Jason watched as Lina practically threw herself at her father in tears. To his credit, he immediately ended his conversation to attend to his distraught daughter. Even from a distance, the worry on his face was visible. Jason couldn’t make out their exact words amidst the noise of the crowd and music playing, but it seemed like Lina was putting on an overly dramatic display.

Her father’s expression shifted from concern to a look of cold fury that made even Jason shiver slightly, he motioned for someone to approach, and a man who looked like he belonged to the Secret Service emerged, seemingly out of thin air. After a few words to the guard, Lina’s father walked briskly through the crowd, leaving the bodyguard to take care of his daughter. She transferred to the new man seamlessly, hanging on them like she was so distraught she couldn’t support herself. As soon as her father was out of sight, Lina straightened her posture, pushed the bodyguard away, and smoothed down her dress. A sly smile quickly spread across her face.

“Fuck… these kids are scary.” Jason muttered under his breath, mentally reminding himself to stay on Lina’s good side, or at least off the bad.

His eyes shifted to the scene unfolding below him: zeroing in on a large man clad entirely in gray, that stuck out like a sore thumb with his cowboy hat and a bolo tie around his thick neck which bulged out from the tight collar of his dress shirt. The man was practically broadcasting his identity to everyone around him, and that was just the way he liked it. Loudly bragging to anyone that would listen.

Jason was unable to spot anyone that might be the man’s son nearby. His wife, though, stood out just as much with her big, ginger-colored hair poofed up like she was channeling her inner Dolly Parton. Her gaudy, red, shimmering dress hugged her curvy trophy wife frame tight.

Lina’s dad stormed up behind the hefty man and tapped him on the shoulder. The would-be cowboy turned to see who was trying to get his attention, smiling like he was ready to show off to a fresh face. He seemed to perk up once he saw it was Lina’s father, taking off his hat to reveal his mostly bald head, wisps of light colored hair plastered to his head with sweat. They seemed familiar with each other, which was not surprising since Lina had been dating the large man’s son.

“What did I miss?” Jason turned to see Lina coming up the stairs, slightly out of breath but smiling.

She stopped to lean against the railing beside him, holding what looked like a wet wipe stained with black, her face now free of running mascara. Her makeup-free face was just as pretty as he figured it would be.

“You just made it. I think your dad just started talking with that fat guy in the cowboy hat.”

Lina grinned mischievously at Jason’s words as she looked down at the crowd.

“Yeah, that’s Timmy’s dad, Mr. Humphry,” she confirmed.

“Timmy Humphry?” Jason raised an eyebrow. The name seemed a bit odd for the son of an oil baron.

“Shh, it’s starting,” she said, hushing him, her grin widening as she leaned over for a better view.

The two leaned in, straining to catch every word of the conversation between the two men. Only the guy in the bolo tie seemed to be audible, his booming voice drowning out the rest. While Lina’s dad spoke in a calm collected manner. The icy glare in his gaze still gave Jason the creeps. Like he was staring at a man that had seen the depths of hell and was ready to unleash it.

“Come now sir, I’m sure that’s not the case,” he chuckled nervously. But then Lina’s dad jabbed a finger into his soft flesh, his face now twisted with anger.

“No, no, of course not, sir, I would never call lil’ Miss Lina a liar. I’m jus’ sayin’ there’s got ta’ be more to the story.” The fat man started to glisten with excessive sweat as his wife looked like she’d seen a ghost.

“I’m sure that there’s ah good explanation fer’ every thin’. Woman, where is the boy? Please, sir Jus’ let my son give his side of tha story. TIMOTHY!” The man practically shook the building with his overly loud voice. If they weren’t the center of attention before, they definitely were now.

Scanning the crowd, Jason spotted a rather chubby teenage boy dressed almost exactly like his dad, pushing his way through the crowd. He stared at the boy for a moment, then looked over at Lina. The two were like polar opposites. She was a rail thin blonde, while he was practically bursting the seams of his large suit. It did make him see Lina in a slightly different light. The fact she would even give a boy like that a chance spoke volumes for her character.

