Page 86 of Spark

Christmas Eve

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When I woke up the next morning, Darren was gone. And thank fuck for that. Rolling over onto my back, I stretched out like a damn cat before pulling myself out of bed. Noticing that the curtains had been drawn, I couldn’t help but rush over and yank them open.

For the first time, I felt mesmerized by the sheer beauty of nature. Last night, I had only seen the mountains in the dark, the only light gifted by the moon, but now, now, they were in the spotlight of the morning sun. Pine trees surrounded us, but they did nothing to hide the unbelievable scene in front of me. The mountains of Alaska were everything I thought they would be and more. White powdery snow continued to cover everything like a thick blanket of icy cotton. I found myself wanting to go outside, to go out and play in the snow like I was a ten-year-old girl again. Hopefully, Darren would let me.

I didn’t know if any of the rules had changed or what considering my damn electroshock perimeter was still up, but it was best to assume they were rather than break them and risk pissing him off after he’d done all this for me. I wanted to tell him that the capabilities of his money wouldn’t seduce me, but I didn’t want to start a fight either. He’d likely try to fuck the ungratefulness out of me after bruising my ass for the rest of the week. I didn’t need that shit. Best to just go with the flow and enjoy the change of scenery.

Turning back around to admire the room once again, I looked over to find a note on the nightstand. I sighed and headed over to the little table, knowing I probably wasn’t going to like what it said.

Jaden,

Get dressed and go downstairs to the dining room. The staff will ask you what you want for breakfast. You may order whatever you’d like. After that, Romero and Alex will escort you through the house so you can explore. They are waiting outside: I will see you later.

- Darren

So it looked like Darren had my day already planned for me, yet again. Yawning, I put the note back and looked over at the clock to see it was 9:36 a.m. My stomach immediately dropped. I felt my body shudder as I realized I was late for breakfast, but if that were true, why wasn’t I bent over Darren’s lap at the moment? He must be letting me sleep in for once; at least, I hoped.

Trying to calm my racing heartbeat, I headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. Wrapping the towel around my still dripping body, I went into the closet to see if my wardrobe had changed to more favorable outfits. They somewhat had. I found a shit ton of fleece-lined leggings, some black, gray, dark purple, and burgundy, along with a bunch of sweater dresses, some shorter than others, some that hung off the shoulders, and some thicker and heavier than others were. To my surprise, I saw mostly black, gray, forest green, dark red, purple, and blue—not much pink at all. I even found workout clothing for me without a single skort in sight. Now, this was more like it.

I also found thick thigh-high wool-lined socks, along with hats, gloves, coats, and scarfs of all colors and designs. Most of the shoes at my disposal were knee-high boots, either riding style or snow boots, but some were high heeled, and some were actual slippers. The only thing I didn’t find in that closet were panties. No thongs, no nothing. Just bras. Maybe it was his compromise for the leggings.

Selecting a black pair of leggings, a long gray sweater, and black riding boots, I got dressed quickly, dried and flat ironed my hair, and headed out, but as I opened the door, a wall of a human stood in my way. Upon hearing the door open, the wall turned around to reveal two men; one with short dark hair, a clean-shaven face, and the same type of sunglasses Clive and Owen usually wore, only these were much dimmer. The other had shaggy blond hair with a little bit of fuzz on his face. They both wore heavy black turtlenecks and black pants, and they were both so muscled, I thought their sweaters were going to pop open. The dark-haired guy actually kind of looked a little like John Cena with all that bulk.

“Romero and Alex, I presume?” I asked politely. “Or should I just refer to you guys as ‘Thing 1 and Thing 2’?”

They both turned around like swinging doors from the Wild, Wild West, fresh smirks on their faces.

“Who’s who?” I asked.

“Romero,” the dark-haired one said and pointed at the other. “Alex.”

Alex nodded in acknowledgment.

I crossed my arms. “So you guys are the new temporary babysitters?”

Romero smirked. “Looks like it, pipsqueak.”

I tilted my head in shock before responding. “Best of luck, then.”

Both of their smiles practically stretched all the way to their eyes.

“I’m supposed to go to the dining room for breakfast, but I don’t know where that is,” I said.

“This way,” Romero replied with a nod, and I proceeded to follow him down the hall while Alex walked behind me. I tried to look and walk as cooperative as possible so they wouldn’t be suspicious of anything. I was sure Darren warned them of my so-called “tricks,” but hey, I was just keeping them on their toes. Someone had to entertain me around here, and it certainly wasn’t going to be Darren.

Romero was tall, but not as tall as Darren was. Though his stride was just as fast, it still allowed for me to keep up with him easily. Alex lacked only a few inches, but he was still a big motherfucker.

Romero led me through the house, which contained several windows at every turn, giving the house access to as much natural light as the space would allow. It was definitely the most luxurious cabin I’d ever seen. The dining room was toward the back of the house, surrounded by walls of windows and showing off the most beautiful view of the winter wonderland outside.

“Take a seat. I’ll alert the staff,” Romero said and walked through the swinging door to the kitchen. Alex stood off to the side quietly watching me. I sat down at the table that allowed me the best view of the outdoors and waited only a few moments before Romero returned with a young woman at his side.

“Good morning, miss. What would you like for breakfast?” she asked me politely. She had dark brown hair twisted into a tight bun behind her head just above her neck and wore a simple black dress with black flats. She was pretty and had a nice smile. I hated that I found myself instantly liking her.

I thought for a moment about what I wanted, but there was only one true answer to give.

“Strawberry crepes?” I asked, hoping that was an available option. Darren said I could order whatever I wanted, which was a first, so I’d be taking advantage.