Chapter One

“Ethan Baltimore.” Ethan looked up as his name was called. “You’re next.”

Taking a quick glance at the others, Ethan slowly rose to his feet before making his way over to the woman standing by the large fancy door that was adjacent to the door that led outside the large building. He eased past her as she glanced him up and down as he passed, the obvious lust flashed her in eyes as she eyed him closely while wondering exactly he would ask from the man that wrote her checks. 

Mr. Baltimore was a very sexy man that stood six-four with a very stocky build, his shoulders were naturally broad with his thick body filled with muscles, as well as gleaming silver-gray eyes that made him only more mysterious looking. He gladly sprouted a five o’clock shadow that gave him an even sexier appeal, his nice six pack was covered by a black tee that hugged snugly to his masculine frame. 

Ethan kept his shape by working out and walking instead of driving around like the others around the small, but largely populated town that was buzzing frantically everyday except for the later hours. Taking up the profession of a mechanic before the sudden change in life that even he couldn’t understand, Ethan’s the only one with that occupation so his income was rather good, as he was the only one that could work on cars. 

The days Ethan wasn’t working on cars, he would be in the basement of his home on the gym equipment he ordered from a catalog or simply laying around all day. Ethan glanced around the large office he entered to see a man sitting behind a desk and a woman working in a cubicle only a few inches away from him, her fingers furiously tapping away on the industrial typewriter provided. 

“Nice to see you, Mr. Baltimore.” The portly man sounded, catching Ethan’s attention from the decorative wall art.

Ethan simply nodded in return as the man eased down in his chair and sized Ethan up openly, a decent smile came over his face as he opened a file on his desk and scanned the listings inside, causing Ethan to patiently shift his feet while feeling a little nervousness. As the man read the biography listing before him, Ethan took the time to stare at the man as he had a balding head with a pair of the thickest black glasses known to the town. 

No one knew the color of the mysterious man’s eyes, but that didn’t mislead the fact that he was a very sweet man at heart and he truly cared for the people around him. The slightly elder man, no later than his fifties, wore an all black American-cut suit that fitted him almost perfectly, the large desk hid most of his frame. 

“Mr. Ethan Baltimore, you’re record is completely clean… as it is every year.” The man said, closing the file. “I’m not even sure why I opened it, honestly. I apologize, I don’t expect nothing less of you as any other year that you’ve been here.” He said, sliding the file aside for the woman sitting at the typewriter to grab.

“It’s alright, Mr. Jones. I know good deeds don’t go unnoticed.” Ethan commented, crossing his hands over his crotch in a non-threatening or intimidating manner. 

“That’s very true, Mr. Baltimore, how’s your day been so far?” Mr. Jones asked, rubbing the top of his desk to wipe a few paper shredding off with a eager smile to hold a conversation with someone. 

“Same as any other day, wake up, go to work, go home, go to sleep… then do it all over again.” Ethan said, solemnly shrugging to make it seem like the repetitive routine that he didn’t want to express no longer, and he was hoping the man before him would get the hint. “I’m hoping after our meeting, I’ll be leaving with a smile on my face. 

“As do I, Mr. Baltimore, and as usual… my policies are simple and I just want all of my citizens to be happy. So? What would you like for this new year? Finally wanting a car?” Mr. Jones asked. 

“Nah, I’m not really looking for something to drive, walking keeps me in better shape anyway.” Ethan explained, reaching up and rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“A mansion that can fit all the women in the town?” Ethan replied with the shake of his head and a frown on his face. “A new motorcycle, that seems like it’ll fit you.”

“I don’t even know how to ride one.” Ethan explained, raising an eyebrow. “You give up yet?”

“Yes, what would you like me to give you this year?” Kyler Jones asked, clasping his hands together on the surface of the desk.

“Okay… so this might be hard to come by but I think you could do it, it’s can’t be that hard.”

“Yes?” Mr. Jones told him to continue, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.

“I want to meet my soulmate, I know she’s out here somewhere. Maybe I just haven’t spotted her yet, or something. And before you even start about Lyrica, I’m not looking for one like her, I want something different.” Ethan reasoned.

“Different how?” Mr. Jones asked with confusion.

“I just want something different from the original, something that’s truly for me and I think you know out of everyone. You can grant my wish by marrying me to whoever you pick without consent, save me the headache.”

“Mrs. James, bring me a few files of something… different .” The woman at the typewriter quickly ceased and got to her feet to do as she was told. “So the type of woman, what do you require her to have?”

“She has to be gorgeous,” Ethan spoke truthfully, “I’m not very picky on my woman, I just want someone full of love, large family oriented, and got good intentions most of all. Just something different that you think would fit perfectly for me. You got my charts, you can just match it with best you got.” Was Ethan’s reply as he cocked his head lightly. “I didn’t really think that deep into it.”

“Have you ever thought anything through before?”

“Never, you’ll never experience life if you do.” Ethan retorted with a smirk on his face as he winked at the secretary flirtatiously. 

Mr. Jones cocked his head a little as he examined Ethan’s boasting demeanor and large ego as he made the appearance of being rather careless and to think the man would ever wanna settle down and marry was not comforting. All the townspeople knew as Ethan had player intentions and many believed the day Ethan found love wasn’t even in his future, that the brawny man would be a player to his last day on Earth. Mr. Jones knew that getting him married without the picking’s consent was going to be the easy part, making sure that the two stayed together was going to be a lot of work for them both, and no one could slack or just give up.

“When you’re married, you’re bonded for life-”

“I know.” Ethan stated, reaching up and pushing his dirty-blonde hair back with a sigh. “And I don’t care, I would love to finally be with someone forever.”

“I’ve brought twenty women that haven’t been filed yet, Mr. Jones. I apologize for the rush but I had only grabbed that stack, if you want me to-” Mrs. James rushed back, breathing heavily as she sat the many manila folders down with a heavy breath.

“No that’s perfectly fine, thank you.” Mr. Jones kindly replied, sliding the files closer to him. “These are all the people who haven’t been filed?” He asked her in utter shock.

“Yes sir, Mayor Bland hasn’t return to the office from lunch yet.” Mrs. James replied, sitting in her seat while waiting for further instructions. 

The expression that came over Mr. Jones face was one of exhaustion as he sighed before opening the first file and lightly nodding at the red haired that was sedated with her bright green eyes staring blankly at the camera lens when the picture was taken. His eyes suddenly squinted suspiciously as he looked up at Ethan, who was glancing around the office once more until catching Mr. Jones eye contact. 

“Mr. Baltimore, I’ll see to your love interest.” Mr. Jones said dismissively. 

“Perfect.” Ethan replied, thanking Mr. Jones before turning and moving to exit the office.

“Oh, and Mr. Baltimore…” Mr. Jones called suddenly, his head cocked slightly with a devious intent in his head. “I do not think things over myself, we all should live a little corre-”

“Wait…” Ethan quickly paused, completely against breaking the placed rules and he knew that Mr. Jones knew that about him. “You know I don’t break any of the rules right, Mr. Jones.”

Chapter One (B)

“Mr. Baltimore, I’ll be in touch.” Mr. Jones replied instead, a sly grin on his face.

“Can you, at least, tell me something!” Ethan huffed, throwing his arms to his side with agitation.

Instead of a reply, Mr. Jones only inclined his head as a sight of departure as he waited for Ethan to leave the room, he was going to request something that would even have Mrs. James look at him rather strangely but he knew it had to be done.

“Then fine,” Ethan said, shaking his head in disappointment as he stared at Mr. Jones, “ I change my mind, I’ll wait until next year.“

With that said, Ethan turned and stomped out of the office with a heavy slam of the door, he walked past everyone while trying to maintain the angry expression on his face, he didn’t want people to know he was upset, as they would all question his emotions. The handsome man walked fast and vigorously, simply exiting the building as he wondered what Mr. Jones would give him in return, considering he couldn’t have the gift he actually wanted.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, his fingers brushed the empty candy wrappers that he immediately grabbed and disposed of in a nearby trash as he made his way home. Coming to see Mr. Jones with his request had been a waste of time in his mind, he could of stayed home and chewed on carrots while watching television shows unconsciously, but he had hoped Mr. Jones would listen.

The surrounding neighborhood was rather quiet, it was always quiet on this side of the town while consisting of nice houses lining side by side with shiny cars and well-kept yards by the slightly older people in the area. Yelling filled the air, causing Ethan to look behind him and spot a couple of children chasing one another while the parents stood by a small pool, the husband holding the water-hose to fill it up.

Turning to look back in the direction he was walking, Ethan felt the loneliness settling deep in his chest as he thought of his own future, he had no one to love and no one to love him. Would he ever truly be happy in the mysterious town full of so many secrets, probably not… but he was going to try.

“ Ethan !“ He turned sharply at the sound of a voice suddenly shouting his name.

He squinted his eyes curiously at the person running up to him, from the distance he could tell it was a female from the slim but lean figure that sprouted a sports bra and the tightest pair of yoga shorts seen about. Crimson-dyed strands swirled in a ponytail as the woman came to a slowing stop before him, she bent over and took a few heavy heaps of air before a small chuckle left between her thin lips.

Ethan took a heavy gulp, his eyes taking the chance to take in the woman before him as her bright blue eyes did the very same, she smiled even harder when she caught his eyes drooping lower. He caught the sight of her heaving chest that moved up and down with every heavy breath, her medium sized chest was to die for as they were some of the perkiest Ethan had ever saw before.

One thing the two had in common was the fact that they both enjoyed staying in shape, her sculpted arms went taut as she braced her hands against her small hips and posed slightly with a twinkle in her eyes. Reaching up, she wiped the sweat creeping down her forehead and openly stared at Ethan as he averted his eyes guiltily because he knew she had caught his simple glances at her beautiful, fit physic.

“Lyrica, hey.” Ethan said, clearing his throat. “How you been?” He asked, not daring to look in her seductive eyes as he knew she could easily persuade him to do anything.

“I’ve been good, what about you?” Lyrica replied, stepping closer to him and opening her arms to show that she wanted to hug him.

Understanding her intentions, Ethan opened his arms and allowed her to step into his embrace as he simply rubbed between her shoulder blades before pulling himself away and looking her up and down quickly once more. Everyone in the town knew about Lyrica Martin, she was very beautiful and always dressed to impress no matter the occasion, she was so nice and cared about everyone in the town.

He always felt a pulling to her but as she seemed to not return the affectionate feelings, he was growing distant and after the many rumors that started to go around, he realized he didn’t feel the same way about Lyrica any longer. They weren’t strangers to one another, not even close, as they had shared the bed multiple times with one another and Lyrica had let it be know to Ethan that all she wanted was simply to share the bed.

“I’m fine, just got back from seeing Jones.” Ethan informed, shoving his hands back in his pockets and slowly taking a few steps forward to let Lyrica know to walk with him.

“What you ask for?” Lyrica asked, gently brushing his arm.

“Nothing.” Ethan replied, reaching up and embarrassingly scratching his head. “Well, I asked for something but it was stupid… it doesn’t even matter, I won’t get it. What you ask for?”

“I want to get a larger house.” She said, smiling lightly as she waved to a few of the neighbors buzzing around outside their homes as her and Ethan passed.

“I thought you already had a large house.” Ethan chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I do… but I want a larger one.” Lyrica explained, running her manicured and painted fingernails up Ethan’s bicep. “The one I have right now has five rooms, I need seven.”

“For?” Ethan asked, looking at her in disbelief.

“I wanna turn one of the rooms into a dance studio for Megan.” She replied. “And I want a bigger kitchen.”

“How is Megan?” Ethan asked, lightly sliding his feet along the pavement, as if he wanted to slow time.

“She’s good… she met her biological mother yesterday… I think she’s torn between me and her real mother.” Lyrica said, biting her bottom lip. “She’s spending the night with one of her friends tonight, I was thinking maybe you and I can go out. I mean, since I do look good and all.” Lyrica taunted.

“You always look good.” Ethan retorted.

“Good enough to take out on a date then?” She said, already knowing that Ethan wasn’t going to turn her offer down, as she believe she had him wrapped around her finger.

Ethan wanted to deny her offer, he truly did but he knew that Lyrica would simply bug him until he finally accepted, and not only that, but Lyrica was a kind girl and knowing that he wasn’t getting his requested gift, Ethan saw nothing wrong with a simple night of fun.

“Of course.” A large smirk came over Lyrica’s face as she stopped walking and turned to him, which he halted in his steps as well and turned to face her.

“Good, be here by eight o’clock and don’t be late. I wanna go to the new restaurant that’s opening tonight.” It was as if a switch went off and Lyrica wasn’t as sweet and delicate as before as she had immediately determined how the night was going to go.

“I’ll be here, eight o’clock.” Ethan repeated, smiling lightly at her while immediately regretting that he was taking Lyrica out tonight.

He reached forward and gently touch a crimson red strand of hair but Lyrica moved her head, looking directly in his eyes before grinning lightly and stepping away from him, without any other words exchanged, Lyrica took back to jogging. Ethan watched as she went, his eyes fell low and watched her as she vanished the opposite way that he would be going to go home himself.

Taking a deep breath, Ethan blinked a few times to clear his head of the nasty thoughts floating around them before continuing to walk toward his own home, he brushed his fingers through his hair while looking around at the deadening day. The night would creep here in no time and Ethan definitely did not want be late to pick Lyrica up, or she would make the entire night a living hell for him, as she was stuck-up and always got what she wanted.

Lyrica’s house was rather large, as she lived on the opposite side of the town as Ethan, who lived closer to the busier side rather than the quieter side. He walked with his head elsewhere, simply knowing any route home that he took and upon getting closer to his home, Ethan checked his mailbox and found two pieces of mail before entering his home. He walked to his fridge immediately and opened the fridge side, immediately grabbing out a Ginger-Pops can of soda to drink while waiting for the time to slither by.

Opening the can, he took a small sip and quickly recoiled at the strong burn that he used to love when he was younger but after deciding to take many sodas out of his diet, Ethan was more likely to drink water before a soda. He eyed the inside of the fridge and decided that going grocery shopping very soon wouldn’t be such a bad idea if he wanted lunch to take with him for the next couple of work days.

Ethan then opted to take a seat at his beautiful, marble counter kitchen island and rubbed his neck as he realized he didn’t have anything really fancy to wear to the new restaurant that was opening tonight. It was a fancy sit down restaurant that was for adults to come and enjoy one-on-one time, and while he was sure he was going to be paying the bill and that didn’t bother him, he wanted to make sure everything happened the right way and his dessert would be Lyrica instead a slice of cheesecake.

To Ethan, it was simple fun that came with a price, and the price wasn’t Lyrica but instead what she possessed and catered so dominantly to. Yes, Ethan wasn’t in love with her and he definitely wasn’t fond of her any longer, but he would love to have a little moment in the day where his loneliness was answered back, even if it was momentarily. Rising to his feet, Ethan took another sip of his soda before moving toward his bedroom.

He entered his bedroom and walked straight to his wardrobe, he opened the cabinet drawers and pulled out a decent blue button-up with a pair of black slacks that made him look so desirable to any woman. He laid the outfit out and moved to his master bathroom to take a shower before the date, he washed thoroughly but quickly as he knew that very soon he would have to be making his way over to Lyrica’s house.

Ethan dressed after toweling off before sliding on a black blazer to finish the outfit, he paused in the mirror while debating if he should wear a tie or not to add a fancy touch. He decided against the tie and slipped on a pair of his cleanest shoes before making his way toward Lyrica’s house, chewing on a piece of Minty Bubble to hopefully freshen up his breath a little.

Glancing at the watch on his arm, Ethan saw it was already seven-fifteen and it would be seven-thirty by the time he made it to Lyrica’s house, which would mean he’s right on time. Lyrica was strict on leniency, which was simply put that she wasn’t lenient at all and refused to make time for someone who she felt wasn’t worth her time at all. Ethan sighed and corrected the black blazer as he came to a stop before the front door of her suburban home with the grass neatly cut and a few decorative yard pieces lining the walkway.

He swallowed the piece of gun in his mouth and cleared his throat before heavily knocking on the door to signal his arrival for her. Even he was shocked that his nerves weren’t everywhere, and it was probably because Ethan knew that he didn’t have to impress Lyrica, it was better said that he didn’t want to impress Lyrica. None of the less, Ethan still hoped tonight would end well and he’d have a little peace at mind before the night was over, but he knew it all depended on the Lyrica’s mood.

Chapter Two

“Welcome! Welcome everyone! All citizens of Eldora! Welcome!”

Every street nearing the center of the town was jam-packed with bodies surrounding the large, concrete -E monument that had a wooden stage before it, the platform was large but small enough to not take up too much space. The skies shined brightly on the beautiful crowd as everyone huddled together and chatter filled every gap in the air, the crowd consisted of men, women, and children of all ages happily talking to the ones around him. 

A soft melody played in various areas of the crowd as the bodies slithered among one another and people happily expressed themselves between one another. This was a type of day everyone compared to Labor Day, multiple parties and barbecues for everyone all at the same area, the food smelled fantastic and the children running around with balloons and large grins only made the day better. 

Ethan slowly maneuvered his way throughout the crowd as he inched closer to the large platform, he stayed a few people further back to not block others from seeing as he knew he was one of the fifty of a two hundred dense population of people that was rather tall. 

The town was only built for about a hundred and fifty people but was slowly expanding everyday as available land is being turned into townhouses and such for the growing population, and no one was complaining. The houses were purposely rustic but elegant, all were kept touched up on request of the Mayor himself, as he wanted Eldora to stand out the most for being so organized while rustic. 

Ethan looked toward the platform, Mayor Luke Bland, Mr. Jones, and the Bland family stood there as Mayor Luke Bland whispered with Mr. Jones about something that obviously had him bothered. He glanced around to see the happy faces and wanted to cheer up but there was a deep sorrow feeling above his chest, he was unhappy and he couldn’t fight the slow depression seeping into his heart. Mayor Bland nodded his head suddenly at something Mr. Jones exchanged with him before stepping away and moving toward the microphone that was at the center of the platform. 

“Thank you for attending! “ Mayor Bland spoke up to begin the large celebration, pausing as everyone cheered happily while he chuckled at their reaction.

Women always flocked at his handsome appearance, he was about five-five with a shorter haircut then most men usually wore around the town, his crystal brown eyes always glittered at the appearance of women blushing from one of his glances. He had a stunning smile with pearly white teeth and lips so kissable that women dared to smooch him right in front of his wife. 

He was slightly portly but it was obvious that it was just stress weight that Mr. Bland himself hoped would disappear. He dressed himself in a button up shirt with a pair of pants that looked fantastic on the man, he was indeed a good looking man, as well as Ethan. 

“Eldora has been a success for seven generations! We have been growing significantly and believe that in three more years, our population will equal to three hundred!

If you’re new here, this is our yearly meet up. We enjoy a fun parade and see different floats, then we recite our town rules before enjoying a couple of things brought by you valuable citizens. 

Thank you for us all having a very good year with no troubles that weren’t handled easily, I would also like to announce the start of our twenty-four-seven Carnival Fair with very delicious food and lots of fun rides for all ages. 

A new upcoming event that we hope is going to be happening sooner than later is the Eldora Waterpark, we hope that by later this month it will be up and running for everyone to enjoy and splash around at. Please everyone, enjoy yourselves… it’s a new year!“ Mayor Bland announced, a large grin on his face as he eyed to cheering crowd. 

“ Let the annual show begin!“

Mayor Bland stepped from the microphone and smiled as everyone clapped and turned to look at the first float available in the line, which was obviously an election float as very soon, a new Mayor will be voted for. The first float was for Mayor Bland himself, colored blue and grey for the colors of Eldora and sitting atop where his wife and daughter, who both were waving and tossing candy as the float passed toward the end of the large crowd surrounding the streets. 

Ethan himself, as well as many others, were surprised that Mrs. Bland was participating in the event because she was move observing than anyone else. Everyone knew that Mayor Bland was very secretive of his affairs and after a tough patch and Mrs. Bland had let the townspeople know that he was being unfaithful, everyone expected the worse of the two, a divorce. A orange Tangy-Twirl skidded to a stop before him and Ethan slowly leaned down to pick it up, he stared at the piece of candy before pursing his lips. 

