Chapter Thirty Seven-
Noel
James has been following me for days. He may be annoying, but he's damn good at his job. I even tried to bribe him to leave me alone for just a few minutes and he wouldn't.
He stands at the door when I use the bathroom. He sits in my room when I'm asleep. He hardly sleeps, and when he does, he just leans against the wall and closes his eyes for a few minutes at a time. He watches me eat too.
I got used to having Fabian around because he's talkative enough to make me comfortable, but James is stone cold and quiet. Bodyguard my ass. Dax knows damn well that he's a babysitter. He's just a babysitter with military training.
I even got Fabian to try to seduce him long enough for me to sneak away, and he barely budged. Now I'm with my family again and we're sitting at the table together while James just stands in the corner watching.
"Why's that scary guy here?" Julian asks, looking at James who keeps a stoic face and says nothing.
"He's my babysitter." I answer.
"I thought grown-ups didn't need babysitters." Lottie chips in.
"Tell that to my boyfriend."
"He wouldn't tell you what to do if you didn't let him get away with it." Will huffs. He always has an attitude. Theo is the only one who gets to see him in a good mood.
"He blows my back out like a god every night, so I think walking around with a babysitter is the least I can do." I answer, smirking when he fake gags.
Sawyer reaches over to smack the back of my head and right on cue, the most inquisitive one of the kids asks the question. "Daddy, what does that mean?"
"It's not good to say. Noel is just being bad." Sawyer responds and Carson frowns.
"How come Noel always gets to be bad but we have to be good?"
"Because Noel doesn't listen to me anyway. I don't care what you say, but I know you want to be good for me and Teagan and that's why you behave even when Noel doesn't."
Carson smiles and nods quickly. "Yeah. I like to be good."
I roll my eyes, and catch a funny glimpse of Julian. It looks like he's thinking really hard about something. "Wanna share what's going on in your head?"
"Well I know you and Dax are in love, so then why does he hurt your back? I don't get it."
Will stifles his laugh, and I can tell by the little smirk on Lottie's face that even she understood the dirty comment, but Julian doesn't understand metaphors or sarcasm.
He likes it when we're straightforward because that's something he can understand.
I lean over close to him so that Carson can't overhear us. "Blowing someone's back out just means having sex with them."
Julian blushes and rolls his eyes while leaning back. "Well then you shouldn't say that stuff during dinner."
I shrug dismissively and look down at my phone when it buzzes.
Drug Dealer: I got some new exotic. Can I come roll it?
I go to respond to Mickey, but my phone buzzes again.
Master: Hey, baby. How are you doing?
I respond to the first one.
Me: yeah you can bring it over. Jasper and August let you do that still?
Me: I'm alright. It would be better with you here.
Master: What?
I blush when I realize that I sent the wrong message.
Me: sorry that was for Mickey.
Master: What is he bringing?
Me: nothin
Master : Noel.
I pout and huff. He can't do his dom voice over text and he isn't here to punish me anyway, so it's the perfect time to be a brat.
Me: It's none of your business <3
Master: Watch it.
Me: he's bringing over weed
Master: And you didn't think to ask me if that's okay?
Me: Nope :)
Master: Do I need to punish you?
Me: you're too far away to punish me.
Master: I can make the trip.
Me: you won't do shit.
Master: We'll see.
I smirk and stop responding to him before going back to my messages with Mickey.
Me: sorry that was for Dax. I meant to say that you can bring it whenever. Do Jasper and August let you do that?
Drug Dealer: they don't own me. I'm only theirs for a few days out of the week and the rest of the time I do whatever I want
Me: Well aren't you a badass?
Drug Dealer: I can smell the sarcasm from here.
Me: Whatever. Just bring it and I'll find my rolls.
Drug Dealer: Aye aye, Captain.
By the time we finish eating, I start to get nervous. I could've sworn Dax was actually coming, but it's been more than 20 minutes which is double the time it takes to get to his place.
When Teagan goes to get the cake that he and Lottie baked for dessert, I look through the window to see a car pull up outside the house. My nerves start to fade when I see Dax get out of his car, but soon return when I see the grumpy look on his face. Oops.
He walks up to the door and knocks a few times, making me shoot up and run to the door to open it.
"Sorry, we don't want any Girl Scout cookies." I tell him, making his lips turn up into a slight smile before he forces it away. "We're just about to eat dessert. Do you want some?"
"We need to talk." He tells me, stepping inside.
"Ooo... he's in trouble." Will comments like I'm a kid getting called to the principal's office.
"I thought we couldn't have significant others over tonight." Frankie complains to Sawyer.
"Yeah. Can Theo come over?"
"And Moth?"
"And Hadley?" Cameron chips in from the kids table.
Hadley is his 'girlfriend' and according to what he brags about, she let him hold her hand at recess and told all of her friends that she's totally in love with him.
"No, No, and absolutely not. Does this look like a group home?"
"Yes." Will and Frankie answer at the same time, making the rest of us laugh a bit. I even see James smile a bit.
"Sorry for coming uninvited. I just needed to talk to Noel for a moment." Dax tells Sawyer who shrugs and gestures up the stairs towards my room.
Dax takes my arm and starts to walk up the stairs, but stops when James follows us for a few steps.
