Chapter 5

They say the universe always provides, and that a good name is often better than riches. Jake was starting to believe it. Some god or cosmic power must be looking out for him. How else would he explain the present chain of events?

By some miracle, he landed in his dream company as an intern. The CEO promised him a job in the future, and he was finally away from his disgusting roommate and anything that had to do with his old apartment. And the rent?

"Two hundred bucks a month. I will add mine so we can pay the cleaning lady."

"What?" Jake g****e-eyed. "Two hundred dollars? You can't be serious, Larry."

Larry pushed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. "I was going to say a hundred, but you kept going on about wanting to pay, I figured you'd be happy with this."

"..."

"Look Jake, I do not need the cash for any reason. I have the space and lack friends who truly give a shit. You seem like a real guy, so I wanted to help take some weight off your shoulder."

"This is too much, you don't even know me!"

"I know your name, and we work in the same company. Give it a rest, will you? I and some of our buddies from work are going out for drinks tonight, you coming?"

"I can't, I have to get to bed early."

"Pfft! Whatever you say, Name," Larry did not push it.

Jake was not the only one benefitting from this arrangement. Every morning Larry would awaken to tantalizing aromas creeping through every crevice of the house. Dare he say that Jake's timely cooking worked better than his alarm?

Then there was the perk of not dealing with physical loneliness. He had a person to kick back with at home and watch a game or two. Overall it was a win-win situation.

*

Weekend...

It was sunny outside. Abigail run around the house in her bikini, covered vaguely by a fishnet top. She tapped on the double doors of the Study and went in.

"Sister, I have a huge surprise for you," Abigail did her silliest dance, swinging her hips like a tiki doll.

"Yes Abi, what is it?" Iris sighed. She pulled back her reading glasses to rub her eyes.

"You're coming downstairs with me, so I can teach you how to swim like a mermaid."

"No, I hate getting wet."

"Come on, it's no fun alone," Abigail hopped onto the table, curling her sister's hair behind an ear. "Okay, how about this? You will put on your prettiest swimsuit and pretend you went for a dip while I swim."

"Abi..."

"Just for a few minutes. You're always working Iris, the weekend should be for me. Besides, the therapist says I act out due to lack of a..."

"Fine, Abigail, I'll go!" Iris would not let her finish her sentence. She hated being reminded of the other's imperfections, it made her feel inadequate as a guardian.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No, I'm not. Why don't you go ahead and pick out the swimsuit? I will be right behind you." said Iris.

*SPLASH!*

"Abi, be careful," Iris lowered her tablet, following the sound of the water. She had to settle for finishing work this way.

In the evening they ate dinner in absolute peace. Well, that was before Charlotte made an entrance. As soon as she sat at the table, Abigail pushed back her plate.

"Abi, sit," Iris frowned upon that behaviour. Charlotte had a sharp tongue and hands that itched for violence. In their younger years, Iris applied the rule of tit-for-tat when she found red bruises on Abi's back. Charlotte learned to keep her hands to herself, but Abigail never forgot. "Have I not told you countless times to face your problems?" said Iris.

"Oh, so I'm a problem now?" Charlotte's eyes squint when she chuckles. "Still a bunch of clowns I see... Why has my allowance not landed in my account?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you received money two weeks ago, Charlotte. Or did you spend it all on vacations and spa appointments?"

"Hah! Acting smart I see. You call that measly amount an allowance? Do not think for a moment that I will buy into that."

"Three million, that's what you get for carrying our father's genes. You should be grateful I let you have that amount."

"Excuse me!"

"You have an insignificant share in the company. You don't work or contribute in any way."

"I would have contributed a whole lot if you had not lied to the top and stolen my father's fortune!"

"I do not banter with idiots over what they have not earned." Iris wiped her mouth and put down the napkin. When she left the table Abigail followed like a puppy. Charlotte retreated to her old room, fuming over a phone call with her husband.

Hours Later...

Iris got the door herself. "Apollo, come in," she said to the man in black. Apollo served as Brett Amery's guard until his daughter, Iris, turned fourteen. His Master handed him over to her, under the oath that he guards her till the day he takes his last breath.

"You sent for me Miss," Apollo stood upright, keeping his eyes above the lady as she moved around in her bathrobe.

"Still formal with me, I see," Iris paused to glance at him. "Charlotte is around. I don't know how long she'll be here, so you know what to do."

"Yes, Miss, my men will keep a close eye on her," Apollo said. He lowered his gaze when Iris tossed her tablet onto the bed and walked towards him. "Will that be all Miss Iris?"

Iris pulled the knot on her robe, letting the cotton slide down her shoulders. "No, I crave some company tonight. You haven't paid your dues in a long while," her fingers crept over the side of his face, tracing a crescent-shaped scar formed over his right eye. Despite the twenty-year difference, there wasn't a man that brought out Iris' inner woman like Apollo.

"Miss Abi could come in at any moment," Apollo stood like a pillar as the Madam fiddled with his coat.

Iris disengaged his flap and pinned her naked body against him. "She won't," her sly voice squeaked in Apollo's ears just before their lips met. She did not have to stand on her toes, he wasn't that tall. But his large hands had the map of her body imprinted on them. They knew where to touch, and how to make her moist.

"You made me promise not to do this again," Apollo said, maintaining a professional look even as his most sensitive part was stroked.

"A careless joke...Huff... For what reason will I make such a silly order?"

Apollo sucked hard on her lowermost lip. He held her by the jaw, seeking to gain back his senses. "I shielded you with my body and got stabbed here," he shifted her hand to the left side of his abdomen. His words were meant to provoke her.

"You won't do it again," Iris frowned. "The bed, take me there."

"Yes Miss," Apollo carried her to the appointed destination. He was getting carried away, slowly losing his mind as he felt his way around and listened to her alluring response. But suddenly he stopped to tame his breath. "Miss Iris, I'm afraid I'll have to decline the invite."

"Pfft! And for what reason this time?" Iris smirked.

"Your treatment... It is wrong of me to stir you up when you're preparing for a new donor."

"Does that upset you?" Iris searched for a way to conquer his breath.

"Fairly. It may not happen like this, but it is still another man's seed... I should leave," he sat up, breaking eye contact once more. It was the only way he could say no to her.

"With that painful boner?" Iris' gaze widened in disbelief.

"Thats not a problem you should be concerned with," said Apollo as he came down the bed. "Goodnight Miss Iris," he bent over in a bow and made a sharp turn toward the door, swiftly putting his clothes back in order.

Iris threw her head on the bed. She let out a loud gust, peering at the exit as the man disappeared. Left alone her mind began to spiral to places she did not want to think about.

Luckily she had gadgets to distract her. Iris positioned her tablet on her lap. If she wasn't going to get laid, she might as well work. Just as she was getting serious about it, her cell phone rang.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Ma'am, we have a situation..." The message was not a favourable one. Iris thought of letting them handle it but she did not wish to scare away her current golden goose.

"Do not let him out of your sight. I'm on my way," She quickly stepped into the closet for an outfit...