Candy wasn’t his favorite unless he was feeling depressed, as it wasn’t good for his physic anyway. Spotting a small girl that wasn’t too far from him, he lightly dropped the piece of candy in her small empty basket she held clutched to her little body. The small girl looked up at him happily as her beautiful hazel eyes gleamed excitedly before she reached down and picked up a blue Tangy-Twirl to put inside of her basket with the orange one that Ethan gave her. 

Knowing her parents were close, Ethan glanced around the crowd to spot them as they were talking and swapping plates around with the woman he had toke on a date last night. He turned his head and took a heavy breath, as he thoughts had beaten him up all night and he was unable to get any sleep the entire night from the guilt eating him alive. 

How could he be bold enough to ask for a woman to love for a gift, but bedding another woman the same day? The date was something more than plain, but definitely confusing to Ethan as he wasn’t sure what went wrong, or what he said was wrong for Lyrica’s behavior to change. 

Taking his own seat, Ethan immediately reached forward and gently clasped Lyrica’s hand as she took a large gulp from the glass of wine she was holding in her unoccupied hand with an expression that said she was very unimpressed. 

Dressed in a very thin black dress that was barely past her knees, Lyrica had styled her hair up and done her face beautifully for the night and couldn’t keep her eyes from wandering table to table jealously. 

She had dressed to the nines just so that she could be seen with the fine man, but the only one giving her attention was him. She was upset that Mayor Bland wasn’t in the building, and while she liked Ethan’s affection, it wasn’t the same as Mayor Bland whenever he kissed the back of her hand or sucked on her earlobe. 

She had looked stunning for that reason alone, in the hopes that Mayor Bland would be at the opening with his wife and she could flirtatiously get him to take her home by the end of the night, leaving Mrs. Bland and Ethan with cold beds.

“You look very beautiful, Lyric’.” Ethan told her, using the nickname he gave her while gently caressing he back of her hand, to which Lyrica immediately pulled it away. 

“For the fifteenth time now, thanks.” She snapped, rolling her eyes and glancing around the restaurant to do another sweeping look for Mayor Bland. “Where’s our food?” She played her observation off.

Ethan eyebrows lowered in confusion as he slowly slid his hand back to it’s previous resting place, he glanced around at the other couples as they were obviously enjoying each other’s company. It made him only realize more that he was missing having that connection with someone, a real connection with someone that wanted to be with him and adore him like the other couples had someone that adoring them. 

He lowered his head slightly before reaching up and scratching his temple at the awkward silence that fell over them as Lyrica braced her head on her wrist, boredom written all over her face. The restaurant was packed to the door, all the couples wanted to come inside to relax and try the new cuisine that many boosted about. The two had been lucky enough to get a table by coming before the doors were unlocked, and even then, the line was pretty long. 

“Uh… so, how long has it been since you’ve been o-”

“Ethan… stop talking.” Lyrica ordered suddenly, cutting him off mid-sentence as he immediately fell silent. 

Lyrica frowned and reached forward to grab Ethan’s shoulder as he didn’t her calling his name because his mind was elsewhere. She was sure that he was upset about their date last night and how things went in public, she didn’t mean to embarrass him, but she repaid her dues by taking him to bed, though she knew she had faked an orgasm to quickly get it over with.

Ethan flinched and turned around with a look of confusion before allowing his expression to slowly fall into a blank face, he slowly took in Lyrica’s broad smile as she placed her hands on her hips and waited for him to say something. Her smile slowly dissipated as she realized that Ethan was simply staring at her with an not-so-amused expression but his eyes weren’t meeting hers. Something was definitely wrong between them, Lyrica realized but she needed him to stay latched onto her to proceed with her plans.

“Well… hey, sexy.” Lyrica decided to speak up first, she reached forward and rubbed his chest sexually.

Ethan reached up and Lyrica smirked as she thought he was going to hold her hand but instead, her smirk fell even quicker than her smile as he swatted her hand away, causing her to look at him in disbelief. She was careless to his reaction but knew she had to play it cool, or others would started to notice the two were causing a small ruckus and she didn’t need any attention drawn to her right now or people would bother her all day.

“What the fuck, Ethan?” She growled to him in a low tone, a stern face saying she was unhappy with how he was acting, she took yet another try to touch him. “We just fucked last night.” She hissed.

“Stop.” Ethan said, openly stepping back from him as she pursed her lips angrily while glancing around to see if anyone noticed yet.

“What, you didn’t like it?” Lyrica pressed on, glaring at him now.

Ethan reached down and pulled his shirt over his head to display his perfectly built body as Lyrica slipped backwards on her bed until she was in the middle before she reached up and toyed with her nipple while keeping eye contact with him. She waited impatiently as he unbuckled himself and took his pants off, she openly played with herself as Ethan climbed on the bed and started to kiss along her thighs. 

He went to move up toward her upper half but was stopped by Lyrica grabbing his head and forcing it between her legs when he was close enough, showing that she didn’t want affection or foreplay. Ethan did as she asked, lapping around her treasures as she moaned and enjoyed the one-sided pleasure without even thinking of pleasuring him back. He reached up and cupped her perky breast as she arched into his mouth, moaning and whining for him to not stop.

 Lyrica at first had hoped that Ethan wouldn’t ask to go to far, as she had agreed to be exclusive just for Mayor Bland, but she was so eager and so anxious to make her lover jealous that she decided to dismiss Mayor Bland’s wishes. 

“Come on.” Lyrica said, pulling her legs further apart to indicate to Ethan what she wanted, “I’m ready.” She moaned with devious excitement as her intentions were all bad.

Ethan immediately blinked the rest of last night away as Lyrica rolled her eyes and stomped away from him, which Ethan was more than thankful for as he turned back around to watch the third of seven floats slowly ride by of the latest town improvements. The twenty-four-seven Carnival Fair was being promoted on the third float, the float had a large Ferris-wheel for decoration with the families and friends running the Carnival Fair on top of it, throwing candy as well. 

The EFD , or Eldora’s Fire Department, was running the fourth float with a firetruck decor centerpiece and two men dressed up in their complete gear while waving and tossing candy in different directions. Ethan watched as the children constantly rushed forward to get the candy, they were happy and smiling, enjoying themselves and Ethan couldn’t help the smile on his face as he watched the children while hoping one day in the future, he’d have his own running to get candy.

The next float belonged to Chart’s, the new restaurant that he had taken Lyrica to last night, and he was rather upset that the bill had been so expensive but the food was rather delicious either way. Chart’s float was decorated with a spinning plate of spaghetti and meatballs, with two adorable children both dressed up very fancy while standing and waving in front of the spinning plate decor. The float was the only one that had music playing, and the music sounded like an older sound rather than anything new, and while everyone happily laughed and danced with the music, Ethan stood with his lonesome and watched. 

He spotted Sam and Barbra softly swaying with one another while laughing and talking among each other, they looked so happy and complete together and that was something no one could take away. Ethan desperately yearned to know how that felt, to feel complete on the inside with someone that truly wanted him and loved him for himself, not for who he wanted to be at the end of the day. Ethan looked down at his feet to find a Zoot resting there, he sighed and leaned down to pick up the candy, he turned it a few times in his hands while figuring out what exactly it was remake of.

Chapter Two (B)

“Don’t take your frustrations out on the candy.” Ethan looked over to see Jackson Riley standing with his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the passing floats as well.

“I wasn’t.” Ethan said, offering the candy to Jackson, who politely declined.

Ethan nodded and tossed the new piece of candy to the ground before sighing, he glanced around him to see that everyone was truly having a good time and enjoying themselves, and even knowing them, Ethan couldn’t find it in himself to do the same. He felt out of place but most of all, Ethan felt more than alone as everyone happily paraded around with their lover, Ethan had no one to hold on his arm or dance with.

Jackson looked over as his wife, Fiona Riley, moved closer to him and Ethan couldn’t help but compare their resemblance to Shrek and Fiona in their entirety. Jackson wasn’t the hottest guy to look at with a thick, bullish neck and a large scar running down the side of his face, as well as his age but that didn’t change anything for Fiona as she was older as well.

In fact, Jackson was very meaty with a beer gut and he always seemed to be having trouble with keeping up with Fiona, who was very elegant and pretty. Still, everyone could see the strong love between them, showing that it wasn’t just about looks and that anyone could find love if you really wanted it.

“Have something against the new candy?” Jackson asked as Fiona lightly addressed Ethan with a nod before departing from his side.

“No, just a lot on my mind.” Ethan said, looking at the Eldora’s Pizzeria as the float passed with a decorative slice of cardboard pizza that had numerous toppings.

“Like?” Jackson asked, glancing over at Ethan curiously but also with concern.

“I took Lyrica Martin out last night, she’s the one who really wanted to go out but I accepted, ya know? We went to Charts-”

Jackson immediately started chuckling, causing Ethan to look over at him in confusion to why the giant man was already laughing at him when he barely said anything. Jackson rubbed his face and shook his head in disappointment but the laughter was still in his eyes as he encouraged Ethan to continue.

“-she ordered a lobster, and I ordered a steak. Shit was so fucking expensive-”

Jackson immediately agreed as he started laughing once more, making Ethan roll his eyes as he shook his head, he knew that Jackson had every right to be laughing at him because he had did something so stupid.

“How much was it all together, dessert and all that too.” Jackson asked.

“About a hundred and fifteen.” Ethan said in defeat, averting his eyes.

Ethan knew that he had spent more money than he should had on Lyrica, as money wasn’t an issue but the way she was treating him last night at he restaurant, he knew he deserved someone better than her. Lyrica had made him feel so unimportant at the restaurant in front of so many people, and he was embarrassed cause people were actually around and could hear some of the things she had said to him.

“Mayor Bland was supposed to be going to Chart’s opening.” Jackson had informed him about the rumor his wife had told him yesterday when she had gotten home. “Him and his wife had reserved a table and everything, but then they cancelled out of nowhere.”

It then had dawned on Ethan exactly why Lyrica set such a strict time and location, as they could of went to other places but she insisted Charts because of their new opening, he felt played immediately. He was speechless but not surprised, just embarrassed that he hadn’t spot something like this happening right in front of his eyes. That was why Lyrica was acting like a complete bitch and now he understood that he was nothing but a simple pawn in her fun game of affairs.

“People talk, Ethan. You just got to listen.” Jackson guided him, patting the defeated man’s shoulders.

“She just used me to make him jealous.” Ethan said lowly, but Jackson heard him anyway.

“Not just him, Ethan… she wanted to make everyone jealous.” Jackson told him, the two made eye contact before Ethan glanced over at one of the few women that always flirted with him whenever he was near her. “And plus, she’s always been a little b-”

“ Give a big round of applause for the hard work and dedication everyone put into these floats, they look amazing .“ Mayor Bland spoke up suddenly, now standing back at the microphone and smiling down at the gleeful crowd.

Ethan glanced around as people cheered and clapped for the ones that helped with the parade floats, he looked toward the platform and spotted Lyrica, now changed into something a little more revealing while holding a piece of paper in her hand. She wore a small black dress with a halter neckline to show the roundness of her bosoms, it was slightly short with extra ruffles along the sleeves and she finished the outfit with a pair of strap wedges. Mayor Bland lifted his hand to silence the crowd as he smoothed the front of his shirt down and glanced around at everyone looking at him.

“ Before I take my leave from the podium, I just wanna talk about one thing .“ Mayor Bland said, catching everyone’s attention as they all stared at him, hoping he’d speak on the rumors.

“ My wife and I have heard multiple times that there is a few affairs going around, we’ve moved to change a few things around to stop those affairs. I will say this once, so everyone listen up closely: I am not having an affair with Mrs. Martin.

The rumors are false and my wife and I will handle those accordingly. Ms. Lyrica Martin has been here as my supporting friend and that’s all, she’s my lo- she’s not my lover and we’ve never had any sexual relations before.“ Mayor Bland cleared his throat while hoping his mistake wouldn’t get too much attention.

“ I’m now going to hand the microphone over to Ms. Martin and allow her to recite the rules of Eldora, and I wish all you a bless day and a happy coming year. “

Lyrica smiled as she moved closer to the microphone and the crowd clapped as she adjusted the microphone while waving at a few that made themselves known as she cleared her throat and paused as the crowd slowly died down with a few stragglers, causing her to laugh. It was obvious as Mayor Bland took the time to look Lyrica up and down as they shared an exchanging look before Lyrica lifted the piece of paper to her face with a brilliant smile that could melt any guy.

“ Starting off, I’d like to thank everyone for attending Eldora’s annual celebration. Thank you for coming and showing your support, thank you for working hard, and thank you for making Eldora your priority.“ Lyrica paused as her eyes scanned the crowd with a large smile on her face, this was where she wanted to be and she’d do anything to make sure it happened.

“ It has been a blessing working with you, Mr. Bland, a very good blessing and I am so thankful to have worked by your side in your first year. I hope you have many more to come and I hope that I get to work with you in those as well. I don’t want to hold anymore of your free time, so all I want to do is read the rules and have Mayor Bland dismiss you all .“

Lyrica paused as she folded the sheet in half before getting ready to read the rules that have been added throughout the generations of Eldora.

“ I’m going to go through these rather quickly, but you all should know them and if you do, you can say them with me, okay .“ Lyrica announced, smiling heavily after licking her lips.

“

Rule One: Help others in need. Rule Two: Respect each other. Rule Three: Always be humble of others. Rule Four: All crime is prohibited. Rule Five: Impure couples are prohibited. And lastly, Rule Six: Affairs are prohibited

. The last two rules have been set in place by Mayor Bland himself, and Eldora has never been in any better shape. Again, thank you all so much for coming out and celebrating a new coming year .“ The crowd cheered as many few started to slowly depart and make their way home excitedly because they were about to have the things they asked for. “Mayor Bland?”

“ Thank you all for attending and yes, have a good new coming year. You’re all dismissed. “ Mayor Bland rushed as the crowd immediately started to disperse.

Jackson patted Ethan on the back once more before departing with his wife on his arm, the two smiling and enjoying each other’s company as they made their way home, Ethan smiled lightly at the two that he enjoyed being around at times. Instead of hurrying to get home, Ethan decided to linger a little longer and watched as Mayor Bland pulled Lyrica into a suspiciously tight hug as she giggled and whispered something to him.

Ethan shoved his hands in his pockets and lowered his head slightly as he felt so betrayed and stupid, he looked up in time to make eye contact with Lyrica before she turned to whisper something to Mayor Bland, who then looked at Ethan as well. Knowing that it was now his time to leave or he might be confronted by the two, Ethan turned and started his way home at the slowest pace he could muster. There was nothing waiting for him at home, just the loneliness and depression that always lingered around his brown bungalow whenever he went home.

A red 2012 Audi A4 rode past him as he immediately remembered working on that car for an entire week straight because it was so badly damaged when it was brought to the car shop he ran. Reaching his house, Ethan decided to walk through the garage in the hopes of at least spotting something but his thoughts were unanswered as he found it completely vacant of a shiny car or even a motorcycle.

He pushed aside his large tool box that had a set of wheels to give it easier motility, and just as he went to enter the house, Ethan spotted something rather stranger. He lifted a small black box off the top of the large tool box and pulled it open slowly before peeking inside to see something gold glittering at him, it was a key. Ethan moved back to the door of the garage and peeked out as well, spotting Michael and Susie’s 2015 BMW 328I parked in their driveway that glistened in the hot sun as it was just cleaned and dropped off.

Ethan decided to manually close the garage instead of using the keypad by the door as he locked the bottom lock and started into his house, stepping right into the kitchen. Making a straight beeline for the fridge, Ethan opened it and looked inside to see the fridge just as bare as it was yesterday, he sighed and grabbed an apple and another can of Pops before shoving the door closed with a little more force than he attended.

He sat the Pops can, the small key that he took out the box, and the apple of the island and went to sit down on the stool when he heard something that sounded super strange, he grabbed his apple and took a bite out of him before walking toward his room with displeasure. Ethan was positive that he had missed out on the annual gifts, he wasn’t shocked no one would want him anyway because he believed himself to be stupid.

He chewed slowly as he eased down the hallway, he then made it to the door of his bedroom, which was closed and Ethan knew he didn’t close it before he left. Ethan looked at the small key in his hand before looking at the door knob, which didn’t have a keyhole, which made Ethan only more confused. Sighing, Ethan pushed the door open and his eyes widened at the sight before him as his apple fell out of his hand, as well as the small key that became very valuable in that moment.

Chapter Three

Ethan looked up once more as he heard Diamond moaning desirably as she openly smacked on the food in her mouth as she licked extra mayo off her fingers so sexually without even meaning to. He couldn’t believe his own eyes as he stared at the woman requested before him as she sat devouring the sandwich he had volunteered to make her, to which he had toasted two slices of bread and slabbed the last few slices of Cajun turkey, mayo, and lettuce. 

He watched on as she ate fast, it was obvious that she was hungry as she chewed her food fast to only take yet another bite, and she was literally sucking down the sandwich as if she hadn’t ate in a very long time, causing Ethan’s eyebrows to lower at the thought. Diamond Hillmiyer was just as beautiful as he could ever imagine a beautiful woman, her thick curly hair was just as thick now and fit her small, round face so perfectly, her cheeks were looked so soft and round and her glittering brown eyes were marvelous. 

He couldn’t help but admire her for all her beauty: the way she licked mayo off her lips, the way she would pick a piece of lettuce off her sandwich and ate it, and definitely the way she held her sandwich… everything just seemed so exotic to him. 

Taking another bite of the sandwich in her hands, Diamond took the chance to peek at Ethan once more, she then averted her eyes as they made eye contact and licked away the mayo that had squirted on her finger. She licked her lips while debating if she should be greedy enough to ask for another sandwich as she barely felt full while working on the first one he had made her on request. 

She had asked for any deli-meat sandwich as long as it had double the amount of mayo and shredded lettuce, as well as toasted bread slices and before he could even set the plate before her, she had snatched the sandwich up and ate as if it was her first meal in a while. However, she knew that he had used the last of his deli meat when she observed him making her sandwich with the slow accuracy of a real chef, as if he was trying to impress her.  

While he looked rather familiar, Diamond just couldn’t pinpoint where she’s seen him before and after some restless thinking, she had given up and focused on the meal before her. Ethan was past nervous, he felt anxious and near ready to vomit as he thought of what to say to the beautiful woman across from him as she slowly sipped a Pops while only staring at him, neither said a word. 

He wanted to ask her how was her day or where did she come from but he feared that he would only get silence in return, as if she was completely against having a conversation with him. He nervously scratched the back of his neck before moving his hands to the surface of the island and scratching at the marble design, what could he say that would make her more comfortable. 

“I t-”

“Wh-” The two started in unison and immediately both feel silent while not breaking eye contact from one another.

Ethan clasped his hands together nervously while also anxious to know what Diamond wanted to ask him, he bit the inside of his cheek impatiently as Diamond shook her head to dismiss what she was about to say. She licked her very plump lips and Ethan felt a sudden tingle as his eyes widened and he quickly dismissed the thoughts that came to his head as he eyed the tiny, petite woman and thought of what he could possibly do to her right on the kitchen island. 

He immediately pushed that thought away as well to hopefully not make his aura uncomfortable as he glanced around the kitchen and still waited for her to speak. Diamond simply took a sip of her soda while eyeing him over the rim of the can, she was uneasy around him deep down but she knew she had to trust the man before him. There wasn’t a coincidence that she had woken up in his bed, not to mention the bondage securing here there so she couldn’t escape even if she did wake up before he gotten home early. 

What made things worse was that a hunky piece of metal was stabbing into her chin whenever she attempted to open her mouth a little too wide to eat, making it harder to enjoy the meal before her, but she had no choice but to manage. She wasn’t sure exactly what the metal around her neck was, other than a collar but there wasn’t a leash to keep her close to the man that had gotten her in the situation unknowingly.

“I’m sorry, you can go ahead.” Diamond whispered quietly, her voice sounded rather raw but Ethan dismissed it as nervousness as he glanced to the clock on the wall before nervously biting his lip.

“I just was going to say you look very nice, even better tied down to my bed…” The words left his mouth before he could stop them, his eyes growing wider at the slip-up.

