17. Chapter 17
I knocked on Thomas’s door, there for our date. A cold breeze hit me, so I tugged the scarf around my throat tighter and shoved my bare hands into my coat pockets, waiting.
I intentionally arrived early before he was home. It was time to have a chat with his father. Thomas wasn’t dealing with his father sufficiently. He was in a downward spiral, and he was going to take Thomas down with him.
No more masks.
Thomas’s father opened the door, looking as if he’d been on a binge, and perhaps he had. Drinking and drugs were the next step with gambling addiction.
His face needed a shave, and his hair was greasy .
The inner rage started boiling at his appearance and his absolute loss of control. I could see all too clearly the consequences of this man’s actions.
“Easton, ah… I wasn’t expecting you. It’s good to see you.”
“May I come in?”
“Oh, yeah… Sure.”
Mr. Lauder stepped aside, and I walked into a home that was usually tidy, but not today. Thomas couldn’t work, go to school, take care of his sister, and do all the housework. I refused to let this man take any more of Thomas’s time away from me.
“Is Annie home?”
“No, she’s studying for a test at a friend’s house.”
I wrinkled my nose at the smell of him when I passed him in the living room. It was as if he lost all reason to take care of himself. Pathetic.
He started to gather trash off the coffee table and the couch when we walked in. “Uhm, sorry… I haven’t had a chance to clean up yet.”
He left for the kitchen to throw everything away and returned. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Do you have anything to drink and eat besides water?”
He rubbed his neck. “I think we have some milk.”
“Nothing for me, then.”
I sat stiffly on one of the cushioned chairs as he sat on the sofa.
“Thomas isn’t home yet.”
“I’m well aware. We have a date, but I’m here early to speak with you. ”
He slung an arm over the back of the couch and crossed an ankle over a knee. “Yeah, what can I help you with?”
“You are hurting Thomas, and I’m tired of it. He tries to hide his pain and shame, but I see it.”
His face morphed into anger, and it turned red as his defensiveness quickly boiled over. “Now see here…”
“No. You see here. I know about your addiction. I know about your loss of a job—”
Mr. Lauder stood and paced the small room. “I don’t have an addiction! I’m just trying to make up for what I lost! And… I’m looking for a job.”
“Are you? By the looks of it, you haven’t showered in who knows how long, and your home is trashed.”
He stood in front of me and fisted his hands. “How dare you come here and—”
I stood, pressed my hand against his chest, and pushed him back and back until he fell ass first onto the sofa.
“How dare you, Mr. Lauder. You are making Thomas suffer. He is taking the brunt of the bills and care for this house and his sister. You are the parent. Your job is to take care of them, not Thomas.”
I leaned in close to him, hating to inhale his sour smell. “Thomas is mine . I do not like it when those who are mine are hurting and have their time taken from me. You do not want to cross me, Mr. Lauder. I may look young, but I assure you, I have a lot of power and…”
I reeled back some of my anger, but with difficulty, because I nearly let slip that I was capable of killing him .
Regardless, there must have been something on my face because he reeled back, fear in his brown eyes that looked nothing like my Thomas’s.
“I-I don’t understand. W-what’s going on here? You’re nothing like the young man I met before.”
“I protect what is mine,” was all I said in response. He didn’t need to know the full extent of what I could do to him yet.
His eyes were wide, and though he tried to be defiant, you could still see his fear. “Wait a minute… you… You’re not someone… You better not hurt my son.”
“So there is some care inside that dead soul of yours. Good. My father couldn’t have cared less about what happened to me. Perhaps you’re salvageable after all.”
He sneered at me. “What do you want?”
I leaned in closer, staring him dead in his eyes.
“I thought I was clear, but perhaps not. Let me spell it out for you. You will stop gambling, you will get a job, and you will be a parent. Thomas shouldn’t have to live here still, taking care of you.
He’s trying to make his mark on the world, and you’re stopping him from doing that.
Even worse, you’re taking his time away from me .
Get your shit together. Earn money so you can get some damn groceries. I can’t have Thomas going hungry.”
Of course, I didn’t mention that Thomas already had money. The man would manipulate it from Thomas, no doubt, but I was confident Thomas was strong enough to resist him.
Before he could respond, keys jangled in the door. I quickly pulled away and sat down just in time for Thomas to walk in. I gripped the armrest, so I wasn’t tapping my fingers.
