My 3 Contract Lovers

[11]

[Bianca]

I stared out of the bedroom window and sighed softly. A week had passed, and I was a wreck. A complete and utter wreck.

1. I hadn't heard from any of my immortals.

2. The research on b**m had me scared, aroused, excited, and unsure.

3. My mother was getting worse and I really needed the immortals to start paying me.

I closed my eyes as I turned away from the window. On top of all of that, I had already given Frankie my registration. I hadn't seen Casey and Frankie hadn't been happy that I was leaving too. I had to assume Casey had also gotten a contract and while I was curious about it, I wasn't curious enough to find out. Suddenly, the loud sound of my phone ringing made me jump as I struggled to grip the thing long enough to answer it.

"Hello?" I said as I finally managed to answer the call. I glanced over at my mother to make sure I hadn't woken her.

"Hello Bianca," it was Dante, and my heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice in my ear. My skin erupted with goosebumps and I shivered as I crept out of the bedroom.

"Um...Dante...hi," I felt awkward talking to him like this on the phone, but I couldn't exactly hang up on him and demand a meeting.

"I've secured an apartment for you and your mother in the city of Ethine. I was hoping you'd like to see it before moving in?" He explained slowly and I nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see me. "Bianca?" hearing him whisper my name in my ear made me melt and my knees weak. I decided right then and there that I liked the way he pronounced my name. My mother had intended for my name to sound as it was spelled. Bi-an-ca. But Dante made it sound sensual and sexy. Be-ann-cuh.

"Hmm?" I hummed as I leaned against the wall and smiled a dreamy smile.

"The apartment?" he repeated, and I was hit with the realization that this wasn't some guy, Dante was my immortal and that thought sobered me out of my dreamy state. I had to keep my head straight. I could allow a simple thing like him saying my name to disrupt my thoughts. Or my mission.

"Yes, right. When?" I asked.

"Now?" He suggested, and I relaxed. Finally, things were moving forward.

"Sure, what time?"

"No, I meant now because I'm parked outside your apartment building," my eyes went wide and I rushed to the window and pulled the tattered blue curtain aside. Sure enough, I could see Dante leaning against his car staring up at me. He looked out of place with his shiny black car and his expensive suit – all of which made my heart flutter and my cheeks pinken.

"Ok...um...shit," I looked down at myself and panicked. Dante had seen me in borrowed outfits and I already knew that Milly wasn't at home. She and my aunt had left earlier to do some shopping. I hurried to my aunt's room and pulled open her cupboard. Once again, I was stuck with what to wear.

"Bianca, are you coming down?" His voice startled me, and I dropped the phone. The panic inside of me was making me frantic as I scrambled to pick the phone up.

"s**t Dante, you can't just show up here and expect me to be ready in a second!" I snapped. However, as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I froze. "s**t, sorry,"

"No, you are right. No need to apologize, shall I come back in...thirty minutes?" he offered, but no amount of time was going to save me. I didn't have a choice though.

"Sure," I muttered before I hung up. I thumbed through the dresses, but they were all inappropriate. I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to wear. “What do you wear when you are going to look at an apartment with a man who is as old as time itself?” I wondered aloud. I decided that nothing my aunt owned was going to save me, so I headed back to my room as quietly as I could. I took out my phone and tapped on the internet search app.

What to wear to every occasion

Try a pair of nice jeans with a fun top. Stylish sneakers or flats. Try wearing something that makes you feel relaxed.

I set my phone aside. The internet hadn’t been all that helpful, but I was running out of time. I pulled open the cupboard and stared at my options – which weren’t many, to begin with. The only other pair of jeans I owned were baggy and worn. I couldn't wear that. The pair I had on now wasn't any better. I glanced over at my mother's clothes and sighed. I didn't have a choice. I took out the folded pair of jeans and ran my fingers over the soft material. They were relatively new. My mother had worn them twice.