Diamond’s eyes shaped into slits as she eyed the man curiously, she wasn’t entirely sure if she should believe him or if he was just trying to “woo” her into trusting him, and because she was so confused, it only mad the matters worse and more questions arise in her head. Instead of getting a ease on the tense atmosphere as he expected, Ethan instead realized Diamond’s expression was the exact opposite and immediately kicked himself in the ass for it. 

He averted his eyes while knowing that Diamond was thinking he was some weird pervert that probably kidnapped him and was going to take advantage of her at any minute. Diamond only cut her eyes to the front door at a sharp knocking, causing Ethan to glance at her with a very sly, but fearful smile as he rose to his feet to answer the door. Her sharp eyes watched him as he exited the kitchen and moved to the front door, she dropped her eyes to her plate and focused on listening to the conversation that was happening at the door.

“… really apologize for that.” Ethan’s voice was saying hysterically.

Diamond found it kind of hilarious that a man as brawny and intimidating as Ethan was talking in such a pitched voice, which was different from the deep, baritone voice that had complimented her only seconds ago. 

“You’re fine, Mr. Baltimore, I’m just coming to make sure she’s settling well.” Another voice that she didn’t recognize spoke in return.

Rising to her feet quietly, Diamond lightly tiptoed to the dividing wall that separated the kitchen from the living room in hopes of getting a better insight on the situation unfolding before her, she was completely against everything that’s happened so far. She peeked around the wall and caught sight of Ethan standing and talking to a man dressed in a strange, long black trench coat that had went out of styles decades ago, as well as a black fedora hat with a bright green feather. 

He was on the paler side with freckles lining his from one cheek to the other, scattering along his nose on the way, his lips were very thin and a crusty pink as he had thick facial hair that made him look only older but wise at the same time. However, what really had caught Diamond’s attention was the fact that they both stood in the door, leaving it completely open to her to fun out if she managed to wiggle between them in time. 

Diamond unknowingly stepped out of her hiding spot by the wall as she looked at the exit in complete excitement before her head started to throb. The black metal on her neck started to vibrate and beep loudly, catching both the men’s attention as they both turned with alertness, staring at the tiny woman in shock before Ethan looked at the device on her neck in nervousness. He gulped while wondering what had caused the collar on her to go off.

“She’s getting close to a marked exit.” The man spoke up suddenly. “The device recognized the front door as a zone to not be accessed.”

Reaching up, Diamond pushed a few strands of thick curly hair from her face as she glanced her eyes at the opened door just as Ethan reached and slammed the door shut, glancing over at her before locking it as Diamond glared at him openly. Feeling watched, Diamond turned and her eyes caught sight of the backdoor before she swirled her head around in time for Ethan to also remember the backdoor as well. 

Only a second managed to register before Ethan hurried to grab the small woman, but she was gone in a blink of an eye as she scurried to the backdoor in the hopes of getting away. The loud beeping caused Mr. Jones to smile as he glanced at his watch to count the seconds before the sound of a loud, feminine yelp caused him to lightly chuckle.

“Holy shit!” Ethan commented as he started at the whimpering woman before him with wide eyes.

He wasn’t sure what happened but one minute she had swung the door open and was almost completely out of his grip, and next she had collapsed in pure agony as the sound of the collar furiously beeping brought him out of his shock. Hurrying, Ethan slammed the door shut and lifted Diamond into his arms as she soft whined and moaned in pain at the voltage that had encased her tiny frame suddenly. She had no strength to fight as she softly started to cry, her toes tingled as Ethan tried to hold her up but it was useless as she didn’t add any pressure to stay on her feet, simply giving into him as he lifted her into his arms. 

He walked carefully, watching for anything Diamond’s feet could bump into, as well as the console table in the hallway that connected from the front door and ran straight to the back door. He lightly sat her on the couch and took the seat before her as Diamond cried out her frustrations into the sleeve of her small scrub outfit. Ethan felt his heart sink at the sight of the crying woman that had immediately stole his heart, he was completely shocked at the Mr. Jones selection… her soft chocolate skin was so gorgeous. 

“Ms. Hillmiyer, are you okay?” Mr. Jones asked nonchalantly, causing Ethan to cut his eyes to the older man curiously.

Diamond ignored the man, not daring to submit any further as she reached up and wiped the tears away with her already wet sleeve while sitting huddled with her legs pulled up to her chest, her eyes filled with tears and anger. She sniffed up through her nose before lifting her head and wiping the dripping tears once more, taking deep breaths as her face contoured to complete sorrow, she desperate tried to fight another round of tears but it was unsuccessful. 

Ethan couldn’t contain himself anymore as he moved closer to Diamond and pulled her taut against him suddenly, causing her flinch and struggle but it was useless as Ethan only pulled her closer and gently pecked the top her head. He knew that the collar was there for his own good, if Diamond escaped his clutches, no telling what she would do in this new world that she wouldn’t come close to understanding… Ethan doesn’t even understand anything about it. 

“Ms. Hillmiyer, I asked if you’re ok-”

“She’s fine.” Ethan snapped suddenly, causing Diamond to flinch before looking up at him blankly, tears still rolling down her face. “I think it just scared her like it scared me.”

“I apologize, Mr. Baltimore, I should of told you about the equipment beforehand.” Mr. Jones replied, lightly bowing his head as he glanced at Diamond rather sadly, knowing it was his fault she was in this position overall.

She was still young, she was actually barely pushing twenty but Mr. Jones definitely wasn’t going to include Ethan into Diamond’s previous life just yet. Mr. Jones wasn’t entirely sure if Ethan would be able to have a future with Diamond, definitely if she didn’t wanna be part of his future nonetheless. He used the solid, thick black cane he used to help him get around after an injury leg he couldn’t quite recover from, he slowly lowered himself to his knee before Diamond and lightly touched her shoulder to gain her attention. 

“Hello, Ms. Diamond Hillmiyer, I’m Kyler Jones.” Mr. Jones introduced himself, holding his hand out patiently.

“H-How do you know my name?” Diamond asked, her eyes tight from the stress of crying as she eyed the man curiously, she was more unsure of Mr. Jones than Ethan.

“I know everyone’s name.” Mr. Jones replied with a soothing chuckle. “For instance… your neighbors are Rebecca and Leroy Green, who lives alone in the blue house to the left. Michael has been married to Susie for two years now, they have one child together to the right. As I’ve said Ms. Hillmiyer, I know everything… and I watch everyone. I’m sure you’re full of que-”

“Where am I?” Diamond asked urgently.

“Eldora, the rising nation of survivors… but that’s something we don’t get into here, and we keep as top secret.” Mr. Jones winked softly, causing Diamond to lower her head with the tiniest smile as she understood Mr. Jones was just one of those kind-hearted, old, wrinkly men that truly meant no wrong. “I’m sure you two haven’t had a real introduction.”

Chapter Three (B)

“No.” Ethan spoke up, shaking his head lightly while still clutching Diamond close to him in his masculine arms, to which Diamond futile wiggles couldn’t loosen.

“Well, Ms. Hillmiy… correction,

Mrs. Baltimore

.“ Diamond’s wiggles immediately ceased as her eyes went very large as they slowly rose to meet Ethan’s bright grey ones that were uneasily staring at her for a reaction. “Meet your husband, Ethan Baltimore.”

“What…” Diamond started but her words fell silent as she tried to understand what exactly was going on around her, this was some sick game… or more of a dream!

“The burn on your finger,” Ethan explained, while lightly holding her hand and displaying the finger for her own eyes to see and believe, “it’s your wedding ring.”

“Wh…” She couldn’t completely comprehend what was going on, everything was just coming at her at once.

A awkward silence was heard as the three sat and stared at each other, Diamond was stiffly sitting in Ethan’s lap as she stared at Mr. Jones, who was kneeling before the two and openly staring at Mrs. Baltimore back. Growing uncomfortable from the consistent stare, Diamond blinked her eyes a few times in the thought that it would make Mr. Jones blink as well but it was rather awkward as he just simply stared without a single motion.

Averting her eyes rather stiffly as well, Diamond turned her attention back to the locked front door, thinking of what she could do to get away and not set off the collar to shock her after stepping past the threshold of the door. She eyed the door closely, hoping to see what actually triggers the collar to go but couldn’t see any small device that could be manipulated.

“Here’s a new report of cars, Mr. Baltimore.” Mr. Jones spoke after the thick tension had settled, causing Diamond to alertly look a him from the sudden break of the silence.

“Thank you.” Ethan said, reaching and grabbing the thick manila folder Mr. Jones had retrieved from the left side of his trench coat. “There’s gotta be like… twenty shipments…” Ethan said in complete and utter shock.

“Thirty-three.” Mr. Jones corrected, rising to his feet with the help of his cane. “I will be in touch.” He promised before simply inclining his head to signal his departure.

He walked to the door and grabbed the handle just as a bright question popped into Diamond’s head, causing her to quickly rise from Ethan’s grip, which had went slack momentarily.

“Wait!” She called.

Mr. Jones turned slowly, his eyes falling on hers once more with a sudden deadpan expression. “Yes?”

“When will I be able to step outside?” She asked, looking at him with pleading eyes.

“That’s not for me to decide, Mrs. Baltimore.” He said, his eyes traveling to meet Ethan’s averted grey ones before moving back to Diamond’s defeated ones.

He then turned and exited the brown bungalow, slamming the door shut behind him as Ethan slowly rose to his feet and lightly scratched the back of his head. He glanced at Diamond and looked at her slumped shoulders as she stood in one place, and it made his heart ache to know that he had gotten her into this.

Knowing that Diamond could be somewhere else only made him in more denial that this wasn’t right because he wanted her to be here with him, and now that she was, he wasn’t letting her out of his sight or grip. He slid his hands in his pockets while awkwardly clearing his throat in the hopes of getting her attention, Diamond slowly turned and looked at him with a face that said it all, she was far from happy at the life she was given.

“I’m sorry.” Ethan spoke, feeling as if it was the only thing that felt appropriate at the moment.

“No you’re not.” Diamond replied immediately, tears shining in her eyes once more as she shook her head angrily.

The tears only stayed bay for so long before she quickly wiped her cheeks as Ethan couldn’t do anything but sit and watch her tears slowly creep down her soft, brown cheeks while trying to find it deep in his heart to truly be sorry.

“You’re right, I’m not sorry.” Ethan admitting, swallowing nervously. “I’m not sorry because now I have someone with me, someone that I’m happy to be with. I am sorry that you are in this position like this but I’m not sorry that you’re here with me.”

“I’ll never like you.” Diamond cried, plopping down on the couch as her tears streamed faster. “Ever.”

The words cut deep but Ethan kept his head up and just stared at her, not daring to show that the words had hurt his feelings, he wasn’t going to let Diamond think she could ever escape him because of his emotions.

“Never say never.” Ethan retorted before turning and heading toward the bedroom.

He entered the bedroom and listened closely as he heard some quiet shuffling, he paused as he slowly inched closer to the bedroom door before he heard his living room bay window push open and his eyes widened as it dawned on him what was happening in the next room. Diamond carefully wiggled herself through the window, thanking the man above that she was so petite, but her thoughts immediately changed as her thick thighs had gotten stuck midway through.

A soft curse left her lips as she looked at Ethan while he rounded the corner, she immediately started to wiggle more as her ample bosoms jiggled profusely from the jarring motion of trying to escape. Ethan quickly rushed forward and grabbed her ankle, he shook his head with a threatening look that was telling Diamond to not continue her attempt to escape through the window.

“Diamond, stop!” Ethan shouted, growling angrily as he was kicked in the stomach. “Please!”

“Let me go!” She angrily cried in return. “Help me! Someone help me!”

Luckily for Ethan but not as lucky for Diamond, the streets were completely bare because of the pending storm that threatened to shake the tree branches and knock around trash cans sitting at the edge of lawns. Another curse escaped Diamond’s lips as she felt Ethan easily pulling her back inside, her breast fell in her favor as she had gotten stuck and cried in pain.

“Ouch! Wait! Wait!” She cried to Ethan, who immediately ceased his pulling as he looked at her with sudden concern.

“You okay?” Ethan asked, quickly grabbing her hips and holding her tightly while his eyes openly roamed to see if she had any physical damage.

“My boobs…” Diamond trailed, both of their eyes fell to the ample set of breast Diamond had. “They’re stuck.” She whined, hissing as she started to wiggle, fighting against the sharp pinching of the window hinge. “Shit, that hurts.”

“You shouldn’t have tried to go through the littlest window, Diamond. That was stupid.” Ethan huffed. “Let me help.”

“NO!” Diamond immediately yelped, glaring at him as he shook his head but continued to slowly raise his hands up to her chest. “Don’t you touch me, Ethan!”

“I’m just trying to help, stop.” Diamond smacked Ethan’s hand away as he continued to beg her to relax. “Please, I don’t want you stuck in my window.”

“Fuck you.” Diamond huffed but falling slack as she allowed Ethan to reach and lightly grab her left breast, causing her to finch as she glared at him.

Ethan lightly chuckled while taking the chance to feel the warm breast in his hand, it was so large and squishy and he immediately had to release her breast momentarily to stop himself from growing stiff below the waist. The gorgeous woman was at his will right now, she was stuck in such an uncomfortable position and because Ethan knew that, he pushed the thoughts aside and helped her pull herself back inside. Taking the chance to gain her breath, Diamond heaved heavily with her breast rising and falling, it then dawned on her that Ethan’s hand was still openly groping her breast and lightly squeezing it before she rolled her eyes and knocked the hand away.

“Because I’m your “ wife “ doesn’t mean you can touch me like that.” She snapped in return, glaring at him openly as he simply raised his hands in a surrendering position.

“Sorry.” He whispered, his eyes falling to the large bosoms that threatened to spill from the small V-neck, pale blue uniform.

Diamond rolled her eyes. “No you’re not.” She replied, pushing past him and plopping on the couch in defeat.

“Why didn’t you use the big window?” Ethan asked, glancing at the main window he had before looking back at Diamond with a raised eyebrow.

“Because unlike you, I’m not stupid.” Diamond countered, glaring at him from her seat on the couch. “Any person smart enough would know that the larger window is sensor to this stupid collar, cause it can be seen as an escape route.” She said, laying her chin on her hands while still catching her breath. “Stupid.” She muttered under her breath.

“Whatever.” Ethan said, rolling his eyes while not wanting to admit that Diamond was actually thinking very smart.

Ethan took a seat beside Diamond, who only moved further away from him with a stern glare that dared him to do something misleading, Ethan only shook his head and leaned back on the couch as the two sat in silence. Diamond stared at the wall as she knew that there was no exit, the only way to truly get away was to get Ethan to trust her enough to take the collar off, then goodbye Eldora for her.

She glanced over at Ethan as he stared at the carpet before him, his eyes glazed over, meaning he wasn’t even paying anywhere near attention as he should of been. A light bulb went off in Diamond’s head as she bit her lip before blinking a few times, hoping to achieve the best puppy eyes in less than three minutes.

“I’m sorry.” Ethan looked up in shock at Diamond’s apology, his eyebrows lowering in confusion.

“For what?” Ethan asked, cocking his head lightly. “I understand you would want to leave, I can’t be mad at you for that.”

Diamond fell silent, not sure what way to take their newly found conversation that had only ended just as fast as it started, she sighed and turned on the couch cushion to look at him before rolling her eyes again. She was completely silent as Ethan turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow questioningly, she only returned it with an eyebrow of her own as she moved closer to him. Upon realizing her true intentions, Ethan didn’t second guess as he leaned closer as well and lightly pressed his lips against Diamond’s slightly parted ones.

Diamond went completely stiff as she allowed Ethan to lead the kiss, she was too embarrassed to say that she had given her first kiss to a complete stranger. Ethan gently grabbed her along the waist and only deepened the kiss as he coaxed Diamond to follow his lead, Diamond only remained still as her breath quickened and her lip quivered. Upon the reaction he had gotten, Ethan pulled away and looked at Diamond as it made him question something about her.

“First kiss?” He asked gently, lifting his hand to lightly run his finger along the corner of her plump bottom lip.

Lightly shaking her head no, Diamond turned her head away while not sure what to do, her plans to woo the brawny man before her was now in play but the further her thoughts went, the more she felt reluctant. She gulped while looking at Ethan before her eyes dropped to his lips and she slowly rose to her knees on the couch, Ethan eyes dropped to her lips as well before quickly rising to show the lust he had for her.

Diamond slowly leaned forward while bracing her hands on Ethan’s strong shoulders, Ethan wanted to just pull Diamond close and show her how good he could make her feel but he knew it was best to let her take the lead this time around. Diamond lightly pressed her lips against his, Ethan waited to see exactly what she’d do before lightly returning the pressure. Her dainty hands slowly traveled from his shoulders down to his chest and rested there as the two started to slowly mingle their lips together, Ethan hand slid up back to her waist as his other hand had came to rest on her chin.

He kissed her sensually and slowly, pouring his affection into their second kiss while allowing the hand resting on her hip to drop low and cup her left buttock, he felt a tightening and knew things were going to go too far very soon if he didn’t stop. Ethan pulled away and looked at Diamond as she continued to look at him with blank eyes, it was as if she was in a daze and Ethan started to grow worry as she sat stiffly zoned out. Diamond wasn’t expecting Ethan to be such a distracted kisser, he had knocked the breath right out of her lungs and she could only think of wanting more.

Diamond knew things weren’t going to go as she was planning, she knew this wasn’t right to make Ethan confused… or herself. A sharp, hard knock at the door caused Ethan and Diamond to both flinch as it interrupted their slowly tensing silence, Ethan quickly hoped to his feet while thinking Mr. Jones must of left something. He didn’t bother to question the person as he yanked the door open without a second thought, his eyes grew large as he stared at Lyrica, who was impatiently tapping her foot while glaring at the man.

“Well!” She snapped, her face contouring into more anger. “You gonna invite me in or not?”

“L-L-Lyrica…” He said, in complete shock as he hadn’t thought about how Lyrica was about to react. “W-What…”

“What am I doing here?” She finished for him. “Well, it’s already on the streets that you’re married, and not only that, but it’s interracial! And you know that’s against one of the-”

“I don’t give a fuck.” Ethan snapped suddenly, and not feeling any remorse as he glared at Lyrica. “Get the fuck away from my house, Lyrica, and don’t ever come back. Leave me alone!”

Lyrica stared at him in complete awe as he shook his head before going to close the front door on her, but her hand stopped it as she continued to stare at him in confusion, as he’s never talked to her in such a manner. He was always so sweet and kind and she was the one that was supposed to curse at him and make him feel like shit, not the other way around. Her eyes wanted to see it for herself, that was what made her march herself all the way here, even when it was about to start pouring rain in only a matter of seconds.

“No.” She said, her lip quivering as the wind whirled through her dyed hair.

“Why the hell are you here?” Ethan asked, pulling the door open once more to Lyrica’s advantage.

Taking her chance, Lyrica rushed past him and straight for the living room but she pulled short as she looked at Diamond, who was simply staring back at her while still sitting in the previous position on the couch, her legs pulled underneath her. Lyrica stared in complete shock as her mouth was agape and her hands balled up slightly as if she was shocked while also angry while Diamond slowly rose to her feet, staring at the woman in shock as well.

Diamond didn’t know a woman was visiting and it was rather awkward as Ethan rounded the corner and looked between the two as they faced off, staring at each other. He slowly moved closer to Lyrica as she took a single step closer to the couch that separated the two but she knew that it wasn’t the place or the time, as Ethan wouldn’t even let her get too close to his new prized possession.

“Lyrica, you need to leave.” Ethan spoke, hoping that he wouldn’t have to use force to get the fuming woman out of his wife’s new home.

Instead, Lyrica only snickered in complete disbelief. “Is this some type of joke? How old is she? Like fifteen?” Lyrica commented, starting to laugh as she shook her head and put her hands on her hips. “What did you ask for, a daughter?”

“Fuck you.” Diamond snapped suddenly, her feet attempting to quickly bring her closer to Lyrica for contact but luckily, Ethan was quicker.

Diamond went to grab Lyrica’s hair but her reach wasn’t long enough as Ethan collided with her and stop the altercation from going any further, Diamond wiggled and fought but it was futile against the lumberjack-buff male. Ethan glared angrily at Lyrica, who was now staring at the two in disbelief as Ethan held his wife in his arms and didn’t even have to try to restrain the little woman that continued with the futile match. Ethan was just as angry as Diamond was as Lyrica had taken the chance to disrespect his wife right before his eyes because she was angry and jealous, and that made him only want to make Lyrica’s life a living hell.

