by Graham, Jan
Daniel intended to pay for Angel’s clothes, but after her reaction to Christian’s spending, he wasn’t sure how well-received that would be. He and Christian had decided that Angel was in dire need of extra clothes if she was going to stay with them for any length of time. They had discussed driving her home to collect some extra belongings but felt that ran the risk of her not wanting to come back home and making excuses for her need to do things at her house. Besides, Daniel and Christian both liked to spoil their women, and Angel was no exception.
“You know, Angel, you intrigue me. I believe you are the only woman I have ever met who has been genuinely surprised by the fact that Christian and I want to spend money on you. And before you say anything, I need to let you know I am paying for any clothes you want to buy today.” Daniel waited for Angel’s response, trying to gauge what she was thinking as she looked at him, eating a mouthful of her cake.
“I’m just not used to it. I always thought it would be lovely to have someone buy me nice things, though. I was surprised, that’s all. And I was a little embarrassed at the cost. I mean, it’s not a special occasion or anything, and I haven’t done anything to earn it.” Angel took a sip of coffee. Daniel waited for her to continue, she stared at him blankly not seeming to have anything further to say regarding the matter.
“That’s it. I’m not used to it,” Angel reiterated.
“So, let me check I heard you correctly. If it was your birthday and I bought all the things I did today and gave them to you, that would be okay, but because it’s not a special occasion, it surprised and embarrassed you? Daniel noticed the shocked look on Christian’s face. “And what does having earned it have to do with anything?”
“You sort of heard what I said but not quite. I don’t expect you to get it.” Angel shrugged and continued to eat.
“Explain it some more,” Daniel instructed as he called the waitress to order another coffee for them all.
“Okay, let me try again.” Angel sighed, seeming a little frustrated. “I buy my own everything. I have a budget that I stick to, and if I want something nice, then I save up to buy it. So, for example, I have a couple of nice sets of lingerie, and everything else is just plain, everyday-type stuff that doesn’t cost a lot of money. The same with clothes or jewellery, I have a couple of nice things, and the rest is just normal everyday. I would never have even thought of buying all that lingerie. It just seems excessive. I love it all, but it isn’t necessary to survival. And I try to buy things on sale as well. I don’t usually pay full price for anything.” Angel smiled at the waitress as she bought over fresh coffees and cleared the old plates. “And it wouldn’t matter if it was a birthday or not, I’d still be surprised. The last birthday present I got, unless I bought it myself, which I sometimes do as a treat, was for my seventh birthday just before my mum died.”
“Are you serious?” Daniel heard the outrage in Christian’s voice but was too busy staring at Angel, lost for words over her last statement.
“Yes,” Angel said flatly. “As for earning things, that’s just what you have to do. You know when you don’t have any money and you need something, you have to do something to earn it.”
“Give us an example.” Daniel had finally found his voice.
“Okay, when I was ten I wanted to go to my friend Nancy’s birthday. All the girls at school were talking about new party dresses, so I asked Dad if he would buy me one, and he told me I had to earn it. So he paid me thirty dollars to serve food at a cocktail party he was having.”
“When you were ten he paid you to serve food at a cocktail party? Isn’t that illegal? Wouldn’t most parents just pay you to do some housework? Or better yet, buy the damn dress without conditions.” Daniel was once again lost for words and from Christian’s tone he was obviously still outraged.
“I already did the housework. That’s how I paid Dad for food and board. Anyway, it doesn’t matter really.” Angel gave a dismissive flick of her hand. “It’s all just silliness on my part. Feel free to buy whatever you want.”
“Give me an example from when you weren’t a child. What about with you ex?” Daniel was looking at her intently.
“I don’t have an example from my ex. He never bought me anything or took me anywhere. I just bought everything myself. I didn’t have to earn anything because I made my own money.”
Angel was beginning to look decidedly nervous as she tried to change the topic or be dismissive in her answers. Daniel decided to drop the subject. The last thing any of them needed was to turn what should have been a nice afternoon out shopping into a disaster.
“The nice thing is I had always heard that there were men out there that bought presents for women they liked, but I hadn’t met any until now. So will we go and shop?”
“Sure.” Daniel agreed, not convinced Angel was as happy as she seemed. “Let’s show you what two nice men who like to spoil their girlfriend are really like.”
Daniel paid the bill, and they walked off to find Angel some clothes.
By the time they got back home, Angel had more clothes, shoes, and accessories than she had probably owned in her lifetime. The shopping bags nearly filled her queen-size bed, and she seemed to have no idea where she was going to put them all.
“Come on. Let’s get all of these things into your wardrobe and drawers,” Daniel stated as he walked into her room carrying a bundle of coat hangers. “Christian is going to start the barbeque and let us know when dinner is ready.” Daniel sat on the edge of the bed and cut the tags off the clothes as Angel put them on hangers in the wardrobe or folded them to put into the drawers.
“I can’t believe you bought so much stuff. I’ll never wear all this. I should have stopped you,” Angel said.
