Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Bronwyn

“ W hy is the store so empty?” Dahlia asks tentatively as she glances around. There’s an upscale, beautiful boutique store in Detroit near the house that doesn’t have any floral or pastel clothing. It’s almost five in the afternoon, and they agreed to close the store for us so we could shop.

I’m not blind to how uncomfortable Dahlia is around large crowds in Detroit. The fear of being found is real and cloying. I want to untether her from the possibility of being found or recognized, even though she’s been declared dead as of today on all socials and in the news.

Gareth is a dark stain on her soul, and it’ll take some time to scrub him away.

I know all of this, even though the idea of him touching any part of her still haunts me and makes me want to stab him. Dahlia Moore has always been mine, as is Deidra Demarco.

Whatever she calls herself, her soul calls to mine.

“Jack knows the owner. He asked them to close for us so it wouldn’t be busy when we came in,” I say, looking for the woman he told me to find. They left the store mostly staffed for us.

“I think that’s Liona. She’s going to be helping us today.”

“Wait, he did what?” Dahlia asks in shock as I grab her hand and walk over to a woman with skin the color of cocoa.

Her dark hair is styled with natural curls, in a way that’s intentional, instead of when I or Dahlia don’t properly care for our curls. She’s wearing navy trousers, a long-sleeved cream shirt tucked in, with a brown funky belt to tie it all together.

Her high heeled sandals are high enough to get her noticed without being uncomfortable, and she smiles brightly when she sees us, motioning for someone to lock the doors behind us.

“Hello, ladies,” Liona says. “Jack called and said he had you all coming by. Mondays aren’t too busy, but it’s better to simply close for a few hours so we can give you our full attention.”

“I can’t believe him,” Dahlia sighs, her cheeks heating.

“It’s no problem,” Liona says, shrugging. “That man could ask us to do anything and we would. The owner, Georgia, worked with one of his other partners when her sister was kidnapped six years ago. That was a fucking nightmare. I hate crowds and people too, so you’re in the right place!”

My eyes widen as she breezily gives us information at rapid speed, following her as she walks.

“There are multiple styles in the boutique, feel free to either browse, or give me an idea of what you like. We are pretty eclectic,” she explains.

There’s a lot of clothes around us, and I can tell Dahlia is in emotional overload. “My style has changed a lot,” she admits. “I used to love bright colors, but my mom made me rebel as a teen when she insisted I wear pastels. There’s nothing wrong with them, but they wash me out. So, I pulled a lot of black, edgy pieces into my wardrobe in rebellion. Now? I have no idea what I am now. I haven’t really had any time to think about it.”

Liona stops, hearing something in Dahlia’s voice. “Well, whatever was going on before, I don’t think Jack will allow that to continue,” she says seriously. “It sounds trivial, but establishing who you are to the world, helps. Give me a few words that describe yourself.”

“Survivor,” I mutter, without meaning to. “Sorry, that’s what I think of when I see D…Deidra. Protective as hell, and so damn fierce.”

Dahlia’s hands tremble as she holds them tightly, blinking hard. “I’m those things only because I have no other choice to be anything else,” she says. “I used to love to write and draw, but I haven’t in a disturbing amount of time. Music helps, since it’s words in motion.”

Liona’s breath escapes harshly, gazing at the two of us. “I think that’s the most beautiful way anyone has ever described music to me,” she says. “Are there any articles of clothing you absolutely need?”

Dahlia winces, probably thinking about the fact that she has two pairs of clothing, and she’s wearing one right now.

“Pretend we’re working with nothing for her,” I finally say. “Clothing, bras, underwear, shoes, we need all of it. There’s no limit for a new wardrobe.”

Dahlia nods because she can’t walk around naked, though I plan to switch cards on her with Jack’s credit card. Her birthday is next month, I can spin this as an early present.

“Alright, this is the plan,” Liona says confidently. “I’ll go find clothing I think may work, and you two can go wild in the store as well. We’ll meet back at the changing rooms. See if we missed anything. I suggest clothes for everyday, lounge, workout, going out, and date nights.”

She winks at us before walking away, her other store employees moving quickly toward her to see how they can help.

