He met her smile, loving the fact that she was wearing a part of him.
After a moment, she sobered and said, “I still have to think about getting an apartment. The problem is, I’ve never lived on my own. Ever.” She looked down, the delicate silver resting on her chest. He nudged her and she lifted her eyes to his. “I don’t even know if I want to, but everyone seems to think I need to. It’s embarrassing, but I was never allowed any freedom…I have no idea how to even look for an apartment. So…” she shrugged, holding his gaze, “will you help me?”
He opened his mouth several times, snapping it shut each time. He knew he wanted to help her find a place to live, but wondered how to let her know that he would prefer for her to live with him.
22
For the next week, Agatha settled into a new routine. Her days were spent at the center, much like they had been before, but now her duties were managerial, while Ann worked on finding an assistant for her. Several of the women were taking over assistant duties, learning office skills at the same time.
Nathan picked her up in the evenings for dinner and they cruised around looking at apartments, or just had fun, which was something she realized she rarely had before he came into her life.
By the end of the week, Ann walked into her new office, smiling. “I think this job suits you,” she said. “You look much happier than I’ve ever seen you. Or, perhaps it’s the young man you’re spending time with?”
Blushing, she admitted, “I think it’s a little bit of both.”
“Have you found a place to live yet?”
Scrunching her nose in distaste, she shook her head. “Every place we visit, Nathan finds something wrong with it. Either it’s in a dangerous neighborhood, or he doesn’t like the size, doesn’t like the parking, thinks it’s too expensive, or maybe too cheap. I never knew it could be so complicated to find a place to live.”
Lifting her eyebrow, Ann surmised, “Perhaps, it’s not that it’s so difficult to find a place but, that he’d rather you stay with him.”
Eyes wide, she exclaimed, “But we’ve only known each other for a short while. Do people actually get together so quickly?”
“Oh, my, I know you once said that you were raised in a sheltered environment, but many couples do move in together after knowing each other for only a short while. I’m not sure it’s the length of time that you have known each other that makes the difference, as much as how you feel about each other.”
Biting her lip, she nodded slowly, not saying anything. Before Ann had a chance to speak again, Gail came running in, excitedly waving a magazine in her hand.
“Miss Ann, Miss Agatha! Have you seen the new magazine? The one that talks about the center? It just came in the mail and I wanted to show it to you!”
They both jumped up and hurried over to Gail, peering over her shoulder as they looked at the article. As Ann read aloud, Agatha grinned, loving how the interview sounded.
“Agatha,” Ann said, “you did such a great job! This is a wonderful article, and should help our fundraising tremendously! I like how they did the pictures, obviously not showing the outside of our building nor showing any of the women’s faces.”
Continuing to peer at the article, she saw a picture of herself in front of the classroom of women. She had never seen herself in an article before, and almost burst with pride. As the other women walked out, she continued to stare at the article, thinking how much she wished she could share it with Harlan.
Her heart ached as it always did when she thought about him. The older man had been a widower for several years and never had children. In the short time that they were together, he treated her like a daughter. A respected daughter, unlike my own parents.
She sighed, knowing how proud he would have been of her. Tucking the magazine into her purse, she was glad, at least, she could share it with Nathan.
Chessa walked through the prison library, bored and angry, a state that she found herself in on most days. Never one to read much, she passed the books and walked over to the magazine stand. Flipping through a few, she glanced at the fashion sections, but then tossed them down in disgust. Glancing derisively at her own orange jumpsuit, she knew she would not be wearing anything fashionable for years to come.
The unfairness of life ate at her as she pondered her new station in life. The idea that she, cousin to one of the most powerful men she knew, had ended up in prison, wormed its way through her like a poison. She never considered the plight of the many girls that passed through their hotel as slaves before being shipped off. No one’s situation concerned her other than her own.
Her eyes moved over the other inmates and she buried the grimace desperate to slide onto her face. Disgust that she was locked away with these lowlifes caused a slight shudder to pass over her and she turned her eyes away. Moving to the computers, she considered trying to send an email to her husband, but knew that their correspondence would be scanned closely. She wondered, briefly, how her sons, Lazlo and Grigory, were doing, but she did not dare send a message to either.
She turned to walk out of the library, when her eyes landed on the table near the door, where the newest magazines had been brought in and displayed. The Virginian caught her eye and she picked it up, desiring to see some pictures that might seem familiar. She perused the articles on various cities, restaurants, vacation spots, before her gaze landed on an article about a women’s shelter for women who had suffered from abuse. Not caring about the shelter or the plight of the women, she stared in stunned silence at one of the pictures showing a woman, in the front of a classroom, facing a group of women sitting at computers.
The picture was not very close. The woman’s hair was blonde, her eyes were light, and her nose appeared straight. But, a mother knows.
Her heart pounding, she stared in disbelief at the woman helping to run the center, knowing she was looking at her daughter. Her face twisted into an ugly sneer, bile threatening to choke her. The idea that her daughter had changed her identity and was living a life outside the family infuriated her. Tossing the magazine down, she moved over to an empty computer. Sitting for a few minutes, until she calmed down, she opened her prisoner email, and began to type.
