JASON and KEANNE

by Marian Tee

  ****

  Jason woke up the next day with a hangover. He cursed when he realized it was already noon. It was not his habit to drink himself to sleep, but last night it had been his only way of escaping thoughts of---

  His breath hissed out.

  Keanne.

  If he closed his eyes, he would be able to see her beautiful body, her lovely breasts bared to his gaze, her nipples begging to have his tongue lave them with heat.

  He opened his eyes with a snarl.

  This was Keanne, dammit.

  He shouldn’t be thinking about her like this.

  Jason grabbed his phone from the bedside table, a part of him hoping to find a missed call, an email, or a text message – anything from Keanne that would tell him they could go back to what they were in the past.

  But there was none.

  This had been the longest time they had not spoken, and the thought did not sit nicely with him, unease clawing at Jason’s heart. Why was it that he was only realizing just now how much he had relied on Keanne’s friendship?

  A future without Lilac by his side already felt so fucking dark, but if Keanne was gone, too, he might as well be…dead.

  Jason dialed Keanne’s number. He and Keanne often fought, something that was expected considering her fiery French temperament. But more often than not, Keanne would be the first to say sorry, the first to woo him out of his black mood. And on the rare chance that he would be the first one to say sorry, she had never made him suffer, never made him wait. Always, she would be wonderfully expressive, her big eyes filling with tears as she expansively threw her arms around him even as she would scold Jason in her French-accented English about being such a bastard to her.

  Her phone started to ring.

  Pick up, ma petite.

  But she did not.

  He dialed her number again, his knuckles whitening with how hard he was gripping his phone.

  Tell me I have not ruined our friendship, ma petite.

  But she did not.

  Chapter Four

  “Mademoiselle Keanne has already left, I’m afraid.” Cathy Ellison did her best not to look guilty as she spoke the lie that her employer – or more specifically, her employer’s daughter – had asked her to speak in case the handsome Christakos heir dropped by in search of Keanne Summers.

  “I see.” A mocking smile touched Jason Christakos’ lips, and though she had seen him quite often coming and going in Amie Summers’ magnificent home, Cathy still couldn’t prevent her heart from skipping a beat at the Greek billionaire’s sheer gorgeousness.

  Unlike his twin, Nick Christakos, who was quite famous for his cool sophistication, Jason was all rugged sex appeal, dressed often in casual shirts and jeans. Occasionally – like now – he would be seen wearing a leather jacket, which only made him look even more irresistibly wicked.

  For a moment, Jason considered charming or – hell – even seducing the truth out of Amie Summers’ personal assistant. The thought was rejected a second later, his common sense and understanding of how the Summers’ household operated reasserting itself. Although Amie may appear as a flamboyant rich widow in many people’s eyes, she was anything but weak and ruled her empire with an iron hand. She personally vetted every employee on her staff, which meant all of them were staunchly loyal to her.

  “Would you like to leave a message?”

  Jason looked up. “Please tell Mademoiselle Keanne that she cannot hide from me forever.”

  ****

  Hidden indeed in her mother’s private study, Keanne let out a choked gasp as Jason Christakos’ searing blue eyes stared straight into the lobby’s CCTV camera.

  The damn man knew she was watching him!

  She shook her head, a sense of hysteria rising in her. What did he expect? That she would welcome him with open arms after his rejection?

  She may be in love with him, but she would not let him treat her like that.

  With that thought uppermost on her mind, Keanne threw herself back into her work. With only a few days left before her first year in college started, she had to hurry and finish her book. There would be even less time for her to draw once she had classes to attend.

  Keanne drew for hours, a concentrated frown on her face as the little girl she once was and the sun god Jason had always been came to life on her sketch pad.

  “Why do you push me away?” the little girl asked with a sniff.

  The Sun God had a bleak look on his face, and his brightness faded in the face of the little girl’s sadness. “Because you forget who I am.”

  “You are the Sun God. I know that.”

  “Then, my beautiful little girl, you must remember that if you come too close, you will get burned, and I do not want that for you.”

  Keanne straightened in her seat, unsurprised to find her fingers wet when she touched her face. Stupid drawings, Keanne thought even as the tears fell faster. They were supposed to cure Keanne’s misery, not make her more in love with Jason.

  Someone knocked on the door and Keanne hastily wiped her tears away. Clearing her throat, she called out, “Come in.”

  It was Cathy. “It’s already five in the afternoon, Mademoiselle. It is time to prepare for tonight’s show.”

  “Oh.” She had forgotten all about the special one-night show staged by a popular European opera company. Amie was its major sponsor, with Keanne expected to attend in lieu of her mother.

  “Will I be seated with anyone?”

  “A box has been reserved for your private use.” Normally, Jason Christakos was Keanne’s escort to such events, but after what happened earlier today, Cathy was at a loss as to who would serve as the young girl’s date for the night. She said awkwardly, “Would you…” Her voice trailed off. What was the right thing to say here?

  Parties such as tonight’s event were always an occasion for competition among the rich and famous. Keanne’s peers would always be vying against each other as to who would look the prettiest, who wore the most expensive jewelry and – most importantly of all – who had the most gorgeous date.

