Chapter Sixty-five: Man with a Plan

Chapter 65

Man with the Plan

Celeste was in Jaxon’s condo in a room where he had his swimming pool. It was a square swimming pool with windows on the right and at the end of the room offering an excellent city view. There were potted palm trees in the areas as well as lounge chairs. She slid her black kitty hooded robe off, revealing her Wicked Wolverine metallic purple bikini. Noah told her to wait for him and he would be with her. Celeste sat on the pool’s edge, submerging her feet and shins into the water. She was alerted to loud wolf whistling coming from behind her. Celeste peered over her shoulder to see Jaxon. 

Jaxon: “HOT.”

He grinned at her. She returned the smile.

Celeste: “Do I have to say I’m sorry to whoever you kicked out because I’m here?”

She purred. Jaxon chuckled.

Jaxon: “Nah, Satoshi is cool about it.”

He locked his gaze on her in the bikini.

Celeste: “Well, this is who you are; people better accept it.”

She chuckled and shrugged. 

She gazed up at him. 

Celeste: “Did you see the tabloid of Makayla’s abortion?”

She asked, cutting to the chase. 

Jaxon: “I DIDN’T force her!”

He huffed. 

Celeste: “I know this. Makayla also told me but… I knew it anyway.”

She said noncommittally and lifted her leg. Jaxon’s eyes darted to her legs, running his gaze down them.

Celeste: “She wants compensation.”

She said flatly. Jaxon laughed.

Jaxon: “What? She dealt with the problem, and they’re coming after ME while everyone feels bad for her.”

He laughed bitterly. 

Celeste: “Do I think she’s overreacting and taking this too personally? Yeah, I do, but Tristan thinks she suffered a lot of trauma because of it. I dunno. I didn’t wanna say some have it way worse ‘cause it’s not a competition but not everything is a personal attack and she’s not getting backlash.”

She kicked the water as she rambled. 

Jaxon: “No, I’M the one who’s getting eaten alive!”

He snapped and pointed to himself. She threw her head back and locked her gaze on him. 

Celeste: “Maybe if you give her compensation, it will lessen the blow.”

She shrugged.

Jaxon: “What does she want from me?”

He laughed bitterly.

Celeste: “I guess money. I don’t know what else she would want.”

Celeste: “And why did you go in Tristan’s mediation with whiskey?”

She also asked. 

Jaxon: “Because I needed it!”

He shrugged. 

Celeste: “Why? You don’t find it dulls your senses? I find you have to be sharp at all times. You never know what is lurking behind you.”

She said darkly. 

Celeste: “If you’re in a dire situation, you can’t afford to be drunk. Alcohol is a depressant.”

She reiterated and thought of what her mentors always taught her growing up when training her to be an assassin. No drugs, no alcohol, no junk food. Okay, I followed two out of three, not bad, she thought. 

Jaxon: “Nope. I need it to dull my senses to whiny crybabies.”

He said evenly. 

Celeste: “I have an uncanny ability to zone out.”

She said flatly and thought of how often she got in trouble for that. 

Celeste: “So, ah, what are you gonna do about the Makayla thing?”

She finally asked. 

Jaxon: “I dunno. I’ll just throw some money at her or something.”

He shrugged. 

Celeste: “Okay.”

She kicked her legs up. 

Celeste: “Where are your cats?”

She asked. 

Celeste: “Deimos has cats and Tristan does. It’s cats, cats, cats. Where are yours?”

She asked him. Jaxon gestured to her reflection in the pool water.

Jaxon: “Right here.”

He teased. Celeste’s eyes lit up. 

Celeste: “Me?”

She chuckled. 

Jaxon: “Yeah, you’re a cat lady, are you not?”

Celeste: “Yeah.”

She lifted her legs out of the water. 

Celeste: “And your snacks? I go through your cupboards and you don’t have any junk food. No Little Debbie cakes, Twinkies, or Moonpies! What gives?”

She asked breathlessly.

Celeste: “I have nothing to steal.”

She pouted. 

Jaxon: “I don’t eat junk food. I gotta maintain my sexy figure, you know.”

