Weights & Whips

Chapter 12

It's been a week since my encounter with Tom Kelly. I've been staying with Axel and Harry, Sandra and Leo have been visiting me. Slowly day by day I feel more like myself. I woke up this morning ready to take on the world. I am returning to work and training tomorrow, however my friends don't seem supportive, they think it's too dangerous.

The longer I've stayed here the less sense my friends lives have made. I haven't seen Ben once, every time Sandra has plans with him, he cancels last minute. Leo always seems to be here, not just here, but always watching me. He glares any time anyone comes near me, snaps if anyone touches me, he's acting like a possessive boyfriend. Axel and Harry seem to work alot, they go out early in the morning every day and they get phone calls they always take in their office and never speak of. Sometimes if the call is important they go out to 'work' and return in different clothes.

I can't explain it, but I feel like there is more to the story and everyone knows but me. I know I need answers but I didn't know what to ask or where to start. It's 8am, I'm eating breakfast in the dining room with Axel and Harry, both of them are too busy scowling and typing on their phones to be eating. Every now and then they glance at each other or show each other their screens. I've been watching them for almost 20 minutes before I decide I may as well start with them.

After breakfast I pull them into the office and make them sit while I pace near the window. "I have so many questions. How do you have a house this big if you are security guards? Why does Harry live here? Why do you have an assistant, chef and butler? What work do you do in the mornings if your job is at night? Why do you always take calls privately? And why have you been ignoring me all morning with your faces buried in your phones?!" I shouted at them. Axel chuckles while Harry leant back with his arms behind his head. "I come from old money, the house has been in the family for generations. Neither of us are security guards, I own Leather Rose and a bunch of other businesses, Harry helps me to run them all. I suppose this answers your other questions too sab? I never wanted you to feel left out, I didn't want to trouble you with buisness talk." Axel said calmly.

"I met axel when I was 15, My parents had just died in a car crash, and I was waiting outside the headmistress' office. I had just been told the news. I had no other family so I was instructed to wait there for a social worker to come and see me and discuss what would happen next. Axel was 18 at the time, he was visiting the school to discuss donating to them when he saw me. I was curled up in a chair in the corner crying, my world had just fallen apart. He sat next to me in silence for a while until the social worker arrived. I was taken to a group home, there was no hope of finding a permanent home for me due to my age. It was horrible there. A week later Axel visited the group home and I thought it was probably somewhere else he donated to, until I was brought to the office to sit along side him. He offered me to live with him, the paperwork was done but I had no idea what kind of life to expect. All I knew about him was that he had money, and he had sat with me while I grieved. He helped me pass my GCSE’s, he helped me through university. He gave me this job and a chance to earn a comfortable life. Along the way we became best friends. So I never left." Harry explained smiling at me Axel.

We spend the rest of my day discussing our lives, and enjoying each others company. At 6pm Sandra visited me. Its become a nightly ritual, every day after work, Sandra has joined us for dinner and then spent an hour with me, either watching a movie or talking over a beer in the garden. It's been nice, but I know at some point it needs to end. "San, I've loved spending this extra time with you, but you don't have to come round every night, I know you want to spend time with Ben. I know you have other things to do, so by all means visit, but don't feel like you have to put me first, I'm doing ok" I said with a smile. "You are so sweet, I know don't worry, it's just that I don't really have anything else to do at the moment, or anyone to talk to other than you and the boys" Sandra replies. "Well, do you not have plans with Ben at any point? Thinking about it, I haven't seen him or heard you mention him in a while, everything OK?" I asked. "He's always busy or cancels, I'm not really sure what's going on. We're still together but I haven't seen him much lately, I've only really seen him if we have a session planned at Leather Rose and he's cancelled some of them too. I've got a gut feeling but I don't really want to find out if it's true or not." Sandra muttered.

"What kind of gut feeling?" Axel asked as he strolled into the garden with Harry, each bringing us another beer. "I think he's cheating on me, either that or cheating on someone with me" Sandra muttered. Harry immediately ran to her side, wrapping her up in his arms. Axel cleared his throat "I have a good investigator if you would like to know for sure? It would only take a few weeks" he said. Sandra nodded and thanked him before saying her goodbyes.

"Do either of you know why Sandra didn't introduce me to any of you sooner? We have been friends since I left Tom, I get not taking me to the club, but it's odd that I never met Ben or you guys." I asked. "People often used Sandra to get to us, especially the girls at the club. It was hard on her, for a while every female friend she has had was using her to get to the men in her life. Her brother is a professional footballer, her dad has a successful buisness, and then there's Harry, Leo and I. She was probably holding off until she was sure you weren't the same. But it's pretty clear to us all you don't care for our money or fame at all. Gosh your face when we pulled up to the house was a picture!" Axel said with a chuckle. "I feel so bad, all week I've had these nagging questions in the back of my head, and so far I've been so wrong. I'm sorry guys, I shouldn't have pushed anyone for answers" I explained.

"Don't worry about it, our lives are strange and you thought the worst, I get it. Was there anything else bothering you that we may be able to help with?" Harry asked.

"Everything has been cleared up other than the stuff about Leo, I don't understand why he pretended he didn't know me when we met and Leather Rose? He had already seen my lifting, and asked me to be on his team? Another girl on the team recognised me, so I don't get why he lied? I'm still not really sure what happened that night, I only know what Leo told me, but I feel like I'm missing something? And why does everyone keep warning me to stay away from him? I'm still drawn to him like a moth to a flame, but the lies, the warnings, they are making me nervous. Also, have you noticed how he gets all protective cave man around me? That's a huge red flag to me!" I blurt out.

"I don't know why he lied, or what happened that night, but your right, something doesn't feel right. I'm going to get my investigator to look into it for you, and I'll check the footage at Leather Rose too. Anything to put your mind at ease Sab" Axel says. I pull them both into a cuddle and thank them for their help, watching the sun set before us.