“See, it won’t fall off, nothing to worry about,” Jason laughed. “There is nothing too beautiful for you and my money is your money now, get used to it.”
“Jason,” I whined, holding my arm out and turning my head away from him. He leaned in close and kissed me on the shoulder.
“You want me to take it off. One little button on the back, not a big deal, Kar.”
“No, leave it on. It’s beautiful and very thoughtful. I just don’t want you or anyone else to think I’m engaged to you because of your family money,” I confessed.
“You marry for money?” Jason laughed and tossed the wrapping on his desktop. “I guess you could, but I would have to kill the guy so you could marry me after his funeral.” Jason was laughing, but he didn’t sound like he was joking. Murder is a fatal crime, not something society takes lightly. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks, Kar. I want you to have everything you need when I’m not around to buy it for you.”
“Thank you. This is so beautiful.” I raised my arm to the high ceiling and let the amber lights bounce off the platinum in my new bangle.
His bedroom door remained open with Clara sitting in the hallway outside. We had no real privacy as intended. Jason pulled me to him quietly, and we fell back on his soft bed. I brushed his dark hair out of his eyes and stared at him for a few long seconds before he kissed me again—this time, I forgot all about Clara.
I slid my hands behind Jason’s neck and rolled him on top of me. His weight pressing me into the bed sent a wave of warmth across my entire body. The sweet smell of his skin and warm feel his hands sliding over my jeans. Nothing like this was ever described in my human interactions class. I could tell how much he wanted to close the door on my thigh, and then I could hear Dredge speaking to Clara in the hall.
“Holy shit, it’s your grandfather,” I whispered, helping to push Jason to a seated position.
“Damn, are you going to be okay,” I asked, running my hand down his pant leg.
“Only if you stop touching me, Kar,” he mumbled. I put my hands up over my head and tried to smooth my hair back into place. “Shit no way,” Jason mumbled. “You need to sit over there where I can’t see you for a few minutes,” he instructed.
“What are you going to do way over here by yourself,” I asked playfully.
“Think about solar burns, and naked floppy old men parts, my last trig quiz, anything awful I can imagine for a few minutes,” he explained.
Dredge knocked on the door frame without entering. “Cook says dinner will be ready in ten minutes. We both yelled thanks in unison. Dredge lured Clara down the hallway after him with a discussion about interviewing a replacement housekeeper.
Once their voices were far enough away, I raced the few steps to the bed and jumped up, bouncing the bed into a disheveled state. “You’re killing me, Kar. Totally killing me.”
“Oh, so sad for you,” I pushed Jason flat on the bed and resumed my assault. This time I was free to move. It didn’t take long before he didn’t have to think about his awful things list.
“We better get down to dinner, quick,” Jason noted, grabbing a fresh pair of pants from his closet and pointing to the bathroom. I straightened the bed cover and ran one of the fancy combs on his dresser through my smashed curls.
Jason emerged from his bathroom and tossed his old clothes in the hamper. I must have had a worried look on his face because he asked me what was wrong.
“Nothing really, a year is a long time,” Jason nodded his head in agreement. “I don’t think Hess is going to sign so I can marry early.” Jason nodded in agreement again this time, adding a quiet, mmm, hmm.
“You forget, I’ve known you all your life. What is bothering you, Kar?” he asked, his voice dusky and serious.
“Stupid stuff really, the human interactions course claims it will be uncomfortable the first few times, and not to sound defeatist, but I don’t think that is going to fit,” I said, pointing at his crotch.
“They put stuff in those courses to scare people. I am never going to hurt you. We’ll figure everything out. But I won’t have you afraid to be alone with me, I couldn’t stand that,” Jason almost sounded angry. He grabbed my arm and kissed the back of my hand for a long time. I made sure I didn’t flinch.
“I consider you mine too,” I sat up straight and looked into his eyes. “I shouldn’t have said I thought it sounded creepy. I feel the same way,” I confessed. This was my problem area, the sharing of uncomfortable truths. “I love you.”
Jason smiled a big broad smile. “We have to get out of this room, or you will end up back in that bed,” Jason laughed and pulled me towards the doorway and down the hall towards dinner.
CHOCOLATE AND CREAM
The quiet peace of the Fuller estate was behind us for now. Jason and I arrived at my family home in time to watch the end of the pre-vote coverage with my father and Hess. The woman Hess brought with him, Nina, was in deep conversation with my mother in the family room. Beryl was nowhere to be seen.
My finance bracelet was a somewhat new tradition. The jewelry technology hybrid is solar-powered, hooks up to my day suit, and keeps track of my biometric readings—all while linking me to Jason's account. My father noticed the black and platinum bracelet and motioned for me to present my wrist for inspection.
“What do we have here?” My father put
