Quinn’s still hanging around, even though I’ve told him to leave. But Saskia’s leaving, and I stand and watch as she walks out the door while Livia dances circles around me. She’s vying for my attention—attention I’m not willing to give her. My head’s lost in what Quinn wants. What I have to stop him from telling my father about, and how to make sure it doesn’t happen.

He wants Saskia.

She’s the perfect choice.

Little to no family. Poor. Petite and blonde. Blondes always sell best. Especially when they look like a Barbie doll. Which is exactly what she looks like. No one who has any sort of money to search for her. Quinn doesn’t care that her cousin’s family has money because no one searches harder than a parent for their lost child. Certainly not some cousin or their family. I can’t let Quinn tell my father. He’s not privileged to my school friends. They’re completely off limits.

Livia stops dancing and heads off to get herself a drink.

Quinn walks up behind me speaking loudly over the music for me to hear. “You know he’ll want her. All it takes is one single call.”

The people around us all look our way. Quinn was the bad boy of the school when he attended, and rightfully so. He’s as evil as my father. That’s why my father has made him second in command.

“Don’t you fucking dare!”

He taps his chin, looking around the room then back to me. “So many for the picking, though. Tourist numbers have been low this last month.”

“One day I’ll be your fucking boss. You really want to fuck with me?” I step up close to him, so close I can feel his breath on me. We match in height, and Quinn isn’t afraid of me.

“You’ll never be my boss, you’re too much of a bitch.”

“Stay the fuck away from the blonde.”

“What are you going to give me in return?”

I shake my head at his words. “You want something.”

He nods his head and smirks. “A favor. You will owe me a favor, Ryken.”

I was taught to never owe anyone anything, so this goes against the grain. “What exactly do you want?”

Quinn smirks. “If I agree it means you have to stay away from her.”

“Easy.” My hands cross over my chest.

Quinn laughs at me. “I think not.” Then he turns walking away, and as he leaves, Livia grabs hold of my arm again the same way she did before.

“Who was that?” Her voice is high as I turn to face her. She smiles, placing her hand even higher up on my bicep, and leans in closer.

“No one.” I attempt to pull away, but she holds on tightly.

“So Nate and I aren’t a thing anymore, thought you’d like to know that fact.” I nod my head, unsure of how she wants me to answer. “I was thinking you could take me out.”

“On a date?”

She nods her head. “Yep. Maybe you can take me to that new seafood restaurant that’s just opened.”

Before I can answer, I see Cane coming toward us. He opens his hands and slaps them together in the form of a trap and then shakes his head as he passes us.

“So what time should I be ready?” she asks.

Shaking my head, I must have missed the part where I said yes.

“For what?”

She blushes, and I realize how beautiful she is, despite her crazy way of thinking. But Livia knows what she wants and she goes after it. I definitely respect that.

“Our date.”

“Yeah... maybe six.”

“Awesome, pick me up then.” She leans in and her lips touch mine. She’s soft and tastes like strawberry. I don’t kiss her back, but I let her leave her mark on me without my consent and then don’t move as she pulls away and leaves.

“Cunt trap just trapped your dick.” Cane’s voice comes up behind me.

“Kick every fucker out,” I reply to his insult.

He nods his head, pauses the music, then yells at everyone to leave. Some whine but he doesn’t care. Cane very rarely cares about anyone or anything. It’s one of his positive traits, and I admire that in him. He says it how he feels it.

The minute everyone’s gone, the lights all turn back on and I sit on the closest sofa with a beer still in hand.

“My father rang me tonight.”

Cane sits down, his head shaking. “Have you seen him this month?”

I hardly ever do unless he wants to check in on me. Even when he’s home, he’s working and has no time for me.

“Quinn was here.” He sits up straighter. “He was interested in Saskia.”

“Fuck no,” Cane replies. He knows. I’ve told him what my father does. He just doesn’t know the full extent of his business, but he certainly knows what Quinn does and who he works for.

“Quinn wanted to save a favor. Who the fuck does that?”

My head drops to rest on my hand, and my forehead scrunches up in confusion.

How the fuck has this even happened?

This year was meant to be smooth and easy. No complications from day-fucking-one.

I didn’t see that coming.

I didn’t see her coming.

“You told him no, right?” Cane asks me.

Lifting my head, I answer him. “No. I told him yes.”

This time he swears. “Why the fuck would you do that? You told me from the beginning to never do favors for anyone connected to your father. Yet, you’ve agreed to do Quinn a favor?”

“I had no fucking choice, he wanted her. All it would have taken would be one phone call to my father and Quinn would have collected her, and there would have been nothing I could have done about it.”

“You have a fucked-up family. You sure you want to go into business with your dad?”

“I want the clubs. I was promised the fucking clubs. I don’t want anything to do with the other shit,” I moan, slouching back.

We hear the door open, and we both turn to see my father walk in. Cane stands, his body locking straight, and I stay exactly where I am. Not fucking moving a muscle.

“Ryken,” he calls my name, his voice full of authority and darkness—it always holds so much power and control. His authoritarianism has always been too much. “You need to come home.”

I laugh dryly while looking at him. “Why the fuck would I want to do that?”