“Well, you’re a beautiful woman, and you deserve beautiful things.” Daniel relaxed back on the bed and watched her move around the room. He thought about what she said at the coffee shop. The items they had bought today probably didn’t even cover the number of gifts an average person received for birthday or Christmas presents throughout their childhood. He wanted her to open up to him. When she had finished putting everything away, he patted the bed for her to join him.
“Is this where I start paying for everything you bought me today?” Daniel hoped she was only joking as she straddled him where he lay and flashed him a sexy grin. She would undoubtedly feel the lump in his pants, which he realised didn’t give the impression of a man who just wanted to talk.
“No, this is where you lay next to me for a cuddle and a chat,” he replied, moving her to lie next to him. His arm, firmly around her shoulders, pulled her close to his body. Daniel checked she was comfortable before he began to explain what Christian and he had planned for the evening. They were going to have dinner, Angel would have a bath while the men were cleaning up, and then they would go to bed and discuss house rules now that she was living with them. Angel appeared a little unsure about the house rule chat, but she agreed nonetheless.
“Will there be sex?” Angel asked innocently.
“There might be, but let’s play it by ear,” Daniel stated. “I need you to tell me something though. I want you to tell me about your father and your brothers.”
“What about them?” Daniel realised that Angel might not want to talk about her family but after the discussion in the café, he was curious.
“I want you to tell me what growing up at home was like. And I expect you to tell me the truth and not just say what you think I want to hear.” Daniel rolled onto his side so he could see Angel’s expressions while she spoke. He placed his fingers under her chin, lifting her head so she was making direct eye contact. “And I want you to tell me everything even if you think I won’t like it.”
He saw Angel gulp, and a flash of worry crossed her face. He assumed that eventually she would talk to both Christian and him about her life so from Daniel’s point of view he was just prompting the discussion rather than letting Angel decide when the time was right. Angel leant forward and k
issed Daniel on the chest.
“I might cry.” Angel seemed to scrutinise him for any adverse reaction to her words.
“And I will be here to wipe your tears,” he replied softly.
“Okay, you know I have two older brothers, Jarrod and Justin. Jarrod is ten years older than me. He’s forty-four, and Justin is six years older than me. He’s forty. Dad decided that he didn’t want anymore children, and when Mum accidentally got pregnant with me, he tried to make her have an abortion. Mum didn’t do that, obviously. Dad didn’t want me and even when Mum died he didn’t change his mind. Anyway, Mum loved me, so that was the most important thing for me when I was growing up.”
Angel stopped as if she expected Daniel to say something. He just nodded and waited for her to continue.
“Dad used to introduce me to people as the ‘mistake,’ which Mum hated. Eventually he changed it to missy, which everyone thought was cute, but really it was just mean. When Mum died, he basically ignored me. And because he ignored me, so did the boys. He turned my bedroom into a teen-retreat room for them and moved me downstairs into one of the guest rooms.”
Daniel’s eyes remained fixed on Angel as she spoke. He started stroking her hair when her eyes got teary, but she seemed to be coping okay, so he encouraged her to continue.
“He said if I wanted to stay at the house, then I needed to earn my keep. I used to do the washing, clean the house, that sort of thing. I didn’t cook very well, so he used to take the boys out to dinner a lot. But I eventually learnt how to cook. I took it at school as an elective when I was in high school.”
“Wait, if he took the boys out for dinner, what did you eat for dinner?” Daniel asked.
“I stayed home and made something to eat. I ate fruit or a sandwich. I liked celery with peanut butter in the middle of it. That was my favourite.” Daniel nodded.
“Anyway, that’s where earning things comes from I guess. I used to go to school and I made sure I was well behaved and got good grades. It was hard sometimes, but I ended up being in the top of my class for most of my subjects. As I got older, I did more around the house until I finally moved out when I was sixteen. I got a job working in a supermarket. Dad said that since I was working now I needed to look for a place of my own, so I moved into a flat above a shop, went to school in the day, and worked in the afternoon and evenings. I never really saw Dad or my brothers much after that. I tried to stay in contact, but they were never interested, so I didn’t bother after a while. My brothers sent me a letter saying Dad had died, but I wasn’t invited to the funeral. He didn’t leave me anything in the will, not that I expected him to. I know I have nieces and nephews and that both my brothers got married, but I only know that because I saw the marriages in the society pages of the paper. So that’s it really, my life to the age of sweet sixteen.”
“Your father and brothers sound like total pricks.” Christian’s voice boomed from the doorway. “Dinner is ready, by the way.”
“Did he sound annoyed?” Angel asked as Daniel helped her of the bed and they headed to the dining room.
“Only with your father and brothers,” he replied. “I want to ask you one more thing about you family before we eat.”
Daniel placed his hands on Angel’s shoulders. “Did any of them ever physically hurt you or make you have sex with them?”
“They just ignored me really. Dad did hit me a few times when I made him really angry, and once I ended up falling down the stairs when he pushed me. They never did anything sexual. A couple of times I had to get away from friends of the boys that tried to have sex with me, but that was just teenage boys being normal, I guess.” Angel smiled at Daniel. He knew he was frowning, but he was trying to decide how to respond to what she had just said. “What? Really I was lucky to have them as family and you know, when you think about it, I guess things could have been worse.”