“Sorry mom,” I whispered as I set it aside and looked through my t-shirts and I finally settled on a plain blue shirt. It had a collar and short sleeves but it would have to do. It was old and worn and as I pulled off the current purple top I had on, I cringed. Even my bra looked old. Well, he wasn't going to see my bra now, was he? No. I shook my head and once again my eyes went to my mother's clothes. I didn't want to ruin her things but...this was important. I took one of her new bras as well as a pretty blue shirt that I knew matched well with the jeans. I then hurried to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Once I was so sparkling clean that my skin shone a healthy shade of pink, I got out of the shower and dried off before I got dressed. I looked at myself in the mirror and made a face. I looked dull but there wasn't anyone around who could save the day. I wasn't confident enough or experienced enough to put on any makeup and I left my hair down to dry by itself. And as much as I wanted to put on those red heels, they didn't go with the outfit, and I didn't want Dante to think they were the only shoes I owned. I grabbed my sneakers and made sure that they were at least clean before I pulled them on.

Aunty

Dante stopped by to pick me up.

Don’t wait up.

Bianca

P.S. don’t forget to make sure mom is comfortable.

I set the note on the bar fridge and left the apartment. I saw that the car was still parked in the same spot and I wondered if he had ever left.

"All done?" Dante questioned as the door opened. He looked me up and down, but he didn't say anything as he disappeared inside. I looked down at myself and I knew I didn’t look as put together as I should have. I was beyond embarrassed as I took note that my mother’s jeans were a little bit loose, and the top wasn’t ironed. I also noted that my sneakers were far from ‘acceptable’. There was nothing I could do about it, so I slowly eased myself in and closed the door. Neither of us spoke a word as the car pulled out of the parking space and as we got onto the highway, I once again stared out of the window. I loved seeing the city of Ethine come into view. When the driver pulled up to a large tall building, I was surprised. This place looked…expensive. Granted, Ethine wasn’t poor or unkempt, but this place reminded me of the hotel where the ball had been held. I got out of the car just as the driver leaned forward to open the door, which meant I effectively slammed the door against him. He grunted and I grimaced as I saw Dante getting out from the other side. Neither of us said a word as he led me inside and although the security guard watched us, he didn’t say anything as we headed to the elevator.

“So…” I said awkwardly. The silence between us bothered me and while the classical music gave me some small relief, it wasn’t enough. Dante glanced at me but still, he didn’t say anything. I decided to suck it up and keep my mouth shut. However, as I watched the numbers light up, I realized we were headed all the way to the top, as in – the penthouse apartment. Surely Dante wasn’t going to pay for me and my mother to stay in a penthouse apartment for a year! Was he?

[Dante]

I had no idea what to say to my consort. It was awkward and extremely uncomfortable. Although I had known that she stayed in Ethis, and I had prepared myself to see where she lived, I had not expected her to look so…I could not even think of a word. She was clean. I could smell the soap she had used and it wasn’t unpleasant. She had on clean clothes, although the shirt was wrinkled and in desperate need of a good ironing. The jeans she wore were loose and didn’t fit quite right, as if it didn’t belong to her. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders and while that made me want to run my fingers through her hair, it was the fact that it was damp and uncombed that put me off. I could tell that she was uncomfortable but I didn’t have any words to comfort her. Not yet anyway. I didn’t want to offend her, because all I wanted to do was take her shopping. Or at the very least, give her a card and tell her to go crazy. The elevator came to a stop and as soon as the doors had opened, I took her hand and stepped out. Her hand felt warm and clammy, which made my stomach turn, but it felt good to be close to her. I led her to the penthouse apartment door and used the swipe card to open it. I let go of her hand and gestured for her to go first.

“s**t!” she exclaimed, and I smiled. I noted that she used the word ‘s**t’ a lot. “This place is huge!”

“It is,” I agreed as I looked around. I had managed to work with Susan on furnishing the place, but I was now doubting myself. What if she didn’t consider this her home? “If there is anything you want to add or replace, you can just let me know,” I said as casually as I could. Bianca was moving around the apartment, touching everything that she could and that word – s**t – kept leaving those full lips of hers. I leaned against the kitchen counter and watched as she stared out of the window. “Are you happy?”

“Dante…shit…is this for real?” she questioned as she turned to face me.

“Yes, Bianca, this is for real,”

“And…I mean, my mother and I can…stay here?” I frowned at that. Obviously, I hadn’t been clear.

“No, Bianca, this is now your new home…for you and your mother…for as long as you want it,” her mouth fell open and I smirked. “I should also mention that the hospital is less than a mile from here,”

“Um…”

“I hope that you will allow me to join you and your mother on her first doctor’s appointment?” I stared at her, not wanting to miss a thing, and I saw hope fill her eyes.

“Yes,” she whispered, and then she did something that surprised me.