74

“Should I call to a meeting da… boss?” Jacob asked. Carl Johnson sighed.

“No,” he told his son. Carl had been married four times, and had nine children within those marriages, all daughters. He had countless mistresses during the years, they had given him even more daughters. The only son he had was the idiot sitting across from him in the limo. He was the result of one of Carl’s first pets. He had allowed the woman to carry his child full term, and it had been a son. But she had been the reason he made sure none of his pets would ever bear a child again. He didn’t need that. Carl had ignored the boy for most of his life, thinking one of his wives or mistresses would give him the son he wanted. When it didn’t happen, he had gone in search of his long-lost son. Only to discover he was a moron who would probably never amount to anything. Johnson was planning what to do with the business he had built on his own once he got too old to run it. One of his closest men had been blessed with a daughter who had everything his son didn’t have. He had talked to his man and the daughter and they both had agreed to a marriage between the daughter and Carl’s son.

“Dad, can I borrow her?” his son asked, looking at the pet that was sitting at his feet. Carl sighed again.

“Fine,” he said, kicking the pet so she would go to his son. Jacob took the woman and placed her in his lap.

“What is your name?” Carl heard his son ask. He rolled his eyes. For the love of all that was holy, how did he get such a weak son? After more of the awkward small talk, his son finally got down to business, having the pet ride him while he grunted and asked her if she liked it. Carl decided to ignore the embarrassment that was his son and instead focus on the meeting they had come from.

Carl had heard of the rules the Velky organisation lived by. Everyone in their line of business had. Most snickered when they heard of it. But there was no denying that the business was good. Even though Carl had thought the younger Velky, Zane, to be someone that lived off his father’s hard work, something like his own son. Carl briefly looked over to his son, that was reaching his peak as he declared his love for the pet who was pleasuring him. Pathetic. But Carl needed to rethink Zane. After meeting the man, he could see that he had a core of steel, just like Carl. He was the real deal, not just someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Carl had tried to provoke him, mentioning selling drugs around schools, trying to overstep with his pet. But Zane had kept his cool, which irritated Carl. How could the man be so calm? Carl’s intel had said Zane had feelings for his new pet. That was the reason Carl had suggested they bring their pets. If he could confirm there was a weakness in Zane’s wall, Carl could make him tumble down. But at first, Carl had been sure his intel had been wrong. There had been nothing to suggest that Zane had any feelings toward his pet. Not that Carl would blame him once he saw her. Carl had brought his best pet along. He looked at her as she sat and consoled his now crying son. Carl briefly wondered if he should just kill him. He decided against it. His pet was beautiful, and she was well trained. But the pet Zane had brought was like nothing Carl had ever seen. She looked like an angel and her obedience to her master had been near perfect. Carl wanted her. He wanted to own her, use her, make her please him in every way he could dream of. He didn’t even care that Zane already had defiled her. Zane had treated her like a pet. Maybe not like Carl treated his pets, but he knew different masters had different approaches. By how obedient she was, Carl had assumed Zane had some form of punishment that he used. That was until Carl noticed the little things. How Zane not only had stroked her hair, but how his hand had seemed to linger. How, when they all stood up during the confrontation, he had subtly placed himself so that his pet sat behind his legs. Slowly the image of someone with more attachment to his pet than there should be emerged. Carl smiled to himself. It was time to start chipping away at the crack he had found.

“For fuck’s sake, Jacob, stop blubbering,” he growled to his son.

“But I love her dad.”

“You love her until you stick your dick into another cunt, then you love that one. Don’t think I haven’t heard the women talking. Even they are embarrassed by it,” Carl told his son.

“Sorry dad,” his son sniffled.

“For fuck’s sake. I need you to talk to Tony and Mike. Tell them I need to know everything about Zane Velky’s pet. And I mean everything. If I find out they missed something, they better pray they are bulletproof.”