“The ‘date night’ comment seems a little pointed,” Dahlia mumbles as she looks around the store with wide eyes. It is a large boutique, so I don’t blame her.

“Deep violet colors are pretty on you, I saw some cute tops over there,” I mention, leading the way. “I mean, you could be Jack’s cousin or daughter…”

“Ew,” she says, wrinkling her nose. “No thank you. I do not want to be related in any way to that man, especially after what we just did this morning.”

“And now that you opened that door, which thank you very much, I need to know all the things,” I gush. “How was he and it? The man needs to come with a warning label.”

“You mean one that says: big dick energy does extend below the waist?” Dahlia asks, giggling. “I asked him if it would fit!”

The last part is hissed, making me fall into her as I find the deep violet jumpsuit I saw. Grabbing her size, I throw it over my arm.

“So did it?” I tease her. We’re on the other side of the store, and I don’t really care what people hear. Jack asked them to sign a non-disclosure agreement that keeps them from saying a word about us or our conversations.

I think he’s worried the media will make something public and fuck up the work he’s done to make her disappear.

It’s important we have a little down time before we go public. I don’t really want to share her with anyone else other than Jack right now. I don’t care if it’s selfish as fuck.

“It did,” Dahlia says, blushing. “He was really patient. I didn’t think it would feel so good the first time. I heard people talk about their first times at Percy’s and some of them had horror stories.”

Catching sight of a T-shirt with a skeleton lewdly offering a public service announcement, I grin as I pick it up. This store has really fun stuff, even if it is at the higher end. The people who work here are not snotty either.

Distressed jeans are the next thing I pick up, though I’m not sure of her size.

“A lot of people have awful first experiences with sex for various reasons,” I murmur, choosing a couple different sizes of jeans.

“Can I ask how Jack was with you?” she asks.

I freeze, not knowing how to respond. God, we lost our virginity to the same man. I think in a way, it made it easier for me to trust Jack, because even though I was in a shitty place, he made the experience a good one.

“He was wonderful,” I admit. “He was focused on my pleasure, made sure I was okay, and took care of me when I cried afterward. It wasn’t because of anything he did, but God did it make me miss you more. A part of me felt like I was cheating?—”

“You weren’t,” she says, interrupting. “I left, baby. There’s no reason why you should feel like that. I mean it.”

Tears stain my cheeks as I blink rapidly. “Are you sure?” I whisper. “It ended up being this endless cycle, and we kept hurting each other. I think that’s why Jack finally started to insist that you’d find us if you wanted to. He was tired of cutting me open every time one of us felt guilty.”

“You’re not punishing me for dancing or doing the things I had to do,” she says, shrugging. “Therefore, you can’t punish yourself for this. I think if someone else had taken your virginity, I’d be jealous.”

“I think Jack would have been pissed if I’d picked some snot-nosed teenager,” I say with a laugh. Dahlia wraps her arm around my waist as we walk through the store, picking out clothes.

“Ah, yes,” she says. “The man stun gunned my ex-roommate in the dick, Bee. I’m fairly certain whoever took your virginity may have suffered the same fate.”

Dahlia hasn’t called me Bee since we found her. It was Jacks and her thing, and I thought she forgot.

“Possessive and protective are exactly how I’d describe Jack,” I murmur. “When he didn’t want to deal with finding a date, he’d ask me to go to events with him. I was like eighteen when it started. He told people I was his cousin to shield me from the rumors, since ‘daughter’ would have been very weird. It only took one person to hit on me for people to get the hint that I was off limits.”

“What did he do?” Dahlia asks, finding a cute shorts set. I love seeing her long legs, so I add a black and teal sundress to the pile.

“He grabbed the man who wouldn’t stop touching me and hitting on me and slammed his face down into the table,” I remember.

“No one in the room freaked out, they just gave him a wide berth while Jack broke the guy’s nose and whispered furiously in his ear. Now, everyone is extra nice to me whenever I’m on his arm for events. It’s not often I need to do them.”

I say this part hurriedly, because I don’t want her to think it happened often. It was maybe a handful of times.

