Chapter 18: Tirone: Chapter 19

What had I gotten myself into?

That was all I could think of as I still physically felt Tirone’s cum on my back while my arms wrapped around his father, and Tirone threw a glance at me every once in a while on our way back to the compound, the Texan, hot air whipping at my face, slapping me for what I’d just done.

What the hell was I thinking? How could I let this happen? If Furore knew, he’d kill me, and then he and his son would grow apart again. Had I learned nothing from my time with Tirone? Ever since we’d been together, I’d made nothing but mistakes. But I didn’t seem to have enough of those.

What did I expect, though? The three of us living under the same roof… It was bound to happen. That was the main reason Tirone was here. To rip Furore and me apart. To lure me in his traps, and I’d fallen right into them.

I wished, at least, I could have said I’d fought hard enough, but that was far from the truth. I barely did anything to resist, to stop him, and the reason was too obvious to deny.

I still had feeling for Ty. I still craved the way he touched me. While I was in love with his father.

You’re a dirty slut.

Furore folded his arm around my waist as we entered the compound and nodded for a prospect to get the shopping bags, mine and Ty’s. I looked down, lost in a shameful interior monologue. I couldn’t look into anybody’s eyes, especially Furore’s.

“Surprise!”

I jumped at the sudden roar. If it wasn’t for Furore’s arm, I’d have stumbled off my feet. Fuck, I hated surprises.

Laughter and loud music blared in the house, and the lounge was swarming with men in cuts and women in too hot to handle outfits. Fort handed me a beer. “It’s your welcome party.”

“Oh.” I took the beer, dazed. “Thanks.” Then I labored a glance at Laius. “Did you know about this?”

“Know about this? He arranged for the whole thing.” Fort cackled. “He ordered fucking cake.”

Laius smiled at me. “I didn’t know what flavor you liked, but I saw you eating a chocolate muffin one day at the Arena, so I got chocolate cake.”

“I love chocolate. Thank you,” I said, still dazed. “When did you have the time? You said you had to meet someone.”

Laius kissed my temple, and a guilty chill ran through me. “Yeah, the baker.”

Fort gave Ty a cold one, too, and winked in the direction of a cluster of girls in shorts and bras. “It’s your party, too. Welcome to the Night Skulls.”

My body tensed conspicuously as I exchanged a quick glance with Tirone. Shit. No one should notice the jolt of jealousy that zapped me at just the idea of Ty being with someone else, someone as hot as those girls I’d never look like, someone available and fun and not life-threatening. I shouldn’t have had that jolt of jealousy. Period.

“Awesome.” Ty took the glass from Fort, eying the girls, but then he glanced at me. “Can’t dig in, though. I have a girlfriend back home.”

“No, you don’t,” I said quickly.

He glared at me. “Excuse me?”

“You broke up with her right before you dropped out. The poor girl was devastated. Everybody at school knows it.”

“But I apologized, and we’re back together. At least, I’m working on it.”

“How? Do you see her here anywhere? Because I don’t.” Despite the ridiculous jealousy and the pain of what felt like another breakup, I had to end things before they got out of hand. It was the right thing to do. “If you want my advice, Rex, go live your life and have some fun with girls that are here, girls that suit your new lifestyle. Look around you. How long do you expect to be faithful to your long-distance girlfriend when this is your home now and all this is at your fingertips?”

He gritted his teeth. “When you’re truly in love with someone, you don’t care. You don’t see anybody else.”

I nodded and grinned at Laius. “I agree. You don’t see anybody else when you’re in love. Only him.”

Laius returned the smile, and then he devoured my lips. Suddenly, he carried me over his shoulder, the beer in my hand spilled all over the floor, and a loud round of applause and whistles erupted and trailed behind us as he hauled us to our room.

A wave of sweat attacked me. Could he taste Ty off my lips? Could he smell his own son on his girlfriend? If he didn’t now, he would later when he tried to undress or touch me.

His lips took mine again the second he locked the door behind us. “I fucking missed you.”

We hadn’t touched since the fight, which wasn’t long, only a couple of days, but the heat in his kiss and the bulge in his jeans begged to differ.

“I missed you, too.” I did. But I was a mess inside and out. “What about the party? It’s rude to just—”

“It’s your party. You’re their queen now. They’ll wait.” His lips traveled down my neck. “But I can’t.”

Queen? Only one person called me that. The one person that continued to mess me up.

Laius’s fingers raced to unbutton my shirt. Blood rushing out of my body, I pulled away. “I’ll hit the shower first. I’m so sweaty.”

“I don’t give a shit.”

“I do. I…can’t stand the way I smell.” Infidelity stank. The rankest compound of villainous smell that ever offended nostril.

His stare scrutinized my face. Can he see it? The lies? The guilt? “You okay, Jo?”

“Yes. Why would I not be?”

“I don’t know, but something is off. Did something happen at the mall?”

My knees shook. “Something like what?”

“Anything. Did someone upset you? Rex?”

“Why…would you say that?”

His piercing gaze saw through me. I wanted the floor to crack open and swallow me. “Because he’s an ass, and he’s his mama’s boy. She has her way of poisoning anything. She could be asking him to give you a hard time.”

I allowed myself to breathe. “He’s…the way he’s always been. Nothing I can’t handle.” I hoped.

“Okay. I just want you to know that if anything happens from him or anyone, you can tell me. Anything at all.”

If only…

“Even if it’s me.” He touched my face ever so gently, his lips pursed. “Are you still mad at me? Because if you are, I’ll fix it. I know I’m no angel, but I’ll always fucking fix it. You just have to tell me. Always be honest with me.”

