Her arms are open for me. “How are you,Nana?”
“Not happy. I’ve been missing mygirl.”
“I know. I’ve missed you,too.”
“You’ve been gone for nine days, sweet pea. Nine. Days. I’ve not gone that long without seeing you since you wereborn.”
My mother never wanted to be a mother. She was gone long before she physically left, and Dad didn’t know how to care for two little babies. Nana stepped in and took over. She has been more like a mother to me than agrandmother.
“I’m sorry, Nana. I would have come sooner…but things are verycomplicated.”
“I’ve been worried sick. I wanted to call the police when your father told me that Broussard was forcing you to stay with him. But then he told me the rest of the story—that you were caught. You and Adamboth.”
“I haven’t seen it, but he tells me that he has video surveillance. A lot ofit.”
“You believethat?”
“Adam and I spent a lot of time in his casino after we started winning. So yes, I do believehim.”
Nana’s mouth forms a tight puckered O. She hasn’t smoked in years, but the lines around her lips formed during her smoking days deepen. “He’s a damn bastard just like hisfather.”
“I don’t know about his father, but Tristan’s not so bad.” Anyone who gives me orgasms like he does can’t be consideredbad.
“He isn’t mistreatingyou?”
Well, I guess most people would regard the spankings and nipple pinching and twisting and orgasm denial as mistreatment, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. I don’t love the pain, but I sure enjoy the pleasure that accompanies it. It’s a fair trade in my eyes. He gets what he wants, and I get what Iwant.
“He treats me well.” Thinking of Tristan in front of my nana makes me blush. “He enjoys spoilingme.”
“Is he keeping his hands off ofyou?”
“Nana, I’m just there as his companion.” I hate lying to mygrandmother.
“Don’t feed me that horseshit like you did yourfather.”
“Nana!”
“Your father believes what you told him about that companion business because he doesn’t want to consider the alternative. No father wants to think about any man touching his little girl, but I know better. I’m going to ask you again, and I expect to hear the truth. Is Tristan Broussard keeping his hands off ofyou?”
Nana is a worldly woman. She isn’t stupid and to lie to her after being called out would be an insult to her intelligence. I respect her too much for that. “No, ma’am. He isnot.”
A murderous expression comes over her face. “Is he forcing himself onyou?”
It’s difficult to admit to my grandmother that I’m freely giving my body to him. “He hasn’t forced me to do anything. I’ve consented to everything we’vedone.”
“You consented to sex with him because he’s threatening to turn over incriminating evidence. That’s blackmail. He may not be holding you down and forcing himself upon you, but he has robbed you of your voice to say no. It’s just another form ofrape.”
I don’t know why, but I feel the need to defend him. “I could have said no and done the time for my crime, but I didn’t. I chose this path withhim.”
“I can have him taken care of if you want toleave.”
Have him taken care of.“What exactly does thatmean?”
“I know people who will take him out. Make it look like an accident. All I have to do is give theword.”
My nana sounds like some kind of crime boss. “I don’t think that a hit on him will be necessary. We’re playing a fun little game of chance right now. All of this could be over very soon if fate sees fit for it tobe.”
“You shouldn’t forget that fate can be very cruel sometimes,” shesays.