Looking back, the overweight boy huffed and puffed as he made his way through the crowd. It was impossible for Jason not to relate a bit more than he’d like to the teen boy. Not that he would give him any sympathy, especially after what he’d done to Lina.

The chubby teen finally reached the small group of people, and it was obvious he was shocked and more than a little scared to see Lina’s dad.

“Boy, you go on an tell Mr.Kilpatrick here ‘bout you and his lovely daughter Lina. How you two are jus’ head over heels, fer each udder ain’t cha?”

Mr. Humphry’s hefty fingers dug into the boy’s shoulders, making Timmy go pale with fear. Jason vaguely recognized the last name Kilpatrick, but it wasn’t quite coming to him why it was important.

“You wouldn’t do sumthin’ as foolish as ta’ hurt her feelin’s now, would ya?” His father’s words were more of a threat than anything.

Timmy muttered something quietly, and Jason worried he wouldn’t hear what he said, but Tim’s dad wasn’t one to let something stay quiet for more than a few seconds.

“YOU HA-WHAT!?” His booming voice echoed through the penthouse in explosive anger.

Mr. Humphry’s face twisted in rage, his chubby neck bulging even more as his entire head turned a deep red. Face now resembling a ripe beefsteak tomato as he reacted to his son’s words.

“You stupid lil’ bastard! You broke up with the daughter of Liam Kil... You….” He was brimming with so much anger, and was so red in the face that it looked like he was about to pop at any second. He couldn’t even articulate properly anymore, appearing on the verge of a heart attack.

“But Paw!” Timmy attempted to speak up, but his father wasn’t listening as his thick hand smacked the teen across the face.

“I raised you better than that, you stupid, idiotic…” Pausing as spittle shot out of his lips, he tried to think of more words to insult his child.

“You blind, deaf and dumb, moron. You ain’t no son of mine! All you had to do was play nice for a few more years, and we’d all been set for life, you fucking ijjit!!” The tirade continued, it seemed it was more than just the connection they were losing out on with the two breaking up.

Lina’s father interjected for a moment, saying something just as calmly as before, then adjusting his tie and walking away. Timmy was then promptly yanked away by his ear as the family made a swift exit, the crowd giving them a necessary wide berth to let them through.

Jason’s disdain for most of these people only grew stronger. The way Timmy’s dad reacted wasn’t because his son had used Lina; it was because he had lost out on her family’s money and power. Any sympathy he had left for the family evaporated.

“I should go back to Daddy; he’ll probably want to talk to me a bit more,” she said, her smile revealing she was rather satisfied with how the situation played out. He nodded and Lina hurried downstairs. He felt torn between feeling sorry for her and recognizing her manipulative nature.

Jason decided to go back to the empty room, closing the door behind him. Placing his hand on the deadbolt lock, he grimaced. Somehow he knew that if he locked her out, things would not end well. With a heavy sigh, he released the lock and fell back onto the bed, his head still throbbed with a dull ache. He wondered how he even ended up in this predicament. Ultimately, he decided it was all Vince’s fault for dragging him here tonight.

As the door creaked open, he barely bothered to lift his gaze or even open his eyes. Suddenly, a weight slammed onto his chest, eliciting an “Ooof,” from Jason. He opened his eyes quickly, feeling arms wrap around his torso, followed by giggles.

“Haha, we did it Jason!” Lina cheered, her golden hair nuzzling against his chest.

Swiftly grabbing her under the arms, he moved her off him but her excitement remained undiminished as she grinned at him while he sat up.

“What do you mean we?” he asked, with a hint of confusion.

“Oh, come on, don’t be modest. Without you, I’d probably still be sobbing in the bathroom.” Her smile suggested there was more to come, and a sinking feeling settled in his stomach.

“Without you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to go tell my dad about what happened. The way you were so ready to defend my honor. It was like you were a noble knight from a fairytale, riding in to save the day,” Lina said with a slight giggle, while Jason inwardly groaned.

He had no desire to take the role of white knight. How could he tell her he wasn’t trying to defend her honor or whatever, he just wanted to punish the bastard.

“Lina, please...”

