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But God it was isolated. My routine had settled into a rhythm. Walk to the upscale market in town, stroll the beach collecting shells and letting the salt wind whip through my hair, then lounge around in silk or nothing at all until his car pulled up. He would walk through the door tall and commanding and we would fall into each other fucking hard and deep until the rest of the world disappeared. It was the life of a kept woman and part of me craved the security of it.

I didn’t have to wake up at a certain time or drag myself out of bed after barely sleeping. Nobody called asking if I could come in early because another girl hadn’t shown up. I didn’t have to spend forty minutes doing my hair and makeup just to stand beneath shitty lights while drunk men stared at my tits.

I could sleep until noon whenever I wanted. I could sit outside with my coffee and listen to the ocean. I could watch television for hours without worrying that I should be somewhere else.

For the first week, I’d barely left the house.

I’d slept more than I had in years, ordered whatever food I wanted, and taken long baths in the ridiculously huge bathtub. Sometimes I walked around in one of Richard’s shirts, even though he’d only stayed here a handful of times since I’d moved in.

The whole thing had felt like a vacation.

By the third week, the novelty had started wearing off.

The refrigerator was full of fresh food. Fruit, vegetables, chicken, eggs, yogurt, and everything else Richard insisted I keep around. He was always telling me I needed to eat better, and I secretly loved that he cared enough to make sure I did.

I looked through the shelves again. There wasn’t much I could actually make for dinner, though. I needed to get groceries.

Richard hadn’t said he was coming over tonight, but he sometimes showed up without warning. I wanted to have everything I needed to make him a real dinner if he did.

Maybe steaks. Richard liked steak.

Normally, that wouldn’t have required any thought. Before Richard, I would’ve grabbed my purse, gotten on the bus, and gone to the nearest store. Except I didn’t have to do that anymore.

Richard said that he could have someone drive me wherever I needed to go. At the time, I’d agreed without thinking much about it.

I picked up the phone in the kitchen and called the number Richard had left beside it. Daniel answered after the second ring.

“Good morning, Ms. Jameson.”

I looked at the clock above the stove and realized it was almost one.

“I guess it’s technically afternoon now.”

Daniel laughed politely on the other end.

“What can I do for you?”

“I need to go grocery shopping. Can you come get me?”

“Of course. I can be there in about twenty minutes.”

“That would be perfect, thanks.”

I hung up and stared at the phone for another moment.

Twenty minutes just to go grocery shopping seemed a little ridiculous, but it wasn’t exactly a problem. Daniel was nice, and he never complained about taking me anywhere. Richard paid him enough that I doubted he cared whether I wanted to go twenty miles or two.

Besides, the whole arrangement was convenient.

That was the word Richard had used when he’d explained it.

Everything about my life was convenient now.

I didn’t have to work anymore, and I didn’t have to drive anywhere myself. I didn’t worry about rent, utilities, groceries, or whether my wallet would survive another week. I didn’t even know how much the electric bill for this place cost because I’d never seen one.

Richard handled everything for me.

I pulled on jeans and a sweater, grabbed my purse, and went downstairs to wait.