Married indeed!
Shannon roared with laughter at Tori’s relay of the confrontation with her brother, “When did this turn into 1886? One does not have to become betrothed simply because one gets up the duff,” she mimicked, in a stupid pompous English accent.
Tori rolled her eyes, chuckling, “Oh my God, tell me about it! He’s insane!” Picking up her oil paints in the old dog-eared shoebox, she turned away from her friend, who could still be heard in fits of hysterical laughter at the dining table, “I’m just going to paint for a few hours, Chuckles!”
Shannon waved her off, picking up the keys to her new Audi, and ran out for the drive down to Manchester, still in stitches of laughter, to show a guy some design concepts for her new range.
It wasn’t quite so funny to Tori though, as she began mixing up her pallet and preparing the canvas. She knew how overbearing Nate could be, who didn’t by this point, and she worried that he’d press Jayden into this harebrained scheme he’d come up with.
She might not be out to trap him, but Nate could well have that up his sleeve on her behalf!
Idly, she sketched out a calming landscape. For the first time in months, she would just paint for herself, rather than commercial targets, and market potential, and, as boring as it would seem, mapping out a landscape in her head – literally drawing from memory one of the most tranquil places she’d ever been – that was what she needed.
It was a meditative promise to herself, she decided, mixing together vibrant shades of blue and purple to depict the most stunning sunset she could imagine. Whatever happened with Jayden, whatever showdown she was about to face once he found out, she would envisage this place, take her child, and let Jayden let rip on an empty shell of herself while she bathed in serenity.
She couldn’t afford to be pulled back under his spell, she would have to stay strong for her baby.
The sound of a frantic pounding at her front door pulled her from her thoughts. Of course, she’d already seen him march past the window, his heavy footsteps crunching up the gravel path with a steady rhythm.
She might have been expecting him, but her stomach was lurching with tiny quivers of excitement – and maybe a little dread – mingling together inside her, at the thought of what was obviously to come.
**********************************************
“Since when do you drink tea?” he started after her, “You never liked tea, you went from hot chocolate to coffee overnight!”
“People change,” she muttered absently, drawing her mug under the tap to rinse from her last cup, for a brew that was completely free of additives, it was quite ridiculously addictive.
“That’s actually what I’m here to talk about,” he started, a sudden boyish excitement coming over him, his entire body stirring with an obvious restless energy.
YOU ARE READING
Puppet Master
General FictionGRAPHIC and EXPLICIT! Tori's been in love with Jayden since she was twelve years old, but he's pulled away at every turn. Doubts, insecurities, and certain, ahem, preferences have been convincing him that she's the kind of girl t...
