“SexOnFire”—KingsOfLeon
My phone ringing woke me up, and I groaned. My hand thumped around on my nightstand for it. Finally coming into contact with it, I dragged it over to the bed.
“Hello?” I mumbled with the pillow over my eyes. I ached every-fucking-where. In the best of ways, but Ogun hadn’t been lying when he said I’d never forget that night. He’d shown me how incredibly blah my sex life had been before him.
“Kira,” the Russian-accented voice snapped.
I shot up to a sitting position so fast, my pillow fell to the floor. Sasha’s head rose from the bed as if sensing danger.
“Father?” I hated how my voice wavered as I spoke. But he did that to me. No matter how accomplished I thought I’d become, he always had the ability to knock me back down to the little girl of my past.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His voice dripped disdain, but I honestly wasn’t sure exactly what he was referring to. We hadn’t been in contact for over a year.
Not since I’d refused to be his pawn and marry the man he’d chosen for me.
Except before that, he’d essentially disowned me when I ran off to Iowa to college. He’d been against me going to college as much as he hated the idea of me becoming a veterinarian. Hence the huge student loan debt I’d been saddled with.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied. It shouldn’t surprise me that he kept tabs on me despite our distance and lack of communication. Yet it did.
“Don’t be stupid, Kira.”
My fist clenched, and my heart ached. He always treated me as less than my brothers because I’d been born a girl. But the worst part was the verbal abuse I’d endured because of it. He’d called me stupid, worthless, a waste, vapid; you name it, if it was derogatory, he’d likely addressed me with it. Unless we were in public. Then I was his perfect little princess.
“Considering you haven’t spoken to me in over a year, how would I possibly know what you’re talking about?” I was proud of how I’d grabbed myself by my lady-balls and said what I wanted.
“You might want to remember who you’re talking to, Kira.” He spat my name out like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “I’m going to need you to think twice about who you’re associating with. It’s bad enough that you want to work withanimals. But to be seen cavorting with a bunch of bikers, specifically those bikers of all people, is beyond reprehensible. Don’t let me hear that you’ve been seen with them again. Unless you want me to make life very difficult for them. Do you hear me?” he demanded.
“Yes, I hear you,” I said between clenched teeth. What I didn’t say was that while I heard him, it didn’t mean I was going to obey him. I was a grown-ass woman, for fuck’s sake.
He didn’t even bother saying goodbye. The call simply ended. Sasha whimpered as she nuzzled her head against me. Absently, I petted her to tell her it was okay.
“Fucking asshole,” I muttered. Then I wondered how he knew. Had he sent one of his damn minions to spy on me? Or was it one of my brothers? That hurt if it was, because I missed them and would’ve hoped if they were in town they would’ve at least said hello before tattling. Well, all of them except for Anatoly. He was the oldest and a prick. Worse than a prick. I hated him. Viktor and Dmitry I loved desperately.
Viktor was older than me, and Dmitry was younger. Dmitry was a professional hockey player like our cousin, Jericho.
Suddenly, my perfect life that I thought was mine and mine alone seemed so much more fragile.
Dropping my gaze to my phone, I realized I’d slept ridiculously late. I was surprised Sasha had let me sleep so long.
There was also a message from Ogun that actually made me smile.
Zaka’s Dad: Hope you slept well
My heart thumped ridiculously hard upon reading his words. One date, and I’d hopped in the sack with him. Granted, in my defense, he’d been asking me out for months. It wasn’t like I’d met him last week.
Biting my lip, I started having second thoughts about what I’d done. Not because he was in a motorcycle gang. No, a motorcycleclub. Also, not because they smoked weed. Because I couldn’t care less what people did as long as they didn’t push it on me, which they didn’t.
Glancing down at my phone, I fought an internal debate on whether to answer or call this all off. It really wasn’t fair to dump all the shit that came with me on his doorstep.
Except, when I asked myself how I’d feel about seeing him at his next appointment and knowing he might’ve moved on with someone else, the ache in my chest was my answer.
Before I could change my mind, I tapped out a reply.
Me: Like a rock
His reply was immediate, and it caused a silly smile to spread across my face.
Zaka’s Dad: Interesting. Wonder why