“Let’s talk about Brianne’s piece,” says Professor Barlow. “Will you start us off with an excerpt?” he asks.

“Okay,” I say. I hold the story in my hands and notice they are steady as rocks. My voice doesn’t feel tight. I don’t even feel afraid to hear their feedback. When Mia stole my story, it felt like I had been violated. I tried for a while to pick up where I left off, but decided to start fresh. I’ve been writing like a maniac ever since. Now that I’m with Jackson, it feels like the words flow out of me faster than I can keep up with, and they feel real.

I begin to read.

“She…” I begin, losing track of the words as I read. It feels more like I’m recalling the events of the last few weeks than like I’m reading, and by the time class is over, I’m left with the most positive feedback I’ve ever had from a workshop class.

I’m leaving class when I see Jackson leaning against the wall outside. Dread creeps in on me at first. Today’s the day our contract expires, and despite everything that has happened between us and the things we talked about, I’m afraid he’s going to tell me it’s over. The girls from class shoot me jealous looks when they see him here for me again. I ignore them as much as I can, but I have to admit I feel a vague sense of pride from it. In the span of a month, I’ve gone from being the virgin outcast to the girlfriend of a man everybody would kill to be with. I shouldn’t get so much satisfaction out of that, but, well, I do. He’s my man, and I’m damn proud to say so.

“Hey,” I say. It doesn’t seem to matter how much time I spend around him, I still find my stomach turning over on itself when his eyes meet mine.

“I need you to trust me,” he says, biting his lip and looking down at something in his hand.

“Please don’t say you want space,” I plead. “I don’t think--”

He silences me with a kiss. It’s hard at first, but it turns tender as he strokes my cheek. “I don’t want space,” he says. “I just need you to trust me for a few hours. Can you do that?”

“Okay…” I say slowly.

“Good. See that car?” he asks, pointing to a black sedan. “My driver is waiting inside. He’s going to take you somewhere, but you can’t know where you’re going.”

I narrow my eyes. “Why can’t I go with you?”

“Because I,” he says, kissing my chin lightly. “Need to go set up.”

“Set up?” I ask.

“You’ll see. Just trust me.” Jackson winks at me, pulls me in for one more kiss, and leaves me breathlessly watching after him as he heads off in another direction.

I walk toward the car, wishing I knew what the heck to expect. I’m not dressed for anything more than a night sitting on the couch watching movies. But when I get inside the car, I see a small, decorative box sitting on the back seat with a note on top. I pluck the note out and open it, recognizing Jackson’s cramped but neat handwriting.

He has been very good about respecting boundaries when it comes to extravagant gifts since we’ve been together. I made it clear that I never wanted to feel bought by him, and he has understood completely, so far. But somehow this feels different, and I find myself giddy to see what’s inside the box. Maybe it’s just that I’ve finally passed the point where I have to worry about other factors clouding my judgment. I don’t have to worry I’m with him for my writing anymore. I don’t have to worry it’s about the money.

I’m with Jackson Pierce because he’s charming, intelligent, caring, and, well, I’d be lying if I said his talents between the sheets weren’t a major perk. I don’t care if I have nothing to compare it to, Jackson made me go through a full day of class with a sore ass from the spanking he gave me the night before. Then there was the time he literally made me cum with nothing but his voice. Yeah, I think I’m qualified to say he knows what he’s doing.

The note is short and to the point:

Princess,

Forgive the gift. You can burn it after tonight if you want, but I knew you’d need something to wear for the occasion. You’ll look beautiful.

Can’t wait,

-J

I open the box and gasp a little when I see the dress. It’s a sleek black dress with all the accessories tucked away in the box everything from white pumps to diamond earrings and a stunning necklace. I glance up at the driver, who doesn’t seem to be paying me any attention. Well, if Jackson thought I was going to change in the car, he has another thing coming. A few minutes later, the driver pulls up to a colonial style house a few minutes away from the campus.

“You can change inside,” says the driver, who eyes me through the rearview.

“Who’s house is that?” I ask.

“Mr. Pierce made all the necessary arrangements. If you would please hurry, Mr. Pierce was very insistent that we arrive at a particular time.”

I hesitantly grab the clothes and head inside. The door is unlocked and as much as I can tell, the house is deserted. Feeling like an intruder, I search for a bathroom to change in. I slip out of my clothes and get changed. When I’m done, I look at myself in the full length mirror, feeling like I’m looking at a different girl. No. A different woman.

The woman staring back at me is more confident than the girl from a month ago. I don’t know how to place exactly what has changed, but I can see it. I don’t feel like a scared, awkward virgin anymore. I guess because I’m not. I smirk at myself, trying out a sexy expression as I turn to walk away and bump face first into the doorframe. I stagger backwards, blinking through the temporary pain and laughing at myself.

Okay, I may be more confident, but I don’t think I can cross awkward off the list yet.

I think about a lot during the drive. Like how happy I am for Lacey. Ever since things ended between her and Cameron, she has been so much happier. Well, that, and the fact that she’s now dating Hunter, who happens to be a filthy rich and loves spending money on her. I really am happy for her though, because he seems like a nice guy, too. The two of them are currently in Nepal, on some extravagant backpacking adventure Hunter planned for them. I had never seen Lacey so happy as she was when she was getting ready to head out.