“You’re probably going to need to continue to do it,” she says. “I can’t really be out in public, even with the changes Jack’s made. I know Gareth was looking for me. You’re an adult, I would hope he’d get the hint.”

“I don’t know,” I sigh. “I have no idea what that man thinks or wants. My grandfather died last year, and Jack found some legal notices in my name. There’s money that he left me, but I can’t get access to it. I don’t really need it, since I have loans and work that allow me to live my life, and then you know how Jack is.”

“Yes, I do. I’m paying for all of this, I’ll have you know,” she says in a bratty voice, plucking up a super cute crop-top as we move to the changing rooms. Our arms are overflowing with clothing by now.

“The man is incorrigible, and probably refuses to let you pay for anything.”

“Exactly, unless it’s maybe ice cream,” I mutter. Dahlia giggles, because that was our thing. He’d sometimes let me pay for dessert, but he didn’t want me to use my money, even as a teen. I can see why, too.

The man is loaded.

“It just pisses me off because my mom’s dad was very sweet. He mourned his daughter’s death hard. I don’t know if Gareth will find a way to get that money.”

“Who were the notices from?” Dahlia asks.

“Gareth,” I growl, forcing a smile as Liona helps us hang everything up in a large dressing room.

The conversation is tabled as I sit and watch her change. Her breasts are released from the bra she’s wearing to try on a gold off-the-shoulder sheath dress with built in support, and I try not to salivate.

It’s a dress Liona chose. The woman has damn good taste.

Shifting in my chair, I let my eyes wander before getting up to help her with the zipper.

“Please buy this one,” I rasp, letting her turn to face the mirror. “I definitely vote for more gold in your wardrobe, baby. Jack will find a reason for you to wear this.”

“Then we need to find you a dress too,” she says stubbornly, eyes wide as her hands move over the dress. “Wow, it really is stunning.”

Liona is more than happy to find me a dress as I smirk at Dahlia. I have no problems stepping up to the plate to accept her challenge. The time flies by as she tries on clothing, and then she’s deciding on lingerie to wear underneath.

“The dark purple lace,” I mention, picking up the bra and panty set. “I vote for this one, please.”

Her eyes heat at the way I bite my lip as I gaze at her, and she nods as she takes off the bra she’s wearing to try it on. The size is perfect. In fact, Liona sized her and found she wasn’t wearing the right bras.

Turning, she makes sure she likes it, and I can’t wait anymore. It’s been too long since I’ve tasted her, especially when I’ve been checking out her body in various stages of undress. Pushing her against the wall, I ignore the fact that all that’s keeping us from the rest of the dressing rooms are curtains.

“Can you be quiet for me, baby?” I breathe, my hand ghosting along her skin until I wrap it around her neck. Watching Jack with her is teaching me to push the envelope with her.

A beautiful flush covers her chest as she whimpers softly, nodding. “Good, I’ve been a very good girl and shared really well today. I deserve a prize.”

Kissing down her chest as I follow the beautiful blush on her skin, I tighten my hand, feeling a rush through my body as she writhes.

“You like this, Dahlia?” I whisper.

Her gray eyes are blown with desire behind the contacts, and she nods, panting. My hand interferes with her oxygen until she can’t breathe, and I pull down the lace of her pretty bra to suck on her nipple.

Dahlia’s thighs rub together, seeking friction that she won’t be getting unless I give it to her. Her panties are the ones that she walked into the store with, and I pull them tightly up, so they slip between her lips, rubbing against her clit.

I tease her until her eyes roll back, and then release her to drop between her thighs. Dahlia’s eyes are wild, her breaths harsh as she pulls in oxygen. I’m not even done yet.

Moving the material I buried in her pussy to the side, I lift her leg to my shoulder to kiss her clit gently.

“Please,” she whispers. “Don’t be mean.”

I won’t be mean now, I’ll have Jack help me with that.

Dahlia

I think I’m addicted to orgasms, or maybe I’m just addicted to the people who give them to me. Bee is on her knees making me wild as she licks my pussy, and I’m trying desperately to stay quiet as I squeeze and pull at my nipples.

