2. Jax
2
JAX
“ D amn it all!” Jax growled, the words ripping out of his chest as he pushed against his desk.
His eyes quickly flickered down to his hands, making sure he didn’t just shift. Even after all these years, he still found it too easy to slip into his werewolf form.
The damage he’d done to himself working for his Uncle Diesel…
Chika, his wife, stood in front of him, trying not to look frightened. Her eyes wandered elsewhere as she gulped down the lump in her throat.
Jax could feel her uneasiness from several feet away. He’d been so absorbed in his work and the stress of his failing business, that he hadn’t even noticed Chika walking into his office.
“I can come back later,” she mumbled, backing out of the office.
Jax stood to his feet and reached out his hand. “You don’t have to leave. I’m sorry for my outburst.”
“Is something the matter?” She finally raised her gaze and looked at him with the usual sharpness returning in her eyes. It was nearly impossible to lie to her when she looked at him like that.
“Nothing that should be a concern to you. Pay it no mind.” Jax forced a wry smile for his wife. “It’s something I’m responsible for, no one else.”
Despite his ensuring tone, his heart was pounding out of his chest. The more he looked at the figures his company had been producing lately, the worse its assault on his ribcage got.
By allowing Diesel to use his company as a cover for his illegal activities, Jax had thought it would help his company grow, throwing some extra gold coins toward his bottom line. But by the way the money was actually being distributed, that didn’t appear to be the case.
“I should have a serious talk with my uncle,” Jax griped out, not realizing his thoughts were spilling from his mouth. “It would also help to get some more talent in here. With that new hire—What’s her name? Uremma Mirth. She shows great promise in drawing in talented Potionists for my company. Hell, she could’ve easily been the talent I needed had she not turned down the Potions position. I hope she ends up being worth the money I’m paying her.” His mind trailed off again, leaving Chika standing there watching his eyes dance around the room in desperation.
Even if she proves useless, at least she’s easy on the eyes. Very much so. And not only is she beautiful, but there’s definitely some tension between us as well. I wonder what she looks like under all those robes… Jax all but had to wipe the saliva from his chin before he came back to himself.
“Jax?”
His head snapped up, and he smiled at her again before approaching her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him. “My darling, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s just stressful running a new business, as you can imagine. I just want you to relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor.”
“ Our labor, dear. Don’t forget that I helped you build your empire as well.” She scrunched her nose at Jax in slight aggravation.
He nodded his head immediately. “Of course.”
Jax cupped Chika’s head with his hand and pulled her in for a kiss.
She melted into him, seeming to forget why she was arguing with him in the first place. Her hands explored his chest, feeling his muscles just beneath the expensive materials of his suit.
“During work hours, my love?” Jax chuckled quietly.
“You're your own boss, aren't you? What are you gonna do, fire yourself?” She poked fun at him before pulling him back in, deepening the kiss. She pushed him down onto the couch and unpinned her hair, allowing her long blonde locks to cascade around her tanned face.
Jax watched with delight as she swung one leg over him and straddled his hips. He could already feel the desire for her swelling in his lower abdomen.
Just as Chika was undoing her robes, there was a knock on Jax’s office door.
Chika jumped up from the couch, fixing her hair and clothes in record time.
Jax, on the other hand, slowly rose to his feet again and let out a deep, annoyed sigh as he smoothed himself out as well. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Uremma Mirth poked her head in.
“I have the new reports for the—” Her sentence trailed off as her eyes moved over to Chika. It was apparent on her face that she realized she was interrupting something. “I'm sorry, I can come back later.”
“Don't be silly,” he drawled, motioning for her to enter. “I don't have very long. I intend to go visit my family this afternoon. I need you to handle everything while I'm gone.” Jax made his way over to his desk, and Emma followed with her head tucked down.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Ransom,” Emma mumbled uncomfortably as she passed by Chika, who was staring daggers into the side of Emma's head.
“Of course. I can handle it, sir.” She placed the report down on his desk before trying to make a quick exit.
“Is that a new robe, Emma?” Chika's voice penetrated the otherwise quiet office.
Emma stopped in her tracks, turning and pulling on the material while looking at it. “Yes, it is.”
“I thought so.” Chika approached Emma as if she were following her out to get the door for her. Then she leaned in and whispered something Jax couldn’t make out from across the room.
Emma then moved away and nodded before leaving.
“What was that about?” Jax couldn't hide his curiosity.
“Just making sure she remembers her place.” Chika leaned into one of her shoulders and smiled as if she was suddenly very proud of herself.
“Play nice, Chika. She's pivotal to this company’s future success. You don't have to worry about anything else. You're the only woman for me.” Jax tried to console her, but the look on Chika’s face told him that she didn't believe him.
It was like she knew he had been with other women before, but she kept quiet because Jax always came running back to her after he got bored of them.
Now it was his turn to be uncomfortable pinned by that seek-and-destroy stare of hers. He stood up and began collecting his cloak with renewed purpose before his face could give anything away. “I'll be off then. I'll make sure to be home for dinner.”
“You’d better, or else you'll have a disappointed child again,” Chika added, crossing her arms at him.
Jax knew that always working late was damaging to his family, but what choice did he have? More than anything, he wanted to spend as much time as he could with his daughter, Diamond, but he also wanted to be able to give his little family the life he never had.
“I promise. I won't be late this time.”
Jax stepped out of his company building and stood before it, looking up at the magnitude of the sheer wealth it represented.
This was the life he knew he deserved, but in the same breath, Jax still found it hard to believe that he was right where he’d always wanted to be. He couldn’t deny that even though his wish had come true, it wasn't exactly what he’d thought it would be like.
