Chapter Nine
Nine
The sound of cutlery clashing with porcelain is enough to stir me from my sleep. Squeezing my eyes tighter shut, I stretch my legs and arch my back. I stay that way until the pleasurable tingles cease to dance along my spine.
“Yes, Master Kade.”
Thirteen’s soft voice penetrates my skin and freezes my organs. In disbelief, I shoot up in bed. I move so quickly, the blankets slip from me and fall to the floor, leaving me clasping at my bare chest. Like a true Unfortunate, Thirteen doesn’t allow herself to be distracted. She carries on with her duties, serving breakfast on the coffee table. Sitting here like this, lying in my Fortunate’s bed in his pants while she’s doing her job makes me feel dirty… like I’m the worst person in the world. I don’t talk to her in fear of getting her into any trouble, so I watch instead. She looks like hell. Granted, all of her physical injuries seem to be healing extremely well, but her skin lacks colour and her beautiful, blonde curls lack bounce. For someone who has suffered at the hands of Vincent Sario, I’m surprised she finds the motivation to get up in the morning. The fact she does tells me that Thirteen, the girl I thought to be the weakest coming into this, is in fact the strongest of us all. Compared to her, I’m a coward. I hide behind my Fortunate and hope he keeps me safe. She doesn’t have someone like Kade to protect her. Finally, I open my mouth to talk to her, but the bathroom door opens and Kade steps into the room, adjusting a cuff on the sleeve of his shirt.
“That’s enough,” he tells her as she places the last strawberry into a bowl.
Thirteen grabs her large wooden tray and flees the room without a glance in my direction. I stare at the door, even long after she’s gone.
“Get out of bed,” Kade orders, lowering himself onto the couch, in front of the food. “We have a lot to work on this morning so come have breakfast.”
I slip from the bed and walk, covering my breasts, over to Kade. I sit on the floor across from him and fold my legs. The smell of maple syrup on pancakes floods my senses and my mouth pools. I’ve never tasted pancakes, only the syrup. A little while back, Portia spilled a drop on my dress and I couldn’t resist. I tasted it… and I’ve never tasted anything so glorious in my entire life. The sugar in that one little drop had my head buzzing for hours.
I pluck a slice of warm, buttered toast from the plate in the middle, but Kade sticks to the assorted berries and now that I think about it, he’s always eating berries.
“You like berries?”
He nods and sucks a small strawberry between his lips… never has a piece of fruit looked so good. The juice stains his lower lip and I can feel his eyes on my face as he uses his tongue to lick it up. I do my best not to stare at his mouth, but judging by the way his lips twitch knowingly, I guess I fail.
I clear my throat. “What are we working on this morning?” I ask, hoping to forget his lips.
“The usual.”
Oh. I take a bite out of my toast. I’m still no good at ‘seducing.’ Who would’ve thought a Fortunate needs to be persuaded into sex? We’re taught that it’s second nature to them. When they’re horny, we sate them. That’s it.
Even for a personal slave, they don’t teach how to please our Fortunate. They claimed everyone was different and we’d learn firsthand quick enough. Unfortunately for me (or fortunately, I haven’t decided yet), my Fortunate seems to be wired differently to the rest.
We eat in silence and I taste everything, from the pancakes to the juice, from the bacon to the hot bread rolls, right down to the smallest berries. I eat until my belly is full and stop only when I’m certain anything else will make my tummy explode. The whole time I ate, Kade watched me, amused with my reactions. I tried not to let it get in the way of my adventure.
“Are you ready?” It’s phrased as a question, but I get the feeling it’s not.
“Is that really a question?” I ask, despite my better judgement. “Or do I have to be ready regardless of what I want?”
With the slightest smile, he straightens himself on the couch. “Stand up.”
I exhale and push myself to my feet. I’m hyperaware that I’m still topless, but I don’t cover my breasts. If he wants to see them, I can’t stop it. Besides, Kade has seen them more than enough times for me to be uncomfortable now.
“You need to straighten your posture.”
I roll my shoulders back and step forward, but Kade shakes his head and I stop.
“Your walk is too heavy. Try touching your toes to the floor first and don’t drop your heel. In fact, your heel should barely touch the floor. It sways the hips more and your legs will look longer.”