Chapter Three: Conservative

Elsie

I stripped out of my clothes in the bathroom and turned on the taps of the shower, trying to wrap my head around how anyone could be so entitled as to think they could do anything they wanted because they were untouchable. 

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I groaned into my hands as I remembered I let Aiden kiss me. What was I thinking? 

What would have become of me if Lena hadn’t come right on time? 

Maybe I could have lost myself in that fantasy imagination of having two hot men worshipping my body. If Lena hadn't interrupted, I don't think I had the control to stop them from fucking me up against the kitchen countertop.  

I’d love to have sex one day. I love the idea of sex more than just about any other fucking thing in existence, but not with these men. They are hot and all and I can’t deny having some uncontrollable attraction towards them, but not just with them. Never!

And the way I felt when they were both touching me... My gosh! I couldn't stop thinking about them no matter how many times I tried to shake it off... their touch, the way they looked at me with an eye that says they are predators and I am their prey...

I spent a longer time in the shower scrubbing myself until I was satisfied I had washed every trace of the kitchen incident off of me.

I came into my bedroom. It’s the attic. The room was modest, but it was fine with me. At least it was better than where I lived with my sister. Clarita and I lived in an old rusty windowless van that looked like it was abandoned in the 60s near a lake. You need to walk for about an hour to find where people live. That’s to tell you how far it was from the City.

We lived there alone with no parents, no guardian, just us. Little teenage girls trying to figure out lives on their own. She was 15 and I was 12.

During rain, our roof leaks, flooding the van. In such situations, we usually find shelter in people’s yards or any place with a roof, hoping not to be caught by social services and moved to another foster home.

The room assigned to me In the Lancaster mansion was small, and its ceiling slanted due to the house’s roof. The far side of the ceiling reached only about my waist.

In contrast to Aiden and Jacob’s spacious bedroom with a large king-size bed, armoire, and chestnut vanity table, my room had a modest setup – a small single cot, a half-height bookcase, and a small dresser, illuminated by two hanging bulbs.

I was jolted out of my thoughts by the sound of shouting.

The attic had exceptional insulation, muffling any sounds. So I couldn’t hear anything being said. But loud voices were coming from below my room. A male voice and a female voice. Unmistakably Aiden and Lena.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the space.

Could they be arguing because of me?

Instinctively, I threw my dresser open and picked out a knee-length free dress, shimmering it over myself. Maybe it’s none of my business, but something was going on down there. I had to at least make sure everything was okay.

I descended the creaky steps to the second floor. Now that I was out of the attic, the shouting became much louder. It was coming from Aiden’s bedroom. Lena's voice, yelling at Aiden. She sounded almost crazy.

“It’s not fair!” she cried. “You promised to change— not to do it again.”

I almost scoffed. How does anyone expect someone like that to change? He is Aiden freaking Lancaster.

He has what the ladies referred to as; The Aiden effect. He was this sweet charming guy every lady wants. Lena was just his on-and-off girlfriend. He never took her seriously. I have seen more than a dozen girls sleep over in his bedroom in the three months I’ve worked for them.

“Lena,” he said. “calm the fuck down.”

I looked straight and saw Jacob going into his bedroom, his hands tucked into his jeans pocket, completely unbothered. How can someone be so relaxed with the kind of commotion going on in his brother’s room? But I guess he is the type that likes to mind his business.

Malcolm Lancaster was attending an annual judicial conference in Washington DC and has been away for 3days. On a normal day, with him around, the house was usually quiet and the boys stayed mostly in their bedroom. His presence alone in the house commands respect and breeds fear in everyone. Even his sons are not spared.

I got to know him in court. He was the judge that preceded my case about a year ago.

I swerved to one side on sighting Jacob, hoping that I could duck behind the wall until he was gone and then continue eavesdropping on Aiden and Lena’s arguments, but, when it comes to Jacob, I couldn’t catch a fucking break.

He was tall and more muscular than any guy I’d seen up close, his blue eyes piercing as he caught mine.

But he didn’t say anything. He just looked at me, his face carved from stone, and my heart started to thump wildly in my chest.

Oh fuck! He’ll probably punish me for eavesdropping. That fear washed away when he just shook his head, almost imperceptibly. Almost like he was trying to warn me to go back to my room and not get involved.

But he didn’t say a word. He went into his room and shut the door and I took a deep, relieving breath.

“It is my fault! I keep putting up with you.” Lena yelled, “ It’s all my fault!”

“Lena…” Aiden’s voice was calm.

Her voice condescending, “How much lower can you stoop? She is just some dirty maid… You know what? I am done putting up with you.” She doesn’t sound sad. She sounds angry. “Go to hell, Aiden.”

“Lena, stop it!”

There was another loud crash from inside the room. Followed by a third crash. I took a step back, torn between knocking on the door to make sure everything was okay and wanting to scurry back to my room and hide. I stood there for several seconds, paralyzed by my indecision. Then the door was yanked open.

Lena was standing there in a blood-stained yellow dress. I stared at the blood at the side of her hip that ran down the length of the skirt.

Her angry eyes bore into me with resentment. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I looked down at her hands and her palm was drenched in blood. “I… eh” fear engulfed me.

“Are you spying on us?” She arched an eyebrow. “Are you listening to our conversation?”

“No!” I took a step back as she could easily grab me from where I was standing or even throw me over the railing. “I just heard a crash and I was worried that…” I paused for a moment, “ I wanted to make sure everything is okay.”

She noticed my gaze directed at the blood on her. Where is Aiden and why did the room suddenly go silent? Did she murder him?

What if Aiden is lying dead in the middle of the bedroom? Or worse, what if he’s bleeding to death right now? I wouldn’t save him if I had the chance to, but I wanted him dead by my hands.

I wanted him to look me in the eye when I drove a dagger into his heart slowly and painfully while reminding him of every single pain he caused me. I wanted him to recognize me as that same girl he looked at in the courtroom and smiled victoriously when I lost my case against him.

I’d be deeply broken if he died without carrying my face to his grave! My revenge wouldn’t be complete if he didn’t feel the same pain he inflicted upon me.

“Where’s Aiden?” I say.

Red circles formed on her cheeks. “Excuse me?” She scoffed in disdain, “You have some nerves, don’t you?”

“I just…” I shifted back again. “I heard a crash. Is he okay?”

Lena stares at me. “How dare you! What are you accusing me of?”

I swallowed a lump in my throat. “I am sorry, I’m just making sure he is okay?”

“I don’t see how that is your business. Go back to the slum where you crawled out from. Pig!”

She was right, it was none of my damn business. So I nodded gently and as I turned to leave, I heard something. Something that made my shoulders sag with relief: The sound of Aiden’s phone ringing and he answered almost immediately. Aiden is okay.

I felt sorry for Lena, I know I shouldn’t because she was one of the rich privileged assholes. She was the daughter of some rich family, a black sheep, someone who liked to pretend to be edgy and rebellious.

I’d say she and Aiden deserve each other, but no woman deserves to be with someone like that.