“Lyrica, get out, now!” Ethan snapped, glaring at her with so much hate and anger.

“So you’re really going to be with her?” Lyrica sounded in shock, in utter disbelief.

“She’s my wife, what do you think?” He replied immediately and Lyrica’s face only went from disbelief to anger as she turned and stomped toward the front door.

“

THIS IS NOT OVER, ETHAN BALTIMORE

!“ She screamed for them both to hear as she stood with the front door open, ready to depart from the brown bungalow. “

IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL I SAY IT’S OVER

!“ With that, the heavy door slammed and Ethan felt nervous as he glanced down at Diamond uneasily.

“Sorry.” He whispered, closing his eyes with a stressed sigh.

“Hey… if your dick made her that crazy, I want it.” Diamond commented playfully, chuckling lightly as she pulled herself from Ethan’s grip while Ethan gawked at her in shock because of her humorous comment.

Chapter Four

The sound of wrenching filled the air as Ethan twisted the wrench along the nut with accuracy before tossing the greasy metal tool away from him while sighing and squinting his eyes through his safety glasses to make sure it wasn’t leaking. He used his fingers to test the stiff nut in place before using his powerful legs to roll himself from under the gray 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe that he took nearly an entire day to fix, from using a plunger to fix dents to casting a new grill for the SUV. 

With a grunt, Ethan rose to his feet and glanced at clock before realizing that he was nearing time to close the car shop he worked individually, as there wasn’t anyone else that possessed the small trade skill as him just yet. Grabbing the greased tool bucket alongside the gray SUV, he moved it over to the washing sink and grabbed the large gallon bottle of soap purchased via store catalog. Activating the faucet by turning the nozzle, he started scrubbing and inspecting each tool as his expression remained stiff and focused to make sure every inch of the oiled pliers were covered in washing liquid. 

“Good afternoon.” Ethan spoke suddenly, catching the nearing sound of a cane tapping softly against the concrete flooring.

Reaching to wipe sweat from his face, Ethan looked over at the older man as he paused outside the large garage door that was lifted to let the soothing breeze flow within the car shop that tended to heat up when Ethan cast or sand the materials in his possession. The older man looked around the mostly tidy shop except for the gray SUV that would soon belong to someone in the overgrowing town of Eldora. 

The car shop was, in comparison, a one-unit building with enough room to hold one car at a time, which meant Ethan had to work double as hard everyday to get through the large shipment sat on him yesterday. It simply held a wheeled floor jack, an overhead post car lift, and other necessities that Ethan believed he required when it came to fixing the damaged cars that were not stamped as totaled.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Baltimore.” Mr. Jones replied in return, softly cocking his head as well to emphasize the greeting. “How are things?”

“They’re… things.” Ethan shrugged, not wanting to tell Mr. Jones of the details that happened after the older man’s departure for the fear of humiliation. “Or do you mean with the vehicles?”

“Both.” Mr. Jones replied, walking closer to the gray SUV and doing a peek inside at the interior.

“I believe I’ll make the deadline.” Ethan replied, setting the once oiled wrench, which was now sparkling and dripping with water aside to dry.

“Very well…” Mr. Jones trailed, pausing as he glanced around the garage once more. “She’ll get used to you, Mr. Baltimore.” 

Ethan’s shoulder tensed immediately as the words hit his eardrums, he glanced behind him at the older man curiously before turning and finishing the project before him, he pursed his lips while wondering how Mr. Jones knew what happened… did he know what happened? He decided to play it safe on asking questions and remained silent, now scrubbing his hands clean of oily gunk and other nasty substances. He twisted the nozzle off and grabbed a towel to dry his hands as Mr. Jones came to a stop beside him, his gaze was potent but Ethan dared to not make eye contact over the simple fact that Mr. Jones knew something and it was something he couldn’t pinpoint. 

“Have you thought of her working. Mr. Baltimore?” Mr. Jones asked, breaking the tension.

“No.” Ethan replied instantly, his glare falling up on Mr. Jones with disbelief that he would even ask such a question. “I didn’t even trust leaving her at home alone this morning.” 

Ethan received a hum in return, to which he cut his eyes to Mr. Jones before going back to straightening up his work area around the gray SUV that would soon be on the lot for someone to swoop by and grab. He knew that he should be trying to grow close to Diamond but he openly feared that what she had told him would be true, that she would never love him. Just the reminder of her telling him that yesterday was caused his heart to sink with sorrow in the center of his chest, all he could ever want was for someone to feel happy to be with him. 

Ethan couldn’t help but wonder was he not enough for Diamond as he looked back up at the clock and it dawned on him that he should be heading home already. He looked up to address Mr. Jones but the man was already gone without a single uttered goodbye, Ethan frowned as he glanced around before sighing and shaking his head. He walked to the metal box pinned alongside the garage door and pulled the lever down, with a heavy creak, the large garage door that once allowed the breeze to enter the stuffy unit started to lower. 

He watched and patiently waited for an extra minute to make sure the garage was completely down before he used the chain to lock the garage door in place for a safety measure. Taking another deep breath, Ethan turned and walked over to a small black box that was sitting by the sink to document his clocking out hours, no one dare questioned where the clocked information went and how they received their weekly payments for working. 

Having successfully clocked his outing time for the day, Ethan set the black digital box back down before moving over to his small cubicle of belongings that consisted of his daily tumbler cup, duffel bag filled with greasy clothes that he had to change out of after a disastrous moment, and the keys to his home. Grabbing his items and switching off the many bright lights inside, Ethan walked to the side door that was used for pedestrians whenever the garage door wasn’t opened and locked the shop’s door behind him. 

He twisted the knob to make sure the door was actually locked before pocketing his set of keys that had his front door key, his car shop key, and his garage opener. Signing, Ethan turned and started toward his home, where he knew that Diamond would probably be waiting to scold him for leaving him alone with nothing to do. He didn’t want to leave Diamond the way he did, but no doubt he felt cautious that she’d get that little bit of freedom and run with it, and Mayor Bland would definitely take those chances to make him feel bad. 

Ethan shoved his hands in his pockets, glancing around the town as it slowly was growing dull and quiet, a little too quiet for his liking but he knew what that meant, it was going to be another stormy night. Just the night before, Diamond was shook by the constant thundering and loud rain hitting the window above his bed, and while he enjoyed her scurrying into his side every so often, he knew the summer would be near and the thunderstorms would slowly cease. 

Eldora’s rainy weather was indeed the worse, the thunderstorms were powerful enough to knock down trees and sometimes the winds were strong enough to shift cars in parking lots but when those days passed, it’s bliss. The summers were unforgettable with a very bright sun hanging in the sky, lightening the grass so green and the pavements so hot that it burned to walk barefoot. He was thankful for the thunderstorm rolling in tonight, that meant that Diamond was most likely gonna take refuge in his side just like last night. 

Ethan had almost gotten carried away last night, his emotions had steered him into an erection and he immediately had to depart from alongside Diamond to handle his situation before she had noticed. Upon her request for him to not leave her side, he fought the urge to give in and excused himself to the bathroom, promising her he’d be back to hold her once more when he was finished. 

Ethan was a grown man and he felt no shame for the way he pictured Diamond pleasuring him as he leaned against the shower wall and toyed with himself until he had reached climax with the thoughts of her bending over in front of him, her teasing him in a cute little outfit, and most importantly, her playing with herself in front of him. All those nasty but delicious thoughts pushed Ethan over the edge as his legs shook and he couldn’t stop himself from releasing a throaty grunt as his pent up lust was finally weakened, but he knew that last night was only the beginning of a long torturous summer. 

Diamond would soon be wearing things that revealed more skin to help with the hot heat of the summer, like cute sundresses and maybe even something more revealing when she laid at home, waiting for him. Ethan hurriedly dismissed the idea as he felt his groin tighten at the thought of her wearing some skimpy lingerie and practically jumping him when he walked through the door, he licked his lips while awkwardly glancing at the few as they simply ignored his uneasy stares. 

Passing the small coffee shop that had closed down months ago after the death of the previous owner, he pursed his lips while thinking if it would be a good idea for Diamond to start working there to get her own revenue… not that she needed it. Ethan kept his hands shoved in his pockets to help with the tightening in his groin, he knew he’d be home soon and while he had planned to stop for groceries, he decided against the idea and continued home to his wife. 

He liked the idea of Diamond working at the coffee shop because it wasn’t too far from his shop and he can always come and visit her whenever he wanted to throughout the day, that thought made his heart jump with excitement. Ethan neared Green’s Deli and remembered there wasn’t anything for him and his wife to eat, he sighed as he contemplated entering because he was more than tired and he could always order pizza that would be delivered. A group of five women all lounged together as one of them spotted the handsome man pondering across the street, she notified the others with a soft gasp that caused them all to look in the same direction. 

They all admired the handsome man and waved as he glanced over at them, they believed the rumors weren’t true at all, at least they hoped the rumors weren’t true. Unfortunately for the eager women, Ethan gave them a small wave and continued his journey home while figuring it wasn’t a good idea to face that group of sexual hormones sitting right by the deli’s entrance door. He kept his hands in his pockets, walking quickly as the clouds above started to roar louder while his brown bungalow grew closer and closer. He felt a few droplets and glanced up while he walked, the clouds were an odd purple but no one dared ask the elements of Eldora, they just decided to enjoy their time while they still had it. 

Upon realizing the idea of why the rain clouds were purple, Ethan didn’t care to know the answer as he pushed the front door open and  entered to smell such a delicious stench and the sound of sizzling from the kitchen. He eased around the living room and stopped at the swinging door that connected the kitchen and the living room. Lightly pushing against it, Ethan peeked inside and spotted Diamond as she faced away from him, a black skillet was on the hot eye and was searing a steak as he pushed the door further open and entered. 

“Hey.” He announced his presence, to which he received a cold shoulder… as he expected. “You found some food, I’m sorry that I don’t have much.” Again, he got no reply.

The only sound was the black skillet searing their, or should I say, possibly only Ethan’s dinner as she worked around the kitchen with a sense of grace that Ethan had no expected. She was working on skinning potatoes, flipping the searing steak, and using a hand can opener on a can of sweet peas he didn’t know he had in one of his cabinets. There was many things Ethan never bothered to fix, and that was his own dinner because the truth of the matter was that Ethan had no idea how to cook, and that was something he definitely found embarrassing to tell Diamond.  

“I’m off tomorrow,” he tried once more but he knew this would definitely get a response, “I was thinking maybe you’d wanna go grocery shopping with me?” He paused, waiting for an answer.

Diamond froze with her shoulders tensed, she peeked behind her with an half-peeled potato in her small hand, her eyes fell over Ethan’s face almost fearfully as she slowly nodded before going back to peeling the potato. She was overjoyed that Ethan was actually allowing her to step outside, but why after two days of being here was he already being so trustworthy with her. 

“Do you trust me?” She asked, moving her head slightly to peek over her shoulder before changing her mind and turning her attention back to the potato.

“You’re still here… you could of escaped through the small window while I was at work…” Ethan reasoned, smiling lightly at the memory as he leaned against the kitchen wall. “But you’re still here.”

“What about my collar?” Diamond pressed on.

“I’ll take it off.” He said while uneasily rubbing his forehead. “Just… please…”

“Don’t run, I know.” Diamond finished, giving him a very low chuckle that made him already second guess himself… could she be trusted already? “Dinner’s almost done.”

“Alright, I’m gonna go change. If that’s cool?” Ethan said.

“Your life.” Diamond retorted, shrugging carelessly.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” Ethan said, exiting the kitchen.

Diamond sighed as she stared at the searing steak before moving over to flip it once more, the small amount of herb grease she concocted swirled at the motion as she threw a jab of butter on top to finish the steak off. Turning back around, she sliced the potatoes up and threw them in the small skillet as the steak, the bubbling grease immediately went to cooking the potatoes as she grabbed the can of green beans and poured it in the skillet as well. While it did smell so good, the aroma would make any man come to take a seat but there was definitely a few things Diamond hadn’t let Ethan know about her.

“Thank you.” Ethan said suddenly, catching Diamond’s attention.

Upon looking at Ethan to address him, she felt as if her voice box had failed her at the sight of him standing in only a pair of loose grey sweatpants and white socks that almost sent her into prowling mode. The sweatpants were slightly tight in the crotch and gave the perfect outline of him as she tried hard to turn her eyes away from it, but it was almost impossible as she admired how thick he looked. 

Blinking a few times, she pushed the thoughts of dropping to her knees and devouring the stranger when she realized she actually had those type of thoughts in her mind. Ethan had caught her ogling him and while it made him feel very good that she was obviously attracted to his appeal, he didn’t want her to become embarrassed or uninterested if he knew unknowingly offended her. Diamond looked at Ethan’s eyes and her face took the expression of awe as Ethan had quickly looked up to meet her eyes, pretending that he wasn’t taking the chance to also ogle the ample woman before him.

“Here.” Diamond uttered almost breathlessly, she bit her lip as she took a deep breath to regain herself. 

She plated the steak and slide a few pieces of vegetables onto it as well before setting it down in front of Ethan, who had taken a seat as she had made his plate and he patiently waited for Diamond to make herself a plate until he spotted her cleaning the mess in the kitchen. 

“You’re not eating?” He asked.

“Nope.” She muttered back, her voice rather groggy as Ethan felt a pang in his chest.

“Why not? You don’t have to eat with me if y-” Ethan started.

“I don’t eat steak.” She said, causing Ethan to look at her before putting his hands on his face.

Chapter Five

Ethan was very nervous and to say he was scared was an understatement as he watched Diamond get dressed out the corner of his right eye, she was looking so stunning and the fact that he was finally going to show her off only made him feel more uneasy about the whole thing. As he had promised Diamond yesterday, he was going to be taking her to the only department store with him so that they can spend the day together and she was going to pretty much be on her own, and if she ran, he’d only pray he would be able to spot her before she got to far. Dressed in the only thing she arrived in because she had no clothes, it was just a tiny little black tank top tucked in pair of black jeans with some black sneakers, very casual and teenager appearing none of the less. 

Her hair was very bushy styled like always, thick and curly enough to give him the urge to run his fingers through it whenever she was around him and close enough that he could smell his own scent from the shirt he gave her to wear to bed. He was admiring her from a distance and didn’t realize he had paused to stare at her rather than putting on his other shoe, he couldn’t help that she mesmerized him and while he hadn’t planned to ever be in this position. He couldn’t believe it himself that he was in an illegal… marriage , he stared at her before his fingers dropped to make out the burn on her finger, he was actually married and it was with a beautiful black woman, not that he was complaining.

“You okay?” Diamond asked as she turned, genuinely worried at the way Ethan was staring at her.

“Yeah…” He trialed, returning to his task of putting his shoe on. “Thinking…”

“About?” She pushed, glancing behind herself at him before turning back to the body mirror before her. “You’re going to make me stay here, aren’t you?”

Ethan watched as the dark cloud appeared to form over her head, her posture seemed to sag downward lightly with her shoulders as her head dropped forward and her face turned into a slight pout at once. The way she appeared, so timid and hurt made him quickly shake his head as he lied to himself and her, he didn’t want her to be hurt. He rose to his feet quickly and came close, grabbing her shoulders lightly and forcing her to look at him.

“No, I was thinking of how good you look.” Ethan reasoned, which wasn’t much but a white lie, as it was mostly true.

“Oh…” Diamond returned, but her tone definitely said she didn’t believe him.

Ethan gently ran his hands down her arms, feeling how soft and smooth they were as she allowed him and watched his hands slowly move closer to her fingers before they jumped down to her hips. His touch was like silk and made the hairs on her arms stand up with goosebumps forming immediately, she was addicted to him but she couldn’t let him know that, he’d grow very comfortable too fast. 

His soft silver eyes fell on her chocolaty brown eyes and it was as if the connection between them was official as Ethan didn’t hesitate nor second guess leaning down and kissing her on her smooth plump lips. Diamond didn’t pull away as she stepped forward and smelted into Ethan’s grip as his hands tightened on her hips and she could feel his finger tips digging into her round, squeezable buttocks that the jeans emphasized deliciously. 

Her hands trailed up and placed onto Ethan’s pecs as he deepened the kiss, his head cocking as his slide his tongue into Diamond’s eager mouth. There wasn’t a fight for authority as Diamond easily submitted to the towering man as he braced his hands below her thighs and lifting her up toward him more. Just the feeling of him holding her such away gave Diamond a shiver, she was more than ready to make that step with him, even if it was no real feelings involved, she was in need of a feeling among her confusion in this new world, this new life . 

She broke the kiss as Ethan trailed kisses down to her neck and molded his lips to her skin, he was so eager to have her in such a manner he thought would never happen. She was so timid and tiny compared to him and he was enthusiastic about the fact that she was mostly submissive to him, she had allowed him to kiss her, lift her, and would probably allow more.

“Store.” Diamond whispered, catching his attention as he pulled away from her neck, leaving a small hickey. “I really need to go shopping.” She reasoned, pulling herself away as well.

Ethan reluctantly lowered her from his arms, he was positive that she had felt the wood he had pushing into her crotch and perhaps that was what made her so ready to leave to the store, maybe she was turned off by him now. He felt his heart drop as his shoulders slumped forward and he figured he had screwed up, unknowing that Diamond had the complete opposite thought to him, she felt her morals, rules, and her regulations fly out the window when his tongue had started trailing along her neck, her weak spot. 

She wanted him to take her then and there, throw her on the bed and take her with the right amount of force and excitement that definitely would of left her legs shaking. Nor Diamond or Ethan was a stranger to sex, as Diamond had only lost her virginity a few months before ending up in Eldora and Ethan was an entire different story.

“Okay, right… shopping.” Ethan remembered, his dropped his hands from her hips and exited the room so quickly that he didn’t spot the guilt and longing in her eyes.

The two were both eager for one another, Ethan so badly wanted to rip Diamond’s clothes off of her and take her doggy style while Diamond was wishing Ethan would just come back and pin her against the wall and take her missionary. Diamond slowly followed his footsteps, which lead to the living room as he had grabbed his wallet and shoved it in his pocket as well as his car keys off the console table in a decorative marble bowl.

“Ready?” Ethan asked, almost seeming distant to Diamond’s confusion.

“Oh… um, yeah.” She said more timid than she wanted, it was his presence, it was something shouldn’t explain about him.

Ethan opened the front door and held it for Diamond as she passed out, fearfully glancing toward the black box above the door that was momentarily inactivated, she released a nervous breath before glancing back at Ethan, who had watched her the entire time. To see her so alert was rather relaxing, he was expecting her to immediately dash off and it was as if he was ready for her as his body remained tense but instead, Diamond simply walked to Ethan’s car. 

His black 2017 Jeep Cherokee was sparkling in the sun and appeared to previously washed, it was so clean and that even shocked Diamond cause she expected the opposite. From what she saw, she knew Ethan was a man who cared about a lot of things in his life, could he care about her? 

She dismissed the thought as the doors unlocked and she scurried to open her own door before Ethan could do it for her, she then climbed herself into the passenger seat but had allowed Ethan to shut the door for her. Ethan then walked around the car and got into the driver’s seat, he glanced over at Diamond as she slid her seat belt on before he did the same as well, hew as nervous for some odd reason and he had never felt like this with any other woman he entertained. 

However, he knew Diamond was different from the way she always made him feel, he felt like he was losing control of himself and would probably be pussy whipped very, very soon, and that was far from his type of normal. He started the car and backed out, glancing over at Diamond once more, who was simply staring and analyzing Ethan’s car that he had gotten the year prior. 

“What’s my spending budget?” Diamond asked.

“You don’t have one.” Ethan immediately replied, causing Diamond to give him a curt look.

“I don’t want your money.” Diamond huffed, causing Ethan to roll his eyes as he felt a harmless argument starting already.

“You know, sometimes it passes my mind too, Diamond.” Ethan replied, knowing his next statement was going to be nice flowing off his tongue. “But, you are my wife.”

Diamond fell silent as she had no clue what to say to him in return, she had completely forgotten that she wasn’t in some simple relationship but an actual marriage with a burn scorching her finger for the rest of her life. Her eyes fell to the burn and she used her opposite hand to gently touch it, it was never a painful touch but she still recoiled from it as if it was brand new. 

