“He’s a person now?”
He grabs a condom from the nightstand. “He’s always been a person. You trying to say you don’t like him? Well, he and I both know that’s a lie. Hell, the people at that Days Inn in Richmond Hill know that’s a lie.”
I act like I’m blowing him off. “Whatever, you were just trying to distract me so that your friend could seduce my friend.”
He rolls the condom on and thrusts into me. “Oh yeah, well I was very willing to take one for the team that night. I’m so fucking glad I did.”
I look at him through hooded eyes. “Oh, so you were taking one for the team, huh?”
He starts picking up pace and I start clawing at his back. “Oh yeah, I’d say I went above and beyond that night.”
All I can do is nod and let out a moan. “Judd.”
“Fuck, Princess. I’ve missed your sweet pussy so much, it’s like my own personal glove.”
“Oh shit, oh shit.” That’s all I can manage to say until he starts pounding harder. “OH FUCK! I’M COMING!” He slams into me twice more before blowing his load in the condom.
He collapses on me, still inside of me. “Shit, Princess. I need to start working out in the morning like that more often.”
I laugh. “Um, I can’t breathe, you’re squishing me.”
He rolls off of me, pulling the condom off and throwing it in the trash can by the bed. “Sorry, Princess. I really could wake up with you like this every morning, you know?”
I curl back into his side. “You seemed to sleep okay last night.”
He nods and strokes my back. “Yeah. I have to say, though, I was really scared about you staying here.”
“Hey, it all turned out okay.”
“Yeah, but I’d hate myself if I accidentally hurt you or something during one of my dreams.”
I grab his chin, turning him to face me. “Hey, what happens in your dreams?” I shake my head. “Not your fault. Besides, last night you had a good dream. So your memories aren’t going to always be bad ones.”
He nods. “I guess you’re right.”
I wink. “I’m always right.”
He smacks me on the ass. “Sassy in the morning. You hungry?”
As if on cue, my stomach growls. “Yeah, I guess so.”
He jumps up from the bed. “How about I cook something? Then we can laze around until you have to go home and get ready for your shift.”
I look up at the naked, fine male specimen in front of me. “Only if you cook naked and I get to watch.”
He leans down to kiss me. “That can be arranged, but what if grease pops me and I get burned?”
I flop back on the bed as if I’m exhausted. “Well, I guess you have a point. You may wear boxer shorts, but no shirt. I like looking at your chest.”
“I’m not just a piece of meat, you know. I have feelings, too.”
I laugh. “You’re right, you feel pretty good to me most of the time.”
He spins around, jumping on top of me in the bed. “I feel violated and used.”
I reach and grab his ass with both hands. “Oh you know you like it.” I wink and smack his ass.
~*~*~
Unfortunately, I have to break from my holiday bliss of lying in bed with Judd and go home.
I start working third shift tonight. I have to be at work at ten, so I’m going home to wash my scrubs, study and catch a nap before work.
I dread going home because I know I’m going to catch hell for leaving the club early.
Hopefully I can just sneak in the house without having to see them. They’ll be in for the night by the time I leave for the hospital.
That hope is crushed when I pull my Camaro into the garage. My father is getting into his Audi to leave for work. Great!
“Annabelle.”
“Dad.”
“Well, your little scene at the club didn’t go unnoticed yesterday.”
“I suppose not. I left with my brothers.”
“Yes. I know this. Your assignment was to stay and have dinner with Patrick.”
I scoff. “My assignment. I thought it was a date that was set up unwillingly for me.”
“Look, young lady. I know you, Vic and Chris have this rose colored view of the world. You think hopes and dreams make things happen for you, but they don’t. Money makes things happen for you. You children have never had to worry about that since I’ve made sure you’ve had everything you’ve ever wanted. Your older brothers realize this, you and the younger two boys are ungrateful little shits sometimes.”
