Change 69

Florence's POV

A groan slid past my lips as I turned, the comfy duvet pressing deep into my side. I flinched a bit as something bit into my side. I didn't think too much about it, because I already knew what it was. Discomfort and maybe something else. There wasn't anything wrong with the bed or duvet. In fact, I was the sole cause of any discomfort I felt. My heart thudded loudly in my chest, and with each thud, I felt that vital organ sink lower and lower.

I hated this.

I turned to my side again and my groan was even louder than the previous one. I pressed my eyes shut. Maybe if I tried to force it, it would take the hint and come, but I couldn't be more wrong. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't sleep. It was literally like someone had switched on the part of my brain responsible for keeping me awake all night.

There was nothing I hadn't tried, just so I could fall asleep. I tried counting sheep jumping over the fence. I'd even tried meditating and clearing out my mind but it didn't work. Everything, all wounded up to the same thing. I couldn't sleep. I just couldn't sleep and it sucked as hell.

I stole a glance at the clock high up on the wall and I mentally facepalmed myself. It was three am in the morning and I hadn't had so much as a second worth of sleep. I hated feeling like this.

If I was being honest, I knew exactly what was wrong with me. I was only in denial, but for how long could I keep it up? I sighed forlornly. No matter how hard I tried to shake it off, it just wouldn't budge, and I didn't know how to feel about it.

Dad.

He needed money, and he'd asked me for some. And by ask, I meant he'd literally forced me to get some money. Money that I obviously didn't have. Why didn't he see that? Why couldn't he understand? Had he forgotten why I was sent here? So how could he expect me to have any money?

From Dominique of course. Father's words played in my head, like an unwanted reminder. His cold voice sent shivers down my spine and I shuddered, even with the entire amount of warmth I was surrounded by.

How was I supposed to get money from Dominique? Growing up, I could count the number of times I'd done something like that. I hardly asked dad for money. And now he expected me to ask for money from someone who wasn't just my boss, but something deeper too. If we were talking based on facts, you could legit say Dominique owned me, and yet he wanted me to get money from him?

Did that even make any sense?

An idea popped up in my head immediately. It sounded stupid, but right now, I was open to anything.

What if I actually asked Dominique for the money? What would he do? How would he even react? Could I even do it? I wasn't even sure I had the courage to actually do so.

I hissed slowly. This whole thing was confusing and frustrating. In fact, they were both gross understatements. i wasn't even sure I was that courageous to pull off such a feat. Sometimes I had trouble talking to him, and even being in the space with him gave me serious anxiety attacks, so how could I ask him for something that huge.

I pressed my head against my pillow as I pondered more on the issue. It made no sense. I was basically his slave, and slaves didn't ask for money. No. Instead, they took whatever bullshit was thrown their way because they belonged to their masters now and nothing else. They didn't even have a chance at any humane treatment, but Dominique had changed and I wasn't sure I was ready to ruin it because of my father. But at the same time, I couldn't kick him to the curb. He was my father after all.

Steal from him. Dad's words rang in my ear. Steal from him.

I couldn't possibly do that. Not after everything he'd done for me. Yes, things started out rocky, but now, things were different. Could I even do that? I hadn't stolen so much as a pen in my life, and we were talking about money here. Could I really do it?

My mind went a little further. What if I was able to steal the money? What would happen then? Would Dominique find out? And if he eventually did, what was that going to mean for me? For us? That was the most important…

A loud beep blared out of nowhere, causing me to jerk up immediately. My heart thudded in my chest as blood rushed to my ears. It took me a while, but I finally recognized the sound; it was my phone ringing. After a little difficulty, I was able to locate the damned gadget, and without bothering to check the caller ID, I picked up the call.

“Hello?” I whispered into the phone. “Hi?”

“Florence.” I froze. My blood ran cold as I sat rooted to my spot, my phone still pressed to my ear. “Florence, can you hear me?”

“Yes.” I was breathless. “Yes, I…”

“I'll be coming for the money tomorrow.” My father raped. There was an edge to his voice and it was the same as the last time he was here. “ Make sure you have a reasonable amount and I won't take any excuses.”

“But, dad.” The rest of my words disappeared into thin air as the call went dead. He'd hung up on me.

First, he called me late at night, just to cut me off the moment he'd delivered his message. My stomach churned with anxiety and panic nipped at my skin. This was getting serious. Too serious if you asked me.

Maybe I needed to talk to Dominique. If I could explain to him, maybe he would understand and help right?

Before I could overthink it, or somehow talk myself out of it, I jerked out of my bed and headed to Dominique's room. In no time I'd gotten there and I didn't waste any more time in sucking a deep breath before knocking. I knocked two more times, each one without a response and I poured.

Wasn't he awake? How could he be asleep by this time? Especially when I needed his help with something. Carefully, I pushed open the door, just to realize it wasn't locked. I'd barely stepped in when someone pulled me by the waist.

A loud shriek slid past my lips as I was pulled flush against someone. Only when I'd peeled my eyes open, just for my gaze to rest on Dominique, did my fear subside a little.

A very naked Dominique, mind you.

“Oh my.” I shut my eyes immediately. “Why, why didn't you say anything?”

“What?” I could feel Dominique smirking. “Don't you like my new look? I curated it just for you, you know?”

“Please put on some clothes.” I stuttered. “ Why are you naked?”

“That's the wrong question actually.” Goosebumps lined the surface of my skin as he pressed his lips just underneath my ear. I fought the urge to shudder as he spoke. “The right question should be, why are you still wearing clothes?”

The moment he pressed his lips against mine, I understood why he asked that question, because after that, we both spent the night naked, with our moans reverberating around the entire house.