“Again, you know nothing about us.”
“I know that you’ll never get her heart.” She laughed. “And when you die, she’ll see your corpse and do a happy dance.”
I stared at her in disgust. “Is that what you did with Johnny?”
“I danced. I twirled. I spun around him while he stood there, dead and dressed like a queen.” Her eyes grew wilder. A huge smile spread across her face. “I’ve never been so free. Johnny’s love killed something in me and now I’m. . .new. . .I’m out of my cocoon!” She giggled. “I’m a butterfly. . .”
Griff rushed in. “Pandora! What the hell are you doing? I told you not to leave the room.”
I glared at him. “You don’t tell her. You fucking chain her up. She was down here naked.”
She pouted. “My clothes are dirty. I didn’t want to wear that dress again.”
Griff frowned at me. “So, you gave her your shirt to wear?”
“Was I supposed to stand around while she was naked?” I returned to dicing the onion. “Get her the fuck out of here!”
Griff hurried over. “Calm down, Cain.”
“I was just cooking you breakfast, honey.” Pandora pointed to the plates. “And he interrupted me and put his hands on me and—”
“What? Come on, man.” Griff sneered. “You didn’t have to do all of that.”
“Are you serious, Griff?” I eyed her. “You believe this psychotic-bitch-in-heat over me?”
“Bitch?” Pandora touched her chest and stepped back. “Did you not choke me?”
“I sure did choke you.” I stabbed the air with the knife. “I should have fucking cut your heart out and fried it up with the eggs.”
“Cain!” Griff went over to the plates and grabbed them. “Pandora could have escaped like Phoenix. Instead, she stayed and remained loyal and—”
“Loyal? And you damn right she could have left.” I scowled. “Put the bitch in your room and keep her wrists in handcuffs.”
“Eh!” Rage hit Griff’s face. “I don’t call Phoenix a bitch or tell you what to do with her. And I would never choke her.”
“Phoenix isn’t prancing around naked and trying to fuck you and West.” I pointed the knife at him. “Trust me. Pandora is not the woman you should be defending. She’ll fuck anyone in this house and say anything to get her way.”
“I was only being nice. Get over your ego, Cain.” Pandora headed off.
Griff quirked his brows. “Are you serious, bro? I finally got something going and—”
“Are you serious? You think I’m lying about her trying to fuck me?”
“No. Maybe she did. She’s trapped. . .” Griff sighed. “But, you don’t have to rub it in my face, man. And you don’t have to put your hands on her.”
I let out a long breath. “Just handcuff Pandora and keep a better leash on her. You fell asleep and let her run around the house. She could have called the cops or—”
“But she didn’t. Just like Phoenix—”
“She is not Phoenix! Trust me on that—”
“Eh!” Griff yelled. “I let you handle your woman and supported you the whole time. Now let me handle my—”
“She is not your woman. She isn’t anybody’s woman and not worth—”
“Guys!” West walked in. “You both need to separate and relax.”
Griff stormed off with the plates. “Fucking uptight asshole!”
“Fuck you!” I called back. “And fuck her! Next time I see her I’m slicing her neck open! You can fuck her head all you want.”
“Cain?” West held his hands out to the side. “Is that necessary?”
My hands shook. “You should have seen her.”
“All I know is that you both don’t know how to act when it comes to pussy.” West yawned and headed off. “I’m going back to bed and turning off my phone.”
“And I’m going back to enjoying my day!” I chopped the onion hard.
Pandora is wrong.
Slicing the onion, I slammed the blade into the cutting board over and over.
I’m not Johnny.
The pieces of onion began to resemble tiny bits of translucent flesh.
And I’m definitely not Ahab either.
Chapter 27
Just a Little Straightening
PHOENIX
Y
elling came from downstairs.
A chick laughed. It must’ve been Pandora.
What’s up with that?
I finished brushing my hair into the simple ponytail.
I’d just left the shower and only had a towel on. Cain hadn’t been in the room. In order to start us off right, I stayed in the bedroom, knowing that he would be nervous if I went wondering around. He probably would have thought that I was trying to escape or something. It would need to be baby steps with him.
We’d had an enjoyable conversation last night. I’d decided to jump into the idea of us. It wasn’t a confirmed declaration of pure love. But it did mean that I would give us a chance and not escape. . .for now.
As long as there isn’t any pain or soul coffin torture shit. . .I’ll see where this is going.
We were both proving that we could trust each other.