I walked from room to room. With nothing to clean, I was quickly becoming bored. I’d left my books behind, and Beast wasn’t about to let me leave the compound and go shop at the nearest bookstore. And I certainly wasn’t going to ask any of the Prospects to choose something for me, especially since I liked romances. The hotter the better. Then again, the look on the guy’s face would be priceless. I’d love to see one of the tough guys around here shopping in the romance section.
I bounced on my toes and twisted my upper body a few times, trying to burn off a little energy. When that didn’t work, I pulled up a workout video on the living room TV and started stretching. I wasn’t anywhere near as small as Beast claimed. I had curves, and those curves had a few curves of their own. It wasn’t that I was out of shape. I’d exercised plenty both at home and college. I blamed my DNA. No matter what diet I tried, or workout routine, I never slimmed down all the way. My clothes made me appear slimmer, but naked? Well, you could see my soft, pudgy belly then, and the way my thighs jiggled.
At one point, my weight had bothered me. I’d let girls at school make me feel like shit all because I didn’t meet their standards. My mom had figured out something was wrong and sat me down for a talk. After explaining that everyone was beautiful in their own way, no matter how big or small, it made me feel a little better about myself. Once I accepted that I was just different from the super thin girls in my class, it had become easier to be happy with who I was.
Sweat beaded on my skin as the video came to an end. My breathing was heavy, and a few drops of sweat landed on the floor at my feet, but I still felt a buzzing under my skin and a need to be on the move. I hadn’t ever sat in one place for very long and being on lockdown was going to kill me. If I were at home, I’d walk the compound. Maybe watch the new Prospects exercise. They had a tendency to start stripping off clothes partway through, and every woman at the compound tried to sneak over to watch. Even the married ones like my mother.
I did a set of jumping jacks, then some lunges. The feeling in my gut wouldn’t go away. It felt like if I stayed inside the house another moment, I might come apart at the seams. I was ready to scream in frustration. Beast had mentioned keeping the compound gates closed and assigning a Prospect to stand guard. Which meant it should be perfectly safe to leave the house as long as I didn’t venture outside the gates.
My nose wrinkled as I caught a whiff of myself. Maybe a shower first.
I ran up the stairs and went to the master bathroom. I had to peel my clothes off since they were soaked in sweat, then tossed them into the hamper. Normally, I’d have loved a hot shower, but I left the water on cold and stepped under the spray. It cooled my heated skin and felt like heaven. I scrubbed my body, shaved, then washed and conditioned my hair. By the time I got out, I felt like a different person, although the itch to be out of the house was still there.
I pulled on a pair of my jeans and the boots Beast seemed to love, then eyed my closet. My options were slim at the moment so I pulled on my long-sleeved tee with skulls and roses down the sleeves. After I twisted my hair up into a messy knot, I put on a tinted lip balm and decided to check out the clubhouse. It had been mostly empty when I’d arrived yesterday. I didn’t know if that was the norm or not. Only one way to find out, and hope Beast didn’t get pissed.
I let myself out of the house and decided to walk to the clubhouse. It wasn’t that far, and it was a nice day. Fresh air was always welcome, and I breathed in deep as I set off for the clubhouse. From the house, I could see a handful of bikes out front and a few cars. There was no way in hell those cars belonged to any