“Because your mother died.”

Simple.

Succinct.

Uncaring.

Fuck! Fuck! I was not expecting those words to leave his mouth. His expression doesn’t change. Why would it? He hasn’t seen my mother for years. She left because she couldn’t handle what he does or how he treats women.

“Is that all?”

Dad nods his head. Quinn stands behind him, watching me. Don’t show emotion. This is my father’s number one rule. They can break you and see your weakness if you show any sort of feelings.

“Her body will arrive tomorrow. We’ll bury her in our mausoleum.” Then he walks out of the house as quickly as he entered, leaving me sitting there. Shocked. Hurt. Confused. Looking back, Cane finally relaxes now my father’s left.

“Fuck man, I’m so sorry.”

I shrug my shoulders then get up, offering him up the shittiest wave to all mankind as I start walking. Away from his house, and onto the black bitumen road that’s deserted. It’s now early morning. The streets at this time usually have no one around, so it’s the place I want to be.

Alone.

Solitary.

Isolated.

I loved my mother.

She was that—a mother.

My mother was upset when I chose to live with my father, but his offer was too good to refuse, and at the time I was almost an adult so she didn’t say no. She never said no to me anyway. She was petite, much like Saskia. Except her hair was my chestnut color. Mom never moved on from my father, and I’m not sure he moved on either. I’ve never seen him with another woman since her. He’s lived his life hard, fast and unwavering, but where women are concerned they’re as isolated from him as he is from me.

Even trying to remember how my mom and dad were together is hard. He was always so distant, just the way he is today.

Does it hurt him that she’s dead?

“You look lost.” My head spins to see Livia standing at the end of a driveway as I walk, and she’s watching me. She has on only a slip covering her hard peaked nipples.

“I’m not.”

Livia looks over her shoulder then back to me. “I saw you walking. Would you like to come in?”

Do I? I should say no. But instead, I want what she can give me. Comfort. It’s not something I crave usually. Except right now I feel the need.

“Your parents home?”

She smiles. “They are, but the house is big enough they’ll never hear us. Plus, they’re sleeping.”

With a nod, I walk toward her. She laces her hand through mine and starts pulling me down the path to the house.

I have a moment of pause.

Saskia.

She notices, pulling my hand.

“I’ll make you feel better, Ryken.” Somehow she says the words I want to hear. I want to feel better. Maybe she’s the answer I’m seeking. The front door’s open so we walk straight in, shutting it behind us, then head up the stairs to her room. She pulls me inside then closes that door too.

“Maybe I should...”

Livia drops the slip.

She’s naked.

“I’ll make you forget. Don’t you want to forget, Ryken?” Her voice is smooth, confident, sexy.

Can she make me forget? Forget that I’ve just lost the only woman I’ve ever loved. I doubt it, but I’m willing to let her try.

“I do,” I reply answering her question.

Does she know? She couldn’t.

Livia steps closer, reaches for my jeans and pulls at the belt, slipping it through the rings and off. My shirt is next, yanked over my head and discarded to the floor.

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

She nods, steps back and waits for me to step toward her. Her legs hit the back of her bed, and she sits with them apart slightly.

Sex.

What teenager doesn’t want it?

What teenager can say no to it?

Not fucking me.

So I step forward. Her hand reaches out, and she wraps it around my cock, her warm hand starts stroking as she looks up to me. Pulling away, I reach down for my trousers and pull a condom free. Sliding it on, I push her on the bed. She’s eager. She arches up for me as I reach between us and press my finger on her clit. She moans, closing her eyes. A finger slides in, feeling her wet and ready for me.

“Fuck me, Ryken.”

I do as she says. There’s no need to withhold if it’s what she wants. So I slip my finger out and slide my hard cock in. She takes it like she wants it. Her hands lift up, roaming my back as I push in and out of her. Her nails sliding along my shoulder blades trying to mark me.

Fucking her isn’t dulling the pain flying through my chest, it’s just masking it.

And not by much.

I stop.

Her hands still and she sits up on her elbows to look at me. “Ryken?”

I shake my head pulling out of her, disposing of the condom, and dressing fast. “I can’t fucking do this,” I say while still shaking my head.

“What did I do? I can change.”

My fingers scrub through my hair. My damn mind is everywhere. The last thing I want to do is try to please someone who’s needy. Fuck! This is what happens when you think with your cock.

“My mother died...” My eyes close and then reopen, “... I just found out.”

Her hand cups her mouth, and her eyes go wide. Turning, I reach for the door handle, but she speaks, stopping me from leaving.

“Don’t go. Please don’t. Just stay. We don’t have to do anything, but lay down or sleep.” Looking back at her, she’s sliding her slip on, pulling the edge of the blanket back and tapping the bed for me to climb in. “I won’t bite. Let’s talk. Maybe about school? That may help take your mind off everything, and help you at least to fall asleep.”

It sounds better than anything I was thinking of doing. So I kick my clothes back off and climb into bed with her. She lays her head on my shoulder once I’m next to her.

“Can you believe this is our last year?”

And that’s exactly how the rest of the night goes. We talk aimlessly until we both fall asleep, and my mother is at the back of my mind. Until tomorrow.