by Kayn, Debra
Another knock on the door interrupted her cleaning the room of any sign of the activities she'd performed for the last four hours.
"Come in," she said, expecting one of the other ladies from the Network to check in with her after work.
Instead, Tiff stepped inside and shut the door. Nova smiled, tightening the belt on her robe.
"I need to ask you something." Tiff approached her.
"Shoot." Nova motioned to the chair. "Do you want to sit?"
"No." Tiff reached out and picked up Nova's wrist, turning her palm face down. "Do you want to explain why you have black and red paint around your fingernails and in the crease of your knuckle."
Nova's next breath failed to come. Warmth flooded her already heated body. Every possible reason escaped her, and the blatant truth stuck on the tip of her tongue. With a little more than a month left of her contract, Tiff would fire her. She counted on the money for that time to be able to purchase a house in Federal.
Instead of thinking up a plausible excuse, she tried to figure out the total amount of money she'd fall short if she could no longer work at Red Light. Was it enough? Could she afford a real home in the area? Would Shayla let her crash on the couch until she figured everything out?
"Nova, answer me." Tiff dropped Nova's hand. "I need to know where you got the paint."
Nova turned around and walked into the bathroom. Out of sight of Tiff, she paced the small room. Think. Think. Think.
She'd washed and scrubbed her hands this morning after returning from the park. The bordello lacked any harsh cleaners or gasoline to get her hands completely spotless. She'd picked, scratched, and removed most of it, but her index finger on her right hand still bore the evidence of her escape last night.
"God, what am I going to do?" she whispered, looking at the oval sink.
Before breakfast, she'd applied bright red fingernail polish in hope that no one would notice. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly reached for the handle on the top cabinet drawer. Excitement curled in her stomach as she picked out several containers of fingernail polish—black, yellowish tan, firetruck red, and aqua, and rushed back into the room, ready to cover her transgressions.
"It's not paint," she blurted, showing Tiff the containers, then setting them on the dresser, and removed her phone out of the drawer. "There's this YouTube video I've been watching where you add several colors of fingernail polish to a cup. Then you dip your finger in and swirl it around. Once the polish dries, you rub the polish off your skin using one of those baby towelettes. I didn't have the towelettes, of course, so I tried to remove it with nail polish remover, and because it's cheap polish and not gel polish like was recommended, I made a mess that for the life of me, I couldn't get all off and kept smearing on my skin. Here, you can watch the video of how I thought it'd work."
She thrust the phone in front of her. Tiff watched a few seconds of the video and started laughing. The pressure in Nova's chest deflated and left her gasping for breath.
"I'm an idiot," she mumbled, secretly patting herself on the back over her habit of watching tutorials on her phone during her downtime.
"You can't believe everything you see on the internet." Tiff grinned and waved her hand when Nova opened her mouth. "I hope you understand I became concerned because I see a lot of things happen upstairs at Red Light. I know the Network screens each employee, and we do testing each week, but we've had ladies who come here with past addiction problems. I thought—"
"You thought I was huffing paint?" Nova shut off the phone. "I'm so sorry you worried for nothing. I probably should've said something at breakfast or lunch and let everyone at the table laugh at what happened, but honestly, I experimented and then promptly gave up the idea of doing anything fancy to my nails."
"Consider it forgotten." Tiff rubbed Nova's arm. "I had to ask. Out of all the ladies this quarter, you're the one I haven't spent much time with, and I wanted to make sure nothing remiss was going on under my roof."
"That's not your fault. I mean, not knowing me very well." Nova shrugged. "I pretty much keep to myself wherever the Network sends me. I'm goal focused, and it makes the time go faster if I concentrate on earning money."
Normally, that was the truth. She had no time or inclination to make friends with the other prostitutes. She excelled at her job because she understood that pleasing the customers brought her bigger tips.
"Well, Marci and I are here if you ever decide to chat or get bored." Tiff walked toward the door. "Dinner has already been delivered, so come and eat when you're ready."
