Page 92 of Devil Inside

Do you mind me talking to you about these things? I know this must be strange for you. It is for me, too. I mean, I know we just met... and here I am, spilling everything.

Maybe we can help each other? I scratch your back, you scratch mine?

I sensed your emptiness from miles away and felt like I could offer some assistance. Fill up the parts of you that have been bleeding out from your miserable existence for years.

All you have to do is...

Let me in.

There we are. Doesn’t that feel better? Letting someone else take the wheel for a little while? Let go of all your doubts, your self-consciousness, and simply... let me nestle.

You can trust me, Laura. Just let me rummage around inside your mind for a while.

Oh, my... What do we have here?

I know all about your mother...Samantha. Isn’t that her name? The two of you have lived together for so long. Your whole life. No father. Just you and your mother, inhabiting your family estate. Practically a plantation. You’ve always been so close, the two of you, but ever since your mother’s health took a turn, you’ve felt shackled to her... haven’t you?

Don’t worry. I’ll never tell another soul. Your secret is safe with me, Laura...

Cross our heart.

This manse has been in your family for generations now. Such a palatial home, so big. Almost too big for two people. You can barely keep it clean, can you? Don’t worry, the whole place will all be yours before long... The only thing standing in your way isher.

Your mother needs so much help nowadays, doesn’t she? All the medications. The bathing. The meals. It’s far too much for just one person to do. Always so demanding, isn’t she? Expecting us to do just about everything for her. Beck and call, twenty-four seven. What about our life? Our needs? Does Mother expect us to just drop everything whenever she needs a glass of water? When is it going to be our turn to get a little attention?

It’s a good thing you hired some help. Don’t let your mother’s nagging drag you down. You did the right thing, bringing in some extra hands...

What’s the home aide’s name again?Michael.That’s right. Strong, able-bodied Michael. How handsome he is. That blond hair curling over his ears. That sheepish grin.

You saw the way he was looking at you, didn’t you? Of course you did. You felt his eyes sliding all across your body the first time he came in and you showed him around the house, taking him on a tour of your lovely home, giving him the rundown on your mother.

How good that must have felt. That spark with another human being. A connection. He wanted you, you know that? You just need to tell Michael how you feel...

Don’t be afraid to open up to him. Share ourselves with him. You have this whole house practically to yourself. You just have to wait until your mother’s asleep and then...

We’ll see to that, won’t we?

Just don’t hide your feelings, Laura. That’s not healthy. Keeping these emotions contained will only curdle them.

Jordan’s the same way. He keeps himself all bottled up. Most days I don’t know how he even feels about us. But there are these moments, these delirious inhales, where we’re together and it’s just like... the rest of the world simply melts away. It’s just the two of us. Nothing else matters. Just him and me. No barriers, nobody—no bodies—beyond our own.

That’s not so much to ask for, is it? A body to experience things in?

A home to call your own.

Sorry, we’re talking about you. You and what’s-his-name.Michael, right. Forgive me. Sometimes, all it takes is a little incentive. Just a nudge. Michael might not realize how we feel—yet—but he can. Hewill. You just have to show him. We don’t want to be the mousy daughter shivering in our mother’s shadow for the rest of our lives, now, do we? We’re not simply someone she can rely on to take care of her. Tend to our mother’s every need.

What about our needs, Laura? What about our desires? Shouldn’t we have what we want, as well? And what we want is Michael. His firm grip. His hands. All over us.

You’ve thought about it. Don’t pretend like you haven’t. I seeeverything, Laura. What’s holding us back? Take the initiative. The men love it when a lady takes charge...

Whenever I’ve sensed Jordan is at the precipice of saying what he wants, just like that... it’s gone. He retreats into himself again, as if he’s afraid of himself. His desires.

Sometimes, I swear, I just want to—

Sorry. I’m doing it again.

Michael.Right.You know when he comes to your house. Always at eleven. This would be a perfect time for you to invite him upstairs, take him on a grand tour, your palatial family manse, all of its rooms, perhaps even your room, all the way at the end of the hall, far away from your mother’s prying eyes, her incessant demands, where you and Michael can be alone, finally alone, just the two of you, where you can do whatever you want, for as long as you want, yes, just you and Michael.