Ethan turned off his street and made it toward the center of the town rather quickly, he found a parking spot as Diamond remained quiet and unbuckled herself, he did the same before reaching across to grab her chin. He was tired of the silent treatment he was receiving, even if he had did no wrong, and planted a large wet kiss on her lips that gave Diamond waves of pleasure down her spine… she wanted him so badly. 

The action had knocked Diamond from her unconscious trace as she looked at him in awe before lightly laughing and shaking her head, the laugh was genuine and fulfilling, meaning she wasn’t upset at all about him doing that.

“Let’s go, I got a fear you’re going to make us walk around the store multiple times.” Ethan said. 

Ethan had expressed the truth as he looked at the large multi-department store before them, it was actually retro themed but it was still large with three different levels of stores from a grocery store with a food court, to many small clothing stores, and mega candy store, and even a liquor store was housed inside.

Chapter Five (B)

It was more of a mall than an actual store but everyone called it a store because of it’s quite erratic title, Catchy Mega Store , a Eldora sensation ever since the first day it opened with multiple business opening around and inside of it. It quickly became a good business to get in line with because it gave you an easy living from it’s daily burst of crowds every hour of the day, from opening at five in the morning to closing at nine at night.

Diamond had walked straight to Ethan and immediately grabbed his hand as she started at the buzzing entrance with people exiting with multiple bags and people entering to enjoy their own sensation of shopping.

“I got you, don’t worry.” Ethan said, causing Diamond to glance over at him with a soft look of thankfulness.

He tightened his grip on her hand as she squeezed his back before allowing him to lead her toward the entrance of the large building, momentarily the two blended in as Diamond inched slowly toward Ethan while appearing to be very uncomfortable. He released her hand and watched as Diamond eyes widened in panic as she went to grab it back until his arm circled around her waist and pulled her tight against his body as he moved with the buzzing crowd.

He pulled them to a safe spot by a board that displayed the layout of the retro-styled mall, and she took the chance to look at the poster. The top two levels were littered with so many stores and Diamond couldn’t believe that all these stores were at her own advantage with Ethan most likely just tagging along. Many people stared at them with annoyance or even curiosity of the black collar on Diamond’s neck, which Ethan also refused to remove after finding the key that had fallen when he caught sight of Diamond for the first time.

“Where do you wanna start?” She asked him, wanting him to partake in her new adventure. “I think we should go grocery shopping last.” She reasoned, to which Ethan agreed.

“Start at the top and work downward?” Ethan shrugged, smiling lightly at Diamond as she slowly nodded.

“Okay, come on.” Ethan said, leading her to the packed escalator as he ignored the stares he was receiving from people that recognized him upon first glance.

He spotted a customer by the name Ronny Parker as he stood with his wife and two children, all of them stared at him as Ethan glanced back at them before continuing to lead his own wife up the second escalator that led to the top floor, which was also packed with people. Diamond was so clueless of the looks, or maybe she didn’t care as she stared at all the things around her in awe.

She immediately spotted the candy store as they reached the third floor because it was placed so perfectly in front of the uprising escalator, only she had to do was point before eagerly smiling and pulling Ethan in that direction by the hand. He followed while simply laughing at her reaction, she was so excited to see the store and he was definitely gonna make sure he kept her that way the entire trip from store to store.

 *Approximately Two Hours Later*

Ethan parked his vehicle and turned it off before resting back into his seat and looking over at Diamond, who was chirpily drinking on his soda pop through the straw he was once using also, and to see she didn’t mind sneaking sips with his saliva entwined made him feel good. She had warmed up to him with a very big difference, big enough that even Ethan had noticed that she wasn’t appearing so distant and even was wearing the small diamond necklace he had picked out just for her.

Of course Ethan was going to spoil her intentionally, and that was exactly what he was going to do so he got Diamond some beautiful diamonds to wear around her neck night and day, if she so pleased. Diamond was reluctant and denied Ethan’s attempts to put the diamonds on her neck but she eventually gave in after giving him an entire speech on how money will never buy her love and she wasn’t materialistic.

Ethan only told her sure and put the necklace on her, amazed at how it made her eyes turn glassy as she observed it in the mirror, her eyes looked over at him and he knew she was truly pleased. Whether it was because of the way it glistened on her neck or because of how bright her eyes appeared, Ethan was happy to see that she had approved of his offering.

“I’ll get the bags, you go ahead and head inside.” Ethan told her, not for once thinking about Diamond skipping out on him.

Diamond nodded, opening her own door and stepping out, her eyes flickered and Ethan watched as she took off running fast, her legs carried her quick as he felt his heart sink with realization that maybe he hadn’t been accepted. He quickly pushed his door open and scurried around the car just in time to see that she had only made it a few meters away before stomping on something. He watched as she leaned down and picked up a slip of paper, he immediately felt terrible as he expected her to try and escape when instead, she was trying to grab the piece of paper that stated their purchases, their receipt.

He stared at her without truly seeing her, his eyes seemed to glaze over as he spotted a familiar figure making their way down the street, right toward his house. From a further distance, Ethan immediately recognized who it was as Diamond turned to look at him with a cheeky smile, she had knew it gotten a reaction but that was going to have to wait until later.

“You okay?” Diamond asked, now standing before him and holding the receipt sheet out to him.

“Yeah, go ahead and go inside.” Ethan said, still staring past her as Diamond glanced behind herself then nodded while heading straight to the door. “I’ll be in with the stuff.”

Many wanted to know if it was true that Ethan, someone who was also so welcoming and helpful around the city, had broken one of the overall rules of Eldora. The rules were set to keep humanity a float, unbeknownst to the ones sheltered away inside from the outside, they were given peace and freedom, a second chance without even really knowing why. Interracial was illegal over the simple fact that scientist believed it was the next step to extinction of humanity with such an impurity of the racial group, new diseases and massive death was sure to follow.

The blonde haired woman with a pixie haircut and pearls dangling from her ears moved closer and slowed as she stood with a warmly baked pie in her hand, it was strawberry filled with whip cream topping, she knew it as Ethan’s favorite. Nicole Ivory’s eyes were a soft brown and her lips were mostly medium-plump and not to oversize for her oval face, her cheeks were thin but her nose was oddly large for her face. Her pale skin showed that she rarely got soon or rather had a very uncommon skin tone that didn’t allow her to color much. While she didn’t look a day over twenty, she was twenty-three and stayed with her parents until she would one day move out and start her own life in Eldora.

“Hey, Ethan, I brought you something.” Nicole said, smiling lightly as she passed him the pie. “For her, and you, I mean.” Nicole pushed.

“Thank you, I’ll let her know.” Ethan replied, reluctantly accepting the kind gift before popping the trunk of his vehicle.

“So there really is a her…” Nicole trailed, her eyes scanning the yard before glancing at the trunk. “You two must of went shopping together.”

“Yes.” Ethan returned, setting the pie in one of the first grocery bags he spotted.

“You need help?” Nicole asked, reaching to grab a bag.

“Nah, I got it.” Ethan quickly said, grabbing the bag that Nicole was reaching quickly.

“You sure?” She asked, taking a step back while looking at him curiously, he seemed to be acting so strange. “Where is she? She should be out here helpin-”

“I told her to go inside, thank you for the pie, Nicole.” Ethan said while hoping she’d get the hint that it was time for her to leave his yard.

“Welcome, I’ll just come see you later. When you’re alone…” She whispered, turning and walking back to her house with an unreadable expression before he could correct her.

Ethan felt as if his energy was sapped as he plopped down on the couch in his living room filled with many different boutique bags and grocery bags as he dropped the last one in his hand on the couch beside him. He looked up in time to see Diamond as she stood in the mirror in one of her new dresses he had picked out just for her, he insisted continuously that she try it on at the store but she refused and just bought it instead. The reason confused Ethan because he saw nothing but beauty but what did Diamond see, well… Diamond sure wasn’t too appreciative of the reflection it showed her.

“I look so bad .” She said, her eyes watery as she turned to look at Ethan.

              ======

The two sat silently as Ethan stared at the plate in front of him with no appetite, Diamond on the other hand was slowly nibbling on her dinner as she glanced up at Ethan before looking back down at her plate. It wasn’t an awkward silence but more like an uncomfortable tension that was in the room, after Ethan had not responded to Diamond, she locked herself in the bathroom and cried for almost an hour straight.

He had no clue how to respond to his wife, as he never truly been in that position before, and she probably hated his guts and he had to change that… but how? Maybe he could take her out and let her do more shopping, take her back to the candy store or something. Damn, then he remembered, Diamond’s not too materialistic as she had given off so that was definitely something that wouldn’t work.

“I’m sorry.” Ethan whispered, causing Diamond to look up at him with wide eyes.

“No, it’s not your faul-” Diamond immediately felt guilty as she stared at Ethan, he wouldn’t even look at her.

“It is, you looked so amazing, Diamond. I should of spoke up instead of just staring at you.” It went quiet once more as Ethan suddenly felt an itch on his foot and accidentally kicked Diamond’s calf. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Diamond giggled lightly, kicking him back. “Oops.” She smirked, back to her original playful tactics that surprised Ethan.

Ethan couldn’t help but think of how bipolar the situation before him was, first Diamond had locked herself in the bathroom crying because she thought she looked like a whale in a fishnet, and now she was attempting to play footsie with him under the table… was he complaining? Of course not! He smiled at her before he rubbed his foot along hers, which got a laugh out of her and Ethan was happy that he had the Diamond he adored back, she was always so bright and gorgeous to him.

He smiled lightly as she looked up at him and her smile slowly fell as she stared at him, and with that look on his face, Diamond knew she was in love and there was no more fighting it. She blinked a few times to rid her thoughts as she looked back down at her plate and went back to nibbling on her chicken sandwich that Ethan had heated up while she locked herself away in the bathroom.

“Thank you for dinner.” She whispered.

“Anytime, beautiful.” Ethan replied, smiling lightly as he had realized something as well, the feeling was definitely mutual.

Chapter Six

It was still odd for Ethan to wake up with someone beside him, he still wasn’t used to Diamond’s presence but he admired her sleeping physic nonetheless, she was something out of a movie, he believed. The softness of her expression nearly melted his heart out of his chest as he stared at her, watching the soft rising and gentle parting of her lips as she softly snored. He adored this stranger before him. 

Diamond wiggled lower into the comforter and Ethan smiled as he watched her cuddle closer in her sleep, he liked the thought that she wanted to be near him, he could smell the faint scent of his body wash on her and it struck a fire deep in him… she smelled just like him. His possessive demeanor took him by surprise, he wasn’t used to having such a possessive sight on anything that belonged to him, but her. He knew that Diamond belonged to him and that this was meant to be, he wanted to this to be forever.

“Diamond…” He softly whispered, moving closer to her face as her left eye slowly peeked at him before closing once more. “Wake up.”

“No.” She softly whispered in a groggy tone, making him chuckle lightly.

“I thought maybe you’d like to go to the carnival now that it’s open.” Ethan spoke up, making both of Diamond’s eyes open and look at him eagerly.

“Today?” She asked, rising into a sitting position and stretching quickly. “Yes! Do they have funnel cakes? Do you eat snow cones? Get up and get ready! Let’s go! What time is?”

Ethan couldn’t do anything but stare and smile at her, finding all her questions and comments laughable and much more admiring, she was very admirable and very lovable. He rose from the bed, having slipped away while Diamond was still asleep to ready himself for the day, he was dressed in a pair of black shorts and a white top, almost in a formal manner. 

Diamond quickly showered and dressed into a green-and-white checkered sundress that was knee-length, it managed to clutch all the right areas in Ethan’s eyes. He didn’t hesitate to stare as she checked herself in the mirror before turning to face him, smiling because she was eager to take the trip. However, there was one thing he had to do before she could step out of the house, the thick metal necklace beeped in unison of the hourly-system check. 

“Don’t get close to the door yet,” Ethan reminded her as he walked to his panel to change the setting, “I have to change the distance.”

“When can I take this stupid thing off?” Diamond asked, lightly clocking her head in a pleading manner. “You don’t trust me yet?”

“I do…” Ethan trailed shyly but part of him knew it was a lie, what has she proved?

He smiled as her metal necklace beeped in recognition before he nodded to the door, Diamond lightly smiled but it was apparent that something was on her mind Ethan allowed Diamond to exit the door first, holding it like the gentleman he is as he innocently stared at her, pausing to allow his eyes to take in her backside as she passed him with a bounce in her step. She was meant for him, Ethan truly believed. 

He walked to her side of the car and held the door as she climbed into his jeep and he quickly circled to get inside the driver side with a half-hearted smile. Diamond returned it and watched as he put started the jeep, watching closely as he put the car into reverse, she quickly averted her eyes when she Ethan staring to turn toward her.

“I trust you.” Ethan told her, gulping nervously as he stared into her eyes and she openly stared back.

“Okay.” Diamond replied, nodding slowly but even Ethan could tell it wasn’t from the heart. 

Ethan fell silent, reversing the jeep from the parking space of his bungalow that now belonged to him and his wife , the only thing Ethan could think about was winning Diamond over, as he was already deeply attached to her. He was stuck in a hard place, lost with his emotions because he wanted to be open with her but deep down, he knew she was just a stranger that wanted out. 

He quickly pushed the bad thoughts away and focused on making sure they made it to their destination safely, and even Ethan started to feel butterflies at the sight of the Ferris wheel growing closer. He had never rode a Ferris wheel because it had such a romanticized them, couples rode the wheel at night and he wanted to hopefully be one of those couples. With that thought in mind, Ethan turned into the crowded lot that was filled with many cars he fixed, he quickly found a spot and turned his jeep off.  

Diamond stepped out carefully and smiled as she took in the landscape of the carnival, it was the giant Ferris wheel that caught her attention and made her drop her jaw in awe at the bright lights flashing. Children ran here and there, buzzing with lots of energy as some carried lollipops and ones that didn’t carry lollipops ran with cotton candy in their hands, giggling and chasing one another in circles, and it made Diamond’s heart buzz with life. 

“Ready?” Ethan asked gently, knocking Diamond out of her trace as he stretched his elbow to her.

Diamond looked to his elbow before slowly nodding with a timid smile, slowly entwining her elbow into his before they started their trek closer to the fair grounds, the smell of frying edibles caused her stomach to growl lightly but Diamond didn’t waiver her sight. Whether it was the hypnotizing lights blinking on the Ferris wheel or the fact that all eyes were immediately drawn to the eyesore couple, and no one cared to hide their stares. 

“They’re watching us.” Diamond whispered suddenly, blinking a few times as she fearfully stared straight at the Ferris wheel.

“Let them.” Ethan gently replied, releasing Diamond’s elbow to circle his arm around her waist and pull her closely. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Okay.” Diamond said, glancing over at Ethan with a concerned face, she clutched onto his side tightly as they passed into the fair gates.

Lyrica smiled at the sight of the two with the look of hatred in her eyes so potent, Ethan quickly averted his eyes as the two made eye contact just as Mayor Bland gently grabbed onto her shoulder to get her attention. Her eyes watched Ethan and his wife’s every move as Ethan stopped at a shack to get them something to eat, finally seeing the perfect opportunity, Lyrica advanced towards them. 

“Good afternoon.” Lyrica said loud enough for it to catch other people’s attention purposely. 

Ethan turned slowly and immediately felt his heart fall to his knees as he stared at Lyrica in her beauty, she was dressed in a two piece pink outfit with the top clutching her perky bosoms, and he was almost fearful for her to turn to show her backside. He blinked a few times before peeking at Diamond to see if she had noticed him staring at Lyrica’s peeking nipples but luck had seemed to be on his side as Diamond was giving Lyrica a stare down of the ages. 

“Hm, only if looks could kill, yes?” Lyrica chuckled before turning to meet Ethan’s eyes. “Can we talk privately?”

“About?” Ethan said, catching Diamond peeking at him out the corner of his eyes, he gulped suddenly. “Diamond is my wife, not some girlfriend, anything you need to say, you can say in front of her.”

“Oh, really?” Lyrica smirked before raising her chin and chuckling in a mocking manner. “Ha, well, I’m pregnant.”

Diamond felt a shock-wave hit her as her eyebrows rose in disbelief, she blinked a few times to try and get a better understanding but even Ethan was speechless at the moment, he had gotten Lyrica pregnant. Lyrica smiled cheekily as she placed a hand on her stomach that would soon grow larger as the months go by, this couldn’t be happening. The couple was shell-shocked about the declaration, as it wasn’t some tiny matter to ignore because it wasn’t something to simply sweep under the rug. 

“We’ll talk about everything else later.” Ethan said, slowly turning away with wide eyes as he tried to find a reason to where this child couldn’t be his. 

Ethan grabbed Diamond’s hand as if he was asking for her strength while he stared at the menu of a vendor with blurry vision, his eyes were reading but also not seeing the letters in front of him. Diamond could do nothing but stare at him as she allowed him to hold her hand but she wasn’t feeling his touch, did she have the right to be zealous? Of course Ethan knew eventually his secret rendezvous with Lyrica would catch up but why after he had finally tried to find a step in the right direction? Why not before Diamond had came along and changed how he viewed the world?

“Ethan? Are you okay?” Diamond asked with concern on her visage, she was truly fearful for him. “You’re muttering.”

“Y-Yeah.” Ethan said but his tone was of complete disbelief as he cleared his throat and blinked the blurriness away. “You wa… you want a funnel cake? They have different… different types… of…”

“Maybe we should go back-” Diamond spoke, noticing Ethan’s stammering.

“N-No, I won’t let this stop you… o-or us. We came to have a… a good time.” His stammering continued, his breathing was growing slightly shallow, making Diamond’s eyes widen as she realized he was starting to have a panic attack.

“Shhh, calm down.” She whispered, cupping his face and forcing Ethan to stare into her eyes while she beckoned him to breath at a slower pace, he was becoming hysterical and everyone was already staring. “Everything’s going to be okay.” 

Ethan didn’t speak but simply pulled Diamond into a clutching embrace with his face buried in her thick folds of kinky hair, he inhaled her scent and immediately found strength as gently swayed back and forth with her. He closed his eyes and focused on smelling the soft sage whiffing off of Diamond, his nose flared as he sniffed into her neck, slowly becoming hypnotized with her essence. 

“Now, how about the funnel cake?” Diamond asked, stepping back and it was obvious Ethan was hesitant to release her right away, she noticed. “Wanna split a red velvet one?”

“Yeah…” Ethan whispered, stepping to the vendor and quickly placing in the order before moving back to where Diamond was standing in seldom. 

Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the odd-ball couple as they had a lot of courage to step a foot out the door together, the rules of Eldora was not taken lightly and a very select individual felt like it was all being thrown in his face. Mayor Bland watched for a distance as Mr. Jones stood to his left and Lyrica took a irritated expression as she stood to his left, the pair stared at the couple from a distance as Mr. Jones snug expression was well hidden from the other two. 

He enjoyed seeing Lyrica squirm but most of all, he enjoyed the fact that Mayor Bland was being provoked, as him and the man were two that never got along. Mayor Bland wasn’t a stickler for broken rules, and the fact that a simple mechanic had done so and gotten away with him was enough to nearly send him over his ledge, he was beyond frustrated, and Mr. Jones was loving every minute of it.

“How long do you think this will be? It’s sickening to see.” Lyrica huffed, glancing over at Mayor Bland with a sneer on her lip. 

“I’m not too sure, but I hope not long enough to have my citizens getting restless.” Mayor Bland muttered as he watched Diamond take a bite of her funnel cake before sharing the same bite with Ethan. “He’s just like everyone else. If one suddenly feels special, they tend to think they’re invincible, and I won’t have that.”

“Let it run it’s course, nothing does any harm without any good.” Mr. Jones ordered, knowing his word was more superior than the adjacent two. “Plus, she’ll be taking up a job tomorrow to help the community… and you’ll be seeing to that Lyrica.”

“She doesn’t belong here.” Lyrica huffed. “She doesn’t belong with him.”

“And you do?” Mr. Jones asked cheekily before turning and departing from the bickering two.

“Full of shit.” Mayor Bland scowled as he watched Mr. Jones limp away from them with his cane, acknowledging people as he passed them before turning to analyze Ethan and Diamond once more. “He breaks one of my rules and get away with it? It’s only a matter of time before others realize it and think they can do the same, and who am I to punish them if I can’t punish the one who starts the tirade?”

