“Maybe if he avoided your face,” she teases.
“The rest of my body isn’t much better. I mean, there are bruises all over me from that man tackling me to the ground and groping me as if he intended to rape me on the fucking sidewalk.”
“Asshole,” she mutters. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m a lot better now. The bruises are yellowing now. I don’t think he’ll touch me once every mark is gone, either. He’s worried about my mental health.”
“I am, too, Simone. Every time I’ve spoken to you, I could tell you were putting on a front. How are you feeling?”
I shrug and nibble on a tiny pizza. “I’m not sure. I’m okay when I’m distracted, but when I’m alone, I go into my head. I’m angry. I keep trying to figure out a way to go back and rewrite history. It’s silly, but I can’t stop it.”
“I’m sure it’s normal. Have you considered talking to Quinten?”
“I guess I could. I should talk to Camden about it.”
She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “You should. I think it’s a good idea. Also, can I say how weird it is to hear you calling him Camden after all these years of calling him Professor Arnalt?”
I giggle again. “Yeah, it’s very weird. It sounds awkward every time I say it. Sometimes, I have to concentrate to get the word to come out.”
“I’m sure it’ll be short-lived anyway.” Natasha winks at me.
I roll my eyes. “Because you think I’ll be calling him Daddy soon?”
“I know you will. He’s perfect for you. You’ve known that for years. He has, too. It was just a matter of time.”
“We’ll see.” This entire arrangement makes me nervous. Part of me doesn’t even want to move my relationship with Camden to another level because I’m scared that I’ll be devastated if the floor falls out from under us.
Realistically, I know I’d be devastated no matter what if this ended, but if I let him totally Daddy me… If I have sex with him… If I start calling him Daddy like I want more than anything in the world…
If we don’t work out? I’ll die ten deaths.
We’re living under the weirdest of circumstances. I wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t been attacked. It’s possible he still wouldn’t have reached out to me. Even if he had, we might have gone on a date or two, and then he could have ghosted me when he got to know me better.
He insists that never would have happened, but how can he be sure?
And I’m not my normal self. I know it. We all know it. I can’t shake out of this funk. I’m not bubbly. I’m sad and tired. Pissed.
There’s something else I need to say. “Natasha, I want to tell you something.”
“Okay.” She leans her elbows on the table and looks at me.
“I don’t know if it’s because of what happened or just the passing of time or maybe because I told Camden this, but I need to tell you something about myself that I never shared.”
“Okay…” she repeats.
I draw in a deep breath. “I’m…really wealthy.”
She frowns. “What?”
“Yeah. I mean it. I am. I’m also estranged from my family. We didn’t see eye-to-eye. When I came into my inheritance, I left town and never looked back.”
“You’re serious…”
“Yes. Are you mad?”
“Why would I be mad? I’m just surprised. I mean, I thought it was strange that your parents didn’t come to graduation. But you said they couldn’t, and I didn’t want to hound you about it, so I left it alone.”
“I doubt they even know where I am or that I even went to college.”