“I’ve searched online and I have a new place for us to take a look at tomorrow.”
Nathan grimaced, his arms twitching at the news as he held Agatha. He had been relaxed and her words made him want to find a way to get her mind off of moving so he could relax again.
She twisted around in bed, lifting her head above his chest and peered down into his face. Scrunching her nose, she said, “You don’t seem very excited to help me find an apartment.”
Deciding to distract her with a kiss, he flipped her underneath him, planting his lips on hers. Grasping her hands in his, he lifted them above her head, their fingers locked, as he continued his assault on her mouth. She moaned, turning her head to allow him to take the kiss deeper.
Plunging his tongue inside, he tasted the wine and chocolate from their dinner and dessert. Intoxicated with her heady scent, his cock swelled, pressing against her stomach.
As she was swept away with the feel of Nathan’s body on hers, all thoughts about apartment searching flew from Agatha’s head. A groan escaped her lips as sensations zinged from her nipples to her core. Throwing her head back, she clenched her thighs together to try to appease her body’s desire for friction.
Determined to make the night last, Nathan moved his mouth slowly over hers. Needing to take some weight off her chest, he pulled one hand from hers and held himself up on one forearm. She used her free hand to grasp his shoulder, feeling the play of muscles underneath her fingertips.
Throughout this exquisite torture, he held her lips, taunting and teasing them with his tongue as he explored her depths. She spread her legs wider, allowing him to settle between them, his cock nestling into her wet folds, beckoning him.
He grabbed a condom from where he had earlier tossed several onto the bed and rolled it on qu
ickly. Sliding his cock into her waiting body, he slowly pushed in, inch by inch. Their earlier coupling had been fast and hard, fun and creative. But, this time, he wanted to feel every twinge of her body. He worshiped her mouth as he memorized each sensation as her body accommodated him.
The friction built just as quickly as if he had been rocking into her. Still holding one hand over her head, her breasts pressed against his chest, their eyes never wavered. Over and over he moved until Agatha thought she would go mad as the coil tightened inside.
Squeezing her eyes shut, flashes of light burst behind her eyelids and she gripped her fingers on his shoulders as her orgasm rushed through her body. Tightening her legs around his waist with her heels against his ass, she pulled him in as he emptied himself into her. Eyes opening, she stared, mesmerized at the corded muscles in his neck as he threw his head back, groaning out his release.
Moments later, as they lay, arms and legs tangled in the sheets, she rested her head on his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat against her ear. “You know, I’m aware that you just used sex to distract me.”
“It appeared to work well.”
A snort-giggle erupted from deep inside her and she playfully slapped his chest. “You should not get used to using sex to distract me,” she said. “It definitely works too well!”
Nathan grinned at the truth in her words, even though she was joking. “I want you to be happy,” he sighed, “but, I also want you with me. Is that such a bad thing?”
She lifted her head, staring into his eyes, and smiled. “No, not really.”
“Do you want to live on your own? I need to know how important it is to you.”
“Why?”
He rolled to his side, his arms still tightly around her, pulling her with him, and said, “I know you’ve felt as though you haven’t had any freedom your entire life. I don’t want to take that away from you. So, if living on your own is what you want to do, then that’s what I want for you. But if living on your own is simply what you think you’re supposed to do, then I’d like us to talk about it.”
She considered his words carefully for a few minutes, her head on his shoulder. “I suppose the truth of the matter is, I don’t really feel a need to live by myself. Maybe that’s being a coward.” He opened his mouth to speak and she pressed her fingers on his lips to silence him. “Please, hear me out.”
She waited until he nodded his acquiescence. “To some people, living on their own is the ultimate freeing experience. I know that many would expect that from me since I lived with my parents and then lived with Harlan and now at the shelter, never having my own place. But, for me, it doesn’t feel that way. I already budget my money so, unless I get a place that’s furnished, I have enough to buy furniture. I tend to eat at the center, so I don’t really need much of a kitchen. But, while I’ve learned to enjoy my freedom over the past two years, I like being around people...nice people. I was always alone growing up, even though I was surrounded…Dad’s enforcers were everywhere. I was given little freedom unless I was inside the house.”
His jaw ticked with anger at the thought of her gilded cage and her world limited to her family.
She continued, unaware of his ire. “The center gives me good people to be around. And I sort of feel that my own apartment would feel very empty and lonely.”
Blowing out a breath, the corners of his lips curved and he lifted his hand to brush her hair behind her ear, slowly drawing his thumb along her jaw. Resting his thumb and fingers on her chin he drew her forward for a kiss. “I’m nice people,” he said, with a smile. “And I would love for you to move here with me.”
“It seems so fast,” she whispered back. “I guess I always thought that people dated for a long time, then maybe moved in together, before getting married.” Blushing, she added, “That never would have happened to me. It would have been expected of me to be married before moving in with my husband. My oldest brother, Grigory was engaged, but they never lived together. He was still living in the family home, having dinner with all of us together at night.”
