Chapter 6 : New Home

Sara

When I was younger, I'd been to Jaxon's 'house.' Calling it a house might be an insult though, seeing as it was a f*cking mansion.

Just outside of the city borders in a gated community where all the rich and powerful people lived, Jaxon had a three-story mansion on a ridiculous amount of land, able to host charity balls and large meetings..

The last time I was here I had been 16, just before Mom was diagnosed.

It was still just as grandiose as last time, but now it was more intimidating. Jaxon was right about one thing, though. It would be the nicest cage I would ever get to have.

We had to pull through big wrought iron gates and drive up a gravel path to the front doors of my new home for… forever, I guessed.

Part of me didn't think it felt real as I stepped out of the car and grabbed my bag, looking up at Jaxon's mansion.

The lampposts and garden lights made it all look even more imposing. I used to like this place—now all it did was fill me with a sense of dread.

"We'll see you 'round Sara. Make sure it's not 'cause we need to chase you down though, yeah?" chuckled Ivan, clapping me on the shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Have fun shaking people down," I said sarcastically, getting a laugh for my snark.

"Always do."

Ivan and the boys drove away, leaving me behind, alone with Jaxon—Jaxon, who hadn't said a word, just gestured toward his mansion, the silent order loud in its own way.

Jaxon fell into step with me, his hand landing on the small of my back like he was leading me inside.

It still looked the same as all those years ago, with beautiful marble floors, a double staircase lined with a velvet carpet, and art pieces lining the halls, making the entire place just feel rich and way above anything I could afford.

It felt strange being in a place like this after working retail and customer service jobs for so long. I felt out of place.

"Do you still remember where your room is?"

"My room? You… you kept it?"

"Of course I did. It was no trouble to do so."

No, it wouldn't be, not for Jaxon when he probably had dozens of rooms set aside for more important people, but I still couldn't help but feel surprised.

Back when I was little, I had my own guest room in Jaxson's mansion. I thought it was the coolest thing and absolutely adored Jaxon for it. It was like a dream come true to have a room with a princess bed, filled with the most amazing things and toys galore. As I got older, the decor shifted into band posters and a computer for school, but it had still been mine.

It made a girl feel guilty sometimes, especially when Mom took a turn for the worst along with Dad's quick decline into debt.

That was when I started working one job, then two, then three, trying to not rely on Jaxon's sympathy or goodwill just because Dad was gambling and drinking constantly. I was going to be independent, and I was determined to do it on my own.

Now, though? Now, it was starting to get questionable just where we stood. What were we? We obviously couldn't have our previous relationship… whatever the hell it had been with us never stepping past that unspoken line.

Well, until now. Lines were crossed. Lines were certainly f*cking crossed tonight.

"Third floor, last door on the left with the balcony," I said.

"That's the one," and Jaxon smiled, that stupidly small and soft smile that made my heart pound because I'd never seen him give this smile to anyone else. "I suppose I should lay down some rules for you for your stay here."

Ah, but that's right. Jaxon wasn't the kind man I remembered right now, was he? Right now, he was Jaxon Deverioux, the King of the Underworld, the man who owned me.

"Let's hear it then." I was surprised by how I managed to keep the hostility in my tone to a minimum but judging by the little warning gleam in Jaxon's eyes, I didn't hold back nearly enough.

"First things first. As you know, your father's not allowed near my residence anymore."

"Yeah, I remember." I couldn't withhold a grimace.

I'm still not exactly sure what happened, but it had been when I had started working and Dad wouldn't let me drive Mom's old car because I only had my learner's permit. One of my shifts went late and Dad never came to pick me up. The restaurant was closing, and I had been scared to walk a couple of miles home in the dark, so I called Jaxon. He picked me up and drove me home, also tracked down my dad, who had gotten completely sh*t-faced drunk at a bar. A screaming match broke out—possibly a fight, I still didn't know all the details—and long story short, their friendship became strained, and my father was no longer allowed in Jaxson's home.

"He's still not allowed here, and now, he's not allowed around you."

I opened my mouth to protest, only to pause, unable to make the words come out. He was my dad but… but… I didn't know what to feel anymore. Should I feel hurt again? For the millionth time? When he saw me again, what would he say? Sorry? He already tried that, and it didn't work. It didn't do sh*t.

"What, not going to argue?"