I am slowly learning my body, what I need, and I need nipple play and clit stimulation in order to come.

Her lips and tongue surround my clit, fingers pushing inside of me, making my pussy throb with the memory of Jack’s cock. I’m still sore from earlier, though it doesn’t stop me from clamping down on her fingers.

My hand slaps across my mouth to stifle the soft gasps and moans I’m helpless to hold back.

“How is everything going?” Liona asks as my toes begin to curl and my head tips back to stare at the ceiling as I ask myself what I did to deserve this.

I’m overdramatic, but the last thing I want is to have her hear me come. The sound of my drenched pussy sucking in Bee’s fingers feels really loud to me. Can she hear it from outside of the curtain?

“We’re good,” Bee purrs, continuing to watch me as my chest heaves from exertion. I’m so fucking close! “Actually, if there’s anything else in a deep-violet color in perhaps a dress, could you add it to our collection? The jumpsuit I found looked so pretty on her.”

“Yes! You know, I think I saw a cocktail dress and a mini in that shade,” Liona says, hurrying off. Bee’s wicked smirk is all I can see for a second before she resumes licking me out, sucking, and curling her fingers.

My mouth opens in a soundless scream as I find my release all over her fingers and tongue, sagging against the wall as I come down from the high. My hand drops to my side, the only thing that’s holding me up is the fucking wall and Bee.

My harsh breaths fill the air as she gets up slowly, her fingers tangling in my hair to kiss me thoroughly, making sure I taste myself as I suck on her tongue.

“Better get dressed, baby. She’ll be back any second, and I still need to feed you,” she murmurs.

“You’re not hungry?” I rasp, my movement sluggish as I move to get dressed.

Bee cleans off her chin before peeking out of the curtains. “Oh, that’s perfect,” she says happily. “Can she wear it out of the store by chance?”

“Absolutely,” Liona says. “I’ll grab some shoes to go with it. I also suggest the purple bra set for this dress.”

There’s amusement in her voice, and I drop my face in my hands. God, there’s no way she couldn't know what we were doing, right? I wasn’t exactly quiet. Bee pops her head back in with the dress, smirking as she hands it to me.

The length doesn’t bother me because I used to make a living wearing a lot less, and I’m fairly certain it’ll cover my ass.

“Wet panties aren’t very comfortable, Dee, you should change those,” she says before giggling.

Rolling my eyes at her, I do as she suggests, I watch as she puts my panties in her purse. Such a goddamn brat. Once dressed, I gaze in the mirror, eyes wide as I fix my hair. This color is amazing, complimenting the flush in my skin after my orgasm. I look freshly fucked.

Welp, there’s no way I’m going to be leaving without making some sort of impression. Thank fuck for that NDA.

“Bowen, I hope you don’t mind that I pulled a dress for you as well,” Liona says as Bee pulls open the curtain. “If you’re planning to go out, you may as well look as good as she does.”

Liona sounds smug as she gives her the dress and shoes. “Do we have a keep pile?” she asks.

“We do,” I confirm, picking up the clothes I really liked. It’s a good amount, and everything I tried on helped me figure out what I enjoy putting on my body. Some fabrics I hated the moment it touched my skin, so I think I have some sensory sensitivity that I didn’t realize I had.

“Thank you, Liona. I feel like we kind of made a mess.”

“Not at all,” she says, shaking her head. “I am so happy we were able to help. If there were more people here, we’d have been run off our feet. You have been so much fun to work with, and you look gorgeous in that dress. I love to see the joy that happens when you find pieces that express who you are.”

I can’t stop smiling, because she’s right. With everything happening the last few years, I stopped asking myself what I liked or wanted, because it didn’t matter. Survival was at the forefront of my mind.

What I wore didn’t matter, but now that I can breathe a little, it’s a luxury I can indulge in.

Liona leaves with the clothes, and Bee changes into the dress, smiling to herself as she sits to put on the shoes. I’m sitting waiting for her, shoes already on my feet, enjoying the view.

Her dress is a rich maroon that’s off the shoulder, and a little longer. It shows off her curves perfectly, the length ensuring that no will see her ass, but Jack and I.