My blood is about to boil over. He’s right, we haven’t had to struggle, but I would have traded everything to be treated like a human being rather than a possession.
“I have to get ready for work.”
“Yes, because after the way you treated Patrick yesterday, I doubt he’ll have anything else to do with you. Hopefully you can find some schmuck doctor to fall for you.” He sits in his car and slams the door.
I make my way into the house preparing to do battle with my mother now.
I don’t even make it through the kitchen before a wine glass is being hurled at my head. “Annabelle, you are such an ungrateful little bitch!”
Luckily, I duck in time and it shatters on the wall. If this were the first time this had happened I might be upset, but I’m used to it. Hell, the fact that it’s ten in the morning and my mom seems already half lit doesn’t even faze me. I try to ignore her. I know this means she’s paying me back for how pissed my father was about yesterday.
“Are you just going to ignore me?”
I get to the bottom of the stairs. “I was really hoping to.” I make my way up the stairs as she breaks shit and cusses me from downstairs.
After I reach my room, I look around. This is my life. I really need to get my own place. How though? I don’t have any money of my own and I’ll be damned if I’ll ever use the trust account they have set up for me.
My school is paid for through scholarships that I earned. That’s really the only thing though, my car and lifestyle belong to them. It’s the only thing I’ve ever known.
I need a job that pays money, but with my hours for clinicals, it’s hard. I just don’t know if I can live here for another year.
Ugh! Fuck My Life!
Chapter 11
My phone pings letting me know I have a text.
Princess: Wish I was back in our bubble already.
Me: Well come back when you feel
like it.
Princess: I wish it were that easy. Thanks for a great night. Gotta get some rest for my shift.
Me: Sweet dreams Princess.
I make my way down to the main house to see if Ryder is going to need my help today with anything. Walking in through the kitchen, I see a blonde lady sitting at the breakfast bar.
She smiles. “You must be Judd. I’m Sarah.”
I’m confused. “Um. Hey.”
About that time, Ryder walks in. “Hey, man. You meet Sarah?”
I nod. “Yeah.” With a What the Fuck? Look on my face.
Ryder laughs. “Shit, I forgot you dipped out early last night. She’s dad’s girlfriend.”
I chuckle, finally getting it. “Oh, okay. I was lost for a minute. Sorry, Sarah, I didn’t mean to act strange. I’m just not used to walking in here and finding new people sitting at the breakfast bar.”
She laughs. “It’s okay. I’m sure it was a little bit of a shock to you to find some weird woman you weren’t expecting. I’ve heard wonderful things about you.”
I nod. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you.” I turn to Ryder. “I came to see what we had planned for today.” I see Sarah slip out of the kitchen.
“I need to run into town and grab some feed and shots for the Waycross farm for tomorrow. Can you go check the back forty? I noticed the fence over there the other day had a couple of broken boards. Can you take care of that?”
“Sure, I’ll get right on it.”
“No rush. I just don�
�t know if I’ll have time today and Nelson has a doctor’s appointment.”
“Again?” I look at Ryder. “What in the hell is going on? I’ve never known that man to have this many doctors’ appointments.”
Ryder rolls his shoulders. “I don’t know. I’m getting curious myself. He said it’s just some normal checkup stuff.”
“Well I’m going to get to the bottom of this shit. I don’t like being kept in the dark by my own damn dad.”
“I hear you, man.”
I motion to his dad’s study. “So what do you think of Sarah?”
“She seems nice. Dad’s happy, that’s what really matters.”
I nod. “Okay. What did Nana say?”
He shrugs. “Nana seems to like her. Will she ever love her as much as she loved my mom? No, probably not, but Nana practically raised my mom, so it’s just different. I think she’s glad to see my dad happy again.”
“Hell, I’m happy about that, too. Greer deserves to be happy. Hell, he deserves a commendation medal for putting up with your ass for all those years and surviving.”
He punches me in the shoulder. “Asshole. I’m pretty sure for most of that I wasn’t alone.”
