Cal denied dating Adonis, saying, "I have no interest in him."
Achilles walked over to Cal; he was at least two inches shorter but acted like he didn't give a shit. Cal had broader shoulders and more muscle, but Achilles glared at him like they were equally matched.
Achilles said, "You will leave tonight."
Adonis said, "He won't."
"You're a fucking, idiot," Achilles said. "Do as dad says, and you can continue to live as you always do. It's simple."
"I don't want his money, and you can beat the shit out of me, but it won't change anything."
"Really?"
"Really."
Achilles stood in front of Adonis and said, "Fine, I'll beat you, but your boyfriend has to watch without interfering. If you make a sound, then you have to fire him."
He kneed her in the stomach. The pain made her want to gag, but she held it back and stayed quiet. He grabbed her hair before assaulting her abdomen with punches. She staggered back; her breath knocked out of her. Saliva dripped from her open lips, and she wiped it with the back of her hand. It hurt like a bitch, but she knew he was testing her. He thought she was weak; and would give in after one or two punches, but she had lasted longer.
Achilles raised his fist again. It shook. He said, "I'm begging you, Adonis; do what dad wants. Your life will be much easier if you listen."
She looked at him, smiled. "You hit me five times. Now I kick you five times, and if you make a sound, I win, and Cal stays."
Achilles stood still. He didn't raise his guard but waited for her to come at him.
"What is this?" Cal asked, looking from one sibling to the other.
Adonis explained, "He feels like he knows what's best for me. And I feel like I know what's best for me. So, we are going to hit each other until someone gives in."
"This is pointless," Cal said, "Here's what we'll do. I'll keep you out of any trouble with men; I'll make sure you do not date or flirt with any guys, and if that does happen, you won't have to fire me, I'll leave on my own."
Achilles said, "You're not his boyfriend?"
"I'm not," Cal said steely.
"Fine, but I'm still kicking him," Adonis said.
Cal chuckled softly. "You can kick him."
Adonis wanted to show Achilles the results of her training. She kicked him in the stomach, then pivoted and followed the kick with an abrupt knee to his upper abdomen. Achilles let out a muffled 'hmph' and bent over. He straightened his spine and pretended he didn't make a sound.
"He made a sound, "Adonis told Cal.
"He did," Cal agreed.
Achilles said, "It wasn't a sound. That's how I breathe."
The two of them looked at him. Achilles took off his shirt to show his abs and smacked his abdomen proudly. "Do it again."
Adonis groaned. "I hate it when you act macho. It's really gross, bro." Adonis prepared to kick again. She slammed her heel into his side, then kicked his belly. His eye twitched, but he held himself up. One more. She smiled and drew closer to him. She kicked him in the balls, and he went down. His face turned red, and his face contorted in pain as he fell to his knees. He made no sound as he folded in half.
"That was dirty," Cal said.
"It was," she agreed. "But somewhat disappointing. When he was younger, he screamed really loud when I kicked him there."
Feeling empowered by her victory, she put a hand on Achilles' shoulder. "Tell father I will refrain from all gay activities if, one, he let's me keep Cal, and two, he allows me to take two years off school while this shit storm blows over."
Achilles sat on the wooden floor, breathing heavy.
She waited for the pain to pass.
After some time, Achilles said, "No more boys then?"
"No more boys. But I don't want a female fiancé either."
Achilles studied her. "Well, I guess I understand why being with a girl would be weird for you.... You are serious about this Relar thing?"
She nodded.
Cal said, "We still have to talk about it."
Adonis elbowed him, and he shut up.
Achilles said, "If you really want to give it a shot, I can help you train."
"I already have a teacher."
"Who?"
Adonis smiled. "Don't worry about it." She offered her brother her hand. "And you don't have to worry about me going after your inheritance; the company and mansion are all yours."
He took her hand, but instead of rising, he pulled her into her arms. Her knees touched the ground as he held her. He said, "You could help me with the business, you know? Who said we can't work together?"
"The other shareholders don't want a gay CEO."
Achilles' hair tickled her cheek as he tucked his head into the crook of her neck. "What's your plan?" he asked.
"It's not that clear at the moment," she admitted, "but I'll develop it as I grow and learn."
"You're an idiot, you know that?"
"So are you. We get from dad, I think." She sat on the floor next to him.
Achilles pulled his knees towards his chest and rested his arms atop of them. He asked, "Does your mom still hit you often? Aside from today, I mean."
She cast a cautionary glance at Cal. There were things she didn't want him to know, but he had already witnessed her mom hitting her earlier. The secret was out. She asked, "Does my dad still love your mom?"
He nodded.
"That's good," she said, studying the wooden floor. "My mom wants me to hate you, but I don't."
"I don't hate you either. Nor does my mom; I think the two of you would like each other if you hung out, but your mom won't let you spend any time with her, right?"
"No. You like your mom?" asked Adonis.
"I do."
"That's good. Anyhow, you have done your job and convinced me not to be gay. Congrats." She toyed with the hem of her shirt. "Emmett really did try to rape me; I'm not lying."
Achilles watched her from the corner of the eye. "I'll talk to him."
"You don't have to defend me or anything. I just want you to understand that I wasn't lying earlier."
Achilles nodded and told her, "Sorry, I attacked you like that. I don't really trust any of the guys you hang out with; I thought you and him looked like a couple and got really pissed off."
Cal choked-on air, then laughed. He said, "This guy is like an annoying little sister. He doesn't eat crusts or the juicy part of tomatoes; he likes his eggs scrambled not boiled because boiled eggs are gross. He likes tea with five teaspoons of sugar, which is insane, and he's basically drinking sugared water. Where I'm from sugar is expensive, so we only use one spoonful for a cup of tea. Your brother sleeps day and night and never seems to do anything productive. Even if he were a girl, I wouldn't date him."
Achilles chuckled then said, "Yeah, he's kind of a pain but I'm overly protective of him."
He and Cal shared a look of understanding. Cal said, "Yeah, I see where you are coming from. I felt that way when I saw him and the Emmett guy together. Your brother is an idiot; you automatically want to save his ass because he's emptyheaded. His brain went on vacation a long time ago, and I'm not sure he'll ever be able to find it. I mean, who dresses up as a girl and goes to meet some guy they met online by themself."
Adonis told Cal, "I knew the guy in real life. And if you are going to talk shit about me, do it in a language I don't understand." She stood and slapped Cal playfully.
He grabbed her hands, laughing. He said, "Don't get upset. I'll buy you chocolate."
"I'm not a baby you can bribe with candy, but I might let it go if you get something with caramel inside."
Cal rose his hand in a mock salute. "Sir, yes, sir." He turned and stiffly marched out the room.
Achilles laughed. "He seems nice," he said.
"He does; that's why I want to keep him. And he likes women, so you have nothing to worry about."
Achilles hugged her. "Alright, Father is waiting in the car; I'll go. Stay safe."
"You too." She kissed his cheek, then whispered, "I won by the way."
Achilles said, "No. I punched you, and you kicked me. Legs are heavier than arms, so you had an advantage. That means we have to take away one point from your final score. One minus one is zero. We are equal. But I'll give in out of the goodness of my heart." He went over to the door and paused. "Keep your promise this time."
Achilles left and locked the door gently behind him. Her ribs ached as she sat on the bed. That bastard had hit her super hard. She had done her best to pretend it didn't hurt, but now that he was gone, she could groan all she wanted. She curled up into a ball and tried to take shallow breaths as she waited for the pain to alleviate.
***