6. Kai

Chapter six

Kai

Monday, December 2, 2024

B y the time my alarm goes off, I still haven’t slept.

Frankly, I’m pissed about it. Schizophrenia is sensitive to changes in sleep cycle, and I have zero interest in doing a damn thing to perturb it.

And of course, it’s all her fault.

Fucking Lea.

It was bad enough that I had those sexy fucking sounds that she made playing on repeat in my mind all night, but then she had to go and add fuel to the fire by inviting me into her bed. Whether or not she really meant the offer doesn’t matter. It’s the fact that there ever was any kind of offer that my brain kept snagging onto as I tried desperately to sleep.

But each time I’d close my eyes, I’d imagine what it’d be like if it were me in that room with her. If the camera were angled at nothing but her gorgeous pussy, or what I imagine it would look like anyway. I picture how well she’d take my fingers, screaming my name instead of praising someone else’s sky daddy.

I clutch the sides of my head, clenching my eyes shut and willing the images of her to stop.

“Fuck!” I shout, climbing out of bed and snagging a pair of shorts before slipping into my sneakers and going for a run.

By the time I get back, I’m exhausted and grateful as hell that I don’t have practice or a game today. I need this day just to relax and get back on track.

I gulp down a glass of water and take a much-needed shower, but when I get out, my phone is ringing from where I’d left it on the kitchen counter.

Shit.

I wrap a towel around my waist, running into the other room, and answer just in time.

“It’s Kai,” I rush out, my breath coming out in pants, much like it does every time I get a call. More often than not, when someone’s calling me, it’s Mom. And she always needs something.

“Kai, baby,” she coos on her end of the line, and my heart splits in two. Not again.

“I need you to come pick me up, baby.” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “They found out, Kai. They found out, and I need you to come get me out of here.”

“Found out about what, Mom?” I ask, trying not to sound as exasperated as I feel.

“About the messages, baby. They found out, and just like I told you, they want to do tests on me, but you can’t let them!” she starts shouting, becoming hysterical.

“Mom. Mom,” I plead, trying to draw her attention back to me. “You’ve gotta be quiet, or they’ll hear you talking about it and I won’t be able to get you out, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispers back.

A heavy sigh leaves my lips at her acceptance. It’s not always this easy. Hell, usually it isn’t easy at all. When she stops taking her meds and gets like this, it can seem impossible to bring her back.

“Tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you. Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone do any tests on you, alright?” I try to keep my voice as even as possible, but anxiety is threatening to strangle me.

“Ma’am, may I speak with your son?” A man's deep voice travels over the line, and Mom starts shouting at him to get back.

There’s a commotion, and I realize exactly where she’s at by sound alone.

“I’ll be there soon, officer,” I say loud enough that I hope he can hear me despite their attempts to restrain my mother.

Again.

If I thought I was exhausted before, I was wrong.

When I get inside, I toss my keys down on the kitchen counter, and they land with a loud thud.

Lea’s lying on the couch with a fuzzy pink blanket draped over her legs as she watches game tape.

“Hey.” She waves at me, but I don’t have the energy to speak, so I just nod, heading back to my room.

I collapse on the bed, closing my eyes and hoping like hell that when I wake up from this day, it’ll all just have been a nightmare.

Unfortunately, that’s not my reality.

What is though? My mother forgetting her meds enough times that she landed herself in jail. Again.

And of course she can’t hold down a job long enough to be able to afford her bail. So here I am, the proud new owner of a massive fucking loan and a newly drained savings account.

It’ll be fine , I try to tell myself. I can just get another job. Some little side gig.

But the longer I lay here sorting through what that would entail, the more I realize what a fucking dick I’d been to Lea last night.

Goddamnit.

My eyes snap open as I have an epiphany, seemingly from hell.

I should call the big guy downstairs and ask him to prepare my rotisserie spit because when Liam finds out about this, I’ll be meeting him sooner than either of us had planned for. I drag my ass over to the living room, forcing myself to look Lea in the eyes as she peers up at me.

“If your offer still stands, I’m in,” I tell her.

I watch as her white brows twist in confusion, those pink lips of hers pinching as she processes my words. “What offer?” she finally asks. Apparently, she’s more forgetful than I’d thought.

“Money, goalie hands, camera, creepy dudes,” I huff out, swinging my arms around as I explain.

She stares blankly at me, and the moment she gets it, I know because her expression changes from confusion to shock.

“Oh my god, seriously, Kai? That was not a real offer!” she shouts at me.

“It sure as shit sounded like one!” I shout back at her.

“Well,” she says, blowing out an exasperated breath. “It wasn’t.” She rolls her pretty green eyes at me just the way I like, and that thought alone should have me taking her denial for the blessing it is. But instead, I plant my ass beside her and get to begging.

“What if it was an offer though, Lea? Think about it; you were right.” Her brows shoot up to her hairline at that admission, so I trudge on, hoping to avoid admitting that again. “We could make a fuck ton of money, and it wouldn’t even have to be you doing the work. We could set rules, boundaries ,” I emphasize. “I could use just my hands to get you off or even just your toys.”

Suspicion is evident in her tone. “Why the sudden change in tune?”

“I’ve had”—I clear my throat—“a change in financial situation that warrants an additional source of income.”

“Uh huh, and this change happened between last night and right now?”

I groan, dropping my head into my hands as I mumble, “Unfortunately, yes.”

“Fine.”

My head snaps up, and I balk at her. “Fine?”

She nods. “Yep. Fine. Only your hands and my vibes. Don't show your face so you don’t end up in the news, and I’m not doing any of the fucking work,” she tells me as she stands, heading to her room. “And Kai?” she asks, looking over her shoulder at me as I remain seated and stunned.

“Yeah?”

“This is on a trial basis. If your meaty hands drive down my viewership, you’re on your own.”

Of course I am.

That’s how it usually feels.