“You have no real strength,” Lyrica smirked, “ and no real supporters anymore, Lucas. Perhaps start gaining them and you could persuade a few to wreck havoc as they please.“

Mayor Bland smirked before glancing over at Lyrica as a thought popped in his head. “Well, you will be the new one taking the lady to her new job, perhaps you have enough strength and support to wreck havoc.”

“You know I’ll do anything for you.” Lyrica smiled, glancing around to make sure everyone was out of earshot. “Plus, he already thinks I’m pregnant, it can hold him over until I’m done with her.” 

Ethan bit his lip nervously as he glanced around the restaurant, he cleared his throat and smiled lightly at Diamond as she returned from the restroom and took her seat just as their dinners were being placed before them by a waitress. Ethan glanced at his steak before looking over at the pasta resting on a plate before his wife, she looked just as beautiful as any other day because she was dressed to the nines and he had made sure to do the same. 

He resisted the urge to tug at his tie and smiled nervously as Diamond leaned forward a little and he caught full glimpse at the smoothness of her ample breast, that sight alone lit a fire in him. He averted his eyes and leaned up to stroke his lip with the picture of his lips brushing her soft skin.

“Y-You look beautiful.” Ethan stammered slightly, immediately beating himself up inside for his tiny mistake. 

“Thank you. You remind me every hour,” Diamond giggled, “I like it.” She smiled, her eyes filling with admiration as she stared at him from across the small round table.

He couldn’t believe he had done something he said he’d never do again, he was truly sitting in the same Charts restaurant that had costed him a fortune the first time he had taken Lyrica, and here he was once more, after he vowed he wouldn’t eat there ever again. Lyrica had really hurt his feelings and the things he fount out the day afterward from Jackson had been the nail in the coffin, he didn’t want anything else to do with her. But she was pregnant, meaning there was nothing that he could do without ever seeing her or their child, he was destined to be a father no matter how his situation turned out. 

“You really do?” Ethan asked in awe, blinking in bewilderment. “Or was that sarcasm?” He continued in question, his eyebrows lowering in doubt. 

“That was honesty, never hurts to remind a girl.” Diamond smiled, winking before taking a bite of her pasta with a moan. “Mmm, this is good, wanna try it?”

“Sure.” Ethan said, opening his mouth and leaning across the table slightly to get closer. 

Diamond fed him off her fork and Ethan nodded in agreement as the flavor of Alfredo sauce assaulted his taste buds with a hint of garlic, he had to admit that even though Charts were expensive, it was definitely good eating for the not so cheap prices. The two conversed lightly and for once, as Ethan sat across from Diamond, he felt like he blended in with the other couples mingling with one another. For once he felt like he mattered, for once he felt like he had a purpose, for once he felt needed and he quietly vowed that he would make sure he did nothing to sabotage what he now had. 

His laughter was from the stomach, his heart thumped lovingly as Diamond giggled at one of his useless jokes that others would simply curl a lip too, and the big smile on his face never seemed to never waiver as the two raised to their feet to dismiss themselves. Ethan paid for the meal happily, and he could easily compare his dinner with Diamond to his dinner with Lyrica, Diamond was undefeated, even at her worst potential. He held the door for Diamond as the two exited the restaurant and came to a stop, standing across from one another. 

“So, guess we should turn it in for a night?” Ethan asked, cocking his head with a sparkle in his eye.

Diamond glanced up at the stars, admiring the way they twinkled and shined above them before meeting Ethan’s eyes again and slowly nodding, she truly had a good time. Ethan offered his elbow and Diamond took it as the two started to walk in the direction of their bungalow, he blinked as the more adult side of him spoke mentally, was tonight finally the night? Of course, all his insecurities quickly followed suit with the generic question, would she like it? Would she be satisfied afterwards? Does she even feel attracted to me enough to lay down with me? 

“You’re thinking too much.” Diamond said, cutting her eyes at him with a smirk. 

“Always.” Ethan muttered back, not daring to meet her eyes. 

“Stop.” Diamond told him before turning her attention forward as they hit the block of their home.

“How can I?” Ethan asked.

“You just have to let the water flow, either you’ll be getting some tonight, or you won’t.” Diamond chuckled and Ethan immediately sputtered, he quickly started to question how she found out what was on his mind. 

“H-How…”

“I just know,” Diamond laughed, “and you’re not denying it either.”

“I won’t lie.” Ethan said but that’s all he said. 

“I hope not.” Diamond chuckled once more as they reached the house. 

Ethan held the door for Diamond once more, who entered and walked to the kitchen with Ethan right on her heels, curious to exactly what she was doing.

“You’re not tired?” Ethan asked, almost insinuating without saying exactly what he wanted.

“Can I not have a glass of wine before bed?” Diamond asked, grabbing the half-drunk bottle of white wine with a smirk, she was prolonging him purposely. 

“O-Of course.” He said, nodding and putting his hands on his hips as he watched her.

“Want a cup?” She offered with a humorous expression. 

“Yeah, sure.” Ethan said, growing closer until he was standing right behind her and watching as she poured him a glass as well. “I normally don’t drin-”

Ethan was cut off swiftly as Diamond turned and shoved him against the counter, making his eyes widen immediately as she rose to her tippy toes and put her lips on his hungrily, now breaking her feeble act. She groaned into his mouth as she took control of the kiss while Ethan was still trying to understand what was happening right before him. He was still unsure of what was happening, this couldn’t be happening, it was too realistic to one of his many wet dreams. She grabbed the front of his button-up and quickly yanked it off of him before ravishing him with her hands as he hardened from her touches, she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

Tonight

was definitely the night.

Chapter Seven

The streets were mostly calm with people occasionally waving at Lyrica as she stood in front of the closed building impatiently, the building behind her was mostly well kept but it was obvious that it hadn’t had any real tender care lately. Lyrica cleared her throat as she corrected her baby blue blouse that proudly showed her nipples, which she hid with a black binder as she waved at the passing crowds that were quickly coming and going. Her eyes frantically searched for the person she was waiting for and at the sight of them, Lyrica smirked eagerly as she raised her head and stared down the approaching figure in disgust. 

Lyrica knew that Diamond would be receiving her task alone, as Ethan was schedule to work today and she knew that because she helped make the schedules. Lyrica reached up and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear to show her dazzling diamond earring that dangled, she held in a snort as Diamond came to a stop in arms length of her. She stared at Diamond for a second, taking in her facial appearance with a sneer until it dawned on her that Diamond was staring back at her with a blank face, obviously unbothered with her glaring. 

Diamond was dressed a simple red top and a pair of black jeans and Lita boots that Ethan happily bought for her, she kindly nodded toward Lyrica before looking at the building before them, she quickly noted that her kind gesture was not returned. The building was in very good condition with clean windows and a soft pink coating of paint to give it a feminine touch, the glass window was centered between the windows and there was a plain floor mat on the ground before the door, as well as light brown classical shingles on the roofing. 

The building was also situated two stores away from the town’s plaza, Diamond wasn’t sure how everything worked in Eldora but she was ready for everything that was going to come her way, including Lyrica. A large cupcake was the centerpiece of the building with soft pink icing very similar to the color of the building.

“Eldora’s Bakery Shoppe.” Diamond read from the store sign.

“You’re new job.” Lyrica said, looking Diamond up an down before cutting her eyes away to walk toward the building so she could unlock the door for her. “You seemed like the perfect person to take over.”

Lyrica placed the uniform key in the keyhole and unlocked the door before stepping inside, she turned the light-switch by the door and flipped it on with a stale cough as light poured into the building. The spacious flooring held a empty double-tier display case and a checkout station in the corner with stacked chairs and tables pushed to the sides so that workers could come and go as they pleased. The walls were a warming, hickory brown and behind the display cause a large elm wood door that slid in both directions, Diamond curiously glanced at the door as she waved her hands to clear the stuffiness building around her. 

“It’s a little rusty, but surely you’ll be fine.” Lyrica said, walking toward the center of the floor and glancing around as Diamond followed suit.

Cobwebs showed that no one had cleaned recently and there was dust growing along the counter tops and tables, it was beautiful place once it’s potential was filled and both Diamond and Lyrica knew so. Diamond immediately started to vision the shop buzzing with energy and the chatter that would come with the business, she could picture families sharing tables and laughing and being happy. That’s what she wanted her shop to hold, happiness and a relaxation found nowhere else. 

“Okay, first things first,” Lyrica spoke, propping the black binder on her hip, “your schedule is Monday through Friday and yours are eight am to six pm, strictly . No if, ands, or buts on that matter and I will not care to hear any excuses on why you don’t show up to work.” 

Diamond slowly nodded, cocking her head slightly as she glanced around the front room once more, Lyrica walked to a nearby table and sat the binder down and opened it. 

“Your seated capacity is thirty but there’s a ten waiting policy, over forty people and I’ll so gladly report you to Mayor Bland. Bi-weekly payments on every Friday and you’re making fifteen an hour to start, every year is a dollar raise and you also will have health benefits in case you’re injured while at work, don’t get injured cause I will not report that. Let’s take a look at the back room, shall we?” Lyrica said, her smile growing menacing as she lifted the black binder and started to the sliding door. 

Lyrica’s offer was met with silence but Diamond followed anyway as she knew this was going to be the pivotal point of their meet, Lyrica was already throwing small stabs in her direction that showed she was careless and distasteful to Diamond immediately. Diamond understood her frustrations and why the anger was at her but she reminded herself that those things didn’t matter. 

Diamond watched as Lyrica balanced the black binder about three inches think on one hand and grabbed the concealed door handle to pull the big door open, the railings immediately croaked and Lyrica frowned while glancing at it. With the door open, Lyrica stepped inside and waited patiently for Diamond before moving the elm door back into place with a cheeky smile that already told Diamond the things she were going to say weren’t going to be pretty. 

“Okay, so if it’s not obvious, this is your main kitchen.” Lyrica huffed, glancing around and Diamond did the same while walking further into the room.

Diamond took in the giant square island table, swiping her finger across the top to check the amount of dust build up before wiping her hands on her pants and looking at six ovens sat in a three-by-two formation. The walls were painted a pearly white instead of the relaxing color as the front room but Diamond was still satisfied because no one else would be seeing it. 

There were no windows in the backroom and the light was much more dimmer with a small luminaire, but it was still bright enough to see around the entire room. In the furthest corner of the backroom was a large freezer that Diamond walked to and opened to peak inside, plain cookie dough was already inside from the previous owner, untouched for too long. Lyrica sat the opened binder on the island and stepped back from it, watching Diamond closely as she peeked around the backroom for a second.

“Every week you’ll get a catalog only for this shop, anything ordered outside for the shop will need to be authorized with mine or Mayor Bland’s signature, and because you’ve seemed to pick a bad bone… well, you get the gist of what I’m saying.” Lyrica didn’t finish before glancing around and coming to across from Diamond near the tall island counter. “This should be an easy job for you, you come and bake for the day and sell everything, then go home. I wouldn’t fuck it up if I were you, can’t promise Mayor Bland wouldn’t be disappointed… well, he’s already is, actually.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Diamond spoke, staring directly at Lyrica. 

“You broke one of his rules.” Lyrica said, smirking. “It’s pretty simple, impure couples are prohibited.”

“That’s a bad rule.” Diamond said. “What makes us impure? Cause we’re different?”

“What doesn’t make you impure? You’re not meant for him in this world, mixed breeding alters the blood within.”

“How can someone like you be okay with this?” Diamond asked, staring at Lyrica in disbelief.

“Because he’s mine, and he’s always been mine.” Lyrica said. “Someone like you don’t deserve him, you don’t know how to make him happy.” 

“Is that what you really think?” Diamond asked, cocking her head with a disbelief chuckle. “He seemed rather happy with me after last night.”

Lyrica’s face expression seemed to temporarily melt as she stared at Diamond in shock, she didn’t want to believe that Ethan had slept with Diamond but the evidence was the hickey on Diamond’s neck, the one that would of been covered

if

she was still wore her shock necklace. Lyrica’s eyes snapped fire as her fist balled and she stepped back to regroup her anger, she knew that fighting was not the answer but she had to find a way to win this war she created. She couldn’t believe Ethan had trusted this stranger to take the collar off and let her roam as she please, she was angry.

“Mayor Bland wants the shop ready by Monday, have fun running this shit-show by yourself, I hope you catch hell.” Lyrica growled before stomping to the sliding door and dismissing herself. 

Sighing, Diamond circled to the side that Lyrica was once on and looked at the open black binder that homed all the information that she was going to need to keep her shop afloat, she turned to the catalog and rested her arms on the island counter before staring it over. 

“What a dingo…” Diamond muttered to herself before flipping to the second sheet of the catalog.

She skimmed the second page and frowned at the order sheet, she had expected something simple as her first job in Eldora but she knew there wasn’t much room for her to be picky, she was on everyone’s bad side. Sighing, Diamond stepped from the island counter and walked back to the shop front to start cleaning up the cobwebs and dust that managed to settle as the weeks went by. She coughed and fanned her face as the dust rose in the air, she cleared her throat and gagged at the smell of spoiled trash that had sat since the last person had entered the building.

She was utterly disgusted but knew there was nothing she could do about it, she bagged all the trash and washed the walls quickly before moving to the stacked furniture to clean it next. She multitasked with mopping the floors, wiping and replacing the tables and chairs, as well as cleaning the counter and windows. With the layout finished, she didn’t hold back a yawn as she glanced to the unshaded window to see the ominous sight outside, dark purplish clouds with blue lightening striking around was slowly crawling over the whole town. 

The dark clouds slowly shaded out the bright sun and easily allowed people to predict the heavy storm that was coming. She moved a little closer to the window and glanced higher to the sky to see that the clouds were rolling in from each direction and they were very thick. She knew of the heavy rain coming from the warning Ethan had given her, she reached up and used her forearm to wipe a little sweat at her temple before turning back to finish her cleaning. She walked to the lift hatch and entered before closing it behind her and touching the black marble counter of the checkout register, she rubbed her hands over it and smiled at how shiny it was. 

Diamond flinched from the sudden roar of thunder, she looked to the unshaded window once more to find it pouring heavily outside, she frowned as she realized she didn’t ring an umbrella or anything else to shield her from the rain. She was sure that Ethan would come after work to help her get home because she still wasn’t sure how to get around Eldora just yet. Sighing once more, Diamond went back to mopping behind the counter. There was so much for her to do, and she was going to have to stretch the previous cookie dough in the hopes it would last until she could get all the things she ordered. Excitement filled her gut as she realized that she would be the owner of her own shop, and she didn’t have to lift a finger to get it. 

Perhaps, Eldora won’t be so bad after all.

Chapter Seven (B)

The soft pitter-patter smacked the concrete path in front of his opened garage as Ethan glanced around the street, most people were driving around in cars or walking with their umbrellas shielding them from the rain. It reminded him of an opening scene to a mystery movie with the rain heavily falling and the sky roaring above to show a gloomy atmosphere. He buried his hands in his pocket and leaned against the threshold of the garage, staring out while taking a deep breath to calm himself. His gust of air came out as a white cloud while he shifted his coat farther onto his shoulders and rolled his neck to release the tension in the muscles of his collar bone before gulping and looking up the street once more. 

His mind was in many different places, he couldn’t help but think of his problems as he waited for an arrival. His life had never been so complicated before as he asked many questions and answered them himself, does he progress on with Diamond? Of course, you’re the reason she’s here. Does he give Lyrica an explanation to make her understand his faults with the hope they come out as friends for the sake of their child? Why not? Does he live his life where it’s at and allow it to unfold one step at a time? The more he thought about things, the more confused he became about his life goals that he thought he’d easily accomplish. 

Ethan pulled himself to his full height professionally and licked his suddenly dry lips while a silver 2009 Pontiac G6 GT pulled up to a stop with it’s windshield wipers in full force to keep the heavy pitter-pattering rain at bay and out of their sight. The passenger side of the Pontiac opened and out stepped a burly man with a hat to keep the rain out of his face, the man stood a good five-nine with broad shoulders and lanky arms and legs, he was someone that appeared monstrous until they stepped onto you. 

The man wore a baseball cap that was a little worn on the bill with a very snug windbreaker jacket and khaki pants that loosely fit his thighs and legs. Ethan kindly held his hand out for shaking as the man looked up and took his hand in a polite way.

“Mr. Michaels, your car is ready.” Ethan said, leading the way to the dark orange 2013 Tacoma TRD Pro taking up the space of his one-car mechanic garage.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Biltmore.” Daniel Michaels said, looking at his car with a since of pride. “A hundred and ninety, right?”

Ethan glanced to the truck as he felt like his day went pretty well, the work wasn’t real labor and he wasn’t to keen on taking unnecessary money. Mr. Michaels reached into his jacket and pulled out his brown leather wallet before opening it and pausing as he waited for Ethan to name an amount.

“Hundred is fine.” Ethan said, glancing around his garage to see what all he had to clean before he shut for the day.

“Wait… one hundred dollars?” Mr. Michaels asked, looking at Ethan with disbelief. “I thought the original price for anything is one-hundred and ninety dollars.”

“If you want it to be.” Ethan said, raising an eyebrow as Mr. Michaels gave a silent chuckle.

“Thank you again, Mr. Biltmore.” Mr. Michaels said, handing him a crispy hundred dollar bill. “At first I thought the rumors were true, ya know, but I know deep down you’re a good man and you’re one of the great citizens.”

Ethan paused as he went to place the hundred dollars away into his pocket, he cocked his head in confusion as he looked at Mr. Michaels with a frown of confusion. He turned to see the old man climb into his truck and touch the steering wheel for the first time in months, he moved toward the passenger side as Mr. Michaels started the truck and they both listened to it roar to life. The window was then rolled down so that Ethan could say a couple of more choices of words.

“Rumors?” Ethan asked, completing his action by shoving the crispy hundred in his blue jeans pocket and crossing his arms over his broad chest.

“Yeah.” Mr. Michaels said, gripping the steering wheel while checking all of his gauges. “Everyone was saying you got a new wife, and that’s fine, we all settle one day. However, we all know impure couples are out of regulation, you’re too good of a man to turn your back to rules. It’s the reason we’re here, because we’re good people.”

“Who dictates we’re good people?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. “Other people, or God?”

“No one, I believe.” Mr. Michaels spoke truthfully, glancing at Ethan before shrugging. “ We’re as good as we see ourselves. However, if one good person break a rule, Mr. Biltmore, Eldora would crumble.“

“It hasn’t yet.” Ethan responded, shrugging as he took a step away from the truck while Mr. Michaels sighed and nodded. “No one has ended up dead, or even hurt.”

“Oh, but people are hurting, Mr. Biltmore.” Mr. Michaels said.

“And who would that be?”

“Well, for start, Lyrica came to my wife for a session and was telling about how you broke one of the rules Mayor Bland strictly prohibited. I can’t see you doing something like that, I know you. You’ve been in Eldora for a while, we all know each other.”

“What makes you think you know me?” Ethan asked cockily, raising an eyebrow.

Mr. Michaels remained silent with the exception of a quiet chuckle.

“You have a good day, Mr. Michaels.” Ethan said, dismissing their conversation while turning his back to Mr. Michaels to show he was done.

Ethan then heard the truck exit his garage before he worked to clean his garage until it was back to it’s previous setting, the way it was before he arrived and started adding last touches to the truck the way it. He properly stored his tools away and mopped the open space before sliding on his duffle bag while grabbing his umbrella, the rain wasn’t letting up and it was growing heavier with passing time. Ethan pulled his umbrella open as he stepped into the rain before closing the garage door with the attached keypad, as the door closed, he turned and walked across the clear, empty street as the sight of people started to lessen with flying minutes. 

On the correct side, he walked past Dot, an old antique shop filled with furniture and such for home decorations, and looked at the building that had a flipped closed/open sign hanging on its door. However the lights were on and Ethan was able to see that the front room of the shop was completely empty but every inch was very clean, making it unbelievably spotless and look brand new from the new touches added. 

A sly smile came to his face as he grabbed the handle of the glass door and pushed it open, the soft bell over his head gave up his entrance as he looked around at the organized tables and the cash register drawer open. Diamond frowned at the sound of the bell going off as she sat her mop against the wall and wiped her hands on her pants, she turned the corner of the large brown wooden door and a smile came to her face as Ethan stood looking around front room.