He chuckled. 

Celeste: “Are you saying my figure is not sexy?”

She cupped her cheek and stuck her little tongue out. 

Jaxon: “Not at all! You’re VERY sexy! Obviously, you don’t eat junk food.”

He laughed at her. She gaped owlishly at him. 

Celeste: “I do, Jaxon. I mostly live on it and take-out when Victor doesn’t cook for me.”

She said firmly and felt somewhat annoyed at his response. Wow, anyone who knows me, knows how much I love junk food, she thought. Even Makayla knows and we don’t talk much, she mused. 

Jaxon: “...Are you fucking with me?”

He laughed, gaping at her body disbelievingly. She shook her head.

Celeste: “Have I ever lied to you?”

Jaxon: “Hmm, no?”

He stroked his chin.

Celeste: “There you go.”

She lay on her back looking up at him. 

Jaxon grinned at her, looking back at her. She sat up, and he knelt down to kiss her on the lips. He leaned in closer. Celeste gazed at him and raised an eyebrow. 

Celeste: “What do you think you’re doing?”

Before he could reply, Noah came in and cleared his throat. 

Noah: “Sir, Gus Bhagat is here with your Coke!”

He said genially. Jaxon jolted up to his feet.

Jaxon: “OH! Fuck yeah! About time!”

He grinned. Celeste threw on her kitty robe and went out to follow Jaxon. 

Gus stood there smiling inanely with a big paper bag in his hand.

Gus: “I got your Coke! It was really easy!”

He drawled and put the paper bag on the kitchen counter. He then went to Jaxon’s boot tray to inhale his boots. 

Gus: “God, these stink! I love this!”

He moaned. Noah raised an eyebrow at Gus but more so at the paper bag on the counter. He knew Percy did coke, but it was never this much, he thought. 

Jaxon: “HEY! Stay away from those!”

He groused at Gus. Gus ignored him and snorted his footstink. 

Noah lifted a bottle of Coke from the paper bag and gaped incredulously at Gus. Celeste made a disgusted face. 

Celeste: “Uhm, ew.”

She looked at Gus and blinked. Gross, she thought. Jaxon gaped at him.

Jaxon: “...Okay, very funny, now show me the REAL coke.”

He said irritably. 

Gus: “That is it. You said Coke and I went to the store to get it.”

He pointed to the bottle of Coke. 

Jaxon: “I MEANT COCAINE!”

He barked and threw his arms up.

Gus: “Oh… I don’t deal that.”

He replied and guffawed. 

He grabbed Celeste’s black kitty slippers, which had yellow eyes and a nose embroidered on the upper vamp, with ears sticking up. Gus sniffed them. They had an aroma of honeysuckle, berries, jasmine, amber, and vanilla.

Celeste: “HEY!”

She snapped. He made a disgusted face and threw them to Noah. 

Gus: “They don’t stink. Garbage them.”

He ordered and buried himself in Jaxon’s boots. 

Celeste: “No! They’re my slippers! Victor gave me these!”

She grabbed them and hugged them close. Jaxon pouted.

Celeste: “They’re supposed to match my hoodie robe he gave me.”

She put up the hood, which had cat eyes, a nose, and stand-up ears on it. Jaxon’s ire soared, glaring at the slippers and hoodie. 

Gus: “According to Japanese scientists at the Test Center of Rare Ethology, he is jealous of Tristan’s DILF!”

He laughed. Celeste gawked at him. Jaxon glared at him.

Celeste: “Gee, you’re kidding me, right?”

She said dryly. Jaxon scoffed.

Jaxon: “I know, right, You’re kidding me! I am NOT!”

Celeste: “I know that and his jealousy of Vic is transparent. I dunno, being around Celeste’s boys is more fun for me because I can talk to them about other stuff besides drugs and humping, and they have snacks and not stupid coke. You didn’t know how much I love to eat snacks and junk food. Come on, even the cashier lady at the Papamos 7-Eleven knows this.” 