"You wanna watch us fuck too?" I ask him, but I shut my mouth when Dax's hand smacks my ass sharply.
"You're dismissed for tonight, James. Be back tomorrow at 7."
"Yes, Mr. Whitlock. Enjoy your night." He says politely before turning to leave that house.
He can keep a straight face all he wants. I know he's itching to finally sleep in the bed with his fiancé again.
He leaves the house while Dax and I make our way to my bedroom. I walk in and go to say something, but before I can get a word out, his hand is around my neck, pinning me to the door.
"I don't know how I can possibly be more clear with you. You are not allowed to do any drugs. Do you understand me?"
"It's hardly a drug." I complain.
"It's illegal."
"Only in stupid states. Look, it's less harmful than half of the over the counter medication you can buy and almost all of the prescriptions you can get. I've taken Tylenol that's more dangerous than marijuana."
"I don't care."
"Well you should."
"It's still illegal."
"You scam money off your taxes every year, Dax. That's illegal too."
"That's different."
"How? Because it's not as stigmatized as minor drugs?"
"It's impossible to get caught doing what I do." He insists, arguing with me further.
"Well I won't either, but if I do, the worst they can do here is fine me. So I'd just pay the money and walk out with a slap on the wrist and another thing added to my record."
"Well I don't know who's money you'll be using because it sure as hell won't be mine. You won't get in good with any employers if you have a bad record either."
"I have a job, and since my boyfriend is my employer, I think I'll be fine."
"And if I fire you?"
"You'll be single." I answer, practically daring him to keep testing me.
"You're threatening me?"
"You did it first."
He scoffs and rolls his eyes. "I did not threaten you."
"Not in so many words, but I heard that I'm fired if I keep smoking."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't need to. You implied it pretty well."
He huffs and looks at me for a minute. "I don't think it's safe for you, so I don't want you to do it. End of story."
"Try it."
"Pardon me?"
"What are you, 50? Try getting high just one time and if you still think it's bad then I'll stop."
"We do monthly drug tests at work." He excuses.
"I have a drink cleanse that will get it all out of your system in 5 days tops."
He hesitates, but after a moment he seems to make up his mind. "One time and if I still think it's bad then you quit, got it?"
"Yes, Master. Mickey will be over soon so we can teach you how to roll it."
"You're lucky I love you."
"I love you too."
***
"Hey dude I brought the-" he stops as soon as he sees Dax and hides the bag behind his back, trying to look inconspicuous. "I brought... myself. Yeah. So... what's up, sugar daddy?"
"I already know you brought drugs."
"He's going to try it." I tell Mickey, making his face light up.
"Really? It will change your life. Trust me. You'll be so relaxed and you won't give a fuck about anything."
Dax sighs and scoots back on my bed to give Mickey room to get on. He sits on the bed with us while I reach into my drawer to pull out a bag of wraps. All we really need is the wrapping that goes around the mini cigars so I buy the cigars and break them up to take the tobacco up and keep the wrapping.
"I already ground up the weed and took out the stems and seeds, so we can't teach you that part but the next step is to get the wrap wet so it'll stick together when we roll the stuff in it."
Dax looks at me curiously before asking a question. "Are you going to get water?"
Mickey laughs softly, but I reach over to smack his arm. It's his first time doing this, so we can't expect him to know everything.
"Just lick it until it's wet enough."
"That's definitely not sanitary."
"You shouldn't be smoking with people you don't trust anyway. Besides, we've all shared spit, so that's fine."
"I haven't kissed Mickey."
"But I have so it's spit sharing by association." I reply.
Mickey looks at me and raises a brow with a little smirk. He's always up to no good, so I can practically read his mind when he makes stupid faces like that.
I shrug in response to his unspoken suggestion, and before I can blink, he's leaning over to press his lips against Dax's, kissing him for just a moment before pulling away.
"There. Now lick the wrap."
Dax wipes his lips with the back of his hand, making Mickey roll his eyes. I laugh softly as Dax takes the wrap and licks it, using his saliva to make it more sticky and loose.
After a minute, Mickey takes it back from him and shows him how to put the pot on it while keeping the ends and edges bare so that we can roll it up.
"Alright and then we just roll it up like sushi." Mickey tells him, starting to roll it before stopping at the end. "This part is a little gross, but you have to tuck this part with your tongue and then use your top lip to fold it over so it will stay closed."
After Mikey demonstrates, he gives it to Dax to make him try it. He does it pretty well actually, but it's not news to me that he's amazing with his tongue.
Once the edge is secure, Mickey twists the ends to keep it from falling out and takes the lighter from his pocket.
"This part takes practice, but you only really need to do it if you're impatient. You can use a lighter to dry it quicker. Just always be careful because if you light it in the middle then you're fucked." Mickey strikes the lighter and quickly moves the flame back and forth underneath the joint in order to dry the wrap. After a few minutes, he feels it, and smiles at us.
"And that's how you do that." I tell Dax who still has this look on his face like this is the worst idea ever.
"Do you want to do the honors, big guy?" Mickey asks.
Dax takes the joint and lighter, glancing over at me. "One time, Noel. We're not doing this again."
"Unless you like it."
Dax puts one end in his mouth and lights the other end, taking the first hit. I can already tell this is going to be a fun night.