Chapter 124

I’m not going to let anybody control me. My body is mine to use as I please. And my pleasure is being used by as many men who will pay me."

I smiled at her. The veneer was gone. Crystal was off to the races.

It was difficult to sleep the night after Crystal moved into the guest house. I was excited. I was a little unnerved wondering if her husband might do something stupid. But I also was embarrassed that, lost in the shuffle and drama of her arrival, we hadn’t paid enough attention to the quasi-proposal that I made to Rita.

To her credit, she took it in stride. I was up early to make Kat and Rita coffee and help them get ready for the day. I doted on Rita, in particular, and apologized for the occasion seemingly getting lost in the shuffle. She was having none of it.

"John, it’s not like it was a surprise or anything," Rita said. "It was just a moment, almost like a spontaneous groundswell. Kat and Jess were clamoring for it."