“Everything will change after tomorrow, anyway.”
Danica looked at her as if she were crazy. “You really believe that, don’t you?”
Alicia smiled. Someone in that room had to smile! “You know us Moreaus. We get good feelings about things.”
“I’m glad someone around us has a good feeling,” Dee grumbled. “Because this shit is almost making me quit.”
The BMW parked in a private garage Alicia had never seen before.I forgot I was seeing the new place tonight. That had been the plan since the night before. Here Alicia had thought she and Danica would go straight home after what happened at the Clayborns.
They were both still a bit shell-shocked. Alicia from the violence and depression, and her wife from the harder truths she learned about her father. Alicia did not revel in being right. No woman wanted to find out these things about her father. As theysat in the car, staring at the dashboard, she reached over and patted Danica’s arm.
“Show me the new place,” she softly bade.
An elevator operator cheerily greeted them. The new owners of apartment 36C were not forthcoming with their own words. All Alicia could muster was holding Danica’s hand and resting her forehead against her shoulder.
Their hideaway apartment was cozy and held a fantastic view of the central city park they walked through that day. Unlike the sleek penthouse a few blocks away, this one had all the comforts of the kind of home Alicia grew up in. Big, plush chairs, warm walls, round furniture, and a mild scent of potpourri that made Alicia think of her grandmother’s house.
“This is for us, huh?” It was her first genuine smile in hours.
Danica’s, too. “Absolutely. No kids or servants allowed.”
Alicia held her stomach. “Stowaways not included.”
Danica put a hand over hers. “Can’t help that. Here, let me show you the bedroom.”
The bedroom was as cozy as the living room. The walls were a soft dark red and lined with chestnut brown. A large wooden headboard framed a king-sized bed covered in black and gold blankets. Instead of the hardwoods of their penthouse apartment, carpeting of a subdued color lined the floors. Alicia was ready to curl up in front of the electric fireplace right away.
“You’ve thought of almost everything,” she said. “I’m gonna guess the bathroom is pretty nice.”
“Only the nicest for you, precious. Clawfoot bathtub and all the fixings in the shower. I took the liberty of stocking the sink with all your usual products.” Danica opened the main closet and showed a small selection of comfortable robes and cotton dresses. “To start you off with, of course.” She quickly shut the closet again. “Close your eyes. The last room is a surprise.”
Alicia knew what was in the second bedroom.Our supposed playroom. Of course, now that she was pregnant, all she could think of was that their options were limited. Maybe. Possibly.
Danica wrapped her hands around Alicia’s eyes and led her out of the bedroom. “To the right,” she directed. “Now left. A bit ahead. Hang on.” A door opened. “All right. Go forward.”
Her hands lowered.
“Open your eyes.”
Alicia should have been prepared. Yeah, right. How could she be prepared for a renovated sex dungeon?
“Sorry if it’s the last thing you want to look at after what happened earlier.”
Alicia touched a selection of floggers on the wall. “I’m happily not thinking about that. We’re in our sanctuary, right? We don’t have to think about that.” She turned back to her. “We don’t have to think about anything but us.”
“That’s right.” She cupped her hand around her cheek. “I’ll let you take a look around. Be right back, my love.”
Danica left Alicia in the large playroom. Strangely enough, it felt as cozy as the rest of the apartment. Soft, warm lights. Reds and blacks. Neatly organized implements. It was the only room with hardwood floors, but how could Alicia care about that when there was sex furniture to check out?
Baby furniture had been that: child’s play. This room was packed with beds, couches, and yes, a swing. Furniture all carefully constructed with only sex in mind. There were a few pieces that served their original functions, like dressers stuffed with sex toys and clothing, but for the most part, Alicia would never look at a couch the same way again.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Danica.
“I left a special outfit for you in the closet. Put it on. I want you ready for me in ten minutes.”
Didn’t give a girl much time to take in the scenery. Alicia caught sight of two hooks hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room and had yet another gut feeling.Soon.Very soon.
Chapter 23
