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“How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Work with both of them.”
He only laughs, so I make myself, too.
Exactly how obsessed is he with Lex?
“You’re better than me. I don’t think I could do it, work alongside them day after day, year after year. Work alongside her.”
Our gazes wander over to Lex heading into her office, the glass door closing softly behind her.
“You got a girl, Reece?” Kaisin asks out of nowhere.
Feeling the heat of his stare on my cheek, I tear my eyes away and nod. “Yeah. Fiancée. We just got engaged this summer.”
“Congrats.”
I mumble a thanks, wondering if this lie will make it to Lex, then wondering why I care. She’s the one with a husband.
“When’s the wedding?”
“Soon.” I’m guessing that’s how engagements work, otherwise why bother?
“You got any pictures of her?”
If I actually had a girl, Kaisin Debrosse is the last person I’d show her to. Motherfucker’s one step away from being delusional. I’m only entertaining this little camaraderie because there’s a chance he might have something on his brother. And if Kaisin’s as honest as I’m hoping, it’s only a matter of time before he spills, with or without meaning to.
“Uh, yeah, I should.” As soon as my hand closes around my phone, I feel the panties—Lex’s panties—and have to keep my expression neutral as I flick them to the bottom of my pocket, carefully pulling my phone out without taking them with. I swipe through my open tabs, landing on one of the models I pay for exclusive images of. She just joined the subscription service I use, so she’s not as well-known yet. Hopefully Kaisin isn’t one of her fans, too. Once I find a photo she’s actually semi-clothed in, I enlarge it, showing my screen to him.
“That? That’s what you’re marrying?”
I study the picture, trying to imagine it, not marrying her—a stranger on the internet I jerk off to sometimes—but marrying anybody. I’ve never really envisioned myself married before. Growing up in a house with three females, the last thing I wanted as a kid was to hang around another woman, much less live with one. Until I got a little older and discovered what pussy felt like, making females the center of my universe again, just in a completely different way. Then Cyrus entered my life and the thought of marriage made me fucking ill. I would never chain someone to this world, not if I loved them,trulyloved them.
“Shit, dude, you hit the jackpot. She’s a twelve.”
“Mm,” I hum in response. The model is hot but she can’t sell a fantasy for shit. She’ll pose with a sword next to a pool with a sprinkler in it. As far as commitment to her roles goes, she’s lacking. Not like Lex in hers. She’s like a goddamn shapeshifter.
Shapeshifter…
“Anyway,” I say to Kaisin, jerking a thumb behind me. “I got some paperwork to fill out, then a training webinar I’m supposed to sit through, but, uh, what’s there to eat around here?”
“Want to meet up later so I can show you?” he asks, falling for it. The icing on the cake is when he offers, “My treat.”
Keeping the majority of my smile to myself, I accept before opening my texts and sending one off. Almost instantly I get a reply containing a single question mark. I don’t bother with repeating myself. I don’t need to. I know she’ll get it.
One last glance in Lex’s direction, I tuck my phone back in my pocket, safely on top of her panties, then head to my cubicle, finally letting my smile free.
Reece
Once I find a parking spot down the street from the apartment building my mom lives in, I check the surroundings before getting out and locking up my Alfa Romero.
The five-story red-brick Classical Revival used to be a clothing factory over a hundred years ago but was remodeled into loft-style apartments several years back. The exterior still looks like a factory though, and while the location isn’t the worst, it isn’t the best either. It’s downtown, in a neighborhood that’s trying to turn things around but isn’t quite there yet, especially during night hours, so there’re junkies lingering on every corner as soon as the sun goes down. Luckily, by the time my sisters leave for school in the morning, the streets get reclaimed by the residents with honest jobs, and their two-block walk to school is mostly clear of anyone looking for trouble. I’ve walked it with them enough times to make sure.
We used to live in the suburbs, in a house small enough to be cozy but big enough to fit our family, in a friendly neighborhood full of other families who knew each other and looked out for one another. We had a backyard we’d catch fireflies in during the summer and build snowmen in during the winter. Now my sisters have to share a room and can’t go outside after eight p.m.
After they graduate, I want them to get the fuck out of Fox Hollow and never look back. Go to college, fall in love, travel, live lives worth fucking living. I was only two years older than they are now when I started working for Cyrus, so I know what awaits them if they don’t. If they stay here… They can’t stay here. Selfishly, I want them to stay near me, always. They’re my baby sisters. I love them and want to watch every step of their journeys. But I need their journeys to lead them away from anything Cyrus can touch and taint and control.