“Not a word,” I muttered.
Mr. Lauder coughed and straightened himself on the sofa.
Thomas walked in, carrying two brown bags of groceries. When he saw his dad, he frowned before his eyes landed on me. Then his face lit up brighter than the sun. I felt as big as the sun in his presence. His father better not dim his brightness.
“Hey, Superman. You’re early.”
He walked over to me and kissed my cheek.
I stood and helped him with the bags, taking them to the kitchen.
He followed me in there and we unpacked the food. It wasn’t nearly enough. Thomas needed to accept my car so he could buy more food to bring home.
“Why is Dad all sweaty?” he whispered.
I shrugged. “He was like that when I came in.”
His blue eyes peeked over the rim of his glasses. “I’m so sorry you found the house like this. I’m struggling to keep up with it all. And he’s more of a wreck than the house is. It’s frustrating because Dad needs to be looking for a job.”
“Addiction is serious.”
Thomas nodded and swallowed, staring out the window at the unkempt backyard. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Has he asked you for money yet?”
“Twice, but I haven’t given him any. I’m just covering bills and food.”
“Good. Don’t feed into his addiction. He will push for more soon.”
He sighed. “I know.”
I plucked the two jars of spaghetti sauce from his hands and set them on the counter. Then I leaned against the cabinets and pulled him against me. Thomas smiled softly, wrapping his arms around my neck.
“Hi,” he said, leaning forward to kiss me, but I pulled back.
“Move in with me. Then I can see you whenever I need you.”
“Always my superhero. But I can’t. I have my sister to take care of.”
“She can move in, too.”
Thomas’s jaw dropped before he recovered quickly. “As much as I would love to say yes, I also still care about my dad. It’s been hard, but I don’t want to lose another parent. I’m afraid if I leave, he’ll just fall further apart.”
“I understand.”
But I didn’t understand at all. His father was a waste of a man who only cared about his addiction. I was offering Thomas a way out and to be with me regularly.
“Then why do you look mad?”
I raised a brow, not realizing I’d let my mood slip. “Because he doesn’t deserve you. I do.”
Thomas pressed his hands to my face. “It’s why I love you… God, so much. But it’s not in my nature to abandon people, especially at their lowest.”
“I suppose…”
“Can I have time to think about it? Or at least make sure Dad is working and can take care of himself.”
“I could make you. I could just carry you over my shoulder and kidnap you.”
Thomas laughed out loud, but I wasn’t sure I understood the joke.
I was dead serious. He let go of my face and ran his hands down my throat to my chest, looking up at me with coy eyes.
“ I guess you could do that. That might actually be hot. I could pretend to play the victim as you tie me up and blindfold me. Then you take me somewhere and have your way with me...”
I raised a brow at the unexpected turn of events. “You would like that?”
He shrugged. “It’s a hot fantasy, anyway.”
“I’ll make a note.”
He snorted a laugh. “Just try not to scare me too much.”
I suddenly smiled crookedly, pulled him tightly against me. “Sounds deviant. I like it. So you want a little primal play, Thomas?”
I could really get down with that, and delve deep into my base needs.
His finger pressed to my lips. “Not so loud. We don’t want to give Dad a heart attack.”
“I’ve watched a lot of primal play videos, you know. I could chase you through the woods, catch you, and do naughty things to you as you fight me.”
His cock pressed against my thigh suddenly turned hard. He liked that. And I enjoyed this side of Thomas, and his willingness to be my sexy little victim.
“We’ll talk more about this later. Right now, I need to get you fed and release this sexual tension I suddenly have,” I said.
“Where are we going?”
“A ramen place. I like how I can customize it. One of the most foul things known to man is put in the soup. Besides that, it’s tasty.”
He covered his mouth to keep from bursting out into a laugh as he giggled. I wasn’t sure how he always found me funny because I had no sense of humor at all, but instead of getting offended, I relished in it, knowing it was another form of worship from Thomas. He enjoyed it when I talked.
“What things?” he asked.
“Mushrooms. They’re slimy and taste like dirt.”
He shuddered, trembling against me. “Ugh, I can’t stand mushrooms. I’m completely on board with no mushrooms.”
Perhaps we were meant to be, as Thomas claimed.