If there was one thing I swore when my daughter was born…Monica would be damned if Abigail followed the same path. She would teach her daughter what to look out for, how to build trust, how to safely fall in love when the time was right. But, as her therapistlovedto remind her, Monica couldn’t control her daughter’s heart or her experiences.“You can only be there for her, Monica. You can’t save her from herself. That’s up to her.”
Monica didn’t understand. Her own mother had never been there for her. The woman had washed her hands of Monica even when millions of dollars were at her disposal.Isabella is much more of a grandmother.That always unnerved her and was one of the reasons she allowed her mother-in-law around… in a supervised position.
Isabella wasn’t supervised that weekend. Monica tried not to think about it.
The next – and final – show was a man and woman popular on the performance circuit. They had come highly recommended by Alice Monroe, who currently sat on a loveseat with her hand entwined with her husband’s. He occasionally leaned in to whisper something in her ear, making her gasp in surprise or laugh behind her hand. It warmed Monica’s heart to see another married couple with kids still find time to indulge in each other. They weren’t lifestylers quite like Monica and Henry, but she respected them for what theywere.
Married. In love. Unafraid and unapologetic about who they were.
As the sweet sounds of the submissive woman’s moans filled the air, Monica fully wrapped herself around Henry and encouraged him to touch her wherever he pleased. He kept his hand on the small of her back, both supporting her in his lap and reminding her that she was loved and cherished.
Protected.
All Monica had ever wanted in her life was to beprotected.There had been little of that in her childhood. While she never lived with the tyranny of physical abuse, her father was gone before she was born, and her mother cared more about hanging out at the neighborhood bar every night than taking care of Monica.I taught myself everything she was supposed to.Not just cooking and keeping house, but makeup, socialization, and even the “little” things like her first damn period. Their tiny apartment never grew much, even when they moved. It had always been a cramped one-bedroom until Monica hit high school, then she finally had a room.Even though I slept with my mom as a kid, I was usually alone all night.She got herself up for school and came home to an empty apartment.
Latchkey kid. She supposed that’s what she was. Even her therapist agreed she could have only gone one of two ways once in college. She either doubled down on her personality andcautiously explored her sexuality… or she went all out, begging for attention from anyone.
What Monica had never expected washowdeep in a hole she went. Quickly, she determined that most of the young men on her campus couldn’t give her what she wanted. They offered sex, but not a lifestyle. It took her branching out to the alumni and some of the grad students to discover whatreallywaited for her out in the world.
It was how she met Jackson right out of college. Who then introduced her to Ethan, before he made all of his money.The best years were when the three of us were together.Jackson had been kinder, more understanding, the perfect primary partner for a woman who wanted to be doted on in exchange for her fanatical fervor. When Ethan exited the equation because he neither liked polyamory nor how “intense” Monica was in the bedroom, everything changed.
Or… had it always been that way?
“Princess.” Henry’s soft voice cut through her thoughts and the heavy spanking happening on the stage. “Come back to Earth. It’s just you and me.”
He always knew. Somehow, Henry always snapped her out of it.
Monica ensconced herself in his hold, closed her eyes, and took in the moment.
Chapter 7
The Winter Queen
Monica was the one who suggested they retire early, although most of their guests were still in the midst of their party games and not yet on their last drinks. She left it to Judith to ensure that everyone had a room for the night, particularly the VIP guests who didn’t have nearby lodging. She had also paid out bonuses to her employees to entice them to offer services for “free,” which wasn’t just good entertainment, but good marketing.Besides, they have room in their beds for at least one or two people.
Henry laughed when she mentioned that back in her room.
“You’re so pragmatic, Princess.” He kicked off his shoes and leaned back on the bed. Monica sat at her vanity again, this time removing her makeup and jewelry. Her jacket was on the back of her chair. A part of her wished she had been more emboldened to walk around sleeveless in her own party.
“I can’t turn it off.” Monica sighed as she removed all her rings except for the one on her left hand. The slight tan line where her wedding ring lived was a subtle reminder of the love that claimed her ten years ago. She only took it off to have it cleaned or when she had to get her hands exceptionally dirty. “Once my brain starts calculating the body-to-bed ratio around her, it’s always about how many are couples, how many are sober enough to drive home or have someone else to drive them home, and whodefinitelywants to get freaky with Sierra or Cate.” Those two had been working the floor when Monica left with her husband. She wasveryaware that Henry lightly flirted with Sierra, but said nothing. If anything, Monica wanted her husband in a good mood tonight.
And Sierra knows whose husband to keep charmed around here.
She caught his gaze in the mirror.
“What?” she asked.
Henry unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned the bottom buttons of his shirt. “Just thinking about how beautiful you are in that dress. I think you should wear things like that more often.”
“Of course you like it. You love it when I’m as naked as possible.”
“It never gets old.”
“Well, my bodywillget old, so there’s that.”
“So? I’m way ahead of you.”
She chuckled and didn’t mention the light white hairs she had occasionally found on her husband’s head.Only good thing I can say about his father is that Gerald has gorgeous white hair.Monica selfishly hoped that Henry would go white. It would go so well with his complexion and those bold, blue eyes.