I laugh. “Yeah, I guess not.”
“Oh and family dinner tonight at six, per Nana Pearl.”
“Okay. What’s going on?”
He shrugs. “Don’t know. I’m sure it has something to do with my dad and Sarah. She asked if Annabelle could come, too.”
“Annabelle has to work tonight, she goes in at ten. I’ll text her, she may be sleeping.”
He nods. “Okay, well just let her know.”
We head out the back door. Ryder looks over at me. “Speaking of Miss Annabelle, where did you and she disappear off to last night?”
I shake my head. “I swear, you gossip as bad as Nana.”
He laughs. “Yeah, I figured. Her brothers were looking for her, you know?”
“Great. Well, if you must know, I made a little bit of an ass out of myself.”
“How did you do that?”
I sigh. “The crowd made me a little nervous so we decided to take a walk. Then when the fireworks started…well, they caught me off guard and I threw her down to the ground. I freaked out a little bit, started shaking.”
Ryder’s eyes are huge. “Oh shit, man. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think to warn you about the fireworks. I just, shit man, I’m so sorry.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Hey, man. It’s okay. You can’t help that normal everyday shit has the capability of sending me on the short train to crazytown.”
“Yeah, but common sense should have told me better.” He looks defeated and sad.
I shake my head and punch him in the arm. “Hey, no one ever accused you of having a lot of common sense.”
He shoves me. “Thanks, asshole, I really feel bad. I wanted you to enjoy last night.”
I laugh, trying to lighten his mood. “Hey, trust me, I did. I enjoyed this morning, too.”
“So she stayed the night? How did that go?” Ryder is the only person, aside from my counselor and Annabelle, who knows about the dreams.
I nod. “It was okay. I had a dream, but it was actually a good one. She wanted to stay with me because of the fireworks. Just in case I had a bad dream.” I shake my head. “Why would she want to put herself in that situation? I don’t know, but I wanted her to stay so bad because I’m selfish like that.”
“She stayed because she cares about you. Just like the rest of us. Plus, trust me, she must be hanging out for something she likes.” He motions to my crotch.
“Oh, so it’s not my personality she’s after?”
“Yeah, damn sure not your personality. It’s that monster in your pants. Snuffleupagus.”
“Yeah, well at least I can go through the airport without my junk getting groped by an over friendly TSA agent because my dick can’t go through the metal detector.”
“Hey, Scarlet gives no complaints, asshole. And for the record, when I go to the airport I put a plastic ring in so I don’t give the old ladies working too much of a thrill.”
“Trust me, I lived in the house with you for a bit. I know Scarlet gives you no complaints. I know more than I want to know.”
He shoves me. “I’m going to get that feed, you go fix the damn fence.” He calls back over his shoulder. “Don’t forget to call Annabelle about supper.”
“Yeah, yeah, asshole.”
I grab my phone while walking out to the barn.
Me: Nana Pearl has called a family dinner at 6. She said you’d better be here.
Princess: Okay well I’d better go ahead and take my nap.
Me: Bring your stuff for work so you don’t have to leave early.
Princess: Sure thing. What do you think is going on?
Me: IDK I met Greer’s lady friend this morning. That may be what it’s about.
Princess: Holy Shit! Okay I’ll see you a little before 6 going to lay down now.
Me: Sweet Dreams. I’m going to fix a fence.
Princess: XOXO
Chapter 12
It’s weird that I feel so much more comfortable about going to a family dinner at the Abbott’s than I do at my own home.
I think it’s because they just accept me for me. Nana once told me that class isn’t about money or where you stand in the community, it’s about the person. She’s right, my parents have no class. They are a couple of self-righteous assholes.
I quietly try to make my way out of the house and avoid my parents. They’ll wonder why I’m leaving so early and why I have my bag.
As I get to the bottom of the stairs, I hear my father’s voice raised.
