Fiftysix - Seven Rue Page 0,12

quickly shook her head.

When we were done with the photoshoot, she gave me back my phone and sighed. “I wish I could do the things you do. You’re so confident.”

I knew I was, and at times it wasn’t much of a good trait.

But it did make me feel powerful.

“You’ll see. One day you’ll be able to open up your heart and mind and do what you like to do.”

“But being a cam girl doesn’t fit me like it fits you,” she said, puckering her lips and frowning.

“Being a cam girl doesn’t require a certain characteristic, Kennedy. There are shy cam girls too, you know?”

“Yeah, but…your body is perfect. Have you noticed how all those men downstairs have been staring at you all evening long? I look like a—”

I covered her mouth with my hand—the one I didn’t use to finger myself a few minutes before.

“You have perfect curves and your skin is smoother than my freshly-shaved vagina. One day, when you’re ready, I’ll teach you everything you need to know. You’re a strong, powerful, and beautiful woman. Don’t tear yourself down.”

Her eyes never left mine during my short speech, and when she started to nod, I took my hand away from her mouth.

“Now, choose the pictures you think I should send them while I put on my sleepwear.”

I heard a few cars outside drive away, and when I looked out the bedroom window, there were only five cars left outside.

One was mine, the one next to it belonged to Kennedy, two were Dad’s, and the one next those was Riggs’s.

So he’s still here…

I put on my black satin pants and button up shirt which I liked to lounge in before taking it off again for sleep, then I took off my makeup and walked back into the bedroom.

“I think these ones are amazing,” she told me, handing me back my phone.

I swiped through the ones she kept and I quickly sent them to some of the men.

“Wanna hang out a little longer? You could sleep here and we’ll have a nice breakfast tomorrow morning,” I suggested.

“I’d love to, but Dad will kill me if I’m not back before midnight. Rain check?”

I nodded, setting my phone down. “That’s fine. So you’re leaving right now?”

“Yeah, I better. But I’ll see you on Monday, okay?”

I walked her to the front door, passing my parents and Riggs in the dining room.

“Goodnight, everyone,” Kennedy said with a wave of her hand, and once they all said goodbye back, I hugged her and opened the door for her.

“See you Monday.”

“Come join us, Valley. We’re looking at some of my old photographs,” Dad said as I walked back through the foyer.

I stopped at the dining table and looked at the photo albums spread out on the table with pictures of Dad when he was little, a teenager, and a young adult.

There were even a few from his and Della’s wedding.

I smiled and took a seat next to Riggs who was sitting across from the other two.

“I love how vintage these pictures look,” I said, taking one with Dad pictured on it when he was a toddler.

“They make me feel nostalgic. Cameras back then weren’t as high quality as they are now,” Dad said.

I knew that, but Dad had this thing of explaining things to me that I already knew about.

It somewhat bothered me, but I couldn’t tell him to stop or he’d get upset.

“I think we still have the camera my parents owned. I put all those things in the attic years ago. We might be able to find it again and see if it works,” he suggested.

While I looked at all the pictures, I felt Riggs tense next to me as I leaned in over the table to grab Della’s wedding picture with her wedding dress on.

“This dress was amazing. Do you still have it?” I asked.

They got married eight years ago.

Riggs was there too, and I was only ten. The wedding itself was a lot of fun, but other than the ceremony and all the delicious food after, there wasn’t much I remembered.

“I do, yes. Your father and I joked about you wearing it to your own wedding, but I didn’t think you’d grow up to be taller than me.”

Because my biological mother was short.

She was a petite woman, just like Della, but that didn’t matter anyway.

“I’m not getting married,” I said, placing the picture back down and receiving strange looks from my father.

“Where does that kind of statement suddenly come from?” he asked, his