Live-In Position

by V. S. Tice

  I slowly sat next to her and, after taking a large breath, wrapped my arms around her small balled-up frame.

  “Don’t touch me.” She shoved against my arms, trying to get free.

  “Shhh…” I tried to soothe her. “It will be okay.”

  Her head shot up.

  “Okay? It will be okay? Are you kidding me? How the hell will it be okay?” Her face twisted in angry disbelief.

  I pulled her tighter to my chest, and this time she didn’t fight. She simply huffed in irritation.

  “You have two beautiful boys who love you more than you seem to realize. If they would have lost you, it would have crushed them for the rest of their lives.” Her shudder reverberated in my arms.

  “You have a family. Regardless of how messed up things are right now, they love you. Even when you’re crazy, they love you.” She tensed in anger for a brief moment.

  “And finally…” I pulled back, waiting for her to look into my face, “anyone who has the energy to be such a relentless, righteous bitch all the time has the energy to get past this and come out stronger.”

  She sniffed once and then sat silently.

  “Oh god, what happened?” Larissa entered, surveyed the room, and hurried to Allison. “I was gone for two hours, Allison. Two hours.” Larissa looked panicked.

  “It’s fine.” Allison pushed away from me and looked at Larissa as she wiped her face on her cashmere sleeve. “I’m fine.” Taking a deep breath she climbed back onto her feet and straightened out her coffee-stained clothes. Allison looked at me for a brief moment before turning and leaving the room.

  After an hour of sitting in my room attempting to focus on my book, I finally gave up. I’d just put all of my things on my desk when I heard a knock. My heart leapt.

  Is Victoria home? No, no, she would just burst into the door. Maybe it was someone telling me she was home. I swung the door open quickly.

  “Dr. Bishop?”

  “Miss Ashwood.” He sounded harsh and calculating.

  So we’re back to this. “What can I do for you?” I eyed him wearily.

  The harsh lines on his face melted, and there was a small gleam that flickered in his eyes before he responded.

  “Victoria will be arriving in twenty minutes.”

  I nodded.

  “Okay, thank you.” I started to shut my door, but he pushed it open and entered quickly. “What are you –?”

  He pulled me to his chest.

  “I can‘t do this.”

  His hold was tight but not too tight. He smelled so, so, so good. Stop it, Sophia! I gave myself an internal slap.

  “Please stop,” I whimpered.

  “I know there are risks, but can‘t we just—”

  “Hide me away?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

  “I don‘t want you hidden.” His voice hardened. “But for the sake of Victoria, that‘s how it needs to be…for now.” He brought a hand to my cheek.

  “So we risk your family finding out, and we risk hurting and losing Victoria?” I pulled my face from the touch I longed for.

  “I don‘t care about my family finding out. It‘s only a risk until I figure out how to handle Grace, and Victoria would never be hurt by this.” Despair clouded his handsome face.

  “You don‘t think it would hurt her if this,” I motioned between us, “were not to work? She would be crushed if I had to leave.” He opened his mouth, but then closed it tightly. “I can‘t be a part of risking anything where Victoria is concerned.”

  He shook his head.

  “I can’t be around you every day.” If I wasn‘t used to the variances of his hard voice, I wouldn‘t have been able to hear the want in his statement. “I can‘t do that anymore.” I opened my mouth, but he shut me up with his lips.

  Those warm lips were attached to such an intense person. The contradiction of his cold mannerisms and warm kisses and fiery touches were all a part of the turn on. I should be ashamed of myself. He was like two different men sometimes. Once he pulled back, I simply looked into his eyes and saw that small gleam of hope again.

  “I can‘t risk her.”

  “You won’t,” he assured me sternly. “Nothing will stop me from keeping Victoria safely in my home.”

  I shook my head.

  “You can‘t be sure that—”

  “I can.” He hardened his tone and straightened his body before releasing me from his hold. Before another word could be spoken, he was gone.

  The chime of the doorbell brought me out of a daze. Excitement flew through me like wildfire, and I hurried to the door. My feet hit the first floor just as Dr. Bishop was opening the door and motioning someone in. There she was. Victoria. I started to smile but then furrowed my brow at the expression on her face. She looked tired and sad, almost depressed. “See, right on time,” Grace boasted to Collin as she fluttered her eyes at him and released Victoria‘s hand.

  “Yes, thank you,” he said curtly and then glanced to Victoria. “Did you have a nice time?”

  Grace‘s head shot down to look at Victoria. She glanced up to answer her father but caught sight of Grace‘s look and simply nodded. My brow morphed into a scowl.

  I cleared my throat lightly, and Victoria‘s head snapped to me. I winked at her, and a large grin spread across her face. Squatting down to the floor, she ran toward me, tackling me with full force.

  “Have you been practicing football or something?” I laughed. “Geesh.”

  She giggled.

  “I missed you,” I whispered and hugged her tightly.

  She latched on to me when she heard Grace‘s voice.

  “Are you going to come give Mommy a kiss goodbye?”

  “I don‘t want to,” she whispered to me.

  “Then you don‘t have to,” I whispered back. We stood from the floor and started walking toward Victoria‘s room.