“Christopher, I’m not putting up with this bullshit! Are you, your sister and Victor trying to kill me? Trying to go into bullshit careers. I’m not paying for you to go to med school.”
“Dad, you didn’t pay for me to go to school in the first damn place! Grandpa’s money paid and scholarships. Plus, I’m a big boy, I can afford to put myself through school now. Those two dipshits, Shane and Greg, are the ones you had to pay for schooling. Fuck, I bet you still pay their bills.”
I hear glass breaking against the wall and my mom scream. I run in the den. “What’s going on?”
My father glares at me. “None of your fucking business! Where are you going, young lady?”
I square my shoulders. “I’m going to Scarlet’s for dinner and then to work.” I step over to Chris.
My father throws his hands up. “You two are some of the biggest disappointments in my life, along with Vic.”
Chris tenses up. “Hey, don’t talk to her that way.”
He grabs Chris by the collar. “I’ll talk to my daughter any damn way I please.”
I try to get him to let go. “Dad, stop. Calm down.”
I taste the blood on my tongue from the slap before I even realize it happened. Chris in turn shoves dad over the back of the couch.
My mom screams. “Get the hell out of here! Both of you!”
Chris looks at me. “Prissy, go grab some more stuff. You are not coming back here for a few days. We are going to figure something out, you can’t live in this shit anymore.”
Chris and I run up to my room, grabbing my school stuff, my scrubs, some other essential clothes and my box of mementos, and run down to my car. I stop at the door and realize this is their car. I look over at Chris. “Can you give me a ride to Scarlet’s?”
He nods. “Yeah, jump in.” Once we are seated in the car he looks over at me. “I just came to tell him that I planned to go back to school and he went ape shit.”
“I know, I heard most of it before I ran in. Sorry. He and I had it out in the garage when I got home this morning about me leaving the club yesterday. Then I went inside and had words with Mom, so I probably primed the pump for your argument.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault. If they were fucking normal people we wouldn’t have to worry about it.”
I shake my h
ead. “Tell me about it.”
“So, how are you going to get to work in a little bit? You need me to come pick you up or something?”
“No, I’ll get Scarlet to take me or let me borrow her car or something. I’m going to ask her if I can crash in her spare room for a few days, until I figure some shit out. You are right, the stress from them is killing me.”
He nods. “Yeah, I understand. Look, I know my apartment isn’t big, but if you want to crash with me you are more than welcome, little sis.”
“I know, thanks. Scarlet has a lot of room though, and you need your space with Angie.”
“So what’s up with you and that guy Judd?”
“He’s a friend of Ryder’s. He and I met last year before his last deployment. He got injured a few months ago, we’re friends.”
He laughs. “Friends, huh?”
“Okay, a little more than friends, but we are taking it slow. He needs to because he’s still having some adjustment issues. He’s is a great guy, though. He’s just been through so much.”
“Is he going back or can he?”
I shake my head. “No, he was medically discharged. It was a pretty bad injury.”
He nods as we pull down the gravel drive to the Abbott House. “Okay, well call me if you need anything.”
“I will. Thanks, Chris.”
Grabbing my bags, I make my way in the house. Scarlet gives me a funny look as I enter and she makes her way to me. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“Just a little argument at the house. Can I crash here for a few days?”
“Yeah, use the room upstairs that you normally stay in.”
She grabs one of my bags and follows me up the stairs. After we get in the room, I turn to her. “Thanks. Dad is kinda pissed with me and Chris right now. Chris dropped me off here.”
“Is that why your lip is split?”
“Yeah. I tried to stop him and Chris from fighting. Oh, I left my car there, can I use yours to go to work tonight?”
She nods. “Sure, but you probably need to clean your lip up before supper or Judd will go beat the shit out of your dad.” She turns to walk out. “And I wouldn’t stop him. We will talk about all of this more tomorrow.”
Secrets in Battle: Secrets of Savannah Series Book 3 Page 5
