knocks sounded at the front door.
“Babe? Hey, babe?”
The door jimmied as he turned the knob. Luckily, it was locked.
“ Shit ,” Rebecca whisper-shrieked. “It’s Holden. I can’t fucking believe it. Shit, shit shit. What am I doing?”
She rolled out from under Rebecca, shaking her head and pulling her outfit back together.
“He’s not supposed to be here, what the hell? Did he change his mind?”
Laughing, Ariel slowly zipped up her hoodie. “He must have.”
“I...” Rebecca shook her head. “I can’t...”
Holden’s voice traveled inward once more. “Rebecca?”
Ariel knew this could all be ruined in an instant. If Rebecca came to the wrong conclusion, or if Ariel said the wrong thing.
“Go to him, silly,” said Ariel, her smile warm and inviting. “Your man wants to see you. And I don’t blame him.” Leaning in, she kissed Rebecca on the cheek. “I’ll be over in a moment. After I calm down from having your fingers inside of me.”
It would have been easy, and stupid, to beg Rebecca not to go to him. Or to leave Holden. Or to promise to stay silent. Instead, Ariel played it cool. No one would have to know. Nothing would have to change. By mere allowance and enjoyment, she had shown directly that Rebecca could adore kissing a woman and being with her boyfriend at the same time.
And that, more than anything, was what Ariel wanted.
Rebecca, eyes wide, nodded and started downstairs.
* * * * *
I nside the cabin, Holden and Rebecca were playing some card game or another, catching up and enjoying one another over a few glasses of wine. Ariel didn’t want to intrude, just yet. It would not work to her advantage to make them feel awkward and uncomfortable. The more they enjoyed themselves, the more they would want to enjoy other sensations. That was how pleasure worked.
And so, outside on the deck behind the cabin, Ariel lounged in the jacuzzi. Though the air was cold, and the wind whipped fierce around the cabin, the warmth of the water kept Ariel’s gorgeous, busty body languid and comfortable. She lay back, sighing contentedly, rather pleased with the events of the day thus far.
Ariel worked close to sixty hours a week, and that was on the low end. As a waitress at a small diner, she picked up whatever double-shifts she could find, filling in for co-workers and supervisors alike. But, the diner was owned by a nepotistic miser. Mister Calducci. All the money he earned went directly to himself, and never back into his business. Any positions that opened either went to his children, his cousins and their children, or the friends of any of the above. The second Ariel missed one day of work, she knew she’d be fired.
“Little girl, little girl,” Calducci would say, every time he strolled into the diner. “You’re lucky you’re pretty. Otherwise I wouldn’t try to find so many reasons to keep you around.”
It was, in a way, her own fault. She wasn’t able to hold her tongue. When Calducci’s kid Rocko wanted to make people pay before their meals, Ariel spoke up—that would hurt her chances at any sort of a tip. Or, when Calducci’s niece Diane didn’t show up to work for three straight weeks and then shoved one of Ariel’s friends out of her shift, Ariel spoke up.
And Calducci noticed. And he waited, biding his time, just hurting for the one chance he would need to fire Ariel. And it wasn’t just her—he would fire anyone that missed a single day of work, for any reason. Sick that day? Fired. Sick kids? Fired. Pregnant? Fired. Dead family? Fired.
She earned just about minimum wage with all her pay and tips combined.
All the money she earned went toward paying for rent, utilities, and groceries. Her cell phone was a burner, bought in a convenience store when she had a particularly good night at work. She had no cable, no internet, and was lucky when she could spring for something extra, like chocolate or a hamburger. If she missed a single paycheck, she wouldn’t be
Alexandra Ivy, Dianne Duvall, Rebecca Zanetti