  “Victoria?” she yelled after us. There was a long pause. “Collin, can you please speak with her about her behavior?”

  “If she doesn‘t wish to tell you goodbye, then I won‘t force her to,” he said, calm, cool, and collected.

  “Well, you should do something about that god awful slut. She is the reason she has such atrocious manners,” Grace spat, and then I heard the front door shut.

  Victoria and I reached her room. I started going through her bag and cleaning it out. “So…how was it?” I asked in hopes she would tell me she enjoyed herself, but part of me knew that wasn‘t going to happen.

  “It was fine,” she said quietly.

  “Sweetheart, you know you can tell me anything, right? If something is wrong, then I want you to tell me about it.” I was pleading for her to spill whatever was bothering her.

  She only nodded.

  “I’m going to get changed.” Her voice was too quiet, too different.

  I put her clothes in the dirty laundry basket and placed her empty bag in the closet. Then I sat on her bed and waited. When she came out of the bathroom, she looked minimally better.

  “You ready to talk to me yet?” I raised my brow at her.

  She sighed.

  “I don’t like it there.” Victoria sat on the bed next to me.

  “Did she do something to you?” She shook her head. “Victoria, if she did something, then I need you to tell me, okay?” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and held my breath.

  “She didn’t do anything. Nothing at all.” There was a spark of anger in her voice.

  I gave her a confused look.

  “Grace wasn’t there the entire time, Sophia,” she cried out. “I spent most of the time with a strange woman named Karen. She watched me.” Her arms crossed her chest.

  “She just left you? Where did she go?” Victoria opened her mouth, but that’s not the voice we heard.

  “Grace left you where?” Dr. Bishop’s voice boomed.

  “Nowhere, Daddy.” Victoria shook her head.

  “What did she do to her?” Dr. Bishop looked to me for answers.

  “
Apparently, Grace left her with a babysitter named Karen the entire time she was there.”

  He looked to Victoria.

  “She didn’t spend any time with you at all?” Victoria flinched from the anger in his words. I put my hand on Dr. Bishop’s arm but looked at Victoria.

  “You aren’t in trouble,” I reassured her. “It’s just that she was supposed to spend time with you. That’s the reason she wanted to see you.”

  I pulled my hand away from Dr. Bishop’s arm when I realized I lingered too long.

  “I apologize for sounding so harsh, Victoria.” He sat next to her on the bed. “I’m not angry with you.”

  “You’re angry at Grace?” she asked with a curious look. He nodded. “Do I have to go back?” Her eyes were searching his face.

  “For now, yes.” Her face fell. “I’ll talk with the lawyers tonight.” He kissed the top of her head and left the room.

  “Are you okay?” I kneeled in front of her.

  She shrugged.

  “I didn’t even get my own room.”

  “What?”

  “I had to sleep on the couch.” Her eyes met mine. “She only has one bedroom.”

  “Oh.”

  That witch couldn’t at least share a bed with her daughter?

  “I’m hungry.” Victoria looked at me sheepishly.

  “Come on. Let’s get you something to eat.” I smiled widely, and when she took my hand I had never been happier. She was home, where she belonged.

  When Friday arrived, I could see the tension written all over Victoria, knowing that she was supposed to go with Grace the next day. I tried to keep her mind occupied but wasn‘t able to help when Grace showed up to take her again. The tears were the same as before, as was the retreat to my room. Knowing how miserable Victoria was with Grace had me curled into a ball on the couch in my room. I kept the room dark and the television off, letting my tears dampen the couch cushions.

  I ignored the random knocks on my door over the next three hours until he finally got tired of waiting for me to respond and let himself in the room. Quickly, I wiped my face with my sleeve and groaned.

  “I really can’t do this right now.” My voice was thick from lack of use and crying. He sighed heavily and left my room. I thanked every star that he actually backed off. The last thing I needed was to be his emotional outlet.

  It was probably about two and a half hours later when I heard Dr. Bishop’s voice downstairs.

  “It will be alright. You aren’t going back.” I sat up quickly and flung my door open. Once I stepped out, I saw Dr. Bishop at the top of the stairs with Victoria in his arms, her hands around his neck.

  “Victoria?” I breathed out and headed for her.

  “Sophia,” she croaked. I reached for her and took her in my arms.

  “Are you… Is she okay?” I looked at Dr. Bishop. He nodded, but extreme anger was written across his face.

  “Let’s get you to bed.” I carried Victoria to her room and lay her down. I climbed in next to her. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I whispered to her.

  “Yes,” she said softly and looked around to my face. “Daddy came to get me.” She smiled widely.

  “Do you know why?”

  She shrugged.

  “Grace left me alone again,” she sighed. I fought the frown that wanted to spread on my face.

  “Get some rest.” I rubbed her head. “We will have pancakes in the morning, okay?” She smiled, nodded, and then yawned.

  An hour later, Victoria was completely passed out, and my mind was reeling at Dr. Bishop bringing Victoria home. I couldn’t take it any longer so I got out of her bed, tucked her in, and headed toward Dr. Bishop’s office.

