15. CHAPTER 15

15

KAI

Jules is becoming suffocating, and not in a good way. I’d prefer to be suffocated by him with his weight on top of me as he fucks me senseless. Unfortunately, this suffocation is like having an overbearing parent. Why can't he see me as an adult? I’ve been here for weeks now, I've followed the rules, the brothers are giving me more responsibility, and I don’t question anything, and still, he gives me shit like those text messages. I would think he was jealous if it wasn't for the patronizing undertone that I could’ve put myself in harm's way. I can handle myself. I’m tired of him micromanaging me like he doesn't trust me. I was beyond relieved to find out I was working with Si today, as I needed the space before I let out all my frustrations onto Jules. How can someone who drives you completely mad be the one person you want so badly?

“Can you stop bouncing your knee like that? It’s annoying as fuck,” Simon says from the seat next to me. I immediately stop the movement, unaware I was doing it in the first place. It’s Jules’s fault.

“Sorry,” I mutter, and I have to physically restrain myself from starting to bounce my leg again. This place is depressing. We’re sitting in a small office at the docks, waiting for Carlos to arrive to make payment, and I have to say I’m disappointed. Carlos is so suave that I expected meetings like this would be in a mansion adorned with chandeliers and the finest furniture. I suppose that's what you get when you compare this life to a movie. Not as glamorous as you’d think.

“The fucker is late,” Si says as he checks his phone.

“Is he always late?”

“No, only when it’s me. I swear the dick does it to piss me off.”

“Of course I do, it’s the only highlight of my day,” Carlos says, and I jump in my seat, not expecting his voice. How the hell did he creep in here so quietly? I turn to look at him over my shoulder as he gracefully glides into this shithole of an office, immediately making it look regal. He’s incredibly attractive in an elegant way, with the manner he dresses in. His shirt and pants look like they have been pressed to within an inch of their life and wouldn’t dare crease. He’s tall and lithe with a beautiful olive tone to his skin that plays peek-a-boo through his shirt that’s unbuttoned down to his pecs. He doesn’t seem to notice me though, because those intense pools of brown eyes are firmly on Simon.

As Carlos takes his seat behind the desk, a guard I don’t know stands behind us near the door, and my heart starts to beat a little faster at the unknown. This is the first time I’ve been here, and the tension is so oppressive you would think we were being buried alive.

“Let’s just get this over with. We have shit to do,” Simon says.

“And who is this?” Carlos asks, nudging his head toward me.

“Kai. A new guard,” Si says.

“Hmm, very nice. Are you enjoying your new job, handsome?” Carlos says, and I stiffen at the sexual tone. With the way he’s watching Simon, I would say it’s intentional. It can’t be too obvious to Simon, as he easily takes the bait.

“You keep your fucking hands off. Now, let’s get down to business.”

“Can we not have a polite conversation, little lion?”

“Don't fucking call me that, and no. We can’t. Just sign the paperwork so we can go. The money has already been checked by your men when we got here.”

“I know. Always so serious.”

Carlos watches Simon like he is about to leap over the desk and run away with him, while Simon stares back at him as if he is imagining all the ways he can tear him apart. Simon hates Carlos, and Carlos wants to claim Simon. It would be pretty hot to watch if I wasn’t worried that Simon was about to put a bullet in Carlos’s skull. I can all but feel him shaking next to me in anger. I’m not sure how long the stare-off lasts, and I briefly wonder if I should say anything or keep my mouth fucking shut. But I opt for the latter.

Carlos slowly smiles, showing his perfect white teeth. Fuck, he really is sexy. He slowly lifts his pen from the desktop and signs the papers confirming the transaction with the Kozlovs. Carlos picks up the piece of paper and holds it out to Simon. Simon studies it, I guess weighing up the option of whether Carlos will grab him if he takes it.

“Give it to Kai. It was nice doing business with you, Mr Silva,” Simon says as he stands and goes to leave.

“I love it when you call me that,” Carlos says. Simon hesitates for a moment but doesn't turn to acknowledge him. He’s taking the high road, and with the tightness in his shoulders, it’s taking everything he has not to respond.

I take the papers from Carlos and thank him as I follow Simon out like a little dog. Shit, that was intense. As we get into Simon’s car, he lets out a long breath before revving the car to life.

“That was heated in there. Is he always like that with you?” I ask as Simon drives us out of the docks.

“If you're asking if he is always a fucking dick, then yes. I hate him. Keep away from him, Kai. You can’t trust him,” he says.

“Okay,” I say in response, but not feeling the hate toward Carlos like Simon. I think he's quite a nice guy. But then again, what would I know?

