Damned (on hold)

Chapter 11: Depleted

Kingston

*A few hours earlier*

I bolted upright in bed, heart racing, as my phone blared out an unfamiliar ringtone. It was 7 am in the morning, and I'd barely slept a wink since the incident with Kaylani and Joleen. I reached for my phone and answered it, my voice edged with grogginess.

"What?" I asked, not in the mood for small talk.

"Get your ass up!" my father's voice boomed through the phone. "While you've been playing with your dick, I did your job and reached out to Darnell, the President of the Demon Dogs. He says he can meet at 8 am. Meet us out by the springs... and don't be late. It's going to be the two of us meeting with him and his right-hand man."

My blood boiled at how disrespectful my father spoke to me, as if I were still the child he could walk all over.

My father knew I would be there, so I hung up without a word of acknowledgment.

I rubbed my bleary eyes, trying to shake off the exhaustion that clung to me. As I looked around the room, I remembered that Joleen had opted to sleep in one of the other guest beds instead of beside me.

It irritated me a little, but I couldn't blame her after the way I'd treated her last night. It was the first time I'd ever laid my hands on her, dismally reminding me of how my father treated my mother.

The thought of being anything remotely like my father made me sick to my stomach.

On top of the obvious tension between us, Joleen had the audacity to hurl a series of absurd questions at me like a verbal hand grenade. By that time, I was exhausted and tired; the last thing I was going to do was take the obvious bait she was dangling over my head.

Did you sleep with her? Do you like her? Do you know what the MC would do to you if they found out about her? Do you even love me anymore?

I ignored her.

Her questions insulted my intelligence and integrity.

I wasn't an idiot.

I would never cross those boundaries with someone like Kaylani. Do you like her? How could I like someone I barely knew?

Nothing about Kaylani fit the description of what I wanted in a woman.

1. She was way too innocent. She would never understand or fit into my deadly lifestyle.

2. She's black... I'm white. Even if I were attracted to her, in my world, those two things never mixed.

Because of my lack of response, I could see the frustration and resentment simmering in Joleen's bloodshot eyes. I knew by that point that she wanted nothing more than to drag me into a full-blown verbal sparring match.

Joleen's condescending tone made my skin crawl.

Refusing to engage with her, I could feel the air around us grow thick with hostility, as if a storm was brewing between us. No matter how I answered her questions and reassured her, I knew for a fact it would not end peacefully. So instead, I turned off the lamp and pulled the duvet cover over my head.

Everyone in this house would probably collectively agree that last-night was one of the shittiest nights in awhile.

I let out a deep sigh.

Bringing myself back to the present, I reluctantly swung my legs out of the bed and proceeded to get dressed in grim silence. As much as I tried to focus on the tasks at hand, my thoughts unwillingly drifted back to my most recent run in with Kaylani; my hand caressing her soft curves right after spanking it.