God. What the fuck did I just stumble on?
The entire time, Madeline is standing against the wall, observing each coupling, with a look of sick satisfaction on her face. The front door suddenly opens, and none other than Preston Davenport walks in, surveying the room as he stands in the open doorway.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
This is exactly the kind of evidence Kingston needs. I fumble with my purse to dig out my cell, but Preston steps into the house as I open the text window. I damn near drop my phone in shock because my boyfriend follows behind him, saying something to his father. Preston beckons him over to Madeline, and the three of them start discussing who the hell knows what while watching an orgy. Whatever it is, their body language tells me it’s actually a pleasant conversation, which confuses me even more.
After a few minutes, a fourth naked woman appears from the hallway and approaches Kingston. She trails her talon-like fingernails down his chest, smiling at him coyly. My fists clench as I watch this girl flirt with him, and I could swear he’s flirting right back, seemingly unconcerned that she’s not wearing a stitch of clothing beyond a pair of stilettos. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, he looks like he appreciates that fact. I can’t help but notice how many similar features she and I share, from her small stature to her long dark hair, to her bronzed skin. The only drastic difference is the augmented breasts she’s jutting toward my boyfriend. Preston says something to his son, and both men laugh while leering at said breasts.
Naked Chick leans into Kingston’s ear, pressing her huge boobs against his torso. As she pulls back, he nods, which seems to excite her. Now, this girl is either a great actress or much happier to be here than the other three working girls in the room. My eyes practically bug out of their sockets when she drops to her knees right there and eagerly starts undoing Kingston’s belt buckle.
Finally—finally—Kingston places a hand on her wrist as she pops the button on his slacks. She looks confused for a moment as he says something before she stands, once again smiling. Kingston’s hand snakes out and grips the back of her neck, pulling her into him. He can’t possibly be.... Tears well in my eyes when he slams his mouth against hers, and they proceed to engage in some tonsil hockey. Bile rises in my throat, but I can’t look away if my life depended on it. When Kingston breaks the kiss, Naked Chick takes his hand and leads him down the hallway. The entire time this shitshow is going down, a smug smile is plastered across both Preston’s and Madeline’s faces.
What in the ever-loving fuck is happening right now?
It takes everything inside of me not to charge after them, telling that bitch to get her hands off my boyfriend. Then again, said boyfriend just kissed her, and he didn’t exactly seem to mind following her down the hallway, presumably to a bedroom. I squeeze my eyes shut to ward off the looming tears. I want to trust Kingston. I honestly do. But what I just saw was pretty hard to excuse, no matter how you spin it. Has he been playing me this whole time? Was that story about his mom just a bunch of lies? Has everything been a lie? I need to get the fuck out of here.
I pull off my shoes and start booking at full speed back toward the maze. I’m running blindly with tears streaming down my face, landing myself in one dead end after another. I can’t seem to think straight long enough to focus on where I’m going. My lungs burn from the exertion, the soft pads of my feet are sore from running barefoot on pavement, and my heart aches from what I just witnessed. As I round another corner, I slam into someone, soliciting an “Oof!” from both of us. My back scrapes against branches as I fall into a bush before catching my balance.
“Jazz, are you okay?” a deep voice asks.
I blink my eyes into focus and find Reed and Ainsley, both looking at me with concern. I feel like a giant dumpster fire right now, so I can’t exactly blame them. It must’ve been Reed that I bumped into because it felt like slamming into a brick wall and not the tiny little pixie that is Ainsley.
“Jazz.” Ainsley tugs on my arm. “Are you okay? Why are you crying?”
I furiously swipe at the tears on my face. “Yeah... uh, I’m fine. I just got scared because I’ve been trying to find my way out of this damn maze, and I can’t. I guess I kind of freaked out a bit.” Neither one of them looks like they believe me, but I do my best to control my emotions. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We were looking for you,” Reed answers, holding out his phone. “Kingston gave me the login for his tracker app when you never returned from the bathroom.”
I look at the screen, and there are two little green dots right next to each other. Shit, I almost forgot about the tracker he installed on my phone.
“Why didn’t he come looking for me?”
If Kingston’s playing me, who’s to say Reed isn’t in on it?
Reed briefly looks at Ainsley before replying. “Because he’s tied up with something.”
Yeah, tied up being wrapped around a whore.
I scoff. “Right.”
Fuck. Do not cry, Jazz. Do. Not. Cry.
“He, uh...” Reed grabs the back of his neck. “Said he’ll be a while, so he gave me the keys to his Rover so I can drive you home.”
Ainsley bites her bottom lip. “Jazz? You ready to go home?”
Well, isn’t that a loaded question? I’d do anything to go back home, but the thing is, Sperm Donor’s mansion isn’t the place.
“Sure. I’m tired, anyway.” I sniffle, looking around. “Do either of you know how to get the hell out of here?”
“Yeah. I’m actually freakishly good with mazes. Piece of cake.” Ainsley taps an index finger to her temple. “Built-in GPS.”
I throw my hand out. “Lead the way.”
Ainsley wasn’t exaggerating. She leads us out of the maze without any hesitation or errors. I’m quiet the entire drive back, using exhaustion as an excuse the few times she questioned me. The more I think about what I witnessed at that house of horrors, the more I tell myself to take it at face value. Nobody forced Kingston to kiss that girl. To ogle her naked body with such a lust-filled gaze. To take her hand and disappear into a back room, doing God knows what. Oh, who am I kidding? I know exactly what they were doing.
Just as we’re pulling in the driveway to my house, a text comes in from my boyfriend, forcing me to choke back a sob. I guess I shouldn’t call him my boyfriend anymore, considering he’s a liar and a cheater. I can forgive a lot of things, but the latter isn’t one of them.
Kingston: You make it home yet?
I battle my inner smartass, wanting so badly to respond with something sarcastic, but I manage to control myself.
Me: Yep. Just pulled in the driveway. I’m tired, so I’m going to bed. Talk to you later.
Kingston: You sure? I’m about to head out. I can swing by on the way, and you can stay at my place.
Yeah, right. That’s not happening.
Me: I’m sure. Really tired. Goodnight.
Instead of another incoming message, my phone rings. I hold it up as I open the car door, showing Reed and Ainsley Kingston’s name flashing on the screen.
“I’ve gotta take this. I’ll see you guys later. Thanks for the ride.”
“Night, Jazz,” they say in unison.
I take a seat on the front stoop as I hit the button to accept the call. “Yeah?”