“You like it?” She asked, reaching to push a strand of hair out of her face sheepishly.

“It looks good, nice and clean.” Ethan commented, smiling as he moved closer to Diamond and pushed a strand of hair out of her face for her. “I never thought I’d see this place so spotless ever again.”

His now umbrella dripped water onto the floor but Diamond cared less as she stared at him with a face of bewilderment, for him to do such a drastic touch made her heart leap but it also worried her. She couldn’t help but look him up and down while thinking of how handsome he was in his attire of snug blue jeans that sat nicely on his waist instead of sagging, and his plain white t-shirt had not a smug on it as he stood before her with the shirt clutching all the right areas of his pecs and buffy upper arms.

Diamond glanced up at Ethan before quickly cutting her eyes to another direction. “Um… there’s a large kitchen in the back, it took a little longer to clean but it’s all spotless now.” She nervously giggled, biting her lip as she glanced at him once more.

“Let’s see it.” Ethan said, carefully moving past her and walking to the solid, wooden door.

He walked inside while glancing back to see Diamond following him, she entered after him and put her hands on her hip while glancing around, the room was completely clear of dust and cobwebs from the places in her reach. She had pushed the wheeling five-tier shelf against the wall beside the six ovens that were all cleaned and had shining metal, Ethan was very impressed as he looked at the layout while nodding his head to show his interest.

“It’s big.” Diamond said, and Ethan nodded to show that he agreed. “I don’t think I’ll be using it though, I don’t plan to have a lot of people coming.”

“Ha, I’m sure this place will be packed on the first day, definitely once word gets around about how good everything is.” Ethan said, walking to the clean square kitchen island. “Everyone loves trying new thing, they’ll want to know what your shop offers and how everything tastes. Then it’ll spread like a wildfire in a dry forest, everyone will come see for themselves.”

Diamond smiled, feeling a little better that Ethan had relaxed her nerves with the information, if what he said was true then everyone would come to see what the huge fuss is about. Business would be booming and she’d hope so because she’d be embarrassed if things went the way Lyrica was hoping. She reached up and rubbed her forehead with a sigh at the reminder of how Lyrica was sabotaging her, realizing that Diamond was slowly self-destructing, Ethan looked at her in concern.

“You worry too much.” Ethan said gently, walking up and pulling her into his chest.

Diamond could smell the faint scent of his cologne and felt her heart jump in her chest as she tried to think of what to do, she felt so warm and loved being held by him but part of her wanted to ask him the questions that ranked her mind constantly. Did last night matter? Was there really something between them? Would there ever be anything between them? Will Ethan ever go back to Lyrica if she doesn’t give him what he wants?

“Stop.” Ethan said, making Diamond look up at him questionably.

“You’re worrying again.” She gave him a small smile as Ethan reached up and gently pushed another strand of curly hair out of her face.

“Thank you.” Diamond said, reaching up to grab his hand and clutch it tightly. “You’re a very sweet person.”

Ethan shrugged. “I try.” He chuckled before turning and leading her back toward the front room by her hand. “Ready?”

“Yea, I believe so.” Diamond smiled while taking a sweeping look around. “I was thinking of a banner to put up, if you’re not to busy…”

“I’m never too busy when my wife needs my help.” Ethan replied, reaching over and pulling Diamond close to him.

Diamond bit her lip as she leaned into his warmth then slowly smiled at the thought of him catering to her, it made her feel bubbly inside as she glanced back up into his face to see him staring down at her with a sparkle in his eye. He smiled and she couldn’t resist looking at his kissable lips with desire.

“Okay, thank you, Ethan.” She whispered, looking him in the eyes while hoping he’d get the hint.

Ethan pulled her tighter against him and licked his lips before leaning down and lightly pecking.

“Anytime.” He chuckled. “We should get home, the storm is suppose to get worse by seven.”

“Yeah, we should.” Diamond said, smiling lightly before biting her lip and nervously.

Her mind was racing and while she knew Ethan could sense the tension, she didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable. She knew Ethan had asked for her and actually had the intention so being with her but for how long? What if her job got in the way of their relationship? What if his job did? Would it be possible for her to love him more than she liked him already? She reached up and gently touched the cold sore starting to form on her bottom lip, while not painful, she found it uncomfortable. Ethan looked to see her touching her lip and reached down to grab her hand while shaking his head, a small smirk on the side of his lips.

“Don’t touch it, it’ll get infected.” Ethan instructed.

Diamond squinted her eyes curiously. “How do you know anything about lip sores?”

“Cause I got a few before.” Ethan shrugged while leading her toward the door. “Plus, you just got done cleaning with bleach, it might burn.”

“True…” Diamond trailed, following him to the door as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her ring of keys.

Only two keys were present on the keychain hoop and both were keys that allowed Diamond to unlock and lock the building’s main door, she smiled at Ethan as he held the door for her before stepping aside and watching as she locked it. Finished, Diamond turned and smiled at Ethan, her eyes seemed to sparkle on their own and it was something Ethan quickly noticed, giving him goosebumps. The two them walked side by side as Diamond toyed with the keychain hoop, spinning the keys in a circle as she would occasionally glance Ethan’s way, wanting to make small conversation but not sure how.

“You like the shop so far?” Ethan asked, reaching up and nervously scratching his head that was full of smooth but tight curls.

“Yeah, it’s coming along better than I expected, the back door got stuck but I think if I put a little oil on it, it’ll help. I think.” Diamond said, glancing over at Ethan to observe his reaction.

She felt her heart flutter in her chest as he smiled. “I can do that for you.” He said, looking over at her while his smile widened.

“Oh, you can?” She asked in a playful tone as she smiled at him, he gave her butterflies. 

         

           

Diamond sat down the paint stick and glanced at the banner on the coffee table before smiling, she had finished nearly everything for the shop and with her eyes heavy, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to stay up any longer. Ethan stood to his feet with a yawn as he cracked his neck once more and looked at Diamond, who smiled sleepily at him. He walked to her and pulled her in his arms as they stood in the center of the living room, he smile down at her after licking his dry lips that Diamond hungrily stared at.

“Ready for bed?” He asked while already knowing the answer. 

“Yes.” Diamond moaned. “I’ll lock up the house, get ready.” She hinted, patting his chest lightly.

“I’ll be waiting on you, beautiful.” Ethan vowed before stepping away after pecking Diamond on the lips. 

Diamond smiled and watched as Ethan walked up the steps before walking to the front door and locking it, she felt her butterflies increase at the thought of Ethan laying with her tonight, she was very eager. Walking to the back door, she heard a light bang and froze in place with her eyes wide while glancing around the hallway. A gentle knock could be heard, Diamond stayed frozen in place as the knock resounded off the walls once more. She was confused on why someone was outside with the storm and with her kind heart, she opened the back door to peek outside. She gasped as the person fell inside the house with a heavy groan, she stepped back with a shout that immediately caused Ethan to hurry down the steps to see what was going on. 

“Step back.” Ethan ordered, protectively shielding Diamond from the stranger.

The two looked on as the person groaned while clutching it’s shoulder, the person’s sex was hard to tell because they wore camouflage clothing with dark coloring on their face, their eyes were a crystal blue as they panted white puffs. The slightest movement kept Ethan on his toes as he stared at the person with a look of bewilderment.

“What should we do?” Diamond asked, looking at Ethan for an answer.

“Call the police.” Ethan told her.

“N-No, please don’t.” A feminine voice moaned from the person, making Diamond pause as she looked at the person in shock. “They’ll kill me.”

“Why?” Ethan asked the person, glaring at them now as he watched the injured person closely.

“Because I’m from the outside.” The feminine voice spoke up immediately. 

“Outside of what?” Diamond asked from behind Ethan, still confused as Ethan eyes went blank with realization.

“Outside of Eldora.”

Chapter Seven (C)

“Who shot you?” Ethan asked as he stood beside Diamond incase the unknown woman would try anything to hurt his wife. 

The person was no taller than five-five, her eyes searched around her quickly as she sat on their sofa in a white beater and her camouflage pants. She was breathing heavily as Diamond did her best to work on slowing the bleeding, the woman was moaning in pain continuously as Ethan questioned her. He wiped his face with agitation before fisting his hair and sitting across from the two women, he was confused but it seemed like at the same time, Ethan understood. 

“Guard on the wall, the bastard didn’t even hesitate.” The woman gritted out as she clutched the arm of the sofa tightly in pain.

“Wall?” Ethan asked, making the woman stare at him with cold eyes.

“Yes, the damn wall, idiot.” The woman gritted next and Diamond glared at her before pressing on the wound harder.

“That idiot is my husband.” Diamond reminded her.

“Right…” The woman huffed. “The wall that separates you guys, from us.”

“Us?” Diamond asked next, looking at her curiously. “There’s more people with you?”

“An entire community,” The woman moaned in pain, “Eldora isn’t a real place, you guys are social experiments.”

“Social experiments.” Ethan mocked, shaking his head. 

“It’s true, the outside world was cut off from you guys and you’re just guinea pigs to them.” The woman continued, making Ethan only shake his head more.

“So, you’ve managed to sneak past a wall and-”

“Getting shot on the way.” The woman reminded him with a whine as Diamond poured a little alcohol on it. “It’ll hold until I can get home.”

“Home?” Diamond asked, blinking in confusion.

“You guys really don’t know do you?” The woman said, chuckling in disbelief.

“How about you tell us then.” Diamond said. 

“Can I eat first?” She asked pleadingly, glancing between Ethan and Diamond.

Ethan stared at the stranger with an uneasy expression as he slowly nodded and walked to the kitchen to make her a sandwich, Diamond helped the woman to her feet and quickly caught her as she stammered. Just as Ethan entered the kitchen, a hard abrupt knocking caused everyone to go completely still with horror. Diamond blinked a few times before looking over at Ethan as he gestured for them to go upstairs, he gulped as he watched the two shuffle up the stairs with the woman groaning from the movements. With the two out of sight, Ethan took a deep breath and swung the door open with fake agitation. His eyes went blank at the sight of the sheriff but the sheriff wasn’t alone, behind him stood four men in the bulkiest armor Ethan ever saw, and with Mr. Jones lingering in the distance, Ethan look at the sheriff with a questioning look. 

“Mr. Baltimore.” The sheriff spoke, tipping his hat respectfully. “I apologize to come at such a late time but the matter is urgent.”

“What’s going on?” Ethan asked, feeling his stomach settle in fear as he looked between everyone outside his door, noticing Mr. Jones walking closer as he held a device in his hand.

“We got a complaint.” Mr. Jones spoke, his eyes never wavering from Ethan’s as he lied. 

“About?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow as he knew that was definitely a lie.

“Your neighbor complained about someone snooping in the night.” Mr. Jones continued, his eyes looking pass the bulky man standing for them as the sheriff watched Ethan just as closely. “We just wanted to know if you knew anything.”

“I didn’t hear anything.” Ethan said, looking at the larger men behind the two.

They were standing tall and silently as they waited for instructions, it was something Ethan never saw around Eldora before so he knew something was amiss and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

“Who are they?” Ethan asked in return. “Never saw a guard around.”

“Who said they were guards?” Sheriff Ryan Smith spoke up with a twitch in his eye, he was becoming annoyed.

“Who wouldn’t say they’re guards?” Ethan retorted smartly, glaring at the sheriff. 

“We’ll be taking a our departure.” Mr. Jones spoke, tapping the sheriff before walking away.

Ethan nodded slowly and watched as the guards turned without a single word and followed the two that were quietly muttering to each other. Ethan shut the door and collapsed against in as his heart thumped heavily in his chest, perhaps what the stranger had said was true, there was something going on that no one was talking about. Ethan locked the door and quickly rushed up the steps to address the situation, he entered their bedroom to see the woman sitting on it with Diamond sitting beside her. 

“That was the sheriff.” Ethan growled, running his hands through his hair as a bad feeling settled in his chest. “He had guards with him.”

“Told you.” The woman huffed, clutching her shoulder. “They don’t want you guys to find out.”

“What’s really going on?” Diamond asked, rising to her feet and walking to their joint bathroom before walking back out with a towel. “What are they hiding?”

“The outside.” Ethan and the woman answered in unison. 

“But what about the outside? They can’t just cut a city from the rest of the world.” Diamond snapped, shaking in head in agitation.

“Well, they did. They try to tell us that the city would be a social experiment to calculation worldly order, how could someone conquer the world on his own? They called it the Hitlerian Effect , they put a dominate figure in a powerful position, and see how the power is abused and also re-created.” The woman said, taking the towel Diamond offered to her.

“So all this is done for one person?” Diamond asked. 

“It’s not just a social experiment on your mayor, it’s a social experiment on all of you. You’re selected with bias and if you’re favored, you’re put into the cesspool and your memory is wiped, that’s why you won’t know about the outside world once you’re in. You’re just test subjects.” The woman explained. “The outside world knows all about you all, but you guys will never know about us.”

“Why did they do it? Fuck the Hitlerian Effect , you’re spewing bullshit.” Diamond said angrily as Ethan stood by the door in silence, his mind was running miles around the things the strange woman was saying.

“There’s nothing wrong with the outside world, it’s the same USA it’s been all these years.” The woman said, rising to her feet carefully. “They all have their own reason to put you in a social bubble, but the reasons aren’t true. The world is as lively as it’s ever been, considering the profit this social experiment is generating. They’re always watching, there are cameras everywhere and we vote what happens to a few of you throughout the year. You’re guinea pigs to us, but this isn’t how you have to live. On the outside, there are no rules and we live freely with our privacy and honor. Plus, that night you two had was pretty… spicy .” The woman chuckled as Diamond stared at her with an agape expression.

Ethan groaned as he pulled Diamond into his arms and held her tightly, he was terrified for them because he knew it was only a matter of time before the sheriff or Mr. Jones returned and he didn’t want to put his wife in harms way. Diamond held him just as tightly, her faced buried in his broad chest as he thought about what his next move was, if what the woman was saying was true, he could relive his life. Ethan knew that Eldora wasn’t real, whether a social experiment or not, he knew that he always felt off by the way others lived their lives. This was the chance he could have, and the chance he could take. 

“You can’t stay here.” Ethan told the woman, knowing it was for the best of his own wife. “If they return and find you here-”

“I understand.” The woman moaned in pain. “This can hold me over until I get back to the outside and get help at a nearby hospital just beyond the wall. Come with me, I can sneak you out.”

“And leave my wife?” Ethan stared at the woman in disbelief, clutching to Diamond now as the thought of leaving her made his heart crack. 

“I’ll bring you back to get her, it’ll only be a two days if we’re fast about it.” The woman said, looking at Diamond questionably. “We can leave tonight and come back to get her whenever you’re ready.”

“I need to make sure this is what is best for us while it’s still an option.” Ethan told Diamond as he held her.

“I know.” Diamond replied softly, sad that Ethan would be leaving her by herself. 

The two separated as Ethan sighed heavily before looked to the stranger and nodded, the stranger smiled and nodded back before groaning as she clutched her gunshot wound closer, Ethan was terrified. The stranger rose to her feet and readied herself as Ethan had done the same quickly, it was now three in the morning and the sun would soon rise in two more hours, they needed to move quickly. Diamond gave Ethan a greedy kiss as she clutched onto him while the stranger patiently waited by the back door with her gear on once more. 

Diamond hesitantly released her grip on Ethan’s shirt and stood silently to watch the two disappear into the darkness as she lightly prayed for Ethan’s safe return to her. Ethan wore all black to blend into the darkness as they went from alley to alley, his heart thumped heavily in his chest as he constantly thought about turning and running back home to be in his lovers arms. He was nervous but he knew that this was what he had to do, he wasn’t on his own anymore and he had to think about his wife first. 

Ethan took a heavy breath to calm his nerves before looking over at the woman as she rushed down another alley, he quickly followed her until he realized that shew as going to the outskirts of the town. He knew that the entire town was surrounded by forest because every single map of Eldora looked the exact same, there was forest and then it was blank. Ethan looked at the woman in question as she turned to look behind her, causing them to make eye contact.

“If you’re too afraid, you can turn back.” She reminded him for the last time. “After we hit the forest, the guards will be on high alert… you can still go back to your fake life without consequence.”

Ethan remained silent for a moment before walking pass the woman and entering the forest himself, the woman smiled at his courage before following behind him as they ducked behind bushes and followed an off-trail path that the woman knew skillfully. Ethan posted himself against a tree as he heard footsteps and glanced over to where the woman was last standing to see her gone, he felt his panic rise as he heard the footsteps growing closer but they luckily went the opposite way.

He then took off running, spotting the woman hurdling over a bush as she blended in with the landscape. It was pure luck that he saw her and just as he moved to meet up with her by the same bush, he heard a shout and went still as a bright light flashed on the woman. The woman cursed loudly just as more guards closed in on her, Ethan didn’t know what to do and in shock, he backed away until he nearly trampled somebody standing behind him. The commotion had only drew attention as Ethan fell to the ground and was quickly pinned down by one of the large guards that was wearing the bulky armor, he quickly started to struggle with the bulky man.

“What a shame, Mr. Baltimore.” Ethan went still at the sound of Mr. Jones voice. “Such disappointment, take them to headquarters.”

Ethan looked up just as Mr. Jones shook his head with disdain before lifting his cane and striking Ethan swiftly across the face, knocking him unconscious just as the woman shouted angrily and was quickly struck with the boot of the sheriff, knocking her unconscious as well.

Chapter Eight

“Wake up.” The voice ordered as cold water drenched Ethan, causing him to flare in shock as he sat strapped to a chair with a cold, steel table before him.

He looked around with panic to see that he was in an interrogation room, clean concrete walls circled him with a steel table in the center of the cold room, he shivered as he took in the television screen before from the table. Beside him sat the woman that was still unconscious, he shivered even harder as the giant metal door opened and in walked Mr. Jones with a strut that Ethan never saw him with before. Ethan was confused as Mr. Jones didn’t even look his way but simply walked around the table with a device in his hand, it was the same device he held earlier. Ethan watched closely as Mr. Jones pushed a bottom and a loud beeping filled the air as he walked closer to the woman but his eyes finally landed on Ethan’s with a look of anger. 

“You were housing a fugitive.” Mr. Jones finally spoke. “You even tried to hide it.” The snort of humor Mr. Jones released made Ethan angry.

“You were tracking her.” Ethan said, finally looking back at Mr. Jones.

“We track everything we shoot, definitely from the outside.” Mr. Jones informed him. “Like her kind, they’re not meant to be in Eldora for a reason.”

“Why, because she didn’t favor?” Ethan growled angrily, growing more agitated as he pulled on his restraints.

“No, because she didn’t sign her waiver to enter.” Mr. Jones responded, walking behind Ethan as he slacked at Mr. Jones explanation. 

Ethan was confused as he felt the restraints on his wrist weaken and he moved his hands to the front of him to rub at his wrist, he didn’t understand what Mr. Jones was trying to tell him. That couldn’t be true, the woman said they were specifically picked. Ethan watched closely as the older man rounded the table and took a seat across from him and the unconscious stranger. 

“Everyone got a waiver, for instance, here is yours.” Mr. Jones said, setting a slip of paper before him.

Ethan grabbed the paper and looked at it in confusion as he skimmed it before looking at his signature at the bottom of the sheet, it was definitely his signature, his eyes locked onto the scribble on the line as he tried to remember when he sighed a waiver. 

“I-I don’t remember-” Ethan started.

“I know, no one does.” Mr. Jones replied. “I don’t know what she told you, Mr. Baltimore, but it was lies.”

“Then how about you tell me the truth.” Ethan glared. “Is this some sick experiment you guys are just making money off of?”

“If we were making compensation, please believe that Eldora wouldn’t have such a retro build to it.” Mr. Jones countered. “No one makes compensation but the workers of Eldora that bust their ass to earn money, our guards get paid as well but that’s here nor there.”

“Tell me everything.” Ethan said, blinking owlishly. “Tell me the truth.”