"I will." Nova clasped her hands to keep from shaking. The letdown of adrenaline left her weak.
"Also, in case I forget to remind you tonight. You have to be up at six thirty in the morning to make it in time to the doctor's appointment." Tiff smiled and shut the door.
Nova hurried over and locked her room. She clenched her teeth wanting to scream at her outlandish lie. The disgust at hiding herself from everyone else rose to a level she couldn’t ignore. She couldn't wait until she could walk away from the Network for good.
Then, after she purchased her new home, she'd live without worry of who would see her or point her out as someone they paid to have sex with.
She could paint all the pictures that beat in her heart on the walls of her house, and no one could tell her to stop.
She could go to sleep every night, knowing she'd worked her hardest to rise above what fate handed her.
And, if she tried hard enough and loved strong enough, she could show Emmett that she had a purpose in life beyond prostitution, and he'd never leave her.
The room pressed in on her. She escaped to the bathroom, showered, and dressed for dinner. The ladies eating dinner would bring her the much-needed laughter, jokes, and comradery she needed to distract her from the two lives she found herself living. One painstakingly. The other only in her head.
Chapter Twenty
Shayla parked in front of the trailer. Rain beat against the windshield and Nova used the sleeve of her sweatshirt to wipe the passenger side window of moisture blurring her view. The clear day rapidly grew cloudier as she waited under the viaduct for Shayla and before her cousin arrived, the sky had opened up.
"Uh oh, looks like there's a change in plans." Shayla shut off her headlights.
Nova turned to Shayla. "What do you mean?"
Every time she'd come over to the trailer park, she'd spent time with everyone gathered outside. She looked forward to spending time with Emmett and hanging out with her cousins. The carefree, not to mention free, entertainment was a way of life for everyone in the park and provided Nova with a safe environment to escape to while she worked at Red Light.
"Can't you hear the noise?" Shayla grinned.
Nova cocked her head. "The only thing I can hear is the rain."
"Come on." Shayla laughed. "It'll be fun and introduce you to how Idahoans in the Silver Valley like to go wild."
"Should I be scared?"
"Nah." Shayla rushed out of the car.
Nova opened the car door and held her purse over her head, failing miserably to stay dry.
Shayla ran ahead to a small group standing under a tarp someone had tied from Emmett's roof to Nick's truck, forming a canopy for people to seek shelter out of the rain. Nova hurried over the gravel and slipped underneath the makeshift awning, giving a small wave to Donna, Lori, and Caren.
Caren eyed Nova up and down and turned to Shayla. "She can't go out wearing those clothes."
She glanced down at herself. There was nothing wrong with what she was wearing. Her boyfriend jeans rolled at the ankle and a brand new hoodie with a scooped neck. What she chose to wear was beside the point. "I'm not going out."
She couldn't leave the park. Everyone would need to go without her, and she'd stay in Nick and Shayla's trailer until they returned.
"Nova, let's find you some other clothes." Shayla reached out and tagged Nova's hand.
She dug her sneakers into the
rocks and refused to budge. "Why?"
"Everyone's going riding." Caren held up a motorcycle helmet.
"It's raining." She shook her head, wanting to stay at the trailer with Emmett. "How can everyone afford a motorcycle?"
"Really?" Shayla lifted her brows. "I can't believe you'd go there."
Caren snorted. "This is Idaho, girl. Don't assume anything. And, we're not taking motorcycles, we're riding ATVs."
She'd heard Emmett mention ATVs when he showed her the picture of the trailer park. Taken down a step, she crossed her arms. "I'm not going."
"I am, and so is Nick. That means you have to go." Shayla frowned. "Though my clothes have never fit you. Your ass and boobs are too big."
"I can't help her out." Caren planted her hand on her hip. "My clothes would be too big for her."
"Shut up, you two." Nova laughed. "I'm not changing my clothes or going on a ride. I don't ride motorcycles or ATVs."