Wow. I felt the possession in my soul just now. She’s always been the one to show her claws the second anyone showed interest, though now I can see that she’d rather eat me out in the changing room, in her efforts to claim me.

It’s effective, that’s for damn sure.

“You seem very pleased with yourself,” I tease her. “I also am seriously having second thoughts about dinner. Bee, you look gorgeous.”

“You heard Liona. I need to match your energy, baby,” she says, standing. Rising as well, I link my fingers in hers as we walk out of the changing room.

“Jack?” I ask, giggling when I see him. God, he looks incredible in a suit, his gaze heating as he sees us.

“Surprise,” he murmurs, taking the bags from Liona. “I took a rideshare here to crash your dinner plans. A little birdie told me my girls looked too beautiful not to have me escort them around. Thanks for that, by the way, Liona.”

Grinning, she inclines her head, giving me a clue as to what she was up to. I guess things definitely carry in the changing room. I may just ask the floor to swallow me whole now.

“Hey,” he says, pulling us both into his arms to kiss us both. His lips remind me of how long it’s been since I’ve seen him, and I melt against him. Bee whimpers as Jack kisses her, making me shift against his already erect cock.

We are definitely making a scene. I think I should stop caring, or I’ll end up a permanent shade of tomato red.

“So where are we going, Bee?” he asks. “Mind if I crash?”

“Never,” she says. “I booked a table for three at Te Adoro.”

Jack barks out a laugh as he realizes he’s predictable in the best of ways. I love that he came to surprise us, and Bee acclimated to his presence.

“So maybe I didn’t surprise you,” he says.

“I love that you’re you,” she says with a big smile. “You hate when I walk alone at night, so why wouldn’t you come with us to keep us safe? I happen to enjoy your grand gestures, so it would be cruel to both of us to interrupt them.”

“As beautiful as you are intelligent,” he praises her, beginning to guide us toward the exit. “Thank you for taking care of my girls, ladies. It looks as if it was a very productive trip.”

The man found a way to pay for everything again, but that’s Jack for you. He’s been doing this my entire life, I doubt it’ll change.

Liona opens the door, saying goodbye to us as we walk out, and I take a deep breath of fresh air. I didn’t panic at all while I was there, but it is nice to be outside.

“Are we walking or driving?” I ask as we walk.

“Walking, it’s not far, but I want to drop off your purchases. How are the shoes? Are they okay to walk in, or are they the kind of shoes that should only be worn for short periods of time?” he asks.

I take a few steps, thinking, and decide I should be good to walk. “They’re surprisingly comfortable,” I allow. “How are yours, Bee?”

“I’m good,” she confirms. “If I could only buy shoes from that store, I would. They stock the best footwear. It’s always functional and beautiful.”

Nodding, Jack puts the bags away in Bee’s vehicle before wrapping his arms over our shoulders.

“Are you okay with going out to dinner, Dee?” he asks, using my new name. I chose this name because it would be the easiest for me to remember to respond to.

It was, after all, my stripper name for years. Funny how that part of my history will follow me in a way I don’t mind.

“I keep waiting to feel anxious,” I admit. “As long as it’s not really busy, I think I’ll be alright.”

My small clutch with my card and identification is in my hand as we walk, and it’s nice to enjoy the breeze sweeping through the buildings. My hair is completely different than it was before, my eye color is as well, I should enjoy my new identity.

“Good,” Jack says. “I don’t want you to feel as if you have to hide away, baby. We’ll be careful, but you can go out and enjoy yourself. I do need to ask you something though.”

He waits to say anything else as he opens the door to the Spanish restaurant for us. The vibe reminds me of old Spaniard movies that I’ve watched, and the food appears to be the same.

I’ve never had this type of food or experience, so I’m glad I didn’t balk at going out to dinner. We’re seated fairly quickly, and then Jack is gazing at me expectantly.

“I, unfortunately, am in the public eye due to being the face of my company,” he begins. We’re in a corner, and it’s quiet enough that we don’t have to worry about speaking overly loud.

