Bitter Disenchantment: A Coveted Novella by Madison Shawntelle

Author:Madison, Shawntelle [Madison, Shawntelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shawntelle Madison
Published: 2013-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

I didn’t know why I wanted to crash at Paula’s house, but the thought of going home pained me. Not that I wanted to head back through Fernando’s place and scale the wall, but what kind of life did I have if I had to sneak into my own home? Since it was nearly dawn, I got lucky. The doorman let me in, and I followed my nose to the service staff area. The place had a nice, clean smell. I tossed a few bucks to the building manager, and he led me to the maintenance elevator at the back of the building. Through it, I rode up a couple of flights to Fernando’s floor. My new friend didn’t say a word, merely giving me a sly wink, and opened his door to let me through.

“Whoever you’re having a tryst with, he better be worth it,” he said with a snort.

“The last thing I need is another man.”

Fernando led me to the bathroom. If I wasn’t in such a hurry, I would’ve asked about the divine smell coming from his kitchen, remnants of a late homemade dinner. Thai if my keen nose was correct. “I said that five years ago. And then I met Sidney.”

“I wish we could all be so lucky. Sorry, I can’t stay and chat.”

“Be careful,” he called to me as I squeezed through the window.

By the time I made it back to my master suite, everything outside of the room was dead silent. Just the way I liked it. After a hot shower to scrub off the night’s smells, I walked, fully dressed in a T-shirt and jeans into the kitchen to fetch a snack.

The guards had barely moved from their seated spots near the door. Matter of fact, Clip snored so loudly I was sure I could’ve gone through the front door and danced a jig in front of him. But my hopes were dashed when a fair-haired guard, Lyle, opened an eye and watched me walk past. I had to be careful around him. He’d joined this household from Victor’s staff from Philadelphia and certainly seemed to be a very loyal bodyguard.

“Morning, Lyle.” Why play the fool?

“Trouble sleeping, Mrs. Pershing?” he mumbled.

I refused to stiffen or react from his words. “A little. My dad works late at night and sometimes keeps up the household.”

“I can only imagine,” was his reply.

To be honest, my dad hardly worked at home anymore. Now that he was older, he often rose and left before the morning staff began cleaning. Helms would be there though, up early and anticipating his needs. It was strange how at times Helms seemed more like a father to me than my own had ever been.

The next day, after a restless night, I spent my time preparing for the night ahead. I didn’t have pack business to handle, thanks to Victor’s efforts, but that didn’t mean I wanted to sit around and turn into one of the potted plants along the wall. With the guards in tow, I bought groceries.

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