Page 34 of Milk

“Did I… offend you?” Carter asked while studying my face, “I should not have kissed you?”

It was cute that the man who kidnapped and imprisoned me suddenly worried about consent, but I shook my head.

“No, that’s not it, I just don’t know you, Carter.”

“You know me better than you think. I’m not as deep as I may seem, Tiffany.”

“I doubt that. Regardless, can you just tell me about yourself.”

“I suppose.” He pulled a chair next to my bed to sit. “What do you want to know?”

“Why none of the girls have a mark like I do?”

“Because you are mine. They arefarmproperty, but you … you’re special. You’remycalf, not Sunshine Sanctuary’s.”

“Yours?”

“All mine.”

I nearly blushed at that. His, special, important. I shook my head to clear my mind and tried to remember more basic questions. “What’s your, uh, favorite color?”

“Black.”

“No, it isn’t!”

“It is!” He argued with a slight smile.

“Why are you always wearing white, then?”

“Because that’s my second favorite color,” Carter says, “All black would be horrible in the sun.”

“Oh. Then why black?”

“Because it’s all colors in one.”

“Why white?”

“Because it balances black out. Yin and yang.”

“Ok, ok.” I chuckled at our rapid back and forth. “What is your favorite movie?”

“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” he said after a moment of hesitation.

“Alright, cowboy, tell me the truth.”

“Fine. It’sThe Goonies.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No. I saw it when I was a kid and I never stopped liking it.”

“Fine. Why do you like me?” I smirked.

“I’ll pass on that one,” he answered.

“What? No! You can’t pass!”

“I just did.” He shrugged.