Courage is to never let your actions be influenced by your fears.

Arthur Koestler

JENNIE

The freedom almost eases the burn of losing all of my clothes, but the pain of the loss isn't quite gone. I can feel a heaviness settling in my chest, overpowering the excitement of liberty. Am I overreacting? Probably. I can't help it, though. Those tatty clothes are the only damn things I've kept from my past.

I send Doyeon a text, asking her to meet me for an early dinner at Carmen's Cantina, a Mexican bar and grill near campus. Courtesy of Jimin, I'm dressed in fitted dark blue jeans, a skintight black long sleeved turtleneck shirt, and velvet black thigh high stiletto boots that make my frame tower four inches off the ground.

I look good.

It's almost weird.

Last time I saw Doyeon, I was wearing my own raggedy clothes. Now, I'm wearing handmade, one of a kind creations. Is this what Julia Roberts' character feels like in Pretty Woman? Two parts princess, one part whore?

Mino and I take one of the many town cars parked in the private garage. Apparently, all the identical cars do belong to Lisa, but they're assigned to an employee during their tenure working for Lisa. The employees leave the cars parked in the garage for security and practicality purposes.

The town car we're in is black, roomy and filled with cream colored leather seats. I'm not focused on the softness of the seats, though. My nose is pressed against the window as we exit into the streets. I'm wide eyed, body humming in anticipation, as I catch sight of New York from ground level for the first time in almost a month.

I feel like a prisoner being released. The experience of freedom is almost too overwhelming. When I move to roll down the window, Mino rolls it back up and locks it, saying something about a potential security risk.

I don't mind, because Carmen's is only a block away. We could have walked, really. It's far more practical than finding parking in New York City, especially near campus.

Turns out, we don't have to worry about parking, since Mino parks in a no parking zone without a care in the world.

"We're not going to have a car to come back to when we leave." Frowning, I point at the sign that reads, "Tow Zone."

Mino nods towards the front license plate. "They won't tow this car or ticket it."

I look at it. My eyes bulge when I realize they're diplomatic plates. Seriously? How does one acquire diplomatic plates without actually being a diplomat? The amount of clout Lisa has is astounding. I may have to steal a car from her when this is all done. I can get used to parking wherever I want in New York City.

Carmen's is a family owned bar, whose main customers are students. I see a lot of them as I walk in. Most of them are congregated at the bar area, watching some sports game. The guys are watching the game, but the girls are watching the guys. It's a sight so familiar it's comforting.

I pass the bar area entirely and seat myself at one of the booths in the far back corner. Mino, thankfully, sits himself at a different table while I wait for Doyeon. He's far enough that I'll have privacy but close enough that he can get to me quickly if something goes wrong.

"I hate you. You missed—I don't know—about four of our scheduled weekly lunches and dinners, you bitch." Doyeon sits down across from me, her arms crossed, clearly expecting me to grovel.

"You can blame Lisa for that. I was being held hostage." I turn the tables. "You didn't think to come save me?" A fleeting smile crosses my lips as I mock, "You bitch."

Doyeon rolls her eyes and holds up her phone. "I didn't even get an SOS text. Not a single one."

She's right. I didn't want her to call in the cavalry. A few days into the engagement, I signed a formal contract, outlining the details of my arrangement with Lisa. I'm getting a lot out of this deal. In addition to the free housing, food, job recommendation and clothes, she's prepared to give me a condo in the area and a $2.5 million divorce settlement upon our separation.

We'll be getting married quietly in a courthouse sometime within the next year and divorcing a year after that. All in all, I'll be committing two years to this ruse, but I'll be financially secure for the rest of my life. It's a generous offer, one Lisa certainly didn't have to offer me.

But I'm starting to see why she did.

It's the bait, and I've taken it—hook, line and sinker.

No way am I going to ruin this for myself, even if I do have to hide in her penthouse while I wait for some damn clothes to be made. God forbid I make a fashion faux paus and embarrass Lisa.

I sigh and give her the apology she deserves. "I'm sorry. I really have missed you."

And I have. When she was my roommate, I often found myself needing space from her. But now that she isn't, I find myself missing her. I've heard the saying "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" before, but I never knew it applies to friendships, too.

Like all lessons in life, I learned the hard way.

Her eyes are glistening as she says, "I didn't realize how important you are to me until you vanished off the face of the planet."

I'm glad it's not just me. My heart swells at her words, though I try to steer our conversation away from the heavy stuff. I've never been too good at talking about feelings.

"I didn't vanish! You could've come visit me."

"I tried."

"What?!" I'm angry now. "And they didn't let you up?"

"No." A faint blush spreads across her face.

I've never seen her blush before, and it causes me to sit up straight.