I would say I’ve been lonely since she left, but the truth is Jackson’s sister, Sarah, has been opening up to me ever since he snuck her out of Fairfield’s. Neither of them have been too clear about the details, but I’m pretty sure she’s essentially a fugitive at this point because a judge ordered her to be in the mental health facility for another year. I do know Jackson is working with a lawyer to try to find a way around it, but in the meantime, she’s basically hiding from the law in his house.

It’s a funny thought, because she couldn’t be any sweeter. She doesn’t talk much, but when she does, every word carries a weight to it that feels somehow powerful. She even started singing again, and God she has a beautiful voice. I’ve been trying to talk her into starting a YouTube channel so she can share her talent, but that’s a definite work in progress.

Jackson won’t tell me what happened, but the same guys who seemed to want to hurt us have basically become our bodyguards. It was hard to get used to at first, especially since my gut reaction was to run for my life when I saw them. He promises me we don’t need to be afraid anymore, though, and I’ve learned to trust him completely.

Mia got expelled from our school when I went to the university president and told him what she did. She tried to deny everything, but when they searched her room they found a backup USB with my story on it and several other homework assignments lifted from other girls in our dorm. I don’t know what happened to her after that, but I don’t really care.

I’ve been writing every day. At first I made my goal to write a thousand words a day, then it was two, and then four, and now I write seven thousand words a day. I basically finish a book every three weeks, and Jackson is currently having his team look through my submissions. I made him promise to drop them in the pile with the rest of the books and only look at them if they made it all the way to his desk. He was reluctant, but eventually agreed.

The driver finally parks after we’ve driven for what felt like forever. I lost track of where we were hours ago, but now see we’re deep in forested hills and there’s a path leading into the trees to my right.

“Mr. Pierce would like you to head down that path,” says the driver.

I step out of the car, thank him, and follow the path without hesitation. If there’s one thing I’ve become accustomed to, it’s following Jackson’s commands without question. There’s a satisfaction in it that runs so deep I can hardly put it into words.

After a few yards, I see Jackson waiting for me in a crisp black suit with a white undershirt. He smirks, pulling a red rose from behind his back. “Sorry, I know it’s cliché,” he says. “But I wanted to give it to you. Indulge me,” he adds.

I smile, taking the flower and leaning in to kiss him. “Thank you. You don’t have to apologize. Red roses are only a cliché for girls who got them their whole lives. This is my first.”

He looks thoughtful. “It won’t be your last then. I’ll give them to you until it becomes a cliché.”

I laugh. “That sounds like a deal.”

“Come on, I have something for you.”

He leads me a little farther down the path where we come into view of the most perfectly serene lake I’ve ever seen. It takes my breath away. The setting sun behind the hills casts the entire lake in a brilliant orange glow. There’s no sign of civilization anywhere, except for the quaint little cabin at the water’s edge. A dock spears out from the back of the cabin into the lake where a small canoe is docked.

“I figured you wouldn’t let me get you anything too extravagant, so I played it safe.”

“What do you mean? Did you rent this for us?”

He hands me a key, giving me an uncharacteristically hesitant smile. “I bought it for you.”

“Jackson…” I say, “You didn’t really buy this for me, did you?”

He winces a little. “You don’t like it?”

I bite my lip, taking the key from him and nearly tackling him with the force of my hug. “I love it.”

He breathes a sigh of relief and pulls me toward the cabin. “I’m glad, because there’s more. I wasn’t sure how we’d do this next part if you refused to take the keys.”

I laugh, following behind him and enjoying the rare sight of him being less than his perfectly confident self.

He leads me inside and I gasp when I see how perfect the cabin is. There are large windows overlooking the lake, cozy furnishings that make it looks like the absolute best place in the world to curl up with a book or my laptop. There’s a little kitchen and a beautiful bathroom. There’s even a loft area reachable by ladder where there’s another window and a small bed for sleeping.

“I thought this would be the perfect place for you to get away when you need to. I’ve worked with a lot of writers in my life, and one thing they all seem to wish they had is a cabin in the woods somewhere. A place they can just focus.”

I smile up at him. “I don’t think I knew how bad I wanted something like this until I saw it. Does this have to be a cabin of solitude?” I ask, gripping the lapels of his jacket and grinning. “Or can I bring my boyfriend up here when I want?”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the whole, boyfriend thing,” he says with a smirk. He drags me to the kitchen table where the contract I signed sits. I narrow my eyes at it, unsure what to think.

“You signed this contract a month ago, and today is the last day of that commitment,” he says in formal tones. “I’ve thought a lot about this, and I’m not ready for our commitment to one another to end, Brianne.” He falls to one knee and pulls a small ring box from his pocket, opening it as he holds it up toward me. “Will you marry me?”

I lose track of how many times I say yes as I tackle him to the floor, kissing him everywhere I can reach. And over the next months I lose track of how many times I tell him I love him, and how much stronger the feeling gets every day. I lose track of how I ever lived without him.