The ride back to the house is silent, but not weird. I’m up in my head about Jules, and I assume Simon is up in his head about Carlos. I need to speak to Jules about his behavior, otherwise, things are gonna turn sour fast. I want him to respect me as his equal, not as the little boy he once knew. As we pull to a stop on the driveway, everyone appears to be home, from the amount of cars that are parked, along with Seb’s bike, and without a word, Simon goes into the main house and I walk back to the guard's home. It’s lunchtime now and I’m starving, but I just know Jules is there waiting for me. I open the front door and take off my jacket and shoes. I hear movement in the kitchen, but I scuttle towards my bedroom and enter my bathroom where I douse my face with cold water, hoping it will realign my thoughts so I don’t blurt out nonsensical bullshit while I stand my ground.

With my head held high and back straight, desperately trying to give off confidence on a kick-ass level, I walk into the kitchen, where Jules stands facing me, his back resting against the counter and a look of pure annoyance on his face. His nostrils flare as I approach and he squints at me with those ice-cold blues that make my steps falter. All the fake confidence is draining as fast as a sink of water, and I can't stop the fidgeting of my hands. But like a lightbulb going off in my head, another feeling takes over. A wave of searing anger as I remember the years of his lack of presence, the absolute audacity of this guy to think he can act like my dad, like his morals are so high that he forgets what the fuck he does here. It makes me shudder with suppressed rage, and my mouth then spews out everything that I want to say to him.

“What?” I snap.

“Excuse me?” he says, uncrossing his arms so that they relax beside his body. He stands to his full height, and his brows raise in utter shock and simmering irritation at my evolving attitude. I’ve always been respectful to him, and I don’t think he appreciates this side of me. Well, tough shit. It’s his fault that he brings it out of me with such ease.

“Well, I’m waiting for you to have another go at me. What did I do now? Did I not kiss the brothers’ shoes? Did I forget to say thank you after dinner last night? Will I not get a bedtime story, Uncle Jules?” I say, thoroughly proud of my snark.

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to, Kai?”

“I’m not sure, my dad? My daycare teacher?”

“Reel in the sass, Kai, before I teach you some manners.”

“Oooh like what? Do I get a naughty seat?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“YOU! I can’t fucking breathe without you criticizing or questioning me, talking to me like a kid. I’ve done everything asked of me here. The guys respect me, why can't you?”

“I’m trying to protect you. Keep you in line. Like last night, you should’ve been on your guard more. You don’t know Lev like I do.”

“Oh shut the fuck up, Jules. Lev knew what Aaron was doing.”

During this argument where my mouth has loosened to such epic proportions that I can no longer control what I say, I’ve become so relaxed with the verbal vomit flooding out of my mouth that I’ve actually forgotten who I’m talking to and where I am. The silence in the kitchen right now is so deafening, I have to fight not to cover my ears with my hands. I told him to shut the fuck up. Those four words have pulled a trigger on Jules’s restraint as in the very next second he slams into me, pushing me into the wall, grabbing my throat with one hand, and gripping my wrist like a vice with his other. Cold blues bore into mine, the full weight of his body pressing me further into the wall, so hard that I worry for a second we might have splintered the plaster.

“The next time you speak to me like that, I will rip you apart, Kai.”

The way he says those words has me fighting a groan. I’ve reached new heights of freakiness as this is turning me the fuck on. Jules’s heavy pants hover over my own mouth, and his unblinking stare holds me captive. There is hardly any blue left with how much his pupils have dilated. I need to apologize and calm the situation, but I don’t. Instead, I want to push him, because I think he wants me as much as I want him. That’s what this is all about. He’s jealous of what Aaron did. It makes sense now, as that’s the only issue he brought up in this little dalliance of insults.

“Do it, you fucker,” I say, hissing it into his face, taking the challenge. His eyes widen at my response, so I take the opportunity to knee him in the groin, which has him falling back, releasing me from his hold as he curls over. I’m both terrified and thrilled at what I’ve just done, but I make the mistake of not moving.

Why am I not moving? Jules tilts his head up and a large vein on his forehead bulges which I’ve never seen before. It’s so prominent, I’m concerned it may burst. The longer I stare at it, I swear it moves, waving at me, warning me to back the fuck off its owner before he unleashes hell on me. But that just makes my pulse spike. Jules has never looked this demonic before, the air is potent with his desire to hurt me. Yet, I still don’t move. Having gathered himself from the assault, he stands and composes himself.

Then my vision alters to fuzzy lines when I feel the full force of his body tackling me to the ground. Pain radiates across my shoulders from the hard impact onto the floor, but my dick has never been happier.

Yep, fucking freaky.