That's when she observed all the women wore old unmatched clothing with rips and worn holes. She gazed at Shayla. In her excitement to come tonight, she never even noticed her cousin wore a pair of bib overalls that looked to be five times too big for her.
"Great, you're here," said Emmett behind her.
Warmth heated her back. She gazed over her shoulder and smiled. "Hey, you."
He kissed her cheek. "You're riding with me."
A tingle trailed down her spine. "I thought we could stay here—"
"She needs clothes, so she doesn't ruin what she's wearing." Caren lifted her brows at Emmett and brought her head forward. "Maybe you could give her something to wear."
"Sure." Emmett grabbed Nova's hand and pulled her back out into the rain.
She held on tight, splashing through the puddle in front of the steps leading to his trailer. Inside, she let go of him and wiped her cheeks. "I don't want to go riding."
"It'll be fun." Emmett walked down the hallway. From the bedroom, he said, "Pretty much everyone who usually hangs out here at night is going. You can ride behind me."
"I didn't even know you rode," she muttered.
"Everyone here rides." Emmett's voice muffled from his bedroom. "Nick even goes. He bought a...damn. My jeans are going to be too long. You'll have to roll them."
She stepped into his kitchen and looked at the clock on the stove. The last thing she wanted to do was ride around Federal and chance getting seen by someone who associated her with the Red Light. "It's ten o'clock. A little late to be riding, don't you think? Not to mention it's pouring outside."
"That's the best time to go out on the mountain. Well, except in the first snow." He returned to the main part of the house carrying a stack of clothes. "Go ahead and strip. I'll grab a tie-strap to use on the belt loops to cinch the jeans tighter."
She had one last plea available. "I'll embarrass you in front of everyone."
His head cocked to the side and his eyes narrowed. "Do you really think I give a fuck what anyone else thinks?"
"I really don't want—"
"You're going." He kissed her.
She pulled away with a groan. "Don't kiss me to shut me up."
"I need to get you a pair of gloves." Emmett turned around and strode back to his room.
She stared at the pile of clothes. Besides coming to the trailer park when was the last time she'd spontaneous went out for fun?
He mentioned mountain. Nobody would see her in the woods.
Throwing caution behind her, she stripped off her hoodie and unzipped her jeans. Kicking off her shoes, she wiggled her pants over her butt and kicked them off. Her stomach fluttered. She had never ridden a motorcycle or ATV before. How hard could it be to hold on to Emmett and ride?
"Here you..." Emmet came to a stop and ogled her. "Go."
She looked at her pile of clothes she'd taken off and glanced over at his clothes. Not knowing which assortment to grab, she simply stood in her panties and bra in his kitchen.
"Um." She shrugged, refusing to cover herself. "You said to strip, so I did."
The corner of his mouth came up, and he leaned his hip against the counter. "I was going to let you use my bedroom, but the kitchen is good. Damn good."
His gaze traveled down her body and back up, lingering on her breasts. Her nipples peaked under his inspection, and she reached for the pair of jeans, and no matter how much she understood she'd better cover herself and stop what was happening between them, she couldn't make her body move any faster.
She liked how he looked at her unapologetically and appreciated her body. And, she could tell he approved because his eyes never wavered from the middle of her stomach as if that focal point allowed him to see every part of her without moving.
Her normal role of dictating the situation gone, she slowly slipped her legs into Emmett's jeans he gave her to wear and tugged them over her hips. The vulnerable position of being inside his home, half dressed and knowing without a doubt if he asked her to go back to his bedroom or even took her right on the linoleum floor of the kitchen, she wouldn't stop him. She'd help him.
"You're safe, Nova-girl," he mumbled dragging his gaze up to her face.
He'd mistaken her hesitation for fear. Fear was the last thing she was feeling.
She held up the jeans. The waist too big and the hips fit perfect.
Emmett stepped forward. "Here you go."
The back of his hand skimmed the bare skin of her stomach. She sucked in her breath at the contact. True to his word, he focused on the job of cinching the jeans tighter, while she concentrated on the wonderful throbbing happening between her legs.