She stopped him from talking with a raised hand, “I promise that you will be handsomely rewarded for your services to me, sir knight,” she said, still talking like this was a fairytale.

“I am so glad this is all over and I can move on to…” pausing Lina’s gaze traveled up and down Jason’s body, then she giggled a little. “Bigger and better things. I am sure daddy will be so happy that I found a boy, no, a man that will treat me right and protect me.”

She swooned slightly, putting her hands on her cheeks, giggling softly to herself .

Jason’s expression turned to stone as he stared long and hard at Lina. “Who will do what now?” he deadpanned.

Lina, was unfazed, as she simply giggled more and looked over at him with a smile that made him uncomfortable coming from a teenager.

“Oh, come on, Jason. I saw how fired up you were earlier. The way you spoke was so passionate, so fierce,” she said between excited tittering, clearly enjoying herself.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“It was? I don’t understand what you are trying to say? Can you please just give me a straight answer for once?” Jason’s tone was more forceful this time, pushing himself up to sit straight up.

“Oh Jason, you always try to play innocent with me. It’s so cute. But you don’t have to act like I am some clueless girl anymore.” She seemed to be going in circles again. Jason sighed and let her ramble on.

“You’re so different from the other guys who’ve tried to win me over. I only went out with Timothy because I thought he was sweet and kind, but of course, he turned out to be just like his father. Daddy always says; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He tried to warn me, but I thought I knew better.” She let out a heavy sigh but never lost her smile.

Jason’s mind wandered as Lina chattered away about everything except what he wanted to hear, rambling on for what felt like an eternity. She talked about this and that, while Jason struggled to shake the thought of the thrill one might get from experiencing terminal velocity. He was seemingly stuck in a never-ending loop, drowning in irrelevant information.

“And that’s why we’re going to be perfect together,” Lina said, snapping Jason out of his daze.

His ears perked up at the unexpected declaration. “Hold up, say that again,” he interjected, halting her monologue. Lina beamed at him, her expression sickly sweet.

“I was saying, with your honesty and my refinement, we’d make the next great power couple. I am sure we will make headlines. We’re going to be perfect together,” she gushed, still smiling and fluttering her eyelashes as she repeated herself.

While he was sure they would make headlines, it probably wouldn’t be for what she was imagining. “Okay, pump the brakes for a second. I never said I was going to date you, Lina,” Jason said, raising his hands as he stood up from the bed.

Lina’s expression dropped. “What? But you... You said you cared about me. Her voice trembled slightly as she looked up at the man towering over her now.

He hesitated, trying to recall their earlier conversation. Did he really imply that? Even so he shook his head.

“Just because I care doesn’t mean I want a relationship. And besides, I’m twenty-four and you’re sixteen. If I did, not only would it not work out, I would be thrown in jail and put on a list. One that I personally don’t want to be on, ever,” he ranted slightly, as he tried to make it clear there was no way this was going to happen.

On the list of things he wanted, dating her was one of the very last things and it was a very long list. She frowned deeply and stood up, lightly grabbing his dress shirt.

“That doesn’t matter. I am sure if I explain it to Daddy, he’d understand. He’ll do anything for me,” she insisted, her confidence unwavering. Somehow, Jason didn’t doubt that. Her father probably just ended a billion-dollar partnership just because his daughter shed a few tears.

“Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. You aren’t even thinking about how I feel. I am not comfortable dating someone your age. A relationship is more than just what one person wants. If only one of us is happy, how long do you think it will last? Would you want to be in a relationship where the other person was miserable?” Jason said, more or less talking out his ass, having never been in a relationship before, so he was just going with what seemed like common sense.

He knew he needed to let her down gently. While he didn’t care about her opinion, invoking the wrath of a billionaire’s daughter was never a smart move.

“I… no…But...” She looked sad, her gaze dropping to the floor.

It was nice that she seemed to understand, not just hearing what she wanted. But he quickly misjudged just how stubborn she was. Meeting his eyes again, she continued.

“But… what if I was eighteen, like you said? Would I have a chance if I was older?” Her eyes pleaded with him.

