Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 114337 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114337 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
“Scott and I’ve discussed it, and we think I should give you a tour of the house, explain how we operate, and see if you’re interested in joining us.” Nina’s gaze swung from me to Madison. “Unless you’d like another minute?”
Madison’s shoulders straightened, attempting to look unaffected, but her voice wasn’t as powerful as it’d been earlier tonight. “Nope. That sounds great.”
Nina’s attention shifted back to me, and I lifted my chin. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
Scott stayed in the office area to work on editing while his wife became our tour guide. We went back out to the garage, and our feet thudded up the wooden stairs to the door at the top of the landing.
It led us into a small hallway that was like a mudroom, and then we turned left into a fancy, high-end kitchen. Everything was modern and white, with stainless steel appliances including a gas stove with a shit-ton of burners.
“Kitchen,” Nina said, even though it was obvious. She strolled to the commercial-sized fridge and pulled one of the doors open. “Everyone labels their stuff, otherwise it’s fair game.”
Sure enough, there were names scrawled on items and colored rubber bands stretched around the drinks inside.
“If you want a mini fridge in your room, that’s no problem. Jaquan has one.”
She gestured toward the doorway, signaling where we were going next, which turned out to be the living room. It was just as nice as the kitchen. Sleek furniture with oversized artwork on the walls and expensive lamps decorated the space. Even though the room was classy, it was also inviting. It’d be easy to see myself chilling on the couch in here.
And it was a long way from the common room back at the Sig house, which had duct tape holding the stuffing in on most of the furniture.
Nina’s tour showed us more of the main floor, including the home office, dining room, and the door to her and Scott’s bedroom, before we doubled back through the kitchen and into the hallway.
This time we went right, which took us into the space over the garage. Which was . . . another hallway?
There were two doors on the left wall, and straight back I could see the open door to a spacious bathroom. Nina grabbed the doorknob to the first door, turned, and pushed it open. “This would be yours, Colin.”
She snapped the light on, revealing a long, narrow bedroom. It had a queen-sized bed in the corner, a short dresser, and a tall one for hanging clothes. There wasn’t a closet, and it was then that the awkward hallways started to make more sense. The space over the garage had probably been built as one large bonus room but then divided into two smaller bedrooms.
It was still larger and nicer than the closet-for-a-bedroom I’d been living in at Sigma Phi Alpha. Nina showed us the bathroom I’d share with Jaquan, which was also a big step up from my current living situation.
It seemed like a pretty sweet deal until Nina took us upstairs and showed us the room that could be Madison’s. It was a true bedroom with a walk-in closet and a Jack-and-Jill bathroom she’d share with the other girl who lived on this floor.
I hadn’t meant to make a disappointed face, but Nina saw it and gave me a knowing smile. “It seems unfair, but sometimes we use the girls’ rooms for filming, and girls take better care of their space. Plus, the girls have to do hair and makeup, so they get their own bathroom.”
That was fair.
There was another room on the second floor, which they used for storage. The bedroom was full of lighting equipment, spare furniture, backdrops, and props, but we didn’t linger.
“This tour doesn’t include the back yard, which has a pool and hot tub,” she said as we came back down the stairs. “Plus, we have a small pool house that we use as our fitness center.”
Then she announced the tour was complete, took us back into the dining room, and told us to have a seat.
“Can I get you something to drink?” she asked.
“I’ll take some water,” Madison said.
“Same for me.” I put my hand on the back of one of the chairs, pulled it out, and sat.
Nina headed off into the kitchen, and for a split-second Madison looked totally abandoned. Then she focused on which chair to take since I’d already claimed mine. I watched strategy roll through her, and I wasn’t the least bit surprised when she went to the other side of the long table and picked the seat directly across from me.
I wanted to tell her this was her fault.
To remind her we were both looking for new housing because of her.
But I didn’t say anything. I was worried if I spoke, something completely different might fall out of my mouth, maybe about how fucking hot the sex had been with her.