Though she realized Emmett took his sweet time and when he removed his hands, he inhaled swiftly and lifted his gaze. A heated and aroused gaze.
She looked up at him and put her hands on the front of his shirt and whispered, "Thank you."
He growled low and leaned forward.
That was her only warning. He captured her lips and kissed her deeply. His hand at her hip squeezed, bringing her closer. Her whole body trembled in pleasure. The thin material of her bra somehow heightened her response.
He pulled back, holding her up. Her legs trembled, and she panted. Every muscle in her body aware of him holding her.
He stepped away and left her to stand on her own. "Dress, Nova-girl. We're going riding."
If she thought he was going to leave the house and let her finish, she was wrong. She put on the large T-shirt he'd given her, then the sweatshirt, and last the gloves. She took one step toward him and stopped.
"I forgot to roll the jeans and put on my sneakers." She laughed.
He kneeled at her feet. Her heart melted. It would've been easy for her to take off the gloves and put her shoes on herself, but he had already moved and kneeled in front of her.
Kneeled as only a confident man could do.
She smiled, feeling like a princess wearing her boyfriend's clothes, and that's how Emmett found her with he stood and grabbed her gloved hand. Smiling like a fool, willing to follow him anywhere.
And, that's what she'd done. Through him putting a heavy helmet on her head, setting her on an All-Terrain-Vehicle—not a motorcycle, and leading her into the dark with only one headlight to guide them, she listened to everything he told her and went riding.
She hugged his waist, pressed against his back, and looked over her shoulder. A caravan of other ATV riders followed them.
Through the trees.
Across the river.
Up a narrow trail.
She whooped and hollered with the others every time Emmett rode through a mud puddle splashing her and at every switchback, feeling brave and free. The top of the mountain within reach, she squeezed her legs and arms around Emmett and let him take her to the peak. Far away from the life that kept threatening to hold her to the ground.
Chapter Twenty One
The surreal view atop Granite Peak settled over Emmett. He stood behind Nova, his arms wrapped around her upper body, trying to keep her warm. They were both
soaked and covered with mud from the twenty-minute ride up the mountain side.
Nova leaned her head back against his chest. "It's beautiful."
"Yep," he whispered, warmed from the ride and having her body on his. "That's the trailer park straight down with all the lights. Then, you can see the interstate on the other side and if you follow the road to the left, the next bunch of lights is Federal. The farthest ridge is the Idaho/Montana border. You should see everything during the day. It's even more impressive."
"I don't think that's possible." She sighed. "I grew up near the Pacific Ocean. There was always something inspiring about the length I could look from the shore and only see water. It made the horizon stretch on forever. I get the same feeling here. I feel like I’m on the top of the world and the sky...God, I wish it wasn't raining, and I could see the stars."
"Then, that's what we'll do another night." He kissed her temple. "I'll bring you up on a clear night. Just the two of us."
She rubbed his hand and stared straight out into the night without answering him. He had no right to plan for the future, even next week or next month. Her stay in Federal would be over soon, and he wasn't ready to admit that having her with him was temporary.
"I'm freezing my ass off," said Shayla.
"Want me to keep it warm." Kirkland chuckled. "I've got two hands."
Nova turned her head. Her body shook in amusement.
"Jesus Christ," said Nick. "You do know it echoes up here, and that's my sister you're talking to."
Nova burst out laughing, and Emmett joined her. Soon everyone who came on the ride talked and threw in their opinion on whether Shayla and Kirkland should shut up or go down off the mountain. Emmett gathered Nova's hand and helped her navigate the rocks in the dark back to the ATV.
Once he had her helmet on her, he called Nick over. "Lead them down the trail. We'll hang back and follow everyone. I'll give you a head start, so we're not swallowing your mud the whole way."
"Sure thing." Nick knuckle bumped Emmett.
The others started their ATVs, and one after another began the ride down the mountain. He waited until the noise grew quieter and then stepped behind Nova and guided her hips closer to the quad.