“Do you know what I just heard you tell me, Angel?” Daniel wasn’t surprised when she shook her head. “You just said yes, sometimes your father physically abused you, but it was your fault because you made him angry, and that on two occasions, friends of your brothers tried to sexually assault you. And you said it all like it didn’t matter, that in fact you were lucky to have them as family. How can you believe that, Angel? Why do you think you deserved to be treated like that when you were young?”
“Nobody told me any different.” Angel looked down at her feet.
“Well, I’m telling you different now. You should have been treated with love and care.” Daniel hugged her close as he spoke.
Christian had heard most of what Angel said, and he thought again about his father and what information he might add to the story. Next Sunday’s family lunch would definitely be interesting.
Christian wolf whistled as Angel re-entered the living room after her bath, causing Angel to blush. Daniel and he had also showered and were lounging on the sofa. Angel was dressed in the new stretch cotton singlet and short set she had purchased. The set hugged her body perfectly. Her breasts moved freely under the singlet top and the shorts sat snugly at the top of her legs, highlighting the stunning curve of her arse.
“I take back everything I said this afternoon about not liking what you bought,” Christian said as he patted the sofa in between Daniel and himself.
“And if you try and tear it, then all it will do is stretch,” Angel stated confidently.
“Oh, I think you’d be surprised what I can get to rip off a woman’s body. Why do you think I bought so much underwear today?” Christian reached over onto the lamp stand as he spoke before handing her a purple gift bag.
“Oh, what have you done? I don’t need anything else today.” Angel peeked inside the bag.
“We thought you might like a few bits and pieces from the jewellery store. Christian went and got them while we shopped for your clothes. Open those first, and then we have one more,” Daniel said, holding up another little box.
Christian’s heart filled with joy as Angel opened each small box. She seemed amazed by each gift she’d been given. Diamond stud earrings, gold hoops, a gold bracelet with a heart-shaped clasp, a diamond necklace, a gold fob chain and bracelet set, a sapphire bracelet and earrings. She expressed her gratitude to them both after opening each one. His heart melted as she expressed how much she appreciated them.
“They are all so beautiful. I don’t deserve all this.” Angel kissed Christian and Daniel on the cheek before packing all the items back into the gift bag. “Thank you both so much.”
Christian noticed her hands trembling as Daniel handed her the final gift. As she flipped up the top of the ring case he heard Angel gasp, and a single tear released from her eyes. Christian reached across and took the ring from its case before placing it onto the ring finger of her right hand. The ruby was huge and surrounded with little diamonds, and the white gold setting fitted her finger like a glove.
“We thought this would match the ruby set that you were wearing the night we met you at The Dungeon,” Christian stated.
“Rubies are not only a symbol of love, but they are also supposed to heal the heart. Christian and I want you to know that we love you, Angel, and we want to help heal your heart.” Daniel leant forward and kissed her softly. “We want you to wear that ring and think of how much we love you every time you look at it.”
“And, Cinderella, if ever you feel lost, all you have to do is look at that ring and you’ll remember where your home is, with Daniel and me.” Christian hugged her gently before kissing her on the head.
“‘Thank you’ doesn’t seem to be enough to say,” Angel said softly. “I’ll cherish this until the day I die.” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she embraced both men over and over again.
Angel went to put the jewellery in her room before meeting the brothers in bed to discuss the house rules. Daniel was also concerned about Angel’s inclination to do all the housework that morning, and, after discussing it with Christian, they had decided that a discussion was in order. Neither man w
anted Angel to feel she was solely responsible for cleaning the house, and especially after the discussion at the coffee shop, they felt they needed to assure Angel she did not have to earn her keep in order to be able to stay with them. Daniel had also voiced concern to Christian that even though Angel was willingly sexual with both men, they should make it clear that her willingness was not necessary in order for her to be treated well or to indeed be spoiled with gifts.
When Angel finally flopped down on the bed between the two men, Daniel and Christian had already mapped out their discussion. However, both knew that with Angel around, the perfect plan could be thrown into disarray with one simple statement or action from her. Angel explained she was happy doing housework. She liked to make sure she kept things clean and tidy. It had become a habit for her, part of her psyche as it were. Yes, she had initially associated it with being housed and fed, but since being on her own, she had developed a routine of making sure the home she lived in was tidy before doing anything else. Christian and Daniel agreed for Angel to do what made her feel comfortable but also reserved the right to address any concerns they had if she was doing too much.
Once the housework issue was sorted, Christian addressed the issue of money. He noted that Angel looked scared as he started to speak and watched the look of relief fill her face as it was explained that because Daniel and Christian had invited Angel to stay, she would not be expected to pay for anything. Any money she earned was for her to keep and either spend or save as she wished, and if she had any articles to write, then she needed to make those a priority before anything else. Christian would assist Angel to make a space in the study for her to use as a workspace and give Angel the access code to their secure internet. Angel asked if she could use the phone in order to contact her regular editors, to which she received and unequivocal of course from both men. Daniel also suggested that she let any friends know the phone number in case they wanted to ring her. However, he stipulated this was only to be given to trusted friends, not casual sex partners.