“There are events I need to attend, like networking events and sometimes charity functions. I want to keep you away from that side of things until we can figure out if Gareth is still looking for you, or if we ultimately need to eliminate him as a threat completely.”

Did he just…

“I think I’m confused,” I say. “Did you just…”

“Yep,” he says. “You can interpret that exactly the way I meant it. The last few years have been eye opening through my work. The things my partners are willing to do for our clients and their own families have definitely shown me that the law isn’t always on our side. We could go to the cops, tell them what happened to you.”

“I doubt they’d believe me,” I sigh. “I don’t know what the statute of limitations is on this.”

The waitress comes up, stopping the conversation, and we chat with her as we order. I take her recommendation, because I’m starving and I can’t choose right now. There are simply too many choices.

Once she leaves, Jack’s sharp gaze is back on me. “I had a conversation with Greg, my friend and business partner, that made me realize if Gareth is looking for you, it’s because he has an obsession that won’t stop,” he explains.

“I want you to be able to truly live, experience every damn thing you want, and not be afraid. We don’t have to make a decision now or ever if you don’t want to. I would, however, be remiss if I didn’t tell you this was an option.”

“No more coloring within the lines, Mr. Super Hero,” Bee murmurs. “I’m proud of you, baby.”

This conversation is going a very different way than I thought it would when we walked into the restaurant.

“I thought you were going to tell me you wanted to hide me away,” I say, blinking rapidly. “I didn’t think you were going to say all this.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?” Jack asks, leaning forward. Bee holds my hand next to me, surprise on her face. We had spoken a little about this at the boutique, but I guess I got the wrong impression.

“I only took you to Ann Arbor, because I could feel your anxiety and fear about staying in the city. You’re turning twenty in a little under a month, you shouldn’t have to be a prisoner to fear.”

“I’m still insecure about things,” I murmur. “I’m going to name it residual trauma and call it a day. I’m typically forgotten in most things, but you’ve never made me feel like that.”

His body language softens a little as he nods. “My only motivation for keeping you off the grid is your safety,” he says. “You have everything you need now to study and take the GED, apply to schools, and decide what you want to do with your life. Any thoughts on that?”

That’s not a hard topic at all. I shake my head with a wide smile, because holy fuck, I can actually make plans.

“That’s a big ask, Mr. Katz,” I tease him. His eyes flutter as I call him by his last name and he groans.

“Goddamn, baby girl. I didn’t think that was a kink of mine, but I was wrong,” he rasps. “These pants were not made to hide my hard-on.”

“Well this is fun,” I say, amused. Bee giggles, enjoying the sight of Jack struggling to get ahold of himself, and I have to say I’m enjoying it as well. “I honestly am not sure what I want to do.”

“You have time to decide,” Bee says. “There are a lot of options. You could even opt for some work experience before going to school, or take some classes to weed out what you don’t want.”

“Storyboard it,” Jack suggests. “Write down different ideas and work options, see how it feels. Research what they entail as well. You may find that what you want is something that doesn’t exist, which is an excuse for creating it. That’s what I did with Greg and Tierney when we created the company. We also have great connections to help if needed. You don’t have to figure it all out alone.”

“Your business partners sound pretty great,” I tell him, and he nods.

“They are both amazing. Tierney was the first to tell me I should begin taking meetings via video calls, so I wouldn’t have to travel as much,” he says. “In the beginning, it made sense for me to meet with clients face to face, but the world has changed enough that they’ll accommodate my needs. I don’t want to miss the important people in my life anymore. I’ve more than paid my dues.”

The food arrives after he says that, and I sigh. Jack spent a lot of time on the road, in different cities, and talking to clients when I was growing up. Somehow, he missed as few events as possible, and I think that speaks volumes about him.

I get lost in my thoughts as I take a bite of my food, deciding immediately that Jack and Bee are definitely in charge of dates. This is fucking incredible.

“Your face is so expressive, baby girl,” Jack growls as Bee hides a smile. “My mission in life is going to be to make sure you enjoy everything you put in your mouth from now on.”

I almost choke at his words, eyes wide.

I am so over my head, I think he’ll never stop surprising me.