Chapter 7
After that night, everything changed. But at the same time, it was as if nothing had changed. In the mornings they had breakfast. Jax set the table, Elena poured the coffee, Lily looked at her phone, Mia sat with sleepy eyes, and Kai quietly broke his bread.
As if Jax hadn't fucked all three women the night before. As if tears hadn't flowed from Mia's eyes.
But everyone knew. And no one spoke about it.
A week passed. Two weeks. A month.
Jax was now living in the house. He had canceled his hotel room. "I want to stay with you," he had said. "As a family."
Elena now shared her room with Jax. Lily slept alone, but most nights she was with Jax. Mia's room was next to Jax's. The door was always open.
Kai's room was the farthest away. But he could still hear the sounds. Every night.
Jax's gifts never stopped.
He bought Elena a new car. Black, sporty, very expensive. When Elena took the keys, she smiled. She hugged Jax. She kissed him.
He bought Lily a new phone. The latest model. Lily screamed. "Jax, you're amazing!" Jax picked her up. His hand was on Lily's hip.
He bought Mia a new dress. Short, pink, very cute. Mia put it on and looked at herself in the mirror. Jax hugged her from behind. His hand was on Mia's stomach. It slowly moved down. Mia's breathing quickened. But she didn't say anything.
He bought Kai a new laptop. The most expensive one. When Kai opened the box, he felt nothing. No joy. No shame. Just emptiness.
"Thank you," he said.
Jax patted his shoulder. "No problem. We're family."
One evening after dinner, Jax said, "Let's do something different today."
They were sitting in the living room. Jax on the couch, Elena beside him. Lily across from them, Mia next to her. Kai on the farthest couch.
Jax slid the strap of Elena's dress off her shoulder. Her breast was exposed. Jax leaned down and took her nipple into his mouth. Elena's head fell back.
Lily said, "I want it too."
Jax lifted his head. "Come here."
Lily undressed. She knelt in front of Jax. While one of Jax's hands caressed Elena's breast, the other held Lily's hair and guided her mouth to his cock.
Mia was sitting on the floor, watching. No one said anything to her. But she also undressed. With her small naked body, she sat next to Jax. Jax pulled her onto his lap. His hand was between her legs.
Kai watched. He felt nothing. He just watched.
Two months passed.
Kai could no longer sleep at night. During the day he spent hours in front of his computer. He played games on his new laptop, browsed the internet, and did nothing.
He wasn't going to school. High school was over. He wasn't thinking about university. Jax had said, "What do you need university for? Help me. I'll pay you."
Kai was helping. When they went shopping, he carried the bags. He made the restaurant reservations. When guests came to the house, Kai greeted them and served drinks.
He was like a pimp. But he didn't want to say that to himself.
One evening, Jax called Kai to his room.
He closed the door. He poured two glasses of whiskey. He handed one to Kai.
"How's it going?" he asked.
Kai said, "Good."
Jax said, "Don't lie. How's it going?"
Kai took a sip of his whiskey. His throat burned. "I don't know."
Jax said, "You know. But you don't want to say it. That's fine. Don't say it. Just know this: I own this house. I own your mother. I own your sisters."
Kai's hands trembled. "And me?"
Jax smiled. "You're mine too. But in a different way. You're my partner. You help me. You get paid for it."
Kai asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Jax said, "You'll prepare the girls for me. You'll dress them nicely, make them smell good, make them look beautiful. When they come to me, they'll be ready. When new guests come, they'll be ready too."
Kai's heart raced. "What kind of guests?"
Jax smiled. "Rich guests. My business partners. I want them to see how beautiful your mother and sisters are."
Kai's mouth said, "Okay."
Jax raised his glass. "That's it. Now we're a team."
Kai raised his glass. He drank.
That night Kai returned to his room. He looked in the mirror. He looked for a long time.
"Pimp," he said out loud. "I became a pimp."
But his eyes didn't fill with tears.
He lay down on the bed. He looked at the watch on his wrist. Shinola. He looked at the leather jacket by the wall. Black. He looked at the computer on the desk. New laptop.
He closed his eyes. He slept. He didn't dream.
End of Chapter 7