“Well, I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

Chiding himself, he let out a heavy sigh. He wanted to tell her to just fuck off and make her leave, but he had to stay in control of his emotions.

“I’m… I’m not sure, honestly. We barely know each other. I can’t even say if I would be, or if I will even be available,” Jason said, still attempting to let her down gently. Lina had other ideas, as usual.

“Okay, here goes. I’m Lina Vivian Kilpatrick, sixteen years old. My dad’s Liam Kilpatrick, and my mom passed away when I was a baby. I love horses and animals in general. My hobbies include tennis, swimming, the clarinet, and shopping with my besties Stacy, Samantha, and Anezka. My dream job is to be a professional horse trainer or a vet. Yellow’s my favorite color. I’ve had one boyfriend, but now I’m not even sure it was real, so I guess I’ve never really had a proper boyfriend. I go to a private academy here in the city, and music class is my favorite. Please, Jason, I just know we’d be amazing together. I would be such a loyal and caring girlfriend! Just give me a shot!” she pleaded, unleashing her entire self on him. Her eyes welled up with a fresh batch of tears as she looked up at him. Jason let out a long groan, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“That’s not what I meant, Lina,” Jason said, throwing his hand in the air out of pure frustration.

“Then what did you mean, Jason? Please, just tell me, and I’ll do whatever I can to make you accept me.” Tears trickled down her cheeks.

“You’re missing the point, Lina. It’s not about what you can do for me. It’s about...” Jason paused, trying to find the right words.He certainly wasn’t a relationship expert, so all his knowledge was coming from being around his best friend too much.

“It’s more about time, you know? Relationships are born from spending time together, talking and learning about each other. But we live in completely different worlds. I grew up in a small town. We weren’t poor, but we weren’t rich by any means. I went to a normal highschool and had to take out loans and scholarships to get through college. We have almost nothing in common.” Once again he was mostly just making things up as he went, trying his best not to make it too obvious he was.

“I don’t even make over five figures a year. Compared to you, I am basically a nobody. Even if that wasn’t the problem, I’m not even looking for a relationship with anyone right now. It’s not you, Lina, I promise. Maybe if I wasn’t focusing on my career, and you were at least eighteen. Things might be different. But as it stands, I just don’t see any way we can be together.” He hoped he was making sense. It felt like he was grasping at straws, trying to get out of this sticky situation.

“I see. . .” Lina said softly. Her tears had vanished like they had never even been there. This girl was seriously dangerous, and he felt a knot form in his stomach from her simple response.

“So, you’re saying you’re not interested in dating anyone right now, but you might be if your workload was lower, and I was older, you would be okay with dating me?” Jason blinked a few times, trying to process what she said.

“Um, I… guess so,” was all he managed.

A bead of cold sweat ran down the back of his neck when a grin spread across her face from his response.

“I understand,” she said, placing her hands on her hips.

“You do? I mean, good, I’m glad you do,” Jason stuttered, feeling awkward.

“Uh huh, so make me a promise,” she said, smiling.

“A promise?” he said with a furrowed brow.

“Mmmhmm, I want you to promise that when the time comes where all those conditions are met, you will give me a chance to be your girlfriend.”

The devil’s own grin lay plastered on Lina’s face.

The room fell into a heavy silence, wrapping around Jason like a suffocating blanket. It felt more like a prison cell than anything else. He found himself trapped in that cell with a predator and de facto warden, Lina. He needed to make a desperate bid for freedom. After a few moments of internal debate, Jason relented with a sigh, rubbing his forehead roughly.

“What are your terms,” he said, giving in to at least hearing Lina’s offer.

“Excellent!” Lina said excitedly.

“So, here’s the deal I figure will work best for us. I won’t bring up dating again until I turn eighteen. But on my eighteenth birthday, you must give me a chance at being your girlfriend. We will go on a date and start the rest of our lives together. Until then, we’ll stay in touch and get to know each other better, like you wanted!” Jason was only half listening as he tried to think when exactly he said he wanted to get to know her better?

