Chapter 18

"Hey girl. Are you ready to go?" I am currently in my foyer spinning in circles trying to find my purse and making sure I was missing nothing else. Lily is at the door waiting for me so we can go to the mall.

She called me yesterday afternoon while Larabee was gone and asked me if I wanted to have a girls day. I was exhausted yesterday thanks to my husband"s insatiable appetite, and all I wanted to do is sleep. So, I told her today would be better.

Finding my missing stuff by the shoe rack, I grab the house keys and meet her at the door. "You look gorgeous," she says, smiling at me. Blushing, I look down at my dress and it makes me flush harder. "How do you feel?"

"I feel great. Even before what happened I was never this happy." It's true. I never had a chance to find out who I was. I was always being told who to be.

"I can see it. You look radiant." My head falls from embarrassment, but I smile.

"Thanks."

"Just telling the truth. Now let's get out of here." Nodding, I lock up and we walk to her car.

"So where are we going?" I ask, feeling excited to be going out with another woman.

"I thought we would go to the lingerie store, maybe hit up some shoe stores. Nothing too strenuous you know." She rubs her belly and I nod my head. My eyes don't leave her round stomach as a longing hits me.

"That sounds good." We drive out of the compound and my stomach begins to roll. My head starts to spin and suddenly everything is getting fuzzy. Discreetly, I try to talk to myself inside of my head and calm down.

"Satine, are you alright?" Lily asks, looking at me while at the stop light. I nod my head trying to hide the panic because I feel silly. "Seriously, do you want to turn back?"

"N-No," I stutter, putting my head on the dashboard. I am running the scenarios through my head. Trying to pinpoint the reason for this and then it hit me. I haven't been anywhere alone without Larabee since the day he rescued me.

"Satine." Her voice is becoming more and more concerned, and I am beginning to feel bad for causing her distress.

"I'm sorry. I just…this is the first time I have been out without my husband."

"Oh my gosh. I feel so horrible. I should have realized that. I am such a ditz. We can go back to the house…"

"No. I want to go. I think I am okay now." I continue taking deep breaths and trying to clear out my vision.

Twenty minutes later we pull up to the mall and she ushers me right into a posh looking boutique.

In this store she obviously has connections because we are immediately greeted by a nice older woman who shows up to a back room and offers us champagne and soda with grapes and cheese.

We are shown to comfy chairs and then racks of items are brought to us. I swear I fall in love with everything we are shown. Lily, she doesn't hesitate to pull item after item off the rack. Me, I am not used to spending money, so it takes more for me to buy anything. "Oooo. You look gorgeous in that. You should get it." I am currently looking down at the pretty pale blue dress that hugs me across my tits, which with food, freedom and love, have begun to grow. It is painted onto my waist that is filling out and falls to my knees.

"You think so?" I ask her, looking side to side.

"Girl, yes. Your husband is going to die." At the mention of him anxiety starts to form. It has just now hit me that he doesn't know I am not home, and he is not going to be happy about that. It hits me then that I haven't heard from him and when I pick my phone up, I realize it is dead. Fuck. That is not good. Not wanting to let on how worried I am now; I smile and nod my head before taking it off and giving it to the sales lady who is going to make a killing in commission today.

By the time we are done I walk out with four dresses, five pairs of sandals, six different types of lingerie and some accessories. I figured I might as well have fun while I can because when I get home, there is no telling how mad he is going to be. Hell. Thinking about it is making me wet.

Lunch is at a restaurant called Do?a's. I am immediately nervous because I know that title means a female mob boss and I am not sure we should be in here, until the waitress comes to the table. "Lily, hi," she says with a big smile on her face. I look at Lily and see she too is full of smiles.

"Hi Nielah. How are you?"

"Can't complain. Where is that cute baby?"

"At home with daddy," Lily says, sighing contently. "This is my friend Satine. She is married to Larabee." The way Lily says his name makes me think the waitress knows him. I watch recognition cross her face and feel myself frown. Her eyes spark with the mention of his name and then dim when she realizes what Lily just said.

"Oh. I wasn't aware that Larabee was married. Is it recent?" Lily opens her mouth, but I interject feeling a bit defensive.

"Yes. It was very recent. A whirlwind really." Her mouth pinches for a moment and then she recovers.

"Well, congrats. So what can I get you?" She pivots quickly but it does nothing to ease the jealousy in me. Was she someone to him at one point? Did they have a relationship?

Once she finishes taking our orders and walks away, Lily turns to me and smiles with a touch of pride. "Look at your claws coming out. I thought you were going to jump over this table and put her to sleep or something." A fit of giggles leave my mouth before I ask her what I really want to know.

"Did they used to date or something?"

"Girl, no. Whenever we used to all come here for an occasion or something she would always try to get his attention, but he wanted nothing to do with her." That makes me feel marginally better. I still can't help but think about how beautiful and unbroken she looks, unlike me.

Lunch is uneventful after that. As more time has passed the potential fallout from this unapproved excursion begins to eat away at me and I am not sure this is going to be sexy at all. What are the chances he won't know I left?