Page 67 of The Freeuse Proposal
Oh god, she knows I’m about to drop a bomb.
“You’re late.” She stands to hug me, and I notice she’s wearing a new vanilla perfume. It’s pretty, but it reminds me it’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve hung out, and even longer since we’ve really talked.
Despite the time apart, everything about her is so wonderfully Willow as she makes small talk. The tightness in my chest that’s been worrying me since I messaged her this morning loosens for the first time all day.
“The damn register jammed at work. Twice.” I complain as I take a sip of my drink. It’s the perfect temperature, and I hum my pleasure. “So how was your Christmas?” I ask her before she can grill me about mine.
I went shopping with her twice before Christmas, and we texted a few times, but I haven’t told her much about Leo. All she knows is that I have a sugar daddy. She definitely doesn’t know anything about Dane. I’m really not even sure how to tell her I’m fucking two men.
Willow blushes, and it makes me really look at her. If anyone is glowing, it’s her. She shrugs, and I can tell she’s trying to act casual. “Good. Um, Mike took me to another Freeuse Party… “
Interesting.“Was it as good as the first one?”
She giggles and sets her mug down.
Oh yeah, she’s got a story to tell, and I give her a stern look. “Okay, bitch. Spill it.”
That breaks open the dam, and her words are rushed. “Oh my god, it was insane. I was wearing this slutty red velvet dress that barely covered my ass.”
She pauses and glances around like she just realized we’re in a public place. She lowers her voice. “Mike fucked me in front of a guy. It was crazy and hot. Then, when we went upstairs, he shared my mouth with like three guys while he fucked me.”
My eyes widen the longer she talks. Suddenly, my two men don’t seem so crazy.
She sighs happily. “It was the best holiday ever. Oh, and I might have a boyfriend now.” She giggles again. “Okay, now your turn. You’ve been weird over text for weeks. And now you’re sitting here looking like someone who won the lottery and also got really, really good sex.”
I open my mouth.
She holds up a hand. “Don’t you dare say ‘it was quiet.’”
That makes me laugh. She knows me too well.
“Okay.” I blow out a breath. “It’s more than a sugar daddy situation. It’s... a lot more.”
Her expression shifts from teasing to attentive in half a second. “I knew it. I knew there was more going on. Tell me.”
“He’s older. Like, a lot older. And he’s...” I search for the right word. Dominant? My owner? The man who edges me until I cry and then holds me like I’m precious? “He takes care of me in ways I didn’t know I needed.”
The smile on Willow’s face is non-judgmental. “Are you safe?”
“Very.” That’s the truest thing I’ve said in weeks. “He’s good to me, Willow. Really good.”
“And you’re happy? Like, actually happy, not just good-sex happy?”
I think of Leo singing sea shanties while he cooks. Dane’s quiet presence at breakfast. The art studio I cried in on Christmas morning. The way they both hold me like I matter after fucking me silly.
“I didn’t know I could be this happy,” I say, and my voice cracks a little. “It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Willow’s expression softens. She reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “Then why do you look like you’re about to cry?”
“Because I’ve been keeping it from you, and I hate it.” My throat goes tight. “There’s stuff I’m not ready to tell you yet. Not because I don’t trust you, but because I’m still figuring out what it all means. And I know that’s not fair.”
She squeezes my hand. “Alice. You don’t owe me every detail of your life.”
“But you told me everything about Oliver. Every ugly detail. And I can’t even—“
“Hey.” She cuts me off. “That was different. I was a mess, and I needed you. You’re not a mess. You’re glowing like a goddamn lightbulb.” She grins. “When you’re ready, you’ll tell me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Fuck. My throat goes tight. I squeeze her hand. “Deal.”
