Chapter Nineteen

She walked out of the room and looked around. She didn’t think Ronin was still in the hotel, but she wasn’t taking any chances. She tried to act nonchalant as she walked through the lobby, trying to keep out of sight. When she got to the front, she stood off to the side behind a large plant as she watched for Larkin.

The air whooshed out of her lungs when she saw Larkin get out of a long car and look around.

Courtney checked around and then walked outside to Larkin. Her friend’s face lit up when she saw her, and it made the knot of tension in her stomach diminish. They hugged before Larkin pushed her into the car. Courtney moved over to give Larkin room and then hugged the other three girls.

“Larkin told us a bit about what happened,” Sienna said as the car pulled away from the hotel. “We need to make a plan for you.”

Courtney nodded. “I know. It’s like I’m in limbo, and I won’t feel secure until I find my place.”

“What do you mean?” Nia asked.

“I need to find a place to live,” she said.

They all shook their heads.

“Any one of our daddies would be happy to let you stay with us,” Larkin told her.

“I’d feel funny doing that. I’d feel like I was invading your life.”

The other girls shook their heads and started to argue with her. Since they were all talking at once, Courtney couldn’t understand any of them.

She waited for them to calm down. “I just need a little time…”

“Then stay with me,” Larkin said. “I’m always having the girls at my house.”

“Why?” Courtney asked.

“Because I have Elder and Ella looking after us,” Larkin said

“Elder is the butler?” Courtney asked.

Larkin nodded.

“Who’s Ella?”

“She’s our cook, but she watches over us like Elder does. That way, the daddies don’t worry about us.”

“I’ll stay for a day or so. I need to go to a phone store and see my lawyer in the next day or so.” She was hoping her cards would be delivered. It would make her life a bit easier.

They pulled up in front of a home she hadn’t seen. “Whose house is this?”

“Mine,” Nia said. “We’re going to go swimming. Do you know how to swim?”

Courtney nodded. “It’s been a while, but I have always enjoyed it. I don’t have a suit.”

Nia grinned. “Oh, we’ve got plenty.”

For some reason, Nia’s smirk made Courtney nervous. When she glanced at the other girls to see the same expressions, she started to get even more tense.

They all scrambled out of the car, and Nia pulled Courtney along. They went through the house and out the back. Courtney’s breath caught when she saw the oasis in front of her. It was no ordinary pool. It looked like it had a waterfall and a jungle.

“This is amazing,” Courtney said.

“My daddy built it for me when we moved in,” Nia said.

“Come on, you guys,” Sienna yelled from across the patio.

“That room holds bathing suits we use,” Larkin said.

They walked in and closed the door. Courtney couldn’t believe the assortment of women’s bathing suits. The other girls were already naked and pulling on what should have been bathing suits, but they were more like pieces of cloth or lace held together by a string.

“Hey, do you have a one-piece?” she asked.

The girls laughed.

“I’ll pick one out for you,” Nia said.

When the other girls snickered, she became uneasy.

“Here.”

Courtney held the suit up to her body. “There’s nothing to it. I’ll be practically naked.”

“Hey, you’re lucky we have suits on. We sometimes go without if all our daddies are here,” Larkin said.

“Try it on. It’s more modest than ours are,” Nia said.

Courtney stripped and pulled on the suit.

“Let me tie the back,” Sienna said.

Nia adjusted her top. “You’ve got massive breasts. I’m so envious.”

“Don’t be. I hate them,” Courtney said.

“Why?” Larkin asked.

“I don’t like the male attention I get if I’m wearing something revealing.”

The girls faced her.

“You look awesome, girl,” Aleena said.

Those were the first words the woman had said. She didn’t look exactly sad, but Courtney could see something in her eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asked the other woman.

Aleena nodded. “It’s just that my daddy has been so busy lately. We haven’t spent a lot of time together, and I’m feeling neglected.”

Courtney hugged the other woman. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s one of the reasons we’re swimming today,” Nia said. “Several of our daddies will be here, and she wants to poke him.”

The girls laughed.

“You guys like teasing them?”

“Hell, yeah,” Sienna said.

“Don’t they get mad?” Courtney asked.

“Oh yeah, but in the best possible way,” Larkin said. “Come on, you guys. I hear a few of the daddies.”

“We can’t get in the swimming pool without at least one daddy here,” Nia explained.

Courtney wanted to cover herself when they walked out, but three men she didn’t know zoned in on the girls. She could feel their curiosity and tried to hide behind the girls.

Larkin just snorted and started to drag her to the pool. “Come on. You’ll get used to the daddies seeing you like this or naked.”

She shook her head. “No. Why would I do that? I don’t have a daddy.” Her anxiety rose as the girls looked at each other. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Sienna said. “Let’s go.”

Courtney decided to ignore the men and enjoy being with the girls. She couldn’t ask for better friends.