Here’s your fucking chance to be a decent person and do right by this man you obviously don’t deserve. Take it.

“I…I…” My throat was constricted with shame.

“You’re what, baby girl? Something is troubling you, and I can see it. Just say it. Whatever it is.”

How? How could I tell my overtly jealous boyfriend with a very bad temper that I used to be his son’s forbidden lover, I fucked him when he was seventeen, and he’d just come on me in a dressing room?

“Say it, Jo. What’s going on?”

“I…I just didn’t like what you did with the principal today.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say that wasn’t a lie. “Coercion is a form of bullying, and for a teacher, it’s a big deal. We fight this daily. It was hard to be on the other side.” Because your moral compass is pointing fucking North, Miss Meneceo? Hello, you just came all over the mouth of your boyfriend’s son.

Disappointment dulled his face. I didn’t know if he was disappointed I wasn’t as dark as he’d hoped or disappointed I wasn’t telling him the truth about what was really troubling me.

Either way, I didn’t want to know. I grabbed some of the shopping bags and headed for the bathroom. “I’ll hit the shower.”

I banged the back of my head against the wall tiles as I washed the evidence of my betrayal off my body and both pairs of panties. As if that will make you clean, like your shameless sins never happened. My eyes squeezed shut as I filled my lungs with air. “O, that way madness lies; let me shun that; No more of that.” I reminded myself through Shakespeare that I couldn’t dwell on my indiscretions. It’d only drive me mad. Guilt was rooted in the actions of the past, perpetuated in the lack of action in the present. I couldn’t change what happened, but I could stop it from happening again.

I hoped the things I told Tirone downstairs would make him understand and persuade him to leave me alone. Today proved, the hard way, I wasn’t strong enough to resist on my own.

I hung the panties to dry, wrapped a towel around my body and headed out of the bathroom. I stifled a yelp as Laius was standing right outside, leaning against the doorframe, his stare dark. “Why are you standing like this? You startled me.”

He peered at the wet underwear. “What’s this?”

My heart skipped a beat. “What does it look like?”

“Why did you just hand wash two pairs of underwear?”

My lashes fluttered. “The black ones are too delicate for the machine.”

“And the red ones? Were you wearing two panties today?” he taunted.

“No,” I sighed. “The red ones are new.”

He stared at me for a nerve-wracking moment. “You wash brand new panties?”

I gulped, sweating all over again. “Of course. Do you not wash your new underwear before you use it?”

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“In case someone else tried it on.”

“The kind I wear comes in a closed box.”

I chuckled nervously. “I see.”

He eyed the red panties again, and guilt almost swallowed my consciousness. I should just confess and get it over with. “They’re hot,” he said. “You got them for me?”

Not anymore. “I know you prefer pink, but I thought you might like them. Red is my favorite color.”

“Good to know. I can’t wait to see you in them.”

Fuck. “Um…I’ll buy a new set. The fabric…after washing…isn’t as good as I thought it’d be. Maybe we can go together next time so you can choose what you like?”

He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck in his familiar possessive way and brought my body to his. Then he dropped the towel. “Sounds like a plan.”

I wasn’t ready to have sex with him after what I’d done, but knowing how rough Laius could be in bed, I’d take it without a word. I should be punished.

His lips feathered on mine, hovering sensually, not devouring, and then left a trail of whispering kisses down my neck and chest that had me shuddering with arousal. I wasn’t used to such softness, especially not from him. Who knew it was more powerful than a lustful, forceful rhythm of passion?

He cradled me in his arms and put me in bed, as if I were a baby. Then he stripped out of his clothes, keeping only his cut, before he crawled toward me.

“What…wh…” I laughed under my breath, “what is this?”

“This is your man about to make love to you.”

Make love, not fuck? “Okay. Where are the cuffs, the spanking, the choking?”

“When I went to buy something as simple as cake, I didn’t know what you liked. A minute ago, I didn’t know what your favorite color was. I’m pretty sure you like things in bed I don’t know either.” He shook his head. “None of that. I want to get to know you, Jo. It’s my job to please you. I want to be a good man for you.”

My jaw hung low in complete and utter awe. The tears pricked my eyes, and blinking them away didn’t work. Of all the times in the world, he chose now to do this?

“Hey, what happened?” His thumbs quickly wiped under my eyes. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No. Of course not. You’re saying all the right things. I just didn’t expect it. Not now.”

“Why not?”

Because I’m a boil, a plague sore, an easy glove. In other words, I’m a disgusting bitch, the scum of earth, the worst person in the whole world. “I just didn’t know you could be… so sweet.” I wept.

He hugged me, and I bawled my eyes out. “I’m so sorry, Laius. So sorry.”

“For what, baby girl?”

“For being me. For putting you through all this trouble.”

He pulled away gently only to look into my eyes and smile. “There’s no trouble, my princess, my queen. I love you.”

“I love you, too. I swear.”

“I don’t believe you,” his finger ran down the middle line between my breasts, “not until you show me.”

“I’d love to, but can we do this later? I was mentally prepared for a punishment.” I scowled. “I need it.”

The back of his hand brushed my cheek. “You don’t need a punishment, baby. You need to be worshipped.”

If only he knew how much I loved what he was saying, how much it’d have turned me on… I wished I could have felt that way right now, but it was impossible. My shame wouldn’t allow it.

It wasn’t his fault, though. If I didn’t play along, he’d think something was wrong or he’d feel bad about it. I couldn’t let him worry or wonder. He deserved nothing but happiness, dedication, love and loyalty.

“Show me, baby. Tell me what you need,” he whispered.

Knock! Knock!

“Not now!” Laius shouted.

“Sorry, Prez, but you need to come down. Now. It’s Rex.”