The Silence | ✔️

4. T

The fragrance of Tom Ford came from the bathroom, notes of Sandalwood and Amber floated in with the steam of the shower and soon Desmond emerged, his hair still damp as he fastened his tie. I had work tonight so I was disappointed to be woken at seven in the morning, but kept quiet as he lifted his jacket from the bed post.

"We have a banquet dinner for the firm on Saturday night," he mentioned, wandering over to the mirror to fluff his hair. "Get something nice to wear."

"I work on Saturday night, Des."

He turned around and sighed with frustration. "You're coming with me. End of discussion. Get the night off. Quit. I don't care. I've said before that you don't need that job."

I sat up and pushed my hair back, tugging the covers up. "I like working."

"Great," he snapped with a sarcastic smile. "Enjoy it all you fûcking want. Just not on Saturday night. Got it? I'm going to work. Get up and do something useful with yourself."

I waited until I heard the front door shut and then I hopped out of bed and spent a good half hour in the shower. Last nights sex still made me feel dirty and disgusting. I washed and washed until I was feeling a little more clean than I had been. It felt good to be able to dress in a pair of shorts and a tucked in tank top. It had been a while since Desmond left a mark on me and I embraced having clear skin.

Afterwards, I cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, ensuring that there wouldn't be cause for complaint later before I decided to head into town in search of a dress. On the occasion, Desmond left me his credit card. But he hadn't this morning, so I assumed that he wanted me to pay for it myself. Which I was more than happy to do. It was actually a relief when he didn't force me to spend his cash.

I knew that Jules wasn't working the lunch shift at work today, so I sent her a brief message and told her to meet me in the mall if she wanted. She was quick to respond and let me know that she was already there, doing a little shopping for her weekend in Miami that she'd planned with Jordan.

"How cute is this bikini?"

I assessed the piece of fabric that should cost half the price considering there was nothing to it. "Jordan wouldn't mind you wearing that on the beach?"

"What?" She laughed. "No. He'd love it."

She smiled to herself and tucked the bikini under her arm before she continued flicking through the racks. There was a definite bout of envy. Part of me wished for someone so supportive that he'd praise me for how hot I looked, rather than pushing me head first into the wall and demanding that I cover up instead of acting like a whore.

"Ari!" Jules waved her hand in front of my face and brought me out of my thoughts. "Are we looking in here for a dress or should we go down to Dior?"

"Oh no," I shook my head. "I'll just have a look in Max or something like that. I don't need to spend a lot."

"Are you alright?" She questioned as we wandered out of the store after purchasing her finds and heading towards the escalator. "You seem zoned out and kind of weird."

"Oh, I'm fine," I smiled. "How's Jordan. Looking forward to Miami?"

"Mhmm," she grinned. "We're staying at his grandparents beach house. We're going to have hot sex all weekend, drink martini's and rail E at the clubs. I can not wait."