She folded her arms and huffed. Then she went to her purse and unzipped it. There, she pulled out a jar of Funny Feet foot deodorizer. 

Celeste: “I carry this around to use on Craig’s boots. They fuckin’ reek. Maybe you could use some.”

She offered it to Jaxon. Jaxon’s jaw dropped to gape at her with disbelief. He grabbed the Coke bottle, slamming it onto the ground, where it smashed upon impact. Shards of glass flew across the kitchen and onto the floor as the soda fizzled. 

Jaxon: “I am NOT jealous of that crybaby old man!”

He rasped. He ripped Celeste’s robe off her and took her slippers. 

Celeste: “HEY!”

She snapped when he pulled her robe off her. He rushed to the balcony and threw them over the edge. She ran to the edge and her heart sank when she saw the slippers and robe fall. 

Jaxon: “And my feet don’t stink!”

He huffed, grabbing his boot from Gus. 

Gus: “Craig says the same, too. Okay, the noses don’t lie.”

Celeste: “What did you do that for, Jaxon?!”

She snapped and slammed her fist so hard down on the island that it cracked and shattered. Even Jaxon was stunned and startled.

Jaxon: “Come on, you can do better than that guy! You’re too good for him! What’s he got that I don’t?!”

He stamped his feet in a fury. She punched a hole into the wall. Jaxon jolted and staggered back.

Celeste: “Victor KNOWS me! He listens to me! He suggested things to help me deal with problems so I don’t have to think about them! He makes the food I like and we connect!”

She snapped and bore her razor sharp teeth at him, like a caracal. 

Jaxon: “Then why are you here with ME and not him, huh?! Because you want me!”

He fired back, punching the wall. He fell back, wincing in pain.

Celeste: “You don’t get it, do you?! I wanted to help Makayla! She did something nice for Tristan and I like him! Do you even know my art is in a museum?! Okay, it’s in the Great Hall of Bad Art and I know my art sucks but I love doing it! You throw a tantrum when some loser gets worse reviews!”

She stepped forward to him. 

Jaxon: “What?! Makayla? You’re an artist? Wow… I thought you of all people understood me about him… and after I told you what I never told anyone else…”

He pursed his lips and kicked his feet. She glared contemptuously at him. 

Celeste: “You ripped my robe off me and threw my slippers over the edge and you want my pity?! HA!”

She threw her head back and gave a harsh bark of laughter.

Jaxon: “You look better without them!”

He scoffed and smirked at her.. 

Celeste: “Even if I didn’t have an emotional attachment to a gift someone I care about gave to me, going home in this is not practical!”

She snapped. 

Jaxon: “I don’t see how it’s not. You have the body for it.”

He laughed and shrugged. 

Celeste glared at him. 

Celeste: “Okay, Jaxon, have a nice life and enjoy yourself.”

She finally said and grabbed her purse to leave. Gus held up Jaxon’s boots. 

Gus: “Here, wear these stinky boots!”

She grabbed them from his hands and tossed them over the ledge. 

Gus: “NOOOO!”

He cried. 

Jaxon: “HEY! NO! DON’T GO!”

He pleaded with her, chasing after her. 

~

Celeste took the elevator to the shopping floor to buy a coat and shoes to wear until she got home. She saw Victor with her kitty robe and slippers in his hands. Her violet eyes sparkled. She ran up to him and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back and rubbed her back. He put the robe on her and put her slippers on her feet. Jaxon emerged from the elevator, panting with rage, watching them.

Jaxon: “CELESTE!”

He called out for her. Celeste and Victor turned to face him. 

Celeste: “What?”

Victor and Jaxon exchanged icy glares. 

Victor: “What are you doing? You tore her robe off her and I caught it when I was coming to check on her. I don’t trust you and I know you bribed my son to take your case!”

He shot his forefinger at him. 

Jaxon: “What are you doing? Hiding away a beautiful sex bomb like her with a kiddie robe? You don’t deserve her!”

He fired back at him. 

Victor: “She loves this! I picked it out for her and she loves it! If she didn’t, she would have said so! She doesn’t like my lemon meringue pie!”

