Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
The only problem was, she knew she was different. Telling people she felt scared and at times angry, and she had so many emotions bubbling up inside, threatening to spill out. She didn’t want to yell at anyone. It was all inside and she could control it.
The pain of her mother walking away. Knowing she wasn’t a good enough daughter to even write to. There was no communication. Nothing.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“You know, there’s a small get-together at the clubhouse. Just a few friends. Even Hailey’s there.”
“She is?
“Yeah, you don’t have to be alone. Unless you really want to be?”
She would be alone all afternoon.
“Do you want to come?” Raven asked. “Carlos and I are headed there now.”
Larissa looked behind her toward Carlos. His attention was on his daughters. Did she want to be alone? The truth was, no, she didn’t. She spent a lot of time alone, trapped in her own thoughts, and she didn’t want to do that anymore.
“I’d like to come with you,” she said.
Larissa pulled out her cell phone and sent her dad a quick text, letting him know she was with Raven. Her father adored the other woman.
Then, she found herself in the back of Carlos’s car, between two car seats. Raven had the cutest little twins. They were so adorable, and for the whole journey, she was distracted by their cuteness. They had the tiniest of toes and the smallest fingers. They were just a big ball of cuteness she couldn’t stop loving.
When they arrived at the clubhouse, she climbed out of the car. Raven grabbed one daughter, and Carlos grabbed the other.
It looked like the barbecue had been fired up.
Smokey was outside, with a newborn strapped to his body, and Ava was at one of the benches.
“Larissa,” Smokey said, pulling her into a one-armed hug. “I’m glad you could make it. Burgers and chicken will be ready soon. Don’t worry, Abriana hasn’t touched anything.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring anything.”
“Don’t you worry about a thing. There are drinks, hard or soft. You take your pick. You need anything, you ask.”
She waved to Ava and walked to her friend and boss, giving her a hug.
“You look great,” Ava said.
Larissa glanced down at the summer dress she had opted to wear. This was like a milkmaid’s dress that was white, with blue flowers all over it. There was a small tie at the front that helped to shape around the bust. It was modest and cute.
“Thank you. You look stunning.”
Ava was in a pair of jeans, a crop top, with Smokey’s jacket over her arms. Most of the women wore their men’s jackets in some form or another.
“Go get yourself a drink,” Ava said.
She let out a smile, gave the other woman another hug, and headed inside toward the kitchen. That was where she saw Harlow and Hailey.
“You made it,” Harlow said, rushing toward her.
“Raven caught me alone,” she said.
Hailey laughed. “The same happened with me. She told me not everyone should be alone, and guess what, I’m not.” Hailey kept looking across the room, and Larissa glanced in that same direction, only to find the doorway empty.
She knew exactly what the other woman was doing, checking to see if Kinky was close. It had surprised her to hear that Hailey had opted to come to the clubhouse. She wondered if Kinky would keep his distance.
She hugged the two women, and then grabbed a soda for herself, and for the next couple of hours, Larisssa felt like her old self. It was strange.
She could laugh at the jokes, and she danced with Harlow. Even had Hunter dance with the two of them. Then of course, Smokey was there, and the truth was, he, at times, was like a second father to her. He’d been so kind when he didn’t have to be.
Hanging out with the women was a lot of fun. After a short time, she headed inside to go to the bathroom. The main clubhouse was quiet. She wasn’t used to being in any part of the clubhouse that was quiet. It was then she heard the soft moan. Every fiber of her being told her to leave, to just turn around and go back outside.
Larissa didn’t know what was wrong with her. She had never been a snoop. She had never been curious about random noises. Maybe it was the few horror movies she had seen, which had taught her that going toward noise was dangerous.
Go and look, you know you want to.
Even as she fought with herself, her curiosity won. She stepped toward the noise, and that meant going toward the back room, which she did, slipping inside, and immediately wished she hadn’t.
She saw Brick, one of the members, and there was a woman, completely naked, on a pool table. This was not a place for her to be. The lights seemed to have been placed in all the right spots to make the glow on the couple show every detail. Like the woman skipping down from the table and sinking to her knees.