Chapter 20

This chapter is dedicated to @WholeRainbow they are a really nice person seriously… Anywaay enjoy it and don’t be a silent reader.
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I mechanically raise my head from Sparks, my breath held, and eyes closed trying to meditate the voice away, even as I feel the bile slowly rising up my throat. Maybe I’m so stoned I’m hallucinating.

That deep, quiet, familiar voice sounded too real to be just in my head though. And sure enough, when I raise my head, a tall heavy set middle-aged man is standing there grinning at us his silver tooth shining in the dull lit room.

“Tell me this isn’t real-” I mutter to myself.

If I was hallucinating, this had to be the realest one I’ve had so far. He seemed so…. there.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I sure hope this isn’t and I didn’t walk in on my daughter fucking around after ignoring my calls for days” his permanent grin always contradicts his judgmental annoying tone.

“Fuck, it’s you.” I throw my head back and sigh. Took him long enough.

The situation is pretty insane, me still on top of a confused and uncomfortable looking Sparks, my dad standing by the living room entrance arms across his chest still grinning madly at us. And then there’s me, nauseous as my lungs slowly begin to fail me.

“Shit” I get up and pull Flame along with me. She stands behind me and fixes her clothes, seeming so small in a room with a monster and their kid. Even at this moment I can’t help but think of how adorable she is.

Now to get to business…

I face my nightmare ignoring the tight feeling in my chest as I speak. “What are you doing here old man?”

“Can’t I just pay my daughter a visit?” he tilts his head, his eyes roaming around the room, and my hand finds Sparks to make sure she’s secure behind me.

“No, no you can’t” I frown. I just wish he got to the point instead of playing too much. “What the fuck do you want?”

“Come on Alison, I taught you better than this, you can’t speak to a guest like that” he chuckles and even the sound of his laughter gives me goosebumps. The beast himself was in my house. “Now come on, get me whatever it was you were smoking, and let’s have a chat” his voice is quiet and calm as usual.

But I know him, he’s anything but calm and quiet.

“Umm I think I should go” Flame mutters and I look back at her. She looks super uncomfortable as if she was the one in the middle of us. I understood her, Nik made everyone uncomfortable.

I turn again and face my old man. “I think you should go Nik.”

He ignores me.

“I see your choice in women is just like your old man’s” he takes careful steps towards us.

Fuck, I don’t think he’s leaving any time soon. But neither is Sparks, she’s a really easy drunk and right now she’s two sips away from throwing up, I can tell by the slurring of her words.

“Hey there pretty lady” his creepy grin widens, if possible, as he waves at Sparks.

Flame clears her throat and tries to step towards him but I grab her arm and pull her back. She was not getting close to that man. She looks up at me, eyebrows raised looking lost, tired, and confused then she looks back at Nik and smiles.

“Hi, I’m Flame nice meeting you” she speaks struggling to sound sober and under normal circumstances, I’d make fun of her. But now he knows her name.

“I’m Nikolas, everyone calls me Nik” he nods. “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?”

Oh brother… Flame scoffs and looks away and I want to slap the shit out of both of them… Hard.

“I hope my daughter tells you that” he adds.

“Let’s wrap this shit up Nik, stop fucking around” I sound as exhausted as he makes me.

“Hey, let’s not get nasty in front of the lady” he warns me, tone soft but eyes saying what he won’t.

I look back at Flame and she looks up at me, her eyes glossy and sleepy she’s definitely not leaving. I grab my jumper and pull it on then drag Flame up the stairs to my room shutting the door behind us.

“I need you to stay here” I tell her.

“No, I’ll go home” she slurs pointing my bedroom door.

“Oh, how I wish you could go home, Sparks but you’re drunk and I want nothing happening to you, okay?” I cup her cheek trying to get her to look up at me and away from the door. I couldn’t trust anyone with her when she was this drunk let alone allow her to spend the night alone.

“I can manage” she argues and I inhale and exhale.

She wasn’t the reason I was pissed off; it wasn’t fair to take it out on her.

“Listen, that man out there is the cause of my insanity so just let me have a word with him then I’ll come take you home, okay?” knowing her, she’ll probably be asleep by the time Nik leaves. “Stay here” I point her and walk away shutting the door behind me.

Something tells me if I let her speak, she’ll piss me off more.

“When am I finally going to meet a woman you decide to have permanently in your life, have a daughter in her or in you for that matter?” he scoffs the moment I walk back in the living room “When are you going to stop fucking around and take life seriously kid?” I chuckle a little and flip the light switch on.

“You just couldn’t wait to ask that, couldn’t you?”

“I’m serious about this Alison. It’s about time you grew up” it’s scary how he always has this small smile even when serious. Always trying to seem friendly. What a load of bull-

“I am grown up” I shrug “I’m above the drinking age old man, I can go to strip clubs and I own a business, don’t I?” I joke matching his grin then lean against the wall.

The last we were talking like this, I was pretty much still a teenager and scared as shit of him. Still kind of am, but I’m 24 now. I’m older.

“A business that you might lose if you don’t do right by me” he adds, pointing me his grin as ‘friendly’ as ever. Mmh that’s him alright, the threats. “Look… I don’t want to argue, Ali, I’m here to talk” he raises his hands in defense trying to get me to soften my glare.

He hums then pockets his hand and pulls out a lighter and a pack of his favorite fancy cigars. His slow and too comfortable as he tucks one between his lips and throws the rest of pack to me. I catch it out of instinct and look at the maroon pack.

“I don’t think it’s responsible for me to let you smoke any more than you already have…” he mutters lighting his cigar. Wow, that’s new.