He snapped at him. Jaxon snorted.

Jaxon: “Oh, come on!”

He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Celeste: “You don’t speak for me, Jaxon. I am wearing this because I love it. You don’t know me. All you know is my body, and it’s all you care about.”

She heaved a deep sigh. She felt her anger dissipate since Victor brought her robe and slippers back and showed up. Victor put his arm around her. Jaxon glared at Victor.

Jaxon: “God fucking DAMMIT! Why does this keep happening to me?! Why do all these hotties end up with total losers?!”

He rasped, kicking up his feet in frustration.

Victor: “If they did, wouldn’t they end up with you? And your music is dreadful!”

He huffed and folded his arms over. Jaxon’s fury soared through the roof and he shoved Victor. Victor gasped and staggered back to fall on the floor. 

Jaxon: “You wanna go at me, huh?!”

He laughed hatefully at him. Celeste stood in front of Victor and shoved Jaxon hard into the wall. 

Celeste: “DON’T TOUCH HIM!”

She bellowed and braced her feet far apart, ready for impact. Jaxon recoiled to her hard shove. He didn’t know what hurt him more. The shove, or the unrequited love. 

They heard clicking on the linoleum floor. Tristan stood before Jaxon and formed an ice sword in his hand, pointing it at him. Victor and Celeste brightened when they saw Tristan. Jaxon froze and held his hands up.

Jaxon: “Jesus Christ! Watch where you’re pointing that thing!”

Tristan: “That’s enough from you. You don’t hurt my Papa. He has been through enough violence.”

He said firmly. Jaxon laughed. 

Tristan: “I’m getting deja vu. You did this to me in the cigar lounge. Old habits die hard, hm?”

He tilted his head. 

Jaxon: “Ah, still going on about that night with me, huh?”

He laughed. 

Tristan: “Of course, I am. I checkmated you, so why wouldn’t I?”

He smirked. Jaxon glared at him.

Jaxon: “I thought that was behind you!”

He huffed. 

Tristan: “Of course, it is, but you hurt my father and you’re tormenting my friend so I am going to defend them!”

He snapped at him. 

Jaxon: “Hey, calm down. I wasn’t tormenting her and I just shoved him!”

He held his hands up.

Tristan: “I know you inside out. I know what makes you tick, find out lots of things on you don’t want me to know and I can read you like a book! I can utterly destroy you.”

He looked down at him, sneering. Victor embraced himself. Tristan drove the blade into the wall. 

Tristan: “Don’t fuck with me!”

He hissed. Celeste’s eyes grew large and she stepped back. Victor pursed his lips and huddled into himself. Jaxon held his hands up and stepped back.

Jaxon: “All right, all right, calm your shit, geez!”

He backed away towards the elevator to make his escape. Tristan’s ice sword shattered in his hand as he watched Jaxon slink away. He wasn’t going to pursue him if he was retreating. 

He turned to see Victor scared and knit his eyebrows. Is he scared of Jaxon… or… me? He wondered. 

~

At the Katsaros hacienda, Deimos, Tristan, and Celeste were eating pizza. Deimos’s eyes burned with hot anger of a thousand suns. When Makayla came to join them, Deimos raised his glare on her. 

Deimos: “You sent her to go to that sleazeball to get compensation for… what? You don’t need it! Our band is going to blow their mediocrity out of the water! Jaxon ripped her robe off her and threw her slippers over the ledge. Victor had to get them and Tristan had to intervene lest Celeste break more shit! This could have been avoided. I am so fucking done with people trying to help this motherfucker or get shit from him!”

He growled as he bit into his pizza. Makayla was taken aback by Deimos’ outburst.

Makayla: “Jesus Christ! Hey, I didn’t make him do that shit to her! This is the guy who left me stranded on a highway! He’s always done this shit!”

Tristan heaved a deep sigh and looked at Makayla with sympathy. 

Tristan: “I am sorry he did that to you, Makayla. I am sorry for my role in helping him, too.”

He cut his pizza with a fork and knife to eat it. Celeste picked the anchovies off her pizza and ate them. 