Jason was impressed by Lina’s intellect and quick wit, even if he felt more than a bit cornered by her sudden attack. He considered her proposition carefully. On the brighter side, at least she wasn’t demanding he commit to anything right away. Though he wasn’t exactly thrilled about staying in touch with her, it didn’t seem like that much of a commitment. He risked a lot more by flat out rejecting her at this point.

He knew he couldn’t just accept this how it was, though. Everything was far too vague. So he decided to fix that.

“Before I agree to anything, I’ve got a few addenda and guidelines I wanna lay out,” Jason said, watching Lina’s face light up momentarily before settling into a more serious expression.

“I am ready to negotiate,” she said, bouncing slightly on the bed, like she couldn’t contain her excitement.

“First off, my work and hobbies keep me very busy, so don’t expect me to be glued to my phone or to respond to every message you send, okay?”

Lina nodded.

“Okay, how about five texts every day and a call every other?” Her suggestion made Jason cringed inwardly at the thought.

“No, that won’t work for me. I can manage maybe a call once a month and a text every week. I’ve got a lot on my plate.”

Lina frowned before countering,“How about a text every other day and two calls a week?”

The back-and-forth continued for nearly half an hour until they settled on a final set of rules and regulations. In the end it was more of a contract instead of a possible relationship.

“Alright, so far we are at three texts a week that I must respond to with no less than fifteen words. If I miss any, they carry over to the next week, and if there are nine or more overdue texts, they turn into a five-minute call,” Jason said.

“As for calls, a minimum of three ten-minute conversations per month is expected. Like texts, calls will roll over, but three or more outstanding calls at month-end will convert into a lunch date. These dates must be arranged and completed within the following month. When the age of one Lina Kilpatrick reaches eighteen, a date and possible subsequent relationship will commence between the two parties.”

“I, Lina Vivian Kilpatrick, also agree to the terms.”

Jason sighed and stopped recording on his phone. This whole situation felt beyond absurd to him.

“So, it’s all set then?” Lina asked, looking as composed as ever like she had done this hundreds of times before.

“Actually, I’ve got one more condition before I’m on board,” Jason said firmly. She simply nodded, gesturing for him to hit the record again on his phone.

Jason took a deep breath as he pressed the record button once more, his tone laced with frustration. “Addendum, if I, Jason Merris, enter a romantic relationship with anyone other than Lina Kilpatrick, before she reaches the age of eighteen, whether it be a girlfriend, wife, or partner. This agreement shall become instantly null and void. And Lina Kilpatrick will cease all endeavors aimed at pursuing a relationship with the aforementioned secondary party.” He paused the recording again.

Lina frowned slightly, pouting at his last-minute addition.

“That’s not fair. I never agreed to that.”

“Well, we can call this whole thing off right now if you want? Cause I will not put my love life on hold should the chance arrive,” he said, sort of bluffing but also serious.

After a moment, Lina let out a sigh and Jason hit record once more.

“Fine, I, Lina Vivian Kilpatrick, agree to the terms.”

“I, Jason Alexander Merris also agree to these terms.”

Lina extended her hand, and the two shook on it. It felt like making a deal with the devil, but Jason didn’t see many other options at this point. He hoped he’d find a woman he could stand in the next two years. Maybe he could ask one of Marco's cousins to pretend, he knew at least one of them was into him.

Right now, though, he was still recovering from being drugged and sexually assaulted. Just the thought of being close to a woman had started making him sick lately. Even when Lina innocently jumped on him earlier, he had to push down the panic that quickly welled up inside of him. The frequent nightmares and visions that haunted him each time he closed his eyes felt like they were never going to end.

“What am I going to do?” he muttered, turning his head to look out the window.

Thoughts he hoped he'd left behind in high school started rearing their ugly head lately. The desire to end it all and give up had a powerful pull. The excuse to go on wasn't as potent now that he had been away from home for so long. He was sure that his mother had grown accustomed to living without him.

"What would be the harm in making it more permanent?" These thoughts wreaked havoc on his mind.

Despite his physical strength, his emotional fragility robbed him of the happiness he'd never truly experienced. He wasn’t sure if he would make it to see the deal concluded if these feelings didn’t start to fade.