“Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Her mom was nuts. She made Gypsy sick and faked all kinds of crazy stuff to get her surgeries and diagnosed with things she didn’t have. She made her use a wheelchair and a feeding tube. Gypsy ended up killing her.”
“Huh. Okay, I mean, I was thinking the Biggest Little Farm, but yours sounds interesting too.”
Grabbing the remote, I opened Netflix and navigated to the documentary. I glanced back over to Diego, who had shifted into a more comfortable position on the couch. Even though he was wearing sweats, he still looked out of place against the worn pink fabric. He was looking straight ahead at the TV, reading the description below the picture of a bald little girl hooked up to all kinds of wires. Okay, I guess we were really going to watch a documentary.
“You sure you don’t want to do anything...else?” I asked.
“Positive,” he murmured before grabbing the remote from my fingers and turning up the volume.
I wiggled on the sofa and licked my lips. Maybe I should have changed into my slutty pajamas.
Why did I want Diego so badly?
“Sit still, Drew,” Diego said with a chuckle. “Is something wrong?”
I pouted and debated on my answer for a moment. “I’m pretty open about my needs, Diego. I don’t like that whenever you’re in the room, my panties become Niagara Falls and I want to jump your bones.”
Diego choked on air. He thumped his chest and turned to look at me while muting the volume on the TV. “Come again?” he said.
“Is it our weird fate bullshit making me this way? I mean, fuck. This isn’t normal.” I rubbed my hands along my buzzing skin. “I mean seriously. I need an orgasm. Now.”
He swallowed. Ah, guess he wasn’t as unaffected as he claimed to be. Take that, Mr. I’m in it for the slow game. “Does it make a difference to you if it’s from our bond? What would you do if you were a normal girl that wanted a normal guy, Drew?”
“I’d wear a really slutty dress, woo you with my awesome seduction skills, then fuck your brains out,” I answered immediately.
“I, uh, see,” Diego rasped while tugging at the collar of his shirt. “And the only thing stopping you is our fated bond.”
I let out a sigh. It was hard explaining this to him, but I wanted him to understand where I was coming from. “Consent is really important to me. I built up my entire career around empowering women to take control of their sexuality. When I was in college, a group of guys drugged m— Uh...my best friend, Yaz. She was out of her mind. If I hadn’t stepped in and called the police, I don’t even want to know what could have happened. I vowed that day to stand up for women. I don’t like the idea of some outside force making me attracted to you. I’m a sexual person. I think it’s empowering. I’m not afraid to take control in the bedroom and demand what I want. But it has to be what I want.”
Diego listened closely to every word I said, carefully paying attention to me. It was sweet that he was so attentive while I shared something vulnerable with him. What I wasn’t sharing was that it wasn’t Yaz that was drugged. It was me. Ryan was the one that called the cops. It was the scariest night of my life. I hated how afraid they made me feel. It’s why I became so obsessed with sex toys. I commanded my pleasure. I was in charge of when and how I came, not some sick football players who liked to roofie their dates.
Diego growled.
Are you reading my mind again? I asked while crossing my arms over my chest.
I’m sorry. I can’t control it yet. Please know I’m not meaning to intrude on your privacy.
“See?!” I said while throwing my hands up. “I don’t like that I can’t control what I share with you. It feels like a mind fuck.” I wasn’t used to opening up to people, and with Diego, I had no choice but to show him all the things I’d buried deep in my chest.
I stood up and made my way over to the kitchen. I needed space. I started slamming the cabinets and pounding my fists on the countertops.
Diego sat quietly for a moment. He didn’t chase after me. He didn’t ask me