Makayla: “It’s not your fault he’s a douchebag! I’m not mad at you! I’m mad at HIM! Sorry he did that shit to you, Celeste.”

She huffed, furiously.  

Deimos: “He can get whatever he needs from Klaus or Percy, whatever he calls himself.”

He grumbled. 

Celeste: “I did it because she was nice to Tristan.”

She muttered. Deimos gaped at her. 

Deimos: “We don’t need anything from that talentless hack. You could have done other things to repay her! There were many things you could have done but you chose THAT!”

He snapped at her. Celeste bowed her head and looked away. 

Tristan: “Deimos, please. This is not Makayla’s fault or Celeste’s or Papa’s. This is solely on Jaxon.” 

He said gently as Tristan put his hand on his arm. 

Deimos’ eyelids dipped and he softened to his touch. 

Deimos: “I’m sorry… I’m done with this loser. I hate him more than I do Maxx. Maxx is a loser in plain sight. What you see is what you get. His music sucks and people laugh at him but Jaxon deceives people… He’s a silver-tongued devil. If anyone is going to bring down metal, it’s him, not Maxx.”

He said earnestly. 

Deimos: “I don’t know how any of you feel about Vanessa but what he did to her was wrong.”

He said and sighed, thinking of how Arnold took advantage of him. They didn’t have sex, but  Arnold groomed him, and then Dougal came to groom him and Tristan. 

Makayla: “It bothered me, too, Deimos.”

She frowned, thinking of how Jaxon took advantage of her, too. Tristan cupped his mouth and Celeste thought how she broke it to Jaxon that didn’t sit well with her. 

Makayla: “Don’t worry, Jaxon makes enemies everywhere he goes and we’re done with him, too. Hell, you’re not the only person who hates him the way you do. Craig does too. You sound a lot like him tonight.”’

Deimos laughed bitterly.

Deimos: “You know what? I don’t blame him. Jaxon tried to take his man from him, so I completely understand him.”

Makayla: “You have a lot more in common than you think.”

Deimos raised an eyebrow. 

Deimos: “How do we?”

He raked his fingers through his hair. Tristan leaned back, curious to her answers. He never noticed the correlation, except their insecurities with protecting their lovers. 

Makayla: “Hmm, let’s see, you’re both hotheaded, speak your mind, fierce protectors, bass guitarists, metalheads… oh, and you both hate Jaxon with a burning passion.”

Her voice trailed off as she listed the attributes she noticed. 

Celeste: “And both love spicy food and are in love with white-haired French men!”

She raised her hand. Deimos laughed a bit. 

Deimos: “I suppose so…”

Makayla: “That’s right!”

~

Deimos’ car rolled in front of Fabien’s house. He parked his car in front and climbed out of his car. He went up and knocked on their door. It was getting late. The door opened and Fabien stood before him in his green plaid pajama pants. 

Fabien: “Tristan isn’t here.”

Deimos: “I know. He’s home. Can I come in?”

Fabien stepped aside to let him in. Craig was on the couch watching America’s Dumbest Home Videos on the TV. 

Deimos: “I fucking hate Jaxon and I want to destroy him.”

He announced. Fabien folded his arms and smirked. 

Fabien: “Well, he got to you because he hit on Tristan and yelled at him, hm? And bribed him?”

He chuckled. 

Craig gaped at Deimos, surprised to see him there.

Craig: “YOU HATE THAT GLITTER COCK FUCKER, TOO?!”

He beamed. 

Deimos: “Yes, I want to fuck him up so badly! I want to make him pay for what he did to Tristan…!”

He growled and clenched his fists into tight balls.

Craig: “Fuck yeah! Let’s smash him! I’ll make him cry for what he did to Fab!”

He rasped, cracking his knuckles. 

Deimos: “He took advantage of him, too! He tried to take advantage of Tristan!”

He added in a fiery tone. Fabien embraced himself. He didn’t want to think he took advantage of him but the more he thought of it, the angrier he became. Tristan may have dirt on him, he thought. 

Craig: “Fuckin’ oath! That fucker hurt my Fab!”