She admits, "I couldn't bring myself to go up. I was outside the building, too. I just saw all of these guards, and it was pretty intimidating."

Shocked doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now. Doyeon is the fearless one between the two of us, yet here I am, living in a building she's afraid to enter. When did the tables turn in our friendship? How did we get here?

"It's not as scary as you're picturing. It's actually a really nice place."

Her eyes dart cautiously to Mino's table. Her tone is gentle but serious when she asks in a whisper, "Are you in danger, Jennie? You would tell me if you are, right? I promise I'll take it seriously."

My heart warms, unfamiliar with being cared for but liking it nevertheless. "I'm safe, Doyeon. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't feel right. There are contracts and agreements in place to protect me if anything goes wrong. The only way I see this going wrong is if I breach the contract, which I have no reason to. I'm being treated well, and I'll gain so much from this when it's over. This is a smart decision for me."

"If you say so. I trust you." And then my best friend is back, smirk and all. "Have you fucked her yet?"

I scowl. "No, you perv! Can we not focus on my nonexistent sex life and talk about something else?"

"You've been living with Lalisa Manoban for a month, and you still haven't gotten laid?! Now, I know you're a lesbian."

"I am not a lesbian," I say just as a waiter approaches us. I recognize him from one of my genome labs.

"What's wrong with lesbians?" he asks, a charming grin on his face, probably from catching two pretty girls talking about lesbianism.

"Nothing is wrong with being a lesbian." I try to keep a blush off my face. "I'm just not one." I hold up my left hand as proof.

We all eye the ring on my ring finger. It's a beautiful 5-karat, princess cut diamond valued in the six figures. Rosé was actually the one to give it to me. Lisa was at a meeting in Los Angeles when she barged into the bedroom and threw the velvet ring box onto the bed. She gave me a vicious sneer and left without saying anything. The whole thing made me pity her.

Doyeon's eyes widen. "Wow, that's some rock."

"So, the rumors are true?" the waiter says. "When I didn't see you in lab, I kind of assumed the worst."

"And what would the worst be?" Doyeon asks saucily. Her arms are crossed, and she has a defensive look on her face.

I love her for it.

He mumbles, "Ya know… That maybe she flunked out or switched class sections or… waskilledbyLalisaManoban."

"What was that last part?" Doyeon asks for me.

He eyes Mino warily, turning his body to put more distance between himself and Mino's table. It doesn't really work, and it only makes Mino more suspicious. I see him leaning forward, but I cut him off with a small shake of my head. He nods and relaxes in his seat.

The waiter says, a little slower this time, "I thought maybe she was killed by Lalisa Manoban."

"And why would you think that?" I ask.

"Because she's in the mob." His voice is defensive with a dash of hysteria.

"Allegedly," Doyeon butts in, like the best friend she truly is.

"I'll take some carne asada fries," Mino says loudly from the next table over. He's looking at the waiter, who fumbles and drops his pen.

"Oooh! Me, too!" I raise my hand like a child, eager to chase away the tension with some great food.

"Ditto." Doyeon leans back in her seat. Her arms are no longer crossed, and her facial expression is back to normal.

The guy nods his head and runs away, his face pointed downward and shoulders slumped. I almost feel bad for him. I make a mental note to tip him well.

"So, speaking of missing classes, how have you not been dismissed from Wilton? When I missed one of my business law sessions last week, I got a sternly worded email from the Dean of Jefferson." She's referring to the name of Wilton's business school, the Jefferson School of Business. "Seriously, it made me feel like I was being spanked via email." A canary grin stretches across her signature red lips. "Have you seen Jefferson's dean? I'd let him spank me any day."

When I don't even groan at her one track mind, I realize how much I've missed her. "I bet your head is just a never ending stream of Tumblr porn."

"Basically, and every guy featured is hung like a horse. And in this magical world of mental Tumblr porn, I have your 32 triple Ds."

I cross my arms over my chest, self-consciously. "They're only triple Ds at Victoria's Secret. I swear, their cup sizes are one size too small. A C-cup at Victoria's Secret is really a B-cup everywhere else."

She nods her head in agreement. "Very true. It's why I shop there." She snaps the strap of her bra. "Gotta turn these Bs into Cs however I can." She gives me a knowing look. "Stop changing the subject."

She's impossible.

"You're the one that brought up your dean an—"

"My dean? I like the sound of that."

"—and spanking," I finish, ignoring her comment. "But to answer your question, my professors have been emailing me with coursework. I turn in my assignments through email. In lieu of my labs, I've been turning in essays based on the practical applications of the skills learned in the given week's lab. When I have a test, a proctor gets sent over to the penthouse with the exam and hovers over me while I finish."

