Being the second-born son in a family of five is like being the useless older brother. The irresponsible one who needs to be put on a leash, and maybe they’re right. But in a world of rules, I thrive on the darkness of my choices, believing in only three things: money, women, and more women.
My life is perfectly chaotic until she comes around.
A man with a gun, they say, is dangerous, sure. But have they ever met an obsessed man who wants to be put on a fucking leash for one woman? There’s no safety in this kind of madness. I thought I knew what I wanted, but now… now I’d burn everything just to have her. Just to have one woman.
Maybe I’m not the one in control anymore.
**
JUNIPER:
Today is a special day in my life.
One, it is my last day being nineteen, and the day I finally get to ‘do it’ with my boyfriend, Cillian.
Cillian says he will be busy tomorrow, and we are celebrating my birthday today so we can ‘do it’ by twelve midnight the moment I turn twenty.
“Juniper, we need more drinks!” Cillian’s voice echoes from the living room to the kitchen, where I am trying to cut out my cake for his guests.
Just as I finish arranging them on the platter, the door to the kitchen swings open, and my roommate, Susan, walks in. She walks towards me, then rests her back against a counter in the kitchen.
“Seriously, June, when are you going to stop slaving for this boy?” she asks, and I pause, staring at her.
“It is your birthday, June, and yet he treats you like a slave. Serving up drinks for his friends, and you haven’t had anything to eat. This is your last year in your teens, and he has ruined it,” she says. Then I scoff, forcing a smile onto my lips.
Everyone thinks Cillian is manipulating, but I do not see it that way. I see it as my act of love for him.
He is three years older than me, making him twenty-three this year. We started dating last year when I turned nineteen, and even though I was legal, he never pressured me to have sex with him, contrary to what everyone says about him being a fuck boy who will leave me. But none of that happened, given he is the hottest and richest guy on campus, and I am nothing but a weird art geek.
Today I am ready for him, and just the thought of this makes my belly flare up with heat rising in between my legs.
I’m about to speak when Cillian walks into the kitchen.
“What’s taking so long, baby?” he asks, walking past Susan like she is invisible.
The hate relationship between them is mutual.
“Here,” I hand him the tray of cakes, then I take out some drinks, placing them on the tray, then he kisses my cheek.
“The party is almost over, and I cannot wait to have you,” he whispers in my ear, causing Susan to roll her eyes while my belly flutters with a pleasant emotion driving through it.
He leaves at once, and I turn to Susan.
“I do not care, and I love him,” I say, and she scoffs.
“Do not say I didn’t warn you,” she shrugs before leaving while I concentrate on cleaning up the kitchen.
Halfway through cleaning, the dish soap finishes, then I make my way out of the kitchen to see the guests are gone, making me wonder who Cillian got the last batch of drinks and cakes for. I try not to think too much, then I make my way up the stairs to get more soap from the store.
Just a few steps into the hallway, I hear Susan’s voice in a way that leaves my blood cold.