He shot up from his seat, putting his arm around Fabien. Fabien smiled when Craig put his arm around him. 

Deimos: “Well, he did that to Celeste, too. He ripped her robe off her.”

He said darkly. Fabien raised an eyebrow at Deimos, taking mental notes. 

Craig: “What?! Not our fuckin’ stray cat! That cunt is a monster ‘n he’s goin’ down!”

He gasped. 

Deimos: “Do you know about Varg the Viking?”

He finally asked. Fabien quirked an eyebrow.

Fabien: “Yeah, that show for babies with the funny looking Viking man with big feet. Sometimes Gus watches it when he’s high as a kite.”

He replied and laughed. 

Fabien: “What about it?”

Deimos: “Tristan has a photo of Jaxon in a costume for that stupid show posing with the character.”

He said evenly. Craig fell out of his seat, roaring with laughter.

Craig: “WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT, THIS IS GOLD!”A wry smirk curled on Fabien’s lips. 

Fabien: “...Oh, that would be terrible if that got into the tabloids.”

He said archly. 

Craig: “DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!”

He pumped his fists in the air. 

Deimos: “And the wedding picture?”

Fabien: “I thought he broke the engagement?”

Deimos folded his arms. 

Deimos: “I believe so, but a wedding picture was taken. Anyway, his ex-fiancée is the one who made him wear that Varg the Viking costume.”

Fabien: “Fuck yeah, rake him through the coals.”

He laughed.

Deimos: “Well, someone posted Makayla’s abortion record in there.”

Fabien gaped at him incredulously. Craig’s jaw dropped.

Craig: “Makayla’s… what?!”

Fabien: “Excuse me?”

He pressed. He never recalled Craig telling him she had an abortion. He looked at Craig and could tell this was news to him. 

Deimos: “Oh. Jaxon got Makayla pregnant and she had it terminated.”

He replied evenly. 

Craig: “HE FUCKING WHAT?!”

He shot up from his seat again, shaking with fury. Fabien went to Craig to put his hands on his arms. 

Deimos: “Jaxon got Makayla pregnant and Makayla got it aborted.”

He repeated himself. Fabien tightly pursed his lips. 

Fabien: “This is… some rabbit hole.”

He said under his breath. 

Deimos: “That’s an understatement.”

He said flatly. 

Craig: “HE DID THAT TO MY LITTLE SISTER?!”

He fumed. Fabien leaned on his shoulder. 

Deimos: “...Yeah, he did.”

He raked his fingers through his hair. 

Fabien: “I am so sorry, Craig.”

He said softly. 

Craig: “Let’s fuck his shit up, boys!”

He grinned deviously, cracking his knuckles. 

Fabien: “What do you propose?”

He leaned on Craig’s shoulder. 

Craig: “...Me? I ain’t the ideas guy, but you guys are.”

He stroked Fabien’s head. 

Fabien: “I say we publish all this shit in the tabloids… and…”

He turned and glanced up at Craig.

Fabien: “Maybe you could throw some punches on Gus. Fuck him up. Don’t worry, Deimos will heal him but I will take pictures of it to make it seem like Jaxon beat him up.”

He smirked and licked his tongue. Craig’s eyebrows rose surprisingly.

Craig: “Ya want me to beat up ya mate?!”

He gaped at him.

Craig: “Ohhh, I wanted to beat up Jaxon!”

He pouted, folding his brawny arms across his chest. Fabien put his hands on Craig’s chest. 

Fabien: “I want to make it look like Jaxon beat him up after he gave him Coke when he wanted cocaine.” 

He reassured him. Deimos gazed at Fabien and surveyed him. He recalled when Craig went to Fabien to rescue him from Jaxon, Fabien was slammed into a mirror. He did that to himself to ignite Craig’s rage, he thought. 

Craig: “All right, you’re the man with the plan!”

He kissed Fabien’s head. 

Deimos looked away. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t agree with this deception but made an exception. I think now I understand what Tristan means by sometimes you have to do things that go against your morals for a greater cause, he thought.