The door rattles with a quick knock. “Tessa, are you okay?”
I swipe my face with my palm. “Yeah, Mom, just using the toilet.”
Geez, I can’t even use the bathroom for more than a few minutes without everyone worrying. “I’ll be right out.” I flush the toilet, wash my hands, and gaze at my reflection. I don’t look like a sinner, but I’m certainly acting and feeling like one lately.
Mastyx calls me his Little Sinner, and I’ve grown to like my pet name. Every time he growls it, it sends chills down my spine and a tingle between my legs.
Stop, just stop, I say to myself as I dry my hands and whip the bathroom door open. When I round the corner, I run straight into my dad, clutching his abdomen. “Eat too much, too fast again?” I say, shaking my head.
“Yep.” He curves around me, enters the bathroom and slams the door.
He’ll never learn.
When I enter the dining room, my mom has already cleared most of the dishes, including the one I hadn’t finished, and placed a piece of apple pie in its place, with a fork resting beside it. “What are you waiting for?” she asks. “Dig in.”
She’s rushing me, and I don’t know why. “Mom, what’s the rush?” I ask as I take my seat and cut into the pie with the side of my fork.
“Well, there’s a new movie on Lifetime tonight, and I thought if we wrapped up dinner early, you would stick around and watch it with me.”
Oh, I get it now, she misses me and knows Dad won’t watch it with her. I think they don’t know what to do with each other now that I am out of the house. I smile at her. “Of course I’ll stay.”
Her face brightens. “Really?”
“Yes, Mom. You know I can’t turn down a fresh and new based-on-a-true-story Lifetime movie.”
Dad enters the room. “So, are you sticking around after dessert, kiddo?” He sits in his chair and eyes the pie across the table.
Mom slides it closer to her. “You need to let your dinner digest before you add any pie on top of the pile in your already full stomach.”
I giggle, and his eyes snap to mine. “Not funny.”
“Tess’s staying and watching that new movie with me,” Mom says with a smile.
He leans back in his seat and interlaces his fingers on his stomach, rolling his eyes. “I told you I would watch it with you.”
“Why, so you can whine the whole time about how unrealistic it is?” She scoffs, stuffing the last bite of her pie into her mouth before standing.
Dad opens his mouth to speak, and I shake my head at him. It’s not worth the fight, so he closes his eyes and sighs. “Well, I guess I could run to the gas station and buy some popcorn for you ladies.” He glances at his watch. “When’s it start? Eight?”
I rise from my seat. “I can go, Dad. You stay here.”
He slides his hand into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. “You need money?”
I mean, the old me would have my hand out in a second, but the new me is much more responsible. “No, that’s okay. I got it.” I kiss the top of his balding head, grab my jacket, and head out the door.
My car rumbles to a start and staggers backward out of their driveway.
I drive down the street and come to a halt at the stop sign. A small fire billows high above a fire pit in someone’s side yard, catching my attention.
“Mastyx,” I whisper his name without thinking. The flames shoot sideways from the firepit, making the people standing around it scatter like ants. My eyes widen right before an inappropriate chuckle escapes me.That wasn’t very nice, Contessa, I think to myself.
A car beeps behind me, making me jump. I pull into the intersection and turn left toward the gas station on the corner. When I arrive, the parking lot is full, so I park along the curb nearby.
The bell above the door dings when I enter, and the cashier gives me a quick head nod as I turn down the salt and sweets aisle. It’s not a huge selection, but it carries most everything you could need.
I grab a box of popcorn and turn the corner into the next aisle. A man stands there, holding a woman’s arm so tight in his grasp that his knuckles whiten. “You will listen and do as you’re told,” he hisses in her face. His eye dart to mine. “What the fuck are you looking at, bitch?” The woman puts her head down, not wanting to make eye contact with me or show her face, but it’s too late. The dark bruise around her eye tells what he’s done and will continue to do if I don’t do something about it.
Mastyx has always come to me when I’ve been in trouble, but I’ve always wondered if he would come to me just because I call him.