I raise my eyebrows fascinated… Now he cares?

“Mmh, but knock yourself out. One of the best” he shrugs, eyeing the joint in his hand. Now that’s more like him.

Nik leans against the wall and something tells me that I’ll need to be a little more than high for this conversation. So, I tuck one of the joints between my lips, my eyes never leaving his, he offers me his lighter but I turn him down and take mine from my pocket.

“Why do you keep messing with my gym?” I ask.

“Because, Alison, it’s not what I want for you. You can put your brain to good use, make way more than you do now, have a better life, maybe have a stable home with a stable woman and not these whores you fuck around with” he scoffs and all I hear in that sentence is what HE wants not what I want. That’s always how it’s been, it’s nice to see he hasn’t changed.

“See the problem is, what you want for me is not what I want for me. I’m fine with my life Nik and I need nothing except peace from you.” I take another puff of the cigar groaning inwardly at the flavor and blow the smoke, being well aware of how stuffy my living room is now.

“Trust me Alison, I can give you a much happier life. I’m talking cash, real cash without struggling, I’ll get you out of that stupid modelling contract. I’ll make you powerful, I’ll make you a god… Like me” he whispers his voice growing quieter and weirdly louder, echoing in my head. Damn this man and his bull crap, it’s truly sickening. Does he even know how his jobs messed me up? Of course he doesn’t. To him its always about power and money. It’s always about him.

“I don’t need all that, I can get myself out of that dumb contract” I say.

“With what?” he scoffs “that stupid gym?”

“Yes” I answer simply not even getting to express how pissed I am that he’s always watching me.

We both take drags of our joints at the same time, eyes on each other, because he doesn’t trust me as much as I don’t trust him. He smirks studying me intently and I just know whatever he’ll say next, I won’t like.

He never fails to amaze me, he’s in his 40s but looked like he was in his early 30s, the man dyed his white hair black or brown. Occasionally dark blue or grey like his eyes and I had never seen him in a suit all my life. I was also pretty sure I got my ‘whore’ genes from him. Currently his hair was purely dark, his eyes looking dangerously and challengingly into mine.

“Put your money where your mouth is” he smiles wider showing off his gold canine on his upper jaw and silver on the lower one.

“Hmm?” I raise my eyebrows.

“You and your friends bet for women?” he asks.

“Why ask that?” I cringe. That was quite a weird question for a parent, if I could even call him that, to ask.

“I used to do that… Still do at times.” He shrugs and I’m confused for a second, does he want?-

“You’re a sick man” I chuckle my eyebrows raised in question. I couldn’t bet for women with him if that’s what he wanted.

“No” he laughs “That’s not what I mean Allison.”

“Then what do you mean?” I stand up straight and squint a little to try and look more intimidating, taking a small drag of the forgotten cigar in my hand.

“We’re going to have ourselves a little bet” he whispers his voice low and I shudder a little but recover in time to frown.

“I got that part, what’s the bet though?” I try to sound fierce but the way he stares at me makes me suddenly feel small.

“Simple” he pauses, takes a drag of his cigarette then smiles putting it off against my living room wall before dropping the rest on the floor “I’m giving you a month Alison. One month to make as much as my business makes-” he doesn’t finish, I cut him off.

“You’re sick-” I spit recognizing how much his illegal business makes in… Even a week.

“I’m also filthy rich and good looking, tell me more, Alison…” he steps towards me and I step back. He speaks as if he owns the fucking universe, this man.

“I want nothing to do with you” I raise my voice struggling to maintain my sanity and keep eye contact with him at the same time.

He loved seeing people break down and crumble in front of him. I wasn’t going to give him that.

“Too bad, because if you fail to make as much as my business makes in a month, you’re coming with me” he clenches his jaw, his dark eyes glaring back at me.

What the fuck?

“No” I try to stand my ground but my voice cracks. Damn it.

“I’m not asking goddamn it” he roughly grabs my arm and pulls me to him his grip tight as always. “You will do as I say, Alison… No more of this gym bullshit and fucking around with every girl who looks your way.”

It was clear as day, I was in trouble. Of course he’d come and put me in a stressful situation, that’s where he thrived the fucking bastard. With all that, I take a deep breath and yell the only words I can think of at the moment.

“Fuck you!” You have to understand. I’m pissed beyond normal… Frightened and I have no words.

“No need to raise our voices now, Ali… We’re just having a little chat” he drops my arm, moving a step back, and fixing his leather jacket. I was losing his mind games, my rage was showing while he had all his composure. Fuck him “And to be honest what’s sick is you putting a shame to the name Forbes” he sighs running a hand down his face “Cut the crap, Alison it’s time you joined your da-“.

“Get out…” I pant exhausted. This was not my plan for the night.

He scoffs “Flame, She’s quite interesting” Fuck. “I think I’d like to get to know her more” he nods making sure I understand his threat.

“I said get the fuck out of my house!”

I know I made a mistake giving him a reaction which was what he wanted, but why Sparks? She was just a girl I hang out with and didn’t deserve his stupid attention.

He chuckles and leans in close to me. “One month Alison, one month” He looks around the living room “And get a fucking couch in this house, shit.” And with that, he walks away without another look my way leaving me shaking with anger and fear, bile rising up my throat, and my eyes stinging with tears.

That’s fucking Nikolas for you.

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Is it nice to finally meet Cain’s dad? I enjoyed it personally.

Re-editing me here, and yeah I love Cain’s dad, he’s a blast… Anyway vote, comment… Do it. dooo itttt, now.