I smirk at the last part. When one of the proctors got too close to me during a stats exam, Mino had her pinned against the wall in seconds. She was married, but that didn't stop her from enjoying his touch. I could see it in the way her pupils dilated and she pressed her body harder into Mino's. She sent flirtatious smiles Mino's way for the rest of the testing period. They went unreturned.

Doyeon is silent for a moment. "It's Lisa's connections that are giving you this hookup, right?"

I nod. "Probably. It kind of just happened. The professors just started to email me lecture slides, notes and assignments out of nowhere, and I never asked how they knew I'd be gone. I kind of just assumed it was Lisa's doing."

There's a foreign wariness in her eyes. "It doesn't scare you that she has this kind of clout at Wilton?"

I understand her worries. I do. Wilton is notorious for valuing intellect over wealth and power. They don't do favorites at Wilton, yet here I am, being given preferential treatment because of my connection to Lisa. I doubt anyone will say a word about it when I get back either. Not even the students, though they have every right to complain about my special treatment.

I'm starting to notice that, when Lisa does something, no one has the guts to question her. The only thing that makes me uneasy about it is the dooming inevitability of something going wrong. You can't be untouchable forever.

"No," I tell her. "Honestly, she doesn't scare me."

Her eyes narrow. "Bullshit. I've seen you around her. Even though you're lusting for her, there's fear there."

I remember my conversation with her about running. "Of course, there was some fear at first. I would have been stupid not to fear her. But now, I'm comfortable around her. She has no reason to hurt me. In fact, it's the opposite. I have a full protection detail. It's not just Mino in it."

We both glance at Mino, who somehow got his carne asada fries first. He's already halfway done with his plate.

I continue, thinking about my app full of Lisa's flashcards, detailing her rough childhood. "I know her better now. I understand why she is the way she is. I'm not afraid of her."

And a part of me never was, I realize. At any moment since I met her, I could have fled. I could have run from this country, but I didn't.

I wonder if there's more to that decision than my unwillingness to sacrifice my degree. As frightening as it is to admit, my fight or flight responses have never kicked in around Lisa. Maybe my subconscious has never seen her as a threat.

Doyeon's eyes study me carefully. "Do you like her?"

"No!" I'm quick to deny it, but I have to admit, "I am more attracted to her than I was a month ago."

Her eyes widen. "You were really attracted to her a month ago."

"Yeah."

"A month ago, you were dry humping her on the dance floor at Rogue."

"Yeah."

"And now you're even more attracted to her?"

"Yeah."

She leans back. "Whoa. Are you sure you guys haven't had sex yet?"

I groan and am thankful when a server drops the food off, cutting off any further conversation. Because if I'm being honest, I won't be able to say "no" if Lisa asks. Sex will just make this arrangement far more complicated than it needs to be, so I almost hope she doesn't ask.

But, then again, I can't keep Horny Jennie away forever. Two more years without sex will be the death of me. I know this with absolute certainty. It's even worse that I'm living with the hottest woman alive.

Seriously.

Lisa was named People Magazine's Hottest Woman of the Year both years I was out of the country. She's probably a shoo in for this year, too.

The waiter comes by with an empty plate for Doyeon. She puts all the carne asada from the top of the fries onto it and slides the plate over to me. Mino leans over and steals the plate, reminding me that he's not only paying attention to everyone else in the bar but also us, too.

I stare at her "carne asada" fries, which is just cheese, beans, salsa, and guacamole now. "Why don't you just order the fries without the meat?"

She lifts a fry into her mouth. "Because they charge the same price even without the meat."

"So you order the meat even though you won't eat it?"

She shrugs. "Someone else always does."

We both look at Mino, who's already done eating the steak. He's scanning the bar for "potential threats." I swear, those are his two favorite words. I wonder what will happen if he ever sees a potential threat.

I spot a glimpse of distinctly red hair from behind Mino and groan, because she's most definitely a potential threat. "Wicked Witch up ahead."

A glower crosses Doyeon's face when she sees Krystal with her crew, Nella and some other girl I don't know the name of. They haven't caught sight of us yet, but I have no doubt they eventually will.

Krystal is a supernatural force of nature. She probably has a Team Doyeon radar jammed somewhere in that size double zero sundress of hers.

"I don't know why she's even here. It's not like she eats." Doyeon pushes her food away from her and stands up. "I think I just lost my appetite. I have to pee." She moves to go but stops when she sees me stealing her guacamole. Her eyes narrow. "I didn't actually lose my appetite. It's just something people say when they see something disgusting."

"I know." I smile and dip a fry in the guac. "You snooze you lose."

I watch as she makes her way to the bathroom. Once she's in the door and out of sight, the loud murmuring in the restaurant swiftly dies down.

I find the source of the silence immediately.

Lalisa's here.