned helplessly, turning her neck this way and that, halfway between trying to shove Sebastian’s mouth off and pull him in closer, deeper into her skin.
Sebastian’s hand traveled down lower, his nails dancing over her stomach before slipping in between her legs, tracing over the vulnerable skin of her inner thighs. Sebastian hovered above her, keeping his cock just out of reach no matter how far Nyssa stretched her arm out to touch him.
“Shit, shit, yes,” Nyssa grunted as Sebastian’s fingers found her clit, brushing up against it teasingly before pulling away. “Hmm, please, please, touch me,” she begged softly, dragging her nails down from Sebastian’s lower neck to halfway down his back.
“You like that? You fucking like that?” Sebastian whispered, his mouth moving up to suck around her chin and the curve of her cheek.
“Yes, yes, I do, I really fucking do,” Nyssa said, feeling a wave of desperation rise within her body, making her arch her back and lift her hips up even higher while her mouth searched to find Sebastian’s. “Ugh, please, goddammit, please, fuck me. I need it. I need it so badly.”
“Hmm, maybe I’ll be nice tonight. Would you like that?” Sebastian whispered. He dragged his lips up fro
m hers, gliding along her cheek until he found her ear again and sucked her lobe into his mouth, surrounding a thousand sensitive nerve endings with his wet, hot suction.
“Ah! Ah, oh!” Nyssa cried out, her spine stiffening almost uncomfortably as Sebastian dragged the nails of one of his hands up her hip and waist.
Sebastian growled into her ear, his teeth feeling wonderfully sharp and powerful and precise as they dug into the side of Nyssa’s neck. Nyssa felt like new neurons were being brought to life on the surface of her brain, new mental connections that had never been discovered before. Sebastian had that talent about him. He was always able to make every time feel like the first time, and yet he’d barely even touched her clitoris yet.
Right on time, Sebastian’s fingers returned to Nyssa’s clit, pressing down just a little bit before rubbing around in a circular motion. “Ah! Ugh!” Nyssa called out, biting hard onto the nearest stretch of skin she could find on Sebastian’s body, managing to suck a hot little purple mark into his shoulder in the process. Nyssa felt an absurd feeling of smug satisfaction at that, marking Sebastian up so any person who saw him in the near future would know that he belonged to someone fierce and vicious and strong, someone who didn’t let go of things easily. It was so strange how much that turned her on, thinking of other people reading her mark on Sebastian’s body, but it did, encouraging her to clutch on tighter to Sebastian, tugging him in deeper until his cock brushed up between her thighs.
