Page 24 of Breadwinner
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Sarah shot back, even though she most definitely had been.
“Do you have any other questions?” Nell asked, and Sarah could feel the genuineness in her response. She could sense the care Nell was taking to ensure she was comfortable with this. To have everything she needed to fully consent and choose to join her in whatever games Nell liked to play.
“No. You’ve answered them all. Now I need to think. I’ll have my answer for you tomorrow.”
“I know you will,” Nell said, with that same knowing tone, before the line disconnected.
Sarah placed her phone down and leaned against the railing, her head in her hands as she ran through every word of their conversation. Each time their conversation looped through her mind, she drew closer to giving Nell an answer. Though, if she were honest, Sarah could hardly believe what she was about to do.
The following day, Sarah sat at her desk, her fingers poised above her keyboard, but the words on the screen blurred in and out of focus. It wasn’t often that something pulled her attention away from work. Still, she had spent the entire morning distracted, her mind circling Nell, the offer, and the unmistakable pulse of intrigue and desire that had settled beneath her skin.
She had spent her life making careful, calculated decisions. She had always had a plan to follow. First, get into law school. Then get married and start a family. Once she had that, she began working toward becoming the youngest partner at her firm.
She weighed risks, mitigated threats, and ensured she was always in control, because that was how life made sense to her. She had always played by the rules, and she had always been good at that role.
But life had other plans. She and Beth had broken up. Their family, although still the three of them, had changed drastically from the way she had envisioned it when she was younger. On the surface, she tried to make it look easy as she navigated twists and turns she hadn’t foreseen, but internally, she hated it, because it wasn’t what she had dreamed for herself.
So, yeah, Nell’s offer, while definitely out there, was also intriguing as hell. There was something about Nell that made her wonder what it would be like to try on a different role for a while.
And maybe—maybethat was exactly why she was going to say yes.
She reached for her phone, her fingers steady as she typed out a single phrase.
Sarah 3:45 PM
I’m all in.
Holy shit.She was actually doing this. A moment of panic washed over her as the realization of the move she had made settled in.
Seconds later, the read receipt appeared, and then?—
Nell 3:45 PM
Good. —N
No elaboration. No fanfare. Just a single word, laced with certainty and finality.
Sarah let out a sigh and raked her fingers through her hair as she something shifted inside her.
This was it.
She had made her choice, and now, she was about to find out exactly what it meant to belong to Nell Stanhope.
SIX
NELL
RULE #2: CONFIDENCE WILL GET YOU FURTHER THAN CERTAINTY.
The helicopter blades were still slowing when Nell stepped onto the helipad. The thick August heat of the Hamptons wrapped around her as her attention shifted to the woman stepping down from the small, chartered helicopter in front of her. She couldn’t help but appreciate how Sarah looked with her jean jacket thrown casually over her shoulders, hair tousled by the breeze, irritation written across her otherwise composed features.
Nell allowed herself the briefest smile as she moved forward, timing it perfectly so she met Sarah halfway between her car and the helicopter.
Sarah’s mouth opened, likely to make some snide remark about the flight, but Nell didn’t give her the chance. She pressed her lips to Sarah’s cheek, and was rewarded with the way Sarah’s body instinctively leaned in.
“Welcome to the Hamptons, Sarah,” she said, savoring the fleeting pulse she had felt under her lips before pulling back.
Sarah straightened and smoothed a hand over her jacket, but there was a flush blooming high on her cheeks that had nothing to do with the heat.