“Yes, dad.” Carl sighed for the third time. He wondered if he killed his son and married the woman he had chosen for his son, himself, if he would have time to make sure she got pregnant with a son. He wondered if he would be too old to raise the boy, to teach him what he needed to know. Then again, the woman was smart. She could take care of things until their son would be old enough. It was something Carl needed to think about. The longer he spent in his son’s company, the more convinced Carl was that he couldn’t leave the organisation in his hands.

———

Zane sat at his desk at the club and tried to focus on the paperwork in front of him. He had changed into a new suit, grateful he kept a few of them at the club. He glanced up at the couch. Ava was sitting with her legs curled up under her. She was wearing one of his shirts. It almost went down to her knees. One of his ties had become a temporary belt, and she seemed to be relaxed. She had taken the evening’s events much better than he thought she would. Ava looked up and saw him watching her. She smiled at him.

“Is there anything you want?” he asked. He had asked her the same thing four times since they got out of the shower.

“No, I’m still fine,” she said. But she got up from the couch and walked over to him. “Are you okay?” she asked. He nodded and drew her into his lap.

“I am,” he assured her. Ava was with him. Johnson was nowhere near her. He was fine.

“Okay, just wanted to check,” she said. Zane wondered when this relaxed comfort had started between them. When had her asking how he was, become a part of his routine? And when had letting someone in been so effortless?

“Thank you, angel. I’ll just be another half an hour and then we can head back,” he told her.

“It’s okay, take your time,” she told him as she got off his lap and went back to her spot on the couch. There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Zane said, knowing Ryder and Carlos only would have let a hand full of people come up to his office. Jax popped his head inside the door and looked around. Satisfied that things were as they should, he walked into the office. Zane raised an eyebrow at him.

“Just making sure everything was covered and body parts tucked away,” Jax chuckled.

“Do you think I would have told you to come in if they hadn’t been?” Zane asked.

“Ah, good point,” his friend agreed.

“So?”

“So?” Jax asked.

“Were you just coming by to check on our body parts or was there something else?” Zane inquired, a soft giggle was heard from Ava.

“Right, no. Well, that’s no to the body part question. It’s a yes to the other one. I wanted to check in and see if it’s okay I head home for the night. Everything is calm downstairs, it’s just a typical night. The boys know to keep an extra eye out for Johnson’s shit,” Jax said. Ava let out another giggle, and both men looked at her.

“Don’t mind me. I’m not in charge. But I do hope you have a nice evening when you get out of here,” she told Jax.

“Erhm, thank you, Ava,” Zane’s friend said. Zane saw the light blushing on his cheeks. Well, this was interesting, Zane thought.

“Tired?” Zane asked.

“Sorry?” Jax said, his focus being on Ava.

“I asked if you are tired since you are heading home earlier than usual and without hunting,” Zane clarified.

“Oh, yes, maybe. I thought I might swing by someplace else for the… hunt,” Jax said.

“The hospital maybe?” Ava asked. To Zane’s amusement, his friend’s blush became more noticeable.

“Well, no, probably not,” Jax said. Zane chuckled.

“Off you go. Thank you for being there today. Take the evening off and have fun,” Zane told his friend. As Jax left, Zane turned to Ava. “Spill it,” he said. She looked up at him with an innocent smile.

“What?”

“Oh, no, angel. I know you. You know something, and you were teasing Jax about it. Not that I don’t approve. I do. I just want to be in on it,” he told her.

“I might have heard from a reliable source that Jax has been spending every night with a certain doctor for the past six days,” she told him.

“Bullshit!” Zane said before he could stop himself.

“No, it’s what I heard,” she told him with an even bigger smile.

“Who is your source?” Zane asked.

“The good doctor herself.”

“Well fuck me. I never thought I’d see the day when Jax became interested in a woman like that.”

“I guess that makes me two for two now,” Ava said proudly.

“You have an eye for reading people, my angel,” Zane said as he stood up. If his friend could take the night off to be with his woman, so could Zane.