I wasn'tsure how long Pope and I sat out on that porch smoking our cigarettes in silence, but knowing what I still had to do, I could have remained there all night. I sat with my legs tucked up against my chest, and the warm blanket cocooning me inside the soft fabric. The wooden deck felt like a lifeboat I didn't want to disembark. I closed my eyes, savoring my false sense of security.
"You're tired," Pope said, the first in breaking the soothing silence. "You can have the bed, and I'll make a pallet on the floor."
I shook my head, knowing now was the dreaded time to tell him what needed to happen. "No. We have to sleep together. Your mother will know if we don't."
"No, she won't. What happens behind that door is our damn business. She can believe we are, or whatever the fuck she wants."
Taking a deep breath and trying not to cry, I took in his powerful body, his face, and then his eyes. I didn't want to cry. I needed to remain strong and composed. I wasn't going to give Vivian the power of any more tears. "She has cameras, Pope."
Anger sizzled in his deep brown eyes. "No fuckingway."
"Yes, she told me. She said Richard helped her set them up. She said they are everywhere, and she'll be watching the videos. She also said that Richard has access to the footage, and if he sees us do anything to harm Vivian or act out in any way, that his instructions are to go down the list that Vivian made for him of ways to hurt Maria andLuis."
Pope didn't say anything. He took a deep breath and stood from the chair.
"Even if we found the cameras, we can't risk turning them off or breaking them. I believe your mother when she says she'll do something bad to my friend. I believeher."
"I believe hertoo."
He paced in front of me from one side of the deck to the other. "So, let's discuss aplan."
"The only plan for now is that we have to sleep in the same bed. We have to give off the image she wants. We have to do every single thing she asks of us. She wants us to court as she putsit."
"Fine. Fine. Fuck!" He stopped pacing. "We'll sleep in the same fucking bed if that'll make her happy."
I flinched at his fury. Though understanding it, Pope's loud, booming voice startledme.
"There's more," I said softly.
"More? What?"
"I've been given a task to do tonight, orelse."
"Whattask?"
I swallowed, breaking the stare that Pope and I had. How was I going to say this? Heat ran along the surface of my cheeks, and my mouth grew dry. "I have to... I haveto-"
"What? Tellme!"
"I have to give you a blow job," I blurted as I stared at the splintering wood to avoid seeing Pope's reaction.
"What? Are you fucking kiddingme?"
"She said I have to. For the sake of Maria."
"No way! This has gone far enough. This is fucking sick. I'm not going to allow this any longer. Enough is enough!"
"Shh," I said as I brought my finger to my lips. "If you keep yelling like that, she's going to hear you. Stop and be quiet. Please!"