“If the truth is what you want, Mr. Baltimore, it’s what I’ll give you.” Mr. Jones promised before grabbing a file that Ethan had realized Mr. Jones had. “In 3028, a tsunami-sized nuclear explosion desolated the world that you knew, a dystopia is what we call it now. It’s an entire wasteland beyond the wall and survival is all that those psychotics know, they’ve even turned to cannibalism to survive because food is completely scarce. The sky only rains acid and the lands are too toxic to grow anything, there is no survival outside the wall, Mr. Baltimore. The explosion wiped more than half of the population, leveling massive buildings and only leaving a wasteland in it’s path-”

“Don’t listen to him, he’s a liar.” The woman moaned groggily, cutting Mr. Jones off.

“Tell him the truth, Malena.” Mr. Jones spoke. “You’d know, wouldn’t you? You used to be a citizen yourself. Ha, Malena Michaels, ex-wife of Daniel Michaels and mother of Daniel Michaels Jr, what mother leaves her own child?”

“A mother that wants to survive.” Malena replied with a growl. “This is a hellhole-”

“No, outside the wall is a hellhole and you know it, you weren’t going to do anything but lead Mr. Baltimore to his death, admit it!” Mr. Jones shouted angrily, spittle flying as he yelled.

“I wouldn’t had let no harm come his way-”

“You lie, I’ve seen what your group do-”

“Not all of us are monsters!” Malena yelled back, coughing and groaning in pain as she clutched her shoulder.

“Then what are you?” Ethan asked, coming to the sad realization that Malena, the outsider, had been leading him to a sure death.

The room went quiet as Malena ignored Ethan’s question and Mr. Jones had turned away from the pair, as tension settled over everyone and it was as if an elephant was suffocating Ethan as he averted his eyes in irritation. 

“I wouldn’t had let anything happen to you.” Malena pleaded to Ethan. “I swear.”

“You’re not a leader to swear someone protection anymore.” Mr. Jones replied. “Your group is dead.”

“What?” Malena said in disbelief.

“A guard dispatched and upon the Upper word, killed them all as they waited for you by the wall.”

Malena stared at the table in disbelief as she realized everyone she knew had been killed. “You sick bastards!”

“We’re tired of you preying on our people, and this one hit home.” Mr. Jones replied, gesturing to Ethan. 

“Who am I?” Ethan asked, cutting Malena off. “Before all of this, who was I?”

Mr. Jones started at Ethan for a moment before turning his attention away and walking to a window Ethan hadn’t realized was there until now, Mr. Jones moved the curtain and Ethan turned his head to shield his eyes from the scorching sun.

“A marine.” Mr. Jones said, causing Ethan to look at him in shock. “Your father wasn’t in your life and your mother died when you were two years into service, you dedicated your life to fighting for the country. On your spare time, you would tinker with your fathers old cars that he left behind, it was I who chose you to become the mechanic of Eldora. Your wife, it was how you were fitted with Diamond, you always had a resistance about you and I knew you would be the perfect one for her. I might had broke a rule or two, but I’ve more power than him, so I do what I want.”

“So, in a sense, it was a social experiment.” Ethan said.

“See it however you want,” Mr. Jones shrugged, taking his seat once more, “How many can say they’d rather be out there than in here?”

“Who had a choice?” Malena snapped.

“You did.” Mr. Jones reminded her. “You left and you knew that once you left, you couldn’t come back.”

“I don’t have anything left, you took that from me.” Malena asked with an angry glare.

“Why did you leave?” Ethan asked, looking over at Malena while trying to see if he remembered her. 

“They married me to that fat bastard, fucking sicko.” Malena growled, spitting on the floor as a sign of disrespect to the corporation. “He didn’t do shit but humiliate me, forcing me to bed him every night. You fuckers knew what he was doing to me, and you let him.”

Ethan looked at Mr. Jones for an answer but didn’t receive one as Mr. Jones simply stared back at him, ignoring Malena’s bickering as she ranted on, and Ethan ignored her as well as Mr. Jones sat up to stare him down once more. 

“You were willing to sacrifice everything… for what?” Mr. Jones asked, cocking his head in question.

“My wife.” Ethan replied without hesitation.

“You love your wife.” Mr. Jones stated, it wasn’t a question. 

“More than I realized.” Ethan answered anyway.

“And yet you let someone sacrifice what you have with her.” Mr. Jones said as he turned to the television and turned it on. “For a wasteland.”

Ethan’s eyes widened as he stared at the television in complete and utter devastation. 

       

        

Diamond rubbed her hands on her pants as she looked at the banner that she had hung up right by the entrance of the shop, the smell of lavender relaxed her as she worked on making sure it dispersed properly. The shop was nearly ready, she had worked on cleaning everything Saturday and with today being Sunday, the grand opening was tomorrow. She took a heavy breath to relax her nerves as she thought about Ethan, she was terrified that he had forgotten about her or maybe he was hurt. Her thoughts went out of her head as she heard the bell above the shop’s door ring, meaning someone had entered.

“We’re still closed.” Diamond called as she turned around to address the person as she stood behind the counter.

“I know, I’m Sheriff Smith.” Diamond stared at the sheriff as he glanced around while removing his hat from atop of his head. “I just came to ask you a few questions regarding your husband.”

“My husband? Is everything okay?” Diamond asked, trying her hardest to not go off the deep end, considering he hadn’t asked a question yet.

“How about we step aside.” The sheriff spoke instead of answering.

Diamond slowly nodded while looking at the sheriff with uncertainty but did what he asked nonetheless, she led him to the door and pulled it open before entering first as the sheriff turned around and slammed the door heavily. Diamond walked to one side of the island table and the sheriff glanced around while walking around suspiciously, his eyes went to Diamond, causing Diamond to stiffen as she stared at him with an uneasy expression, she didn’t trust him. The sheriff had a swimmer-builder’s physic with glittering green eyes as he had a predatorial look on his face, his hair was chestnut brown and cut in a choppy fashion, he gave Diamond uneasy vibes with just one look.

“What’s wrong with my husband?” Diamond asked, watching his every move.

“When is the last time you saw him?” Sheriff Smith asked, walking to the side Diamond was one while never making eye contact with her as he eyed their surroundings closely.

Diamond pursed her lips and leaned against the island. “Last night before bed.” She lied, not meeting his eyes as he paused a few feet away from where she was standing. “He was gone before I woke, as usual.”

“He didn’t report for work.” The sheriff continued, making Diamond mentally curse as she thought about it, they hadn’t thought anything through. “Do you know where he went?”

“No.” Diamond said, looking at the sheriff while praying he didn’t see though her lies.

“I was excited to find out this place was reopening.” The sheriff continued, taking a closer step. “I always enjoyed Ms. Susie’s  crème cake recipe.”

“I didn’t see that in the recipe book she left.” Diamond said, cocking her head as the sheriff chuckled.

“Because it wasn’t something she cooked.” The sheriff said with a simple wink to indicate what he meant.

Diamond’s face heated at the realization of Sheriff Smith’s meaning, she turned her head in embarrassment of not realizing what he meant sooner as the sheriff laughed at her expression, he was flirting. Diamond watched him closer now as she realized his real intentions, he was dangerous to be around alone and now she knew this. 

“Maybe I can get taste of yours, one day.” The sheriff smirked while glancing Diamond up and down before tipping his hat and dismissing himself.

Diamond stared after him as she wished Ethan was here, she shouldn’t had told him to go, she should of changed his mind and sent the stranger with the others so that Ethan wouldn’t get in trouble if he was found. She missed him so much and now that he wasn’t here, she wasn’t sure who she’d fall victim to first, her own thoughts or the sexual desires of the sheriff. He needed to return soon or she’d be in a very bad position, and she didn’t want the sheriff nowhere near her because it wasn’t safe. Diamond took a calming breath as she walked from the backroom and went back to cleaning. 

      

        

Mr. Jones shook his head as he stared at Ethan and a very silent Malena, her mind was running miles as she thought of ways to escape but she kept coming back empty-handed. She looked at the handcuffs that were left on her with agitation, she had to get out of those first before she attacked Mr. Jones. Her thoughts were ended as a sharp pain slit her throat and Ethan’s eyes stared at Mr. Jones in disbelief as he looked at Malena silently, the only sound was her gurgling on her blood. Ethan was terrified as he looked back at Malena as she struggled on her last breath before slumping as she succumbed to her throat being slit open. Mr. Jones looked down at the knife in his hand with disdain as he cut his eyes to Ethan, letting Ethan know what had to happen next.

“You know too much.” Mr. Jones explained as he took a step to Ethan and Ethan worked on trying to stay calm and move with purpose when the time was right. “We can’t return you to Eldora. I’m sorry, Ethan.”

“No, Mr. Jones.” Ethan said with matched disdain. “I’m sorry.”

Swiftly, Ethan hurried to his feet and tackled Mr. Jones, sending the two landing on the floor as the knife went sliding along the floor, out of both of their reach. Ethan sat up and punched Mr. Jones across the face, making Mr. Jones yelp in pain as Ethan quickly countered with another punch before scurrying off Mr. Jones to get to the knife first. Mr. Jones quickly rushed to his feet and was stopped as pain lacerated in his chest, he looked down at the knife embedded in his chest in disbelief before looking at Ethan in shock. Ethan released the handle of the knife and scooted back as he realized what he did, he had killed Mr. Jones. He had killed someone. The large metal door opened again and Ethan prepared himself for the worst while sending a silent prayer that Diamond would be in good hands when all of this was over. 

“Ethan Baltimore.” Ethan looked up at the person that first entered as he stood to his feet and leaned against the wall so he couldn’t be flanked.

“Mrs. James.” Ethan said in disbelief as he stared at Mr. Jones supposed assistant.

“In the flesh.” She said with a small smile. “I favor you, Mr. Baltimore.”

Emily James smiled kindly as she entered the room and stepped over Mr. Jones body on the way as two guards stood behind her protectively incase Ethan would try to attack her. She shook her head in disdain as she glanced to Mr. Jones body before looking back at Ethan.

“At this point, however, you must die.” Ethan froze as a laser centered right between his eyeballs, he took a heavy breath and accepted what would come next.

Chapter Eight (B)

Diamond nervously pushed a strand of curly hair out of her face before correcting the small waist apron over her poke-a-dot dress that looked elegant on her petite frame, she was anxious and she had terrible butterflies in her gut. She could the line of pedestrians patiently waiting for her to flip her sign and unlock the door, she glanced at her banner before doing an entire circle to make sure everything was in it’s rightful place.

Black and white portraits were evenly spaced around the shop walls, Diamond hurried to fix the small chalkboard that displayed her sold items as she skimmed her menu again. An array of chocolate chips, sugar, macadamia nuts, and oatmeal cookies were being sold for $0.50 each, her chocolate and blueberry scones were $1.00 each, a slice of pie or cake of choice was $3.00, and an entire pie or cake of choice was $7.00.

She gladly admitted to herself that everything looked very edible, her cookies were chewy on the inside with a crisp barrier, her cakes were iced to perfection, and her pies were a beautiful golden brown. Diamond glanced at the clock again to see that it was time for her to open, she inched to the door and unlocked it with a shaky hand. Ethan wasn’t back from the trip yet and she was scared that he wouldn’t be able to see his prediction come true, would he return for her? Was he safe? 

The first person to enter was a man who had shoulder-length black hair that was starting to gray at the root, he stood in a pair of tan slacks with a plain white t-shirt tucked into it. He finished his attire with a solid, black tie and business shoes that glistened in the sparkling sun that had Eldora bustling with energy early on the beautiful morning. The man’s bright blue eyes took in the layout of the new shop with interest.

“Good morning.” The man proudly stated, flashing Diamond a small grin before looking to the chalkboard beside the register to see things that were being offered.

“Morning, what can I get for you today?” Diamond asked, moving behind the counter.

Her heart was booming in her chest and she was sure that it was beating so loud that the man could hear it, her lips felt very dry as she nervously pressed her top teeth into the corner of the bottom one while the man observed the chalkboard carefully. 

“I’ll take two chocolate chip cookies and a slice of apple pie.” The man responded, his smile still proud as he looked around the building once more while Diamond placed the order into the register. “My wife and I couldn’t wait for this place to open again, it’s very cozy inside.”

“Thank you.” Diamond smiled, stepping aside to complete the man’s order. “That will be $4.”

“Okay.” The man said, grabbing his wallet out of his pocket as the bell went off once more, signaling someone else’s entrance. 

It was an younger woman with her hair pulled into a messy bun but her make-up was done to perfection, her foundation made her face seem flawless as her hot pink eyeshadow popped to match her hot pink V-neck shirt with a snug set of jeans. With her was a teenager that kept her face buried in her notebook, she had straight, shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes scanned the book as she mouthed the words while reading. The teen wore a chevron brown and white blouse with jeans that were nearly as snug as her mothers. Diamond passed the man his order and took the man’s cash as he thanked her with a nod before stepping out of line for the two new customers to come to the counter. 

“Hello, what can I get you today?” Diamond asked politely.

“Two sugar cookies for me,” The woman ordered back before looking to her daughter, “do you want anything?”

“No.” The teen said quickly, her eyes never leaving the book.

Diamond nodded and made the woman’s order quickly. “That’s $1.” Diamond said as the woman quickly nodded and pulled out her bill. 

They exchanged the cookies with the money and moved aside as the next customers stepped to the line, the crowd that had formed outside was slowly entering one by one as they listened to the reviews with curiosity. Diamond smiled kindly at the couple as they skimmed over the menu, she didn’t rush them as she patiently waited while they talk to one another, the man was burly and the wife very tiny and fragile. The woman clung to the man’s arm as they stood talking to one another, debating what they wanted.

“Can we get six chocolate chip cookies?” The man ordered for the two.

“Yes, will that be all?” Diamond asked while fixing the order and folding the glassine bag shut while the man nodded to her. “$3.”

With the order paid for, Diamond passed them their cookies and looked up as the bell rung and a small cluster of women entered but what caught Diamond’s attention was the leader of the small pack that walked with a predatorial step. The five women had been exercising when it was their idea to come to the new shop and settle for something sweet and delightful, Lyrica had quickly accepted the offer. 

She was dressed in a pair of yoga pants that clung to the decent areas with a sports bra, her flat stomach on display as she walked with a her sport shoes squeaking with each step on the clean floors. She was definitely a beautiful, athletic sight to see and every man knew that but what made it worse was that Lyrica knew that and she used her looks to get what she wanted, and she always got what she wanted. The four other girls were dressed the same, in a pair of tight yoga pants and a small sports bra, they were all in good shape and didn’t care to hide their physic. 

“How can I help you?” Diamond asked.

“I’ll take four chocolate chip cooki-” One with bright blue hair spoke first.

“I’ll take a blueberry scon-” The one with her blonde hair pulled in a pony tail cut her off rudely.

“Give me a slice of cherry pie and a blueberry scone.” Lyrica said louder than the rest, stepping to the counter first. “ Fresh .“ She said with much cockiness. 

“Okay, that’ll be approximately ten minute, so feel free to have a seat any…” Diamond trailed as the Lyrica walked away without letting her finish her sentence. “Well, I heard four chocolate chip cookies, two blueberry scones, a slice of cherry pie, and what else?”

Diamond listened as a few more items were ordered by the other girls, she looked at the jotted items and started on the order to be freshly made. While baking the things they requested, Diamond turned to the next customer. A woman wearing a black pencil skirt with a soft blue top and a white cardigan started to the counter with her blue heels clicking as she stared at the menu while debating what she wanted to order.

“Hello, what can I get you today?” Diamond asked for nearly the fifth time already.

“Two chocolate chip cookies, please.” The young woman ordered, clasping her hands in front of her after fixing the purse on her shoulder.

Diamond caught sight of the burn on her finger that matched hers and it seemed to cause hers to itch immediately as sorrow filled her chest, she was scared for Ethan because she knew that there would be consequences if he was found. Diamond hurriedly pushed her emotions aside and made the woman’s order before walking to the cash register. 

“$1.” Diamond told her and the woman slipped her the bill before dismissing herself to a seat nearby.

Diamond smiled down at the toddler that entered with flashing energy, the child quickly ran to a table and stared to climb on a chair as an older woman trailed behind her while trying to keep the child from running all over the store. A small timer went off and Diamond turned to pull out the order that Lyrica and her group of friends had ordered, she sat it aside on a rack to cool before turning to address the new people. The small girl stood with a white bunny in her hands innocently, she was missing one of her front teeth but it only added to how adorable she looked.

“Hey, cutie.” Diamond spoke, smiling at the small child as the child only smiled harder at her. “What can I get you?”

“Can I get cookies?” The child asked innocently.

“Sure, what kind do you want?” Diamond asked, leading her to the glass display case. “Point at whatever you want, sweetie.”

The little child sat her dollar on the counter and Diamond smiled as she pointed at the tray of chocolate chip cookies, she fixed the order for the girl and gave her the small bag of cookies before putting the order in the cash register. The little girl smiled as realized that she had gotten three cookies instead of two and that Diamond had given her a free one, Diamond sent her a wink as the little girl waved her bunny’s arm and ran to where the older woman had taken a seat. Diamond smile fell at the sight of the newcomer as he corrected his duty belt while taking the time to look around as he slowly made his way to the counter, not bothering to remove his sunglasses as he came to a stop with a cheeky smirk on his face. 

“How can I help you, sheriff?” Diamond asked, a fake smile plastered on her face as the same uneasy vibes chilled her body.

“Came to see what the fuss was about.” He replied, glancing at the cookies before looking back at Diamond through his visors. “Let me get a blueberry scone and three macadamia cookies.”

Diamond nodded and fixed his order as he watched her closely, she could feel his eyes staring into her backside as she turned away to get him fresh macadamia cookies since she had previously ran out only an hour ago. She was going through her orders quickly and was steadily on her toes to keep herself afloat but she was doing her best and the day was already breezing by because she was on the move so much. 

“$2.50.” Diamond told him as she sealed his bag before passing it to him as he handed her the money she requested.

Sheriff Smith smirk only grew as Diamond averted her eyes but even then, she could still feel him staring into her soul, it made her very uneasy under his gaze and she only stared to feel more unsafe as he leaned closer across the counter.

“I see my personal request wasn’t on the menu… think about it, it’s always best when its warm and gooey.” He said with a chuckle before stepping away and letting the next person put in their order.

Diamond watched as he walked over to where Lyrica and her friends were sitting with one another, gossiping about everything that was happening around them and luckily, she didn’t hear anything about Ethan in their conversation so far. Diamond turned to the new customer and saw it was an elderly woman with a pair of bouncing triplets that were all dressed the same in a white dress with splashes of hot pink and black all over them. 

“Hello, what can I get you?” Diamond asked kindly.

“Three oatmeal and six chocolate chip, please.” The elderly woman ordered while reaching for her small, black handbag.

“$4.50.” Diamond said as she made the order swiftly, exchanging the order with the money when she had finished. 

Diamond noticed that there was no one next in line so she readied Lyrica and her friends order to take to their table, they had gotten a seat close to the counter and was still gossiping as Sheriff Smith had taken his exit already. Diamond was thankful of this as she walked their order to them and sat it down, they had all ignored her presence and no one was polite enough to show gratitude as Diamond walked away.

Making it back to the counter, Diamond looked up as the bell above the door went off and her heart nearly left her chest at the sight of her husband stepping through the door. Ethan wore a snug black shirt with a pair of clean jeans and his work boots, his bright eyes smiled as he took in Diamond and his heart skipped a beat as he took in the beauty behind the counter. He would kill for her and he would die for her, this he knew as he walked to the counter and had to stop himself from yanking Diamond over it in glee of the news he had received. 

“What can I get you?” Diamond asked for the umpteenth time already as she didn’t hide her smile and the look of relief on her face.

“Four chocolate chip,” Ethan ordered before leaning across the counter and pecking her lightly, making her smile,“ and whatever my beautiful wife wants.“

Ethan smiled at her and watched as she made his order, his eyes trailing her beautiful frame as she moved with grace to make his order. His heart fluttered as he watched her work behind the counter to complete his simple order, he thanked her with a soft kiss while passing her the money. 

Diamond eagerly returned his peck and smiled as he moved aside to take a seat at a nearby table, ignoring the way everyone was watching after seeing their interactions. Diamond felt like she was floating as she made the next order after the next, word was quickly getting around and as Ethan had said, the place was slowly becoming packed. However, what made Diamond the happiest, was that Ethan had safely returned to see it. 

                                                     

The End