“I’ll leave it so the invitation is always open, but I respect your decision. If you want to keep living at the center for a while, I think that’s fine too. But, I do agree with Ann…I think you need to learn to separate your professional life and your personal life.”
“I never realized it until just now, that my family never did that. It was always about the family. The family business was still the family. There was no delineation…no getting away from it…no escape.”
“It sounds like moving into an apartment is more than you want to do right now. If so, then I would wait until you’re sure. Just keep in mind, I would love for you to be here with me.”
23
The morning sun shone through the window, landing on Agatha’s closed eyes, the brightness causing her to jerk awake. Looking over at the time on her phone lying on the nightstand, she jumped up. A strong arm banded about her waist and pulled her back into the warm comfort of Nathan’s embrace.
Mumbling, he asked, “What’s the rush?”
“Ugh,” she replied, squirming against his hold. “You might not have to get up early, but I need to be at work.”
He leaned forward nuzzling her hair, sliding his lips over her neck to her jaw, and she twisted to meet his mouth with hers. After a long, wet kiss, he reluctantly let her climb out of bed. With his arm tucked behind his head he smiled, watching as she, shy about her nudity, grabbed his T-shirt, pulling it over her head quickly.
“Babe, I love seeing you in my shirt, but as gorgeous as you are, I prefer seeing you in nothing at all.”
Blushing, she slid her eyes over to him, the sight of him lying in bed, reclined against the pillows with the sheet barely covering his lower half…it was all she could do to keep moving to the bathroom.
When she finished with her shower and dressed for work, she walked toward the front, the scent of bacon and eggs drawing her to the kitchen. Looking down at her purse laying on the table, she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness! I forgot to show you the magazine article that came out yesterday. I’m in it!”
Nathan’s brow knit in confusion as he set the frying pan over to the side, turned off the heat, and moved to peer over Agatha’s shoulder as she flipped open the pages of the magazine. He smiled, hearing the pride in her voice as she told him about it.
“Babe, I’m so proud of you.” Before he had a chance to say anything else, his eyes landed on the picture with her in it. Startling, he reared back. “Aggie! What the fuck?”
“I was a little worried about that,” she said, her eyes darting from the magazine up to his. “But, I look different than before, and my name is listed as Agatha Christel. Plus, the picture isn’t very clear.”
He had to admit she was right, but it still made him nervous to have her picture, as changed as she was, in a national magazine. He looked down at her, seeing the nervousness in her eyes. She had stopped wearing the contacts around him and he loved peering into her deep, chocolate brown eyes. Best of all, he could see emotion in them now.
Pulling her in tightly to his chest, he held her. “I’m sure it’s okay, babe, it just threw me seeing your picture there. I’ll take it in today and let the others see it, just so they know it’s there.”
Agatha breathed easier and leaned against Nathan’s heartbeat. Maybe…I could have this always, if I move in with him. I just don’t want to make a mistake.
Undisclosed Location
* * *
Scanning the magazine article laid out in front of him, he heaved a sigh. “How’d we miss this?”
“I don’t know. But there it is, right in front of us. All our work, changing her identity, and she ends up in a fuckin’ magazine.”
The other man at the table asked, “What are we going to do about it? Do you think we need to make a move?”
He sat, fingers tapping on the table as his eyes drifted back to the photograph of Agatha’s altered face in the magazine, staring back at him.
Sighing again, he said, “I’m on it.” Pushing himself up from the table, with a chin lift he left the room, his heavy boots sounding as they went down the hall.
Nathan walked into the conference room at the Saints’ compound and tossed the magazine on the table in front of the others that were already seated.
“What’s this?” Bart asked, looking down at the Virginian magazine. “You decide we need a new design for the room?”
“Very funny,” he said.” How about you look on page eighty-seven.”
He stood with his hands on his hips, looking at Bart as he flipped open the magazine, Cam, and Chad leaning in to have a look as well. By now, they had attracted the attention of the others in the room, who peered over their shoulders to see too. Soon enough, sounds of, “oh, shit”, were heard throughout the group, just as Jack entered.
“She showed that to me this morning,” he continued. “She didn’t ask to have her picture taken. The photographer knew the other women were not supposed be facing the camera, to protect their privacy, but I guess they assumed that it was all right to have Agatha’s picture in there. Granted, it’s not a close-up, and she certainly has her altered appearance, but I hate like hell for her to be out like this.”
As the others grumbled their agreement, Jack’s lips were pinched and his jaw tight. “Well, it’s out. Nothing we can do about it, but we need her to be extra vigilant when she’s going and coming from the center.”
“She still living there?” Nick asked, his eyes lifting to Nathan’s.
Nodding, he said, “Yes, for now. To be honest, we’ve looked at apartments for her, but she’s unsure if she wants to go that route. Personally, I’m trying to get her to move in with me.” He saw the grins on the faces of the others around the table and was unable to keep the smile from his face as well. “Hey, she hasn’t said yes, yet. She’s still thinking about it.”
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