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11
Trevor
I know Kerry doesn’t really want to leave this town or her sweet house, so it’s up to me to make sure she’s not uncomfortable in either. I start my campaign first thing in the morning with some calls to connections I have at ACI. They aren’t in this state, but they put me in contact with some folks at the nearest office. I have a phone interview at ten.
Then I head into town to spend money. Not a huge amount, but a solid purchase at each establishment. At the restaurants I buy gift certificates. At the florist I inquire earnestly about the right flowers for love yearning and waiting concluded. I can hear the whispers start before I’m out the door. At the baby and kids’ boutique, I request a good luck charm for getting pregnant. It’s clear the shop assistant is biting her tongue to hold in the questions, but she rings up the odd little glass ornament without a murmur. Not sure what we’re going to do with it, but hell if it works, great.
At ten I stop in at the cafe, order a muffin and coffee and have a simple conversation about what I can do for the new office Alpha Corps is building next year in Destiny Bay. I keep my voice just low enough for people to catch a few words without getting the whole conversation.
Then I reward myself with Kerry. Swinging her up by her waist and kissing her breathless. “Oh! Did it go well?” she asks sweetly.
“Yes. I’m not worried about the job. Mostly, I think the town is now ready to erect a statue to us as tragic lovers reunited. Like Tristan and Isolt, but alive.”
She frowns at me. “What did you do, Trevor?”
I shrug. “Bought stuff. The flowers are coming tomorrow. This,” I hand her the pregnancy charm, “is supposed to get you pregnant so put it in the garage if you don’t want the help. And this is for you when I get out of line, but I told the shop clerk my fiancee was a virgin.” I leer at her, knowing she’s going to yell when I hand her the handcuffs shaped like hollowed out cupcakes. They’re silly and made me think of my nickname for her and how she’ll blush now every time I call her that.
“Where did you find those?” she asks, more dumbfounded than angry.
“That sex store on 4th.” I shrug and her eyes widen.
“You went in there? Nobody goes in there!”
I laugh. “Cupcake,” I start deliberately, “somebody must or they wouldn’t still be in business.”
“Oh.” She chews on that, then eyes the cuffs speculatively. “They don’t look like they’d fit your wrists.”
I grin, mostly because I had no idea she had even a hint of a naughty streak. I shrug as innocently as I can manage. “Guess we’ll have to try them out on you, then.”
“Trevor.” She gives a mighty suffering sigh, but her eyes are twinkling.
Kerry
Who could not be in love with Trevor after the effort he’s put in? But something is still holding me back from relaxing into the relationship, trusting it and maybe him. Not that he’s given me any reason not to trust him. It just all feels too easy.
I don’t trust easy. I have actual work to do today, the kind that pays the bills. So, as I set up at my computer to plow through it, I put all my doubts aside. As best I can anyway. Ironically, the pieces I’m doing voice-over recordings for are all about unbalanced romantic relationships where one partner holds all the power. I shift uncomfortably in my seat. Even unintentionally am I controlling Trevor because of his history with the ideal of me? Shit. Now my stomach feels queasy.
There’s nobody else to talk this over with. So when Trevor comes back at the agreed four pm so he wouldn’t interrupt the recording session, I dump it on him.
“Do I have too much power over you?” I ask him anxiously. “Maybe the age difference really is too big.”
He blinks and then asks slowly, “You okay there, Kerry?”
“Nooo, and the script I was reading…”
“Ah. What’s really going on?” he asks gently. By this time, he’s pulled me onto his lap and I barely noticed.
“This, you, feels too easy,” I admit.
“Not from where I’m sitting,” he growls at me playfully, but I can’t hear it that way, not at first.
“See! That’s what I mean. It’s unbalanced and I’m hurting you. I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Cupcake, the only way you’re hurting me is by tying yourself up like this. It’s my job to tie you up, and only in the bedroom. Definitely not where your creepy boyfriends can see.”
I thin my lips because he is not taking me seriously. Can’t he see this is doomed?
“Kerry, when was the last time you were happy? Really, really happy?” he asks quietly.
