A warm streak of sunlight bathes my skin as I raise up my arms, reaching my fingertips up to the ceiling in a long, full-body stretch. The constant hum of anxiety that buzzes in the back of my mind is quiet, giving the first true morning of peace that I’ve had in over six years. I roll over, letting my smile kiss the pillow, and my hand presses flat against the soft hairs on his chest as I breathe in his masculinity.

“Well, good morning.” Jackson’s voice is gruff like sandpaper, snapping me out of my dream-like haze and back into my panic-stricken reality.

“Morning?” I pop up like a jack-in-the-box, cursing the same sunlight that only seconds ago I was loving so much.

“Yeah, why? Do you have to be somewhere?” Jackson sits up beside me, slowly kissing my shoulder as I pull the sheets up over my naked body. “’Cause, if you don’t, I can think of something to start your day off right,” he teases me.

“No, no, no!” I freak out, looking over at the alarm clock next to the bed for confirmation of what I already know. Sure enough, its bright numbers tell me it’s six-thirty. And I’m six and a half hours late for my curfew.

“Okay, so you’re not a morning sex person. I get that.” Jackson rubs his thumb down my arm. “How about some breakfast first, maybe a couple cups of coffee to wake us up?”

Tears form in my eyes as I try not to hyperventilate. “You don’t understand. I need to get to work right now. I’m so late. Oh God, what am I going to do?” I hop out of bed and scour the floor for the clothes I wore last night.

I manage to find my bra next to the bed and get it clipped up. I walk around in a circle searching for my underwear before realizing they’re rolled up inside my jeans. A hot flush breaks over me as I remember how incredible it felt when he pulled them off me. There’s no time for this! I rush over and grab my pants, tugging my underwear free, and start sliding my clothes on.

“Hey, people are late sometimes. It’s no big deal.” Jackson tries to soothe me, but it’s no use.

I’m sure he’s right. I’m sure that, for normal people, being late isn’t the end of the world. But normal people don’t have a boss who has the power to have them deported back to a life of danger and possibly death.

“Jackson,” I snap and his mouth opens, his eyes narrowing on me, “it’s a huge deal for me. I don’t have time to get into it. Is there any way you can drive me? I need to go to Clifton Street. It’s right by the fairgrounds. You know what?” I look at his stunned, stony face and decide there’s no way he’s going to get me there in time. “Never mind, can you just call me a cab? I’m sorry, but I really have to go.” I know I don’t have any money to pay a cabbie with, but I can’t worry about that detail right now.

“Whoa, slow down, Ella. You don’t need to take a cab, I can drive you. Just chill, you’re spinning like a top. Take a breath. No job is worth this kind of stress.” He shakes his head and hops out of bed, grabbing his clothes. “Let me wake up Chloe and we can get moving.” He sounds annoyed with me, but it’s just one more thing I don’t have time to worry about right now.

“Thank you. Please hurry,” I beg him and he looks over his shoulder at me before leaving the room like he doesn’t understand what I’ve transformed into. I can’t blame him. It’s not like me to be demanding or so brusque. If he knew how much trouble I’m in right now, if he understood the anvil hanging over my head by a thread, he wouldn’t look at me like that.

But how can I ever explain that to him? I can’t tell him my status. I can’t risk it. I just need to be the bad guy right now and get my butt back to Sylvia’s. My only hope is that she passed out on the couch and I can sneak in. She’s not exactly an early riser, after the amount of ‘night caps’ she pounds back each evening. She rarely gets up before nine, so there’s a slight chance that she might not even know I didn’t meet her curfew.

Jackson goes into Chloe’s room and I can hear her cheerfully greet him as he wakes her up. “Come on, honey, I’ve got to take Ella home and then I’m gonna take you out for a super special breakfast,” he promises her.

“Ohhh! Is it pancakes?” I can hear the excitement in her voice. “I loooove pancakes.” She thuds her feet on the floor as she jumps out of bed.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” he answers. “Let’s get you changed and we’ll go, okay?”

I hate that I’m in this stupid position. I hate that I couldn’t just wake up this morning and enjoy the moment of lying next to a man so kind, yet so sexy, he’s unlike anyone I’ve ever even dared to dream of. I would have loved to take Jackson up on his offer as he was kissing my shoulder softly. Now this is all just one more thing tainted by Sylvia.

Pushing back my tears, I run my hands over my hair, snaking my fingers through the long strands like a makeshift comb as I walk out of Jackson’s room and head downstairs. I slip my shoes back on and wait in the front entryway for them impatiently, knowing I look like a total asshole, but also knowing that as each moment passes my chances of getting out of this without any terrible repercussions is growing faint.

“Hey, Ella.” Chloe waves at me enthusiastically, a huge smile exposing all her teeth as she climbs down the stairs toward me.

“Good morning, beautiful.” I force the fear from my tone. I refuse to let this terrible feeling growing inside me to spill over onto this angelic child.

“Okay, let’s just grab our shoes and go.” Jackson gives me a pointed stare, making it clear that this was never part of his plan when he invited me over here.

I try not to rush out to the car, not to sigh when he helps Chloe into her seat, to keep my lips sealed and my panic under lock and key. It feels like the two of them are moving at such a sluggish pace, like I’m watching a slow motion film… in a pool… of molasses. Finally, when I feel like if it takes a single second longer I’m not going to be able to contain my screams, Jackson sits in the driver’s seat and starts the car.

“Where did you say you need to go again?” he asks through clenched teeth.

I know I’ve upset him by putting him out like this, but what else could I do? I should’ve taken a cab. Why didn’t he just let me leave that way?

“It’s a left at the intersection,” I answer feebly, staring down at my hands and wishing that somehow the universe could just swallow me whole. Wishing I hadn’t messed up the first relationship I’ve ever had with a man who only last night I gave my body to. Wishing these circumstances weren’t my own and that, for once, I had the same freedom to live and love as anyone else.