Jasmyn

I arrive an hour before the meeting time, I can see the cowhands ending there day. She rings doorbell one of the staff shows her to friends room, her only goal is to get her away from that monster. I see Leilani, she has an old newspaper clipping, and she looks at the staff and say, "I will handle dinner tonight, you can all leave early. I don't want see any of you in the whole week, the rodeo is in town. And isn't Mitch, in bull ride."

I sits on the edge of the bed, arms folded tight, I am so furious, we have to get out of here before Mr. Doe arrives. I can protects her just so we get out of here. Leilani stands in front of her, hands trembling, eyes lowered. She takes a breath, the kind that shakes on the way out.

“Jas… there’s something I never told you,” she says. “Something I should have told you years ago.”

Jasmyn’s expression stays hard, but worry flickers underneath. Leilani forces herself to continue, “When he was still on ride along along with police one rainy night… he found me,” she says quietly. “Those men ... were beating me.”

Her voice cracks, “They were beating me. They were going to take me out of the country. I wasn’t going to come back.”

I hear her confession and even show me the clipping of girl being beaten from men that were involved in human trafficking, my anger falters, replaced by shock. Leilani keeps going, words tumbling out now that she’s finally let them loose. She looks at her friend with serious eyes, “He stopped them. He got me out. He carried me to the cruiser. I barely remember the ride — just the lights, and him telling me I was safe.”

I cannot help to hold my dear friend, but I refrain and wonder why her boyfriend would help her, and the reason. He and his political team are awful people and she sits besides me, I am staring at her hands. I say, "Lani..."

Leilani lowers her voice, “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to see me like that. I didn’t want you to know how close I came to disappearing.”

Leilani continues, quieter now. “After he stopped them… he didn’t just drop me at the hospital and leave.”

I can see her, she is about to beak down, she speaks little quieter, “He took me to his ranch and cared for me. I could barely stand. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. He made sure I was safe. He made sure I healed.”

Her voice drops to a whisper, “If he did nothing more, my life belonged to him.”

Jasmyn stands slowly, her eyes drifting around the room and that’s when she sees them. There are photos everywhere, pinned to the corkboard, taped to the mirror, framed on the dresser and leaning against bookshelf.

They are pictures of her collage years I never knew existed, my friend is at the top of a mountain, wind whipping her hair, and he is beside her, he has a terrified look, but trying anyway. She is teaching him to surf, both of them soaked and laughing. She is dragging him climbing a wall, him clinging to the holds like his life depends on it. There is also, hiking trails, road trips and volunteer events. These are moments that rebuilt her life. I turned back to her in shock, and I have seen him in debates, he never looked like a brave man.

I stare at her eyes and she is now is wiping her tears, “You got him to do all this?”

Leilani gives a tiny, embarrassed smile, “He’s terrified of heights. And water. And anything that isn’t a treadmill. But he tried everything I asked. Every single thing.”

She starts laughing, "He is also was prude, you cannot believe that I got him do. I tortured him and when he gets upset he is incredibly sexy."

I start laugh, "How did you get him to open up."

Leilani laughing, “He won’t put money on the line, but tease him, flash a little leg, turn it into a fun wager, and steal a quick kiss—he’ll agree before he even thinks.”

I believe that I wrong about him, he not monster. She moves closer to me, her trembling voice, “He helped me get into UCLA and helped me rebuild my life. And all he ever asked was that I volunteer at his events.”

Jasmyn tilts her head, still trying to make sense of it.

“Then why… the whole sugar‑baby thing?”

Leilani practically squeaks. Her cheeks go pink, then pinker.

“O‑okay, so… that was… um… me,” she stammers, waving her hands like she’s trying to cool her face. “He was being all noble and proper and— ugh— it was so cute I couldn’t think straight.”

She hides her face for a second, then peeks out.

“So I… kinda… challenged him to a tennis match.”

Jasmyn blinks. “A tennis match?”

Leilani nods way too fast.

“Y‑yeah! If he won, I’d help him with whatever he needed. But if I won…” she wiggles in place, mortified, “…I said I’d be his naughty sugar baby that he needed to punish.”

Her voice drops to a tiny, embarrassed whisper.

“He lost. And now I’m the one who keeps talking him into things he never thought he’d do. I don’t even know how it happens—he’s just so cute when he tries to be noble, it makes me want to be a little naughty.”

She covers her face again, groaning softly.

“Please don’t look at me, I’m already dying.”

Jasmyn stares at her, stunned — the entire story rearranging everything she thought she knew.

Leilani finally lifts her eyes. “He didn’t trap me, Jas. He saved me. And I didn’t tell you because… I didn’t want you carrying that weight.”

Jasmyn’s expression softens instantly. The anger drains out of her like someone pulled a plug, leaving guilt and a tight ache in her chest.

She sighs, rubbing her face, “Great. I’m officially the villain of the week.”

Then she forces a crooked, self‑mocking smile, “And the worst part? I’ve got nothing to do for the next few days, and now I’m sitting here wishing my husband acted like him.”

Leilani blinks… then her cheeks warm, just a little, A tiny spark lights behind her eyes — the kind she gets when a mischievous idea tiptoes into her brain.

Leilani presses her lips together, trying (and failing) to hide the smile creeping up her face.

Instead of answering, she reaches over, snatches her phone, and pulls up a picture, holding it just close enough for Jasmyn to see without saying a word.

Jasmyn’s eyes widen and then she groans into her hands. She playfully slaps her, “You naughty, bad girl.”

Leilani’s cheeks go pink instantly. She leans in, voice dropping to a tiny, conspiratorial whisper, “Oh… I might… actually have a thought about that…”

Jasmyn, idea hangs between them — unspoken, playful, and absolutely trouble.