CONSENT: Book 1 in The Dangerous Games series

Chapter 34

Some things can never be changed......

Some things can never be undone........

Some things can never be unsaid........

Some things can never be unbroken....

Looking away I pull the car away from the curb. It's not like I'll never see him again. He knows how to reach me and we all work together as well. The thought of work has me driving a little faster. I have to get this car unpacked so I can get some sleep before work tonight. I made the short drive to the address Thomas gave me, but I wondered if I wrote it down wrong the moment I pulled into the driveway. I picked up my phone and called Thomas. "Hello?" He answers on the second ring. "Hey, it's me. I'm out front.... at least I think I am." He's laughter bellows across the line, "I get that a lot. I'll be right out." He hangs up and I drop the phone in my cup holder. This is definitely not what I expected. The stone house is huge with so many windows they might as well be glass walls. I pull up the circular driveway that has a large covered area directly over the asphalt in front of the door. It extends to connect a stone room of some sort that stands independently from the main house.

The door opens and Thomas strolls out barefoot in a pair of sweatpants. A grin spreads across my face as I turn off my car and step out. "You've gotta be kidding me," I say looking at the house in awe, "How in the hell did you end up with all of this?" He emits a small snicker as he opens the passenger door to grab a box. "Two words.....sugar momma." I shake my head. Why I even asked I do not know. I follow him inside and my mouth drops open. This place is gorgeous. "Here," he says, "let's take a tour first then get you moved in. Sound good?" I nodded vigorously. "Sounds great." The floors are dark hardwood and the floor plan appears to be open. There are two wide stone pillars separating the foyer from the great room. A curved staircase is to the left with a modern metal railing and windows line the wall up the stairs, allowing sunlight to brighten both upstairs and down.

"Obviously the stairs will take you upstairs." He walks past a huge piano tucked against the curved wall that supports the stairs. Immediately we passed a small table with four chairs. "Over here we have a table, I like to use it for meals." I purse my lips. "Smartass." I said to him, "In this direction we have the great room." I pause to take in the large room with high ceilings. Two couches along with a chaise furnish the room. A marble fireplace is the focal point and the upstairs hallway is open and visible through the railing. "And over here," he passes through another set of pillars, "is the kitchen which opens up to the patio." The kitchen has all stainless steel appliances and a beautiful marble-topped center island. "This is amazing Thomas, I love it." The patio is enclosed with a stone-half wall and includes a built-in outdoor kitchen and a giant fireplace. "Good. Now let's head upstairs and I'll show you where you'll be crashing. Then I'll make you jealous with my stunning master bedroom." He pulls his shoulders back and struts across the great room like a peacock. "You're such a douche," I joke as I fall in step behind him.

"So there are three bedrooms in addition to the master suite. I'm giving you the larger of the three," he opens the second door from the top of the stairs, "This is it, I hope it's okay." He stepped aside and I walked into the room. It's roomie but nowhere as big as the room I had. There is a queen size bed on one side and an oversized sitting chair on the other. Of course one wall is nothing but windows that let in a lot of sunlight. "It's perfect," I tell him sincerely, "Thank you for this. I know this was all on the fly, but you have no idea how much I appreciate it." I walk over and put my arms around him and he hugs me back with a tight squeeze. "Hey, you are a friend and if I can help you in some way I will. A room to sleep in is not a big deal considering I have empty ones that I can share." He released me with a final squeeze. "Now let's get you unpacked." He walks toward the door. "After I see that master bedroom you were bragging about." He turns, grinning like a little kid. "Oh, I almost forgot." He practically skips down the hall motioning for me to follow. I catch up to him as he throws open the double doors. I'm immediately greeted by a giant California king size bed on one wall. Across from it is a fireplace with two giant chairs in front of it. Windows line two walls and a set of double glass doors lead to a balcony. Outside there is a sitting area. The bathroom is enormous with a glass shower and jacuzzi tub with six half windows all on one side above the bathtub. "Okay," I admit, "you're right ....it doesn't suck." Thomas burst out laughing. "Come on, let's get the rest of your shit out of the car."