Total Control by Desiree Wilder

I’ve got everything under control. It’s funny, I was stressing this morning about everything I had to do , but there really wasn’t all that much.” I was looking around my apartment, wondering if I was missing something that needed to be taken care of before I left for a month.
    “Good, you can relax tomorrow,” h e said.
    “Yeah. I just have some laundry to do and I need to give Lill my mail key, house keys, and my checkbook. What are your plans for tomorrow?”
    “Well, I definitely need to go home in the morning for a change of clothes. I have a couple of other things to take care of and then I’d like to spend as much time with you as possible.”
    “Okay. Let’s split up in the morning, get our stuff done, and then meet back for the rest of the day.” I was getting better at making plans in advance and it made him smile.
     
    ***
     
    We were both exhausted and fell asleep in each other’s arms. I dreamt about being at a concert with Dana and Jo in California. I had forgotten to pack something to wear and I couldn’t afford to buy anything new, so I was wearing a pair of sweatpants and Ethan’s t-shirt. My hair and makeup were a mess and I felt uncomfortable and ugly. Dana and Jo looked smokin’ hot and were having a great time dancing with all the guys who were flocking to them. I was alone in the corner. I looked towards the entrance and saw Ethan coming in! I ran toward him and when he saw me he got a disgusted look on his face. I stopped in front of him, but he looked right past me and a huge, heartwarming smile lit up his face. I turned to see who he was looking at and it was Jo! She walked by me and into Ethan’s arms and they made out like crazy. I started crying and then felt an arm around me. It was Vince and he reminded me about how he and Ethan shared women. He pulled me to him, put his mouth over mine, and started grinding on me. I could feel his hardness and his mouth tasted like whiskey and weed. I was trying to fight him off, yelling at him to leave me alone, but he was overpowering me and I didn’t stand a chance. He was laughing like he did in the camper that day. He shoved his hand down my sweats, into my panties, and stuck his finger in me!
    “Gia!” Ethan woke me up. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” He snuggled me.
    That fucking Vince! If he ever tries anything else on me I’ll kick him in the nuts so hard he’ll choke on them! I tried to get the image of Ethan and Jo kissing out of my head. It made me so sad and hurt that silent tears rolled down my cheeks. I nuzzled in even closer to Ethan and his warmth soothed me back to sleep.
    When I awoke, Ethan wasn’t beside me. I sat up and noticed a note on the dresser.
     
    I wanted to get an early start. Call me later. Love, Ethan.
     
    Hmm… That was kind of unlike him. Short and to the point. It made me feel uneasy. I grabbed my phone and called Your biggest fan. I got his voicemail.
    “Good morning. I just got up and read your note. Is everything okay? Call me when you get this.”
    I wondered why he didn’t a nswer. I looked at the clock, it was 7:57. I assumed he’d be driving home when I called, but maybe he left before six, he’d be home by then if he had. He was probably in the shower. I put some coffee on and made the bed. He still hadn’t called.
    I got my laundry together, took a shower, went t hrough the stuff I’d packed the night before, still no call. It was 9:21. I headed to Lill’s.
     
    ***
     
    She was happy to see me. I put my load of laundry in her washer and went over the bills she’d need to send for me while I was away. I told her about Ethan because she could tell something was wrong.
    “Did something happen before you went to bed last night?” she asked.
    “No. He was using my computer, I packed and got my bills together , and then we went to bed. I fell asleep in his arms. He woke me up in the middle of the night when I was having a nightmare, but then we just went back to