Ginger Fox Part 2

“Has he ever tried to kill himself again?” My eyes shift to Baby, focusing on her face.
“The Roy who came back from the coma brought with him all the demons he had kept locked inside, which is why Jonathan remains isolated on the island. He runs all the family’s businesses from here. He never leaves, never goes anywhere.” I nod in understanding.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder brings many disturbances with it. Isolating oneself and fearing airplanes, ships, trains, or any other means of collective transport makes one ill, suffering from all the strange and impossible ideas that come to mind.
“Where does Sodoma fit into all this?” I release my knees and stretch my legs as she sits beside me, resting her shoulder against mine.
“In everything. Dad was one of the advisors, and when Roy turned twenty, they came after my brother. Jonathan already had the entire island under his control; he was an egotistical genius who had tripled Dad’s fortune. Combining his sharp mind with his diabolical soul, Jonathan offered them the best security they could have...”
“Invisibility,” I complete her sentence, understanding how advantageous this is for all the high elite members participating in Sodoma.
“That’s right. Roy was able to give Sodoma the one thing it didn’t have: invisibility.”
The young orphaned man, with his intelligence, had found a way to survive in Sodoma by exchanging his demons for others. I know what Jonathan gave to Sodoma. But, as always, one question stands out among the others in my mind. What did Sodoma give Jonathan?
“I don’t even know what to say.” I turn my neck, raising my face slightly to look at Baby.
“Well, since we’re talking about Jonathan, you can tell me how you feel about the game.” I wrinkle my nose, shaking my head as she says this.
“I don’t think it would be appropriate to talk about your brother with you.” I turn away from her gaze, directing my attention to the bed.
“Oh, stop being silly, come on! We haven’t even had time to talk about it.” She shifts her body until she’s lying on the floor. “I’m not saying I want details, because that would be too much; I just want to know how you felt.”
I laugh, doing the same as her, lying on the floor next to her. I place my fingers behind my head, looking at the ceiling.
“I felt good...” I whisper, closing my eyes, but opening them quickly when she gives me an elbow. “It was different, okay?” Baby laughs, making me feel embarrassed.
“Oh my God, you’re terrible at telling things.”
“It was different from anything I’ve ever done or could do...” I whisper, letting the memory of what happened in that closet flood my mind. “My body responded and vibrated every second I was in that closet.” A silly smile spreads across my lips, making me contract my legs, dragging my feet on the floor until my knees are angled, one against the other.
Baby’s sudden sitting up makes me look at her, and she gazes at me with a face as pale as before.
“What closet?” She presses her lips together, making me feel embarrassed by the look she gives me.
“The one where we had sex, Baby.” I close my eyes, letting myself remember every second inside that space. “But I think nothing compares to your kiss.”
I sigh, my breathing becoming anxious, as if I can taste the flavor of her sweat between our kisses, the force with which her mouth crushed mine. Without realizing it, I move one of my hands, letting a finger slip over my mouth. I can still feel the wave of pleasure from kissing Mr. Roy.

“God!” Baby’s movement is quick, and I soon feel the warmth of her body lying on the floor beside me. “That... that really left me speechless.”
I open my eyes, not understanding what she’s saying, tilting my head toward her.
“We’ve kissed, Baby. Are you saying that the kiss was so bad that it left you in shock?” Baby blinks her long black lashes twice, her light eyes widening.
“Gim...” It’s as if she’s considering whether or not to tell me something. Finally, Baby lets out a sigh, making up her mind. “Jonathan has never kissed a woman.”
My laughter is quick and loud. After everything that happened today, her joke really makes me laugh so hard it hurts. I look at her, bursting into laughter at what she just said. The man is a sexual machine, fucking with the skill of a long-time expert, he must have had so many women that he doesn’t even remember the exact number. I keep laughing, but Baby’s eyes remain on me, her expression unchanged, slowly killing my laughter.
“Your brother is a female orgasm machine. I might be clueless about some things, but I know I wasn’t the first woman he kissed. You’re kidding, right?”
Baby isn’t joking or laughing along with me. She just remains silent, looking at me. The confusion he had when I kissed him, seeming surprised, the way his brutality increased, as if he was punishing me for touching my lips to his... Jonathan wasn’t lost during the kiss; he just didn’t know how to kiss, and I, too enraptured by the way he had me, simply didn’t notice.
“This is impossible, Baby...” How could Mr. Roy reach adulthood, fucking like a bull, without ever having kissed a woman before? He’s almost twice my age. “This is madness!”
“This is Sodoma,” Baby replies quietly, staring at the ceiling, leaving me there, lost with another new piece of information and triple the doubts.


***


“Are you kidding me?”
“When are you going to stop being immature, Ginger?”
“Please, answer the phone, give me your address, I’ll come over. We can talk, darling. I don’t feel anything for her. It was a silly mistake I made. Please, let me explain.”
“We need to talk; at some point, you’ll have to talk to me, Ginger.”
“Please, don’t tell your mom anything. I haven’t even talked to mine. We have our wedding at the end of the summer, our apartment, we have a life. Gim…”
“My apartment, you jerk.” I look at the phone, breathing slowly, feeling the anxiety rising within me. I have no idea how I’ll tell Mom that her dream of seeing her daughter walk down the aisle has gone down the drain. I reread Tom’s messages again, just to make sure he’s a fool.
I had tried to talk to Tom; it was what I did the most lately. I worked hard to salvage our relationship, I was patient, gave him space, sometimes even blamed myself for thinking I’d done something wrong. Tom cared so little about me recently that he didn’t even bother to pay attention to the video call we had before I left for this island. I told him everything about the temporary job, and he didn’t even care to ask the name of the island. God, how gullible I was!
It’s already four in the morning when I drag myself out of bed, leaving Jon still wrapped in his sleep. I open the wardrobe, which is blocking the bedroom door, take out a thin robe, not as elegant as Aunt Charlote’s or Baby’s with their fluffy pom-poms on the hem, but light and fresh enough to cover me. I throw it over my body to hide my nightgown, slip on my cream slippers, and quietly leave the room. I head to the kitchen. Taking advantage of the mansion’s silence, I only have my thoughts pounding in my mind. I sigh softly, stop near the central table, and see a chocolate cake on a dish, covered with a translucent lace, drawing my full attention. I leave my phone on the table, grab a knife from the drawer, try to make as little noise as possible, and sit down, using the sweet to ease my confusion and doubts. With my mouth full, chewing the cake, I let my gaze wander around the kitchen, attacking the poor cake with bites. I devour the first piece in seconds, already going for another, still unsatisfied. I get up and grab a glass from the dish rack by the sink and go to the fridge for some cold milk. I quickly fill the glass, smile at it, knowing it's so cold. I hold the door with my hand and close it afterward. I take a sip of milk, still facing the fridge, and before it goes down my throat, I’m already spitting it out.
“Jesus!” My heart pounds loudly. I put my hand on my chest, which is pounding from the shock, making me spill the rest of the milk in the glass onto the floor. I see Mr. Roy standing in the kitchen, next to the fridge, like a damn ghost. God! I don’t have the heart capacity to handle these shocks. I look dazed, from the fright I received, at him, who watches the milk dripping down my chin. I lower my head, seeing the mess I made on the floor, and place the glass on the table.