Page 70 of Broken Rules
“Hm, so damn cocky.”
* * *
My nipples are still hard, my mind replaying how Lennox fed me his pancakes which were the best I’ve ever had. How he gently grasped my throat, drizzling syrup on my tongue before placing the fluffy cake inside my mouth—though I haven’t fed him that compliment just yet, how lunch was just as delicious, wishing we had time for dinner. The more I think of him, the more I regret coming to work tonight, but I can’t stop the feeling of not wanting to move too fast, still debating whether to stay over again. Afraid of losing something that’s so apparently good.
I whine, rubbing my face as I press my elbows into my lap, and mumble, “Get your shit together, Evie—”
Rosie, one of the Red Vixens who comes to Vivid for holiday purposes, touches my shoulder. “Hey, Jared wants you in his office. Says it’s dire.”
“For what? I just got here.”
She shrugs, removing the clip from her dark brown hair while walking to her station to apply her makeup. “Just passing on the info.”
Blowing a heavy breath, I toss my bag inside the locker, then sit at my station. “Well, if it were dire, then he’d be the one to inform me. I have to prepare for my performance.”
A beep sounds in the distance, and then a deep voice comes over an intercom I had no idea Vivid had installed. “Ms. Everly Russo, please come to the office immediately.”
“What the fuck?” My eyes widen as I turn to look at Rosie, who’s staring at me just as confused.
“You’ve been summoned.”
Clenching my jaw, I head for the office and cross my arms once I’m in front of his desk. “Seriously?”
“Take a seat.”
“No. What do you want?”
He leans into the chair, tipping his head to rest on the back with hisI’ve got all daystance, and I sigh, sitting to leave his presence faster—this pleases him as he smirks. Standing from his seat, he strolls around the desk while fastening his black slacks, and I narrow my eyes once he stops in front of me. My grip on the chair tightens when he dips forward, holding the arms close to my fingertips.
“You know I’ve always admired you, Evie. Since the first day I saw you from this box, I thought, what was a good girl like you doing within these walls? Such a beautiful little dove, forced to stay in this cage day in and day out.”
Goosebumps rise along my skin, and Jared chuckles, catching his step when I push him back from smoothing his index finger over the bumps on my arm. “Don’t touch me.”
He hums, walks around to sit behind his desk, and opens a side drawer to pull out a sheet of white paper. “Have you ever felt how much you and I are the same?” My gaze stays on him, folding the square, while he speaks, “Two kids who saw too much and experienced too little, growing a hardened exterior at a tender age to withstand a world that is Vivid Vixens. How we slowly drew toward one another, finding ways to talk, needing an escape, which grew into more, promising we’d never end up like our parents, yet look at us today.” Jared shakes his head, his face hardening. “No matter how often we spoke this rule, we couldn’t stop ourselves from breaking it because deep down, we knew we were destined to be them.”
“Why am I here?” I whisper, fighting the tears threatening to build.
“I ask myself that same question every day. Why, why, why…because Vivid is who we are—until both of us decide to fly.” He finishes building a paper dove. “Are you going to fly, little dove?”
My face scrunches, and I stand from my seat, heading for the door. “I have to finish getting ready—”
“You’re off silks. Rosie’s taking over,” he states, and I halt my steps.
“What?”
“I’m removing you from the performance. Your schedule is already hectic enough.”
“No. Don’t you dare act as if you care for my well-being and admit you enjoy tormenting me.” My lip trembles as I inhale a shaky breath. “Younevercared about me, Jared. All you ever wanted was my body for your selfish desires.”
“You never belonged here.”
I laugh, storming back to his desk. “So that’s been your plan all along? Push me until I break and finally leave this place? Continue to use me as a sorry excuse for whyyou’retoo afraid to leave for yourself. Go ahead, keep taking from me—why do I need anything that gives me even a sliver of joy? I’m too broken to give a fuck.”
As I stride for the door, Jared blocks my way, closing it behind him. “Leave,” he says, sticking the dove in my hand, and my tears fall.
“What about me is keeping you here—why come back at all? You didn't love me, so what are you hanging on to?”
Jared hesitates to touch my cheek, placing his hands in his pockets. “I thought I loved you when I didn’t know what love was, but now I do—it’s a hell of a force that can break you down in a moment's notice, make you feel, do, and say things you never thought possible because with someone you love, rules—”