"Oh, don't worry about that Jaxon. It's coming. What else?" I asked.

"As you know, sometimes I host guests here, Sara. Now that you'll be living here, I don't want you getting involved or in the way of anything I do on the side." He meant his underworld dealings, and honestly, I didn't really want to be involved in it either.

"Alright. Anything else?"

"Just one more thing, seeing as I know you're not going to go out of your way to make your situation worse. You're quitting your jobs," he said firmly.

"Oh f*ck no!"

"Ah. There's the arguing. Wondered when it would come up," he said.

"Cut the crap, Jaxon, I'm not quitting. I need to make money so I can—"

"So you can what? Have your father steal it? Manage to get it to the bank for once?" he scoffed. "You don't have to worry about money here."

"Shouldn't I? If I'm going to buy my freedom I need a way to make money, don't I?"

Jaxon's eyes widened before schooling his features. "Is it so bad to live here? You wouldn't have to worry about anything. Have I ever treated you poorly, Sara?"

"You've always been good to me Jaxon, and you're offering so nicely. I'd just have to be owned, right? Like a f*cking dog. Sorry, but I'm not going to be owned by anyone."

"No. You wouldn't. Like I said though, you don't have a choice," he said.

"Because you're 'looking out for me,' hmm?"

"Believe what you will, Sara, but I do care about you."

I almost scoffed but… Jaxon hadn't been rough with me, not yet at least. Did I want him to be? I didn't think he'd be rough in a sexy way if I p*ssed him off.

"I'm not quitting."

"How about a deal then?" he smirked, and I squinted at him suspiciously. Back alley deal or shady businessman deal? It could go either way at the moment, and I wasn't keen on either, but what choice did I have?

"I'm listening," I said.

"I know you won't just accept any handouts, so apply to my publishing company. Edit one of the manuscripts; you were always good at your English classes, weren't you? If you're up to snuff, I'll give you a job, one that'll pay better than all three of the jobs you have now." After a moment, Jaxon chuckled. "And don't worry, I won't pull any strings to get you in. So, work hard."

"I'm keeping one of my jobs."

"Very well, at least until you start working for me," he said.

"You're so certain I will."

"You're a smart girl, Sara. Should I be worried?"

He was teasing me, and I gritted my teeth.

"Anything else?"

"Just one more thing," he said. "You're not allowed to go anywhere without my permission."

"Tch! You might as well just chip me at that point if you're that worried I'm going to run off," I spat.

"We'll see if that's necessary, won't we?"

This stupidly handsome b*star*d of a man! Now he was doing this on purpose!

"I'm going to my room."

"Have a good night, Sara. I'll have my chauffeur drop you off for work in the morning."

"Just have my car sent here, and I'll drive myself!" I snapped, stomping up the stairs.

"You'll ride with the chauffeur, and that's non-negotiable!"

I walked faster, almost sprinting up the stairs as I kicked open the door to my room and slammed it closed, grabbing a pillow and shoving my face into it before screaming at the top of my lungs.

Insufferable man! Why did I have to like him? Why did I still like him!? Too much was going on for me to make sense of anything—especially my emotions.

"It's alright, this is fine, it's just another setback and… and it's Jaxon so, I'm fine," I muttered, taking a moment to breathe and calm down.

So… my dad's ex-best friend owned me.

It… it could be worse than Jaxon. He was going to let me work and—and it wouldn't take too long to make back what Dad sold me for and buy my freedom. Jaxon would let me, right?

If he was telling the truth about protecting me, then he would.

Okay, I had a plan now. I'd work hard, just like always, save my money as always until I could pay off the debt and buy my freedom back. Until then, I just had to deal. Like always.

I slept surprisingly well, to the point that it p*ssed me off a little bit. Maybe I just couldn't shake the feelings that I had for Jaxon, that he cared about me, that I liked him—still wanted him. It was stupid.

This was all so f*cking stupid.

The one job I was keeping was at the local diner on Kline Street. It was on the other side of town, but it had the best pay and I got to keep all my tips. My boss, Mabel, was also a kind person who'd send me home with leftovers when money was tight, so I wanted to continue to work for people who cared about me, where I had friends.

Who knows how good the company would be here at Jaxon's mansion if things went sour between us when they were already like this?

I really didn't want to find out what happened if it did.