  I stood outside of his door for almost five minutes before I found the nerve to knock. No answer. I waited a few more minutes and knocked again, but still nothing. On my way back to my room, it occurred to me that he may be in his room. It was late.

  Standing in front of his door for another five minutes, I almost lost the nerve to knock, but somehow I managed.

  He answered the door in a pair of pajama pants and a white t-shirt, a look I had never seen on him before. It was intriguing.

  “Miss Ashwood?” He furrowed his brow and ran his hand through his hair.

  “What happened?” I asked quietly.

  He sighed and motioned for me to enter. I hesitated, and he noticed. He grabbed my arm and pulled me in. I stumbled for a minute, but his grip kept me balanced.

  “After last weekend, I decided to have Grace followed when Victoria was with her.” He walked toward a small bar to the right side of his room. I heard the clink of glass as he poured a drink. “She left her again,” he shrugged, ‘so I retrieved her.” He turned back to me.

  “But she didn’t do anything harmful, right?” I needed to be reassured by him.

  He shrugged.

  “Not directly.” He cleared his throat.

  “Who hurt her?” I gasped and felt myself get nauseous at the thought. “Was it that babysitter?” My fists clenched at my sides.

  He shook his head.

  “No. Victoria is fine, but the intent of the visit is for Victoria and Grace to spend time together, not for Grace to leave her with a babysitter.”

  I looked at him in confusion.

  “So how was she hurt?”

  “Not her.” He set his glass down and stepped in front of me. “It was you who was hurt. Seeing the way you looked on that couch, knowing Victoria was probably miserable, it killed me.” I opened my mouth, but he spoke before I could say anything. “I hated sending Victoria to begin with, but my legal counsel said I needed to stick with the agreement. So instead, I had a private investigator follow Grace. He is getting statements for me so I can present them to the judge.” He walked back to the bar, picked his glass up and drained it before setting it back down.

  His back was still to me so he didn’t see me approach. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He stiffened for a brief second before placing his arms over mine.

  “Thank you,” I spoke into his back.

  Dr. Bishop turned around. I let go, but he quickly pulled me back to him. My head buried in his chest, I felt his lips on the top of my head.

  “There is nothing to thank me for.”

  We stayed like this until my legs started to ache and I pulled away. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward his bed. I resisted and started to argue.

  “Nothing is going to happen,” he said as he pulled me into his bed next to him. I sat looking down at him. “I promise,” he stated firmly, drawing me down to him. We lay next to each other in silence until, eventually, I fell asleep in the arms of Dr. Bishop.

  When the brightness of the next day roused me from sleep, it took me a couple of minutes to recall the previous night and where I was sleeping. I looked around me and saw Dr. Bishop fast asleep to my left, his back to me.

  I slid out of his bed and out of his room. After taking a deep breath, I turned around.

  “Shit!” I exclaimed and caused Juliet to jump.

  She smirked at me.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered and held my chest.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Her smirk remained in place.

  Then it registered what she must be thinking. I started shaking my head.

  “No, no, no. It’s not what you think.”

  She put her hands up toward me, palms forward.

  “Who am I to judge?” she winked.

  “No, Juliet, it really isn’t like that at all. I swear to you that it’s—” Dr. Bishop’s door opened behind me.

  “There you are,” he yawned. “What happened?” He stopped when he saw Juliet. “Good morning, Juliet.”

  “Good morning, Collin.” She continued toward the stairs.

  Mortified, I covered my face as she walked away from us. I shot Dr. Bishop a look.

  “What?” He scrunched his face at me.

  “You couldn’t just stay in your room for ten more minutes?” I shook my head
and walked down the hall.

  “What are you talking about?” The familiar demand in his voice didn’t seem to have the same effect as before.

  I turned around.

  “Juliet,” I exclaimed and motioned in the direction she disappeared.

  He shrugged and grinned. “I don’t care what my family thinks, Sophia.”

  I stood with my mouth hanging open. He went back into his room. I growled out loud and trudged to my own room to get showered and dressed.

  “Sophia!” Victoria’s voice bellowed from within my suite.

  She skipped into my bedroom still in the pajamas Dr. Bishop carried her home in.

  “Good morning!” She hopped onto my bed with a large smile.

  “Good morning,” I shouted back from the bathroom where I was finishing drying off from my shower. After I was dressed, I pulled open the door and noticed Victoria sitting Indian style in the middle of my bed. “Did you sleep well?”

  She nodded. “Daddy came to get me last night.” Her excitement was intoxicating.

  “I know.” I twisted my hair into a braid and leaned against the bathroom doorframe.

  “He said I don’t have to go back.” Her face beamed.

  “Let’s go get you some breakfast.”

  “Pancakes?” she asked as she hurried to my side.

  “That’s what I promised.” I tickled her sides as she rushed passed me toward the stairs.

  We were making our first batch of pancakes when we heard Juliet and Connor enter from the back patio. I wanted to cringe from embarrassment.

  “Good morning, my lovely.” Connor kissed the top of Victoria’s head. “Are you making breakfast?”

  “Yep,” she nodded excitedly.

  “Well then, I should make some fresh squeezed orange juice and start some bacon to go with it,” Juliet offered as she pulled a few large oranges out of the refrigerator.