  Everyone would expect Keanne to attend tonight’s event with Jason Christakos. Everyone would start talking behind her back if she came without him, and the only way to stop people from gossiping was for Keanne to find a date who could compare to the famous Greek billionaire.

  But then, that wasn’t really possible, was it?

  “It’s okay, Cathy.” Keanne’s calm voice made Cathy look up. “I have no problems going alone.”

  Less than two hours later, Keanne was trying to convince herself that she meant what she had said earlier. She did not mind that people were wondering why she was not accompanied by Jason Christakos.

  She knew what they were all thinking. She was Keanne Summers, the heiress who once had an affair with her married teacher and had caused the death of his hapless wife. She was Keanne Summers, the wild child who did not deserve to have Jason Christakos as a champion. She was Keanne Summers, an incurable flirt just like her Mama.

  All eyes were on her when she entered her private box in the auditorium. Keanne lifted her chin. They could stare all they wanted. She was not going to give them the satisfaction of knowing they made her feel self-conscious and ashamed.

  Behind Keanne, she heard the sound of the curtains twitching. She didn’t look back, knowing it was the waiter about to ask what her order was.

  A dark shadow fell over her and Keanne looked up, her eyes widening when instead of a uniformed waiter, her gaze clashed with the bright blue gaze of Jason Christakos.

  What was he doing here?

  Shock made it impossible for Keanne to talk while love made it hard for her to breathe. Jason looked incredibly gorgeous in his tux, its perfect fit emphasizing the impressive breadth of his shoulders, the strength of his chest, and his long lean form.

  His voice was warm and apologetic, its tone carrying a great distance, and Keanne knew that Jason wanted to be heard. “I’m sorry for being late.” A smile curved on
his lips, but it did not reach his eyes.

  “You do not---”

  “But I do have to apologize,” Jason interrupted her smoothly, a mocking gleam in his eyes. She had been about to tell him that he didn’t have to come to her rescue tonight, and he knew it.

  He took the seat next to her, Jason pretending he did not notice her sharply drawn breath at his proximity. Her perfume tantalized him, a scent that was both disarmingly gentle and seductive, just like its owner.

  Keanne.

  He was hard, embarrassingly so, and all because he was seated next to Keanne. Was this fucking normal? Did he really want her so much or was it simply because she was forbidden fruit? Lilac was still in his heart. He knew it as well as he knew his name, but it appeared to be a fact that his body no longer recognized.

  All his body craved was satisfaction – as soon as possible, and the kind that only Keanne could give.

  Her eyes were flashing silver fire at him, and when she opened her mouth to speak, he beat her to it. He warned Keanne coolly, “Do not make a scene. You will regret it.”

  Her lips stretched into a smile even as she demanded, “What are you doing here?”

  “Stalking you,” he answered in a sardonic tone. It was the blasted truth, but Jason knew Keanne wouldn’t take his word for it. And he was glad for that because he did not want Keanne to know how much control she had over him.

  Stalking her.

  If only that was true.

  Turning her attention back to the stage, which was still concealed in darkness, Keanne murmured sotto voce, “If you came here to ensure that I will not take my life because of heartbreak, then I give you my word I will not kill myself over you.” A smile played on her lips, one that did not reach her silvery eyes either. “You do not deserve such devotion.”

  “I know.”

  Two words, spoken simply, truthfully, and so readily, and that was it. She was slayed.

  Lights burst out from the ceiling, music pouring out from the speakers. The play had started, but Keanne only had eyes for him, her beautiful Jason, her sun god.

  Her heart cried out with such love for him it became near impossible to breathe again. Had she really thought she could push her love away so easily? It was as inescapable as the rays of the sun, which touched every inch of the earth.

  “I hate you.” Before he could speak – before he could agree with her – she said quietly, “You know I don’t mean it.” Her voice caught. “I won’t kill myself because you can’t love me, Jason, but you know I didn’t mean the other thing.” Not looking at him, she continued in a low but vehement whisper, “You are worthy of such devotion.”

  Eighteen years old.

  She was so young and yet she could be so generous and emotionally mature, able to say what she felt without any fear of being hurt again. How far she had come, Jason thought bleakly. He had done his best to take her out of the darkness, but what she had become far exceeded his expectations. She hadn’t just left the darkness. Now, she shone so brightly, so full of life and vitality that she had become a guiding star in his life, blazing brightly to show him the way.

  “If you truly believe that,” he said in a driven tone, “then you must promise not to avoid me anymore.” He succeeded in keeping his voice calm and flat, nothing to hint at the panic that strangled his heart at the thought of Keanne disappearing from his life.

  He needed her so goddamn much, more than he should, but she did not need to know any of those things.

  Jason expected her to say yes. He needed her to say yes. She was his little doe, his sweet beautiful Keanne, the girl he had guarded zealously over the years.