Then why does it still feel like I should work so hard at keeping up appearances?
He’d thought this position would fit him like a glove. Instead, it only seemed to wrap around him ever tighter, forcing him to continue cutting at pieces of himself just to keep from feeling too strangled.
He’d given up so much to get here… Sometimes I wonder if ? —
Jax quickly shook off the thought as he turned his back to his towering building, one of the tallest ones in the city. Letting out a heavy sigh, he continued on toward his mother's house.
She lived just on the outskirts, convinced she didn't like city life.
Jax didn't blame her. He knew that growing up and living in Dask her whole life had made it impossible for her to acclimate to the hustle and bustle of the city. He preferred her on the outskirts anyway. It was safer there.
As Jax approached the large, black-stoned tower of a house, he again thought about how it was nothing like his mother. It was a stronghold, to be sure—he knew she’d be kept safe inside at least—but it was lacking warmth and… A soul perhaps?
Jax knocked on the front door, and it opened moments later. His smile faded when he saw the tall man standing before him instead of his mother. “Oh, Diesel. I didn’t expect you to answer the door.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed, son .” He chuckled in the back of his throat as if he enjoyed the way he made Jax uncomfortable now. “I’m assuming you’re here to see your mother then?”
“Not exactly. We need to talk.” Jax pushed his way past Diesel and stepped into the foyer.
“Come right in, why don’t you?” Diesel grumbled under his breath, gritting his teeth.
“This business arrangement of ours doesn’t seem to be working out. I was under the impression we would be equal partners, and I would be sharing in the wealth you have brought in due to my efforts. The numbers I’m seeing now don’t reflect that.” Jax looked Diesel dead in the eye as he spoke, which wasn’t something he often did. In fact, if he could avoid facing him most days, he would, but his uncle was messing with his livelihood, the very thing he needed to give his family the perfect life. That was where Jax drew the line.
“I am supplementing what I can, but if your business is failing then don’t blame that on me.” Leaning in and lowering his voice, he added, “It’s not my fault you’re a talentless hack who had to steal from an innocent little girl to get by in life.”
Jax all but stumbled away from his uncle, to find the monster of a man baring his shimmering teeth at him in predatory satisfaction. Suddenly, Jax wanted nothing more than to rip through Diesel’s throat and wipe that smirk off his loathsome face.
“You fucking bastard!” Jax raged, forgetting to keep his voice down, for his outburst summoned the one person he never wanted to find out about his sins.
“What’s this I hear?” Jax stiffened, turning to find his mother coming through the hallway door. “Did my eldest boy really come to visit me?” Her smile widened as she approached and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight, warm hug. “It’s been too long, my dear boy!”
Jax’s shoulders slumped in relief. She’d likely only heard his voice, and not what’d been said. Thank the Goddess! “Hi, mama. I’m sorry it’s been a while.” No one could guilt-trip him quite like Omara could for not visiting often enough.
“That’s alright. I know you’re a very busy man with your own big business now. How’s that going by the way? Is everything…” Her eyes shifted nervously to Diesel before looking back at Jax. Apparently, she’d overheard at least some of what had been said, he realized. “...running smoothly?”
Jax stepped away from his mother and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s going well. You don’t have to worry so much.”
“No need to keep up appearances with me, son. If you’re struggling, we are more than happy to help. Is it money you need? Diesel, give the boy some money,” she snapped at him.
Jax couldn’t believe his eyes. It was the first time he saw Diesel move to immediate action in response to a command—not that anyone would ever have the balls big enough to give him one in the first place!
How did Jax’s five-foot-nothing, one-hundred-and-fifteen-pound mother get such a large and frightening man like Diesel to jump through hoops for her?
On second thought, maybe it’s best if I don’t know.
A part of him knew that his uncle had always had a soft spot for his mother, even when Jax’s father was still alive, but he hardly wanted to think any deeper on the subject.
He couldn’t remember very much about his father, but he could recall what a borderline hothead he’d been. If his old man had caught as much as a whiff of Diesel sniffing around his wife, he would have shipped the guy out of the family in pieces.
Not that any of that matters now. Diesel got what he wanted. He always seems to do…
“Really, Mama! I don’t want any money. My company is just fine,” Jax insisted, pushing his seething hatred for the man standing next to his mother as far down as he could. “We are simply experiencing some—um—growing pains. That’s all it is.” Jax didn’t want to ask Diesel for a single thing ever again, much less have his mother do it for him. “I just came by to see you.”
“Oh, aren’t you too sweet?” She patted Jax’s cheeks like he was still a child.
The way her eyes dazzled with amazement for her son, Jax didn’t want that look to go away. Ever. He wanted her to keep seeing him the way everyone else did, a successful man capable of conquering the world.
Jax’s eyes flashed to Diesel when Omara wasn’t looking, and though they held contact for a mere second, he made sure his glare conveyed just how much he wanted to skin the other man alive.
The fear Jax had once harbored for his uncle had cultivated into something more like pure, unadulterated disdain lately. He’d come to see Diesel for what he truly was. A parasite.
“If that’s all, then I suppose you better be going now.” Diesel’s voice was calm, but his eyes were threatening.
“What’s the rush?” Omara turned to see Diesel’s expression, and seemed to think better than to push things this time around. She then turned back to Jax, her eyes marked with hesitance, but gave him another hug that didn’t falter in its gentle warmth for an instant—not even now. “Thank you for stopping by, darling. I love you.”
“I love you.” He hugged her back before Diesel saw him out the door.
Once outside and after striding down the quiet street for a while, Jax rubbed his face in frustration.
“Dammit. What the hell am I going to do?”