Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Five
It was noon by the time Kelley woke up and got ready for the day. He wandered into his study and sat down behind his desk. The chime from his laptop drew him out of his reverie. He ordered lunch from the kitchen with a request to eat it in his study. He had no interest to check his emails and he rubbed both hands over his face. He had to snap out of it and soon.
He didn’t want to speak to anyone right now. He was tired and angry, bitterness filled him up and he’d dreamt of Charles. He dragged a hand over his newly cut short hair, an army cut because he hadn’t had time to go to his usual barber, so he’d just cut it off himself.
Charles had stood next to his bed, laughing with that fucking hole in his forehead. Kelley felt more exhausted than he had before he’d gone to sleep. He didn’t feel guilty for killing Charles. The man was a sick psychopath. What did that make him? He'd killed Charles without blinking, without even thinking about it. The darkness had taken over and he'd pulled the trigger.
A knock on his door announced that his lunch was ready and he stood up from behind his desk. He opened the door and took the tray from the cook. She wouldn’t send anybody else up to his study. “Thank you, Marjorie.”
With a smile and a nod of her head she left Kelley and he closed the door again. He settled in and lifted the lid and glared as the door opened. Mason smiled and walked in with his own tray and sat down on the other side of the desk. The look Kelley gave him wasn't a welcome one. He was still slightly pissed off with Mason.
“I’m sorry. You’re right, Lee’s right,” Mason said and took his own lid off his plate.
“I don’t want to be right, Mase. What else am I supposed to do?”
Mason sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know, Kelley, but I sat up with Lee. I sat up with Andrea and Marella. I know you did too. I know how much you give to everyone around you. I’m so angry I can’t think straight.”
“Keep that with you, Mase, because if we don’t end this what’s to stop them from going after Andrea again?”
“Fuck you, Kelley. I know, okay.”
“You don’t have to do anything. I’ve got you, Mase. I’ll always have your back. I can do this alone. You don’t have to get blood on your hands, Lee doesn’t have to get blood on his hands either,” Kelley said.
“Fuck you both,” Lee said as he leaned against the doorframe. “I already have blood on my hands and if Charles wasn’t dead already, I’d go kill him.”
“If you boys are done with your foreplay, you’ve got a visitor, Kelley,” Connor said as he stepped past Lee.
“Who?”
“Norah Kensington, she was quite insistent that you’d see her,” Connor said.
“Send her up to the study,” Lee said and turned towards Kelley. “Blaire’s still out and I’m not waking him up. Send a live link to Jesse so he can record this little visit.”
Kelley clicked a button on his laptop and dialed Jesse’s number from his phone. “Jesse, record the link I’m sending to you now. We’ve got a visitor and it might get interesting.”
“Done,” Jesse said and ended the call.
Mason covered their dishes and Kelley walked to the front of his desk and leaned on the edge. Lee stood against the other wall next to the couches and Mason sat in the wingback chair, basically in the middle between Kelley and Lee.
Connor appeared in the doorway with Norah standing behind him. “Sir, Miss Kensington.” Connor stood to the side and Norah walked in, swaying her hips and smiling at Kelley.
Kelley nodded his head at Connor who stepped into the study and closed the door behind him. He took the other wingback chair and sat down, leaving Norah to stand half in front of all of them. Her smile faltered and Kelley crossed his arms over his chest.
“What do you want, Norah?”
“Can we speak alone?”
“No,” Lee said. “Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of all of us. Isn’t that what you like, Norah, a crowd?”
“Fuck you, Lee,” Norah bristled.
“No thanks, I’d rather be celibate than have my dick fall off,” Lee said with a grin on his face. Mason tried to hide his laugh but failed epically.
“Laugh all you want, Mason, you didn’t complain when I lifted my skirt for you,” Norah said but kept looking at Kelley. Her tactics to get a rise out of him was childish and he shook his head.
"It was once and then I soaked my dick in disinfectant after I heard how you got around," Mason said. Norah opened her mouth to say something but Kelley beat her to it.
“I don’t have time for this. Say what you want, Norah.”
“One of you shot Charles and now my lifestyle is going down the drain, so I’m here for compensation,” she said.
“Compensation?” Mason asked.
“Yes.”
“What compensation do you want, Norah? Do you want money or do you want cock? We both know you’d take either. Is this what you were hoping for? A room full of cocks with you on your knees?” Kelley asked her.
Norah walked right up to Kelley and trailed her finger over his groin. She cupped his penis in her hand and raised an eyebrow. “Someone grew up from the boy I remember.” Her voice was soft now, she was trying to seduce him.
“If that’s what you want, get on your knees like the little whore you really are,” Kelley said.
Norah removed her hand and stepped away from Kelley. She stepped out of her stilettos and knelt down on the carpet. She placed her hands on her thighs and looked down like the good little submissive she was.