  But instead she shook her head, and the pain that it brought him stunned Jason with its strength. It was like Lilac rejecting him all over again, only this time the pain was different. Lilac choosing Nick over him was like a long-standing tumor that had finally become cancerous. But Keanne’s rejection was different and unexpected, a stranger in the dark sliding his knife between Jason’s ribs, killing him before he even realized he was in danger.

  It hurt that fucking much.

  “Jason.”

  He stiffened at the sound of his name on her lips and he prepared himself for her final goodbye.

  But instead, she said, “It’s not me who should be making any promises. It’s you. It’s your turn to promise me that you will live for me.”

  His head snapped towards her.

  She turned to meet him head on, her gaze unflinching.

  Beautiful brave Keanne.

  Her eyes were filled with unshed tears, and the stranger in the dark stabbed him in the heart again. “Lilac will never be yours. But I am. I will always be yours, and I just need you to give me a chance to prove to you t-that…” Her voice faltered, but a second later she spoke again, her tone only the slightest bit shaky, “…you will want to be mine.”

  Her courage took his breath away, and for a while all he could do was gaze at her. What the fuck had he done to deserve this girl’s love? She had everything going for her, and yet she had stupidly chosen to love a man like him. He was not broken. He was just…undeserving.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying,” he finally forced himself to grit out.

  “I want you to be mine.” She repeated the words in French, her eyes sparkling defiance at him.

  He cursed in Greek, furious at her stubbornness.

  She cursed him back in her native language, knowing they were both irritated at each other’s pigheadedness.

  “I am not the kind of man you should love.”

  “But I love you already so it’s too late to tell me that.”

  An exasperated sigh escaped him. “Listen to me, you silly girl---”

  “You should be the one to listen to me, you silly old man!”

  Only Keanne would say that to him, and his lips twitched.

  She did not allow herself to smile even though she badly wanted to. The sun god was bestowing a smile on her, and she was like a sunflower wanting to bloom in its brightness. Merde. How she wanted to smile back, but not just yet.

  “Give me a chance.” Her voice was fierce and petulant at the same time. She knew that if Lilac was in her shoes, her tone would be sweetly cajoling, begging, or teasing. But she was not Lilac and she did not want to try to be someone she was not. She was Keanne Summers, spoiled and demanding in most ways, but she also knew no other girl could love Jason Christakos more than she did.

  “Let me love you---” He shook his head but she ignored it. “And I am 100% certain you will…” Keanne lifted her chin. “---fall in love with me.”

  Her silvery eyes caught his – and this time it did not let go.

  Jason heard himself saying, “We could give it a try, see how it goes, if you agree to one condition I have.”

  She swallowed. “W-what?” She had been ready to fight tooth and nail for him, and the fact that he was capitulating so easily left her stunned and bemused.

  “You must do everything I say.” His eyes, his face, his voice – everything hardened, and for the first time in the four years she had known him, Keanne had a glimpse of the real Jason Christakos.

  Oh.

  A man’s man, someone who dominated and commanded and did not take no for an answer.

  There was one word to describe him perfectly, but it escaped Keanne. All she knew was that this was a man who demanded – who needed - absolute and unquestioning surrender from the woman he would love for all eternity.

  His gaze settled on her, and that alone already felt like a chain of possession wrapping itself around her. His voice was steel and silk as he spoke of a promise both dangerous and beautiful. “Everything, Keanne. You must do everything I say. It is the only way I can truly open myself to you.”

  Chapter Five

  “How’s life?”

  Jason smiled at the sound of it, and he leaned back against his chair. “It’s gotten very interesting.” Something settled inside him. Every day, he lived with the fear that she wo
uldn’t answer his call and his world would stop spinning then.

  Lilac’s voice was filled with joy and warmth as she answered, “I’m glad to hear that, Jason. Is it interesting because of…” She paused. “---a c-certain someone named Keanne?”

  Jason almost shot out of his seat, unable to believe that Lilac knew about his Keanne. “Who told you that?” Lilac was not the type to read tabloids, and that had in fact been the reason why she had originally mistaken Jason for his twin Nick.

  If she had read the tabloids, Jason contemplated, then things might have happened differently.

  She would not have made him fall in love with her, and he would not have known Lilac well enough to fall in love with her.

  “…Jason?”

  He pushed the disturbing thought away, refocusing on Lilac. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about something.” Outside, early morning sunlight started to rise past the clouds, and a few rays managed to slide into his office, leaving shadows on the carpeted floor.

  There was an awkward pause, and then Lilac asked very gently, “Are you…okay?”

  The catch in her voice made him grip his phone tightly. Sometimes, he wished Lilac wasn’t so damn nice. If only she would just throw him under the fucking bus or something. Maybe then he could forget her completely. Maybe then he could start thinking about her as his brother’s betrothed.

  “I won’t be okay if we stop talking.”

  “We won’t ever…s-stop talking.” But the fact that she was already starting to stammer gave away her distress.

  Shit…

  He had never wanted to be the cause of her distress. All he ever wanted was to be her fucking knight, dammit. “I gotta go---”

  “No, p-please!”

  Jason stilled.

  “Let’s talk…some more. Let’s talk about your Keanne.”

  “I don’t want to talk about her,” he said brusquely.