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I smiled and looked down at my chest, before scooping up some of his cum and sucking it off my fingers. 

“Wow,” Jaxon exclaimed. “This just keeps getting better and better.” 

Bit by bit, I slowly scooped up all the cum from my chest and belly and swallowed the lot. My bra would need a wash though, and my skin was all sticky. Now it was a mixture of sweat, champagne, and Jaxon’s cum. 

“I’m going to need a shower,” I said, when I’d finished. Jaxon reached out a hand and pulled me up off the bed, bringing me in for a deep kiss.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked. “I made the mess, it’s only fair that I help you clean up.”

“Hmm,” I pondered, “when you put it like that, I suppose it’s only right that you come and offer me a hand.”

The hot water spraying forth from the intense shower made short work of the cum on my skin. I’d barely got clean when I felt Jaxon’s hard cock pressing against my belly. This time I dropped to my knees to take Jaxon in my mouth, and I made sure to swallow every last drop. 

Jenny now insisted on accompanying me to all my doctor’s appointments. I’d asked her to leave me alone for a few hours one morning, but she’d forgotten her phone and came back into the penthouse to find me puking up in the bathroom. I hadn’t been scolded like that since the time Mom found me throwing up after getting drunk at the age of sixteen.

Doctor Lee sent me upstairs for a scan, and then we waited around until the results were ready an hour later. Jenny looked nervous and irritable the entire time. She hated being here almost as much as I did. None of the procedures I’d been through had been painful, but there was always a chance the doctor was going to deliver bad news. It wasn’t likely, but it was more than just a mere statistical insignificance.

“Your results are positive,” the doctor said, when he finally joined us in his office. “You can see the tumor has decreased in size since the last time you had a scan.” He showed us a before and after comparison photo and pointed to the tumor which did appear to have shrunk. It still freaked me out that there was a tumor inside my head; I couldn’t feel it but just knowing it was there was scary as hell. 

“So the radiotherapy is working?” Jenny asked. 

“Yes,” Doctor Lee replied. “It is working.”

My doctor didn’t have the best bedside manner, but I liked his tone. The important things were what he didn’t say. I knew to listen out for that, but Jenny just found it frustrating.

“Does that mean he’s going to be okay?” Jenny asked. “He’s not going to… you know…” 

“We can’t say anything for sure yet,” Doctor Lee said. “This is a positive start, but he still needs another few rounds of radiotherapy. Those will not be as intense, so he should start feeling better. I’m pleased with what I’m seeing in this scan though.”

I could tell Jenny was disappointed not to hear better news. I’d told her that we wouldn’t get any definitive information either way from this meeting, but she’d obviously been hoping for something more.

“He’s feeling nauseous after the tablets,” Jenny told the doctor. “Is that a problem?”

“No, that’s to be expected. The reaction to the medication does not have any relevance to its effectiveness.”

We left the hospital and headed back to the penthouse. I wanted to do something special for Jenny, but she didn’t like me spending money on her and kept saying she just wanted to live a normal life as much as possible. 

I craved normal. Given a choice between earning $50,000 a year playing soccer and not having to deal with the fame that went with it, or earning millions and being famous, I would have taken the former any day of the week. 

Fame and fortune were overrated. I hated having to leave restaurants because people kept coming over and asking for autographs or photos. The only real benefit to fame was the smile I could bring to children’s faces just by visiting them. The impact wasn’t quite as intense in the US, but in England all I had to do was show up to a children’s ward and they would all look like the happiest people alive, no matter what was wrong with them. I didn’t deserve the reaction I got from them, but if soccer players brought them that level of happiness then who was I to judge.

Being rich had its moments, but my money was next to useless right now. All the money in the world couldn’t keep me alive. Brain tumors didn’t pay any attention to wealth, and money was a poor drug to combat them.

I spent most of the walk back to the hotel in a daydream, thinking about what life would be like when I’d beaten this thing and Jenny and I were free to do what we wanted. Usually I took the back entrance into the hotel, but Jenny had been leading the way, so she took us right up to the front. That had been a huge mistake.

I didn’t notice the cameras until it was too late. Most reporters had left me alone since the press conference, but there were more cameras outside the hotel than there had been that time we were ambushed outside the hospital. Did they want an update? I didn’t have much to say on the subject of my health and planned to keep it out of the press. 

For a few seconds, I thought they might be there for someone else, but then they started running towards us, hands holding microphones outstretched like a runner desperately trying to pass the baton on to the next in line.

“Jaxon, is it true you and your sister are in a sexual relationship?” 

I stopped instantly, as if I’d run into a wall. Most of the reporters were shouting questions at me, but a few had decided that perhaps Jenny would make a better target so they were thrusting microphones at her instead. 

Jenny backed up into me. I grabbed her shoulders and tried to put myself between her and the cameras, but they were everywhere now and within seconds we were surrounded.

“Jaxon, do you have any comment on rumors that you are in a sexual relationship with your sister?” 

The obvious response was to point out that Jenny wasn’t my sister, but that would be admitting the existence of the relationship.

“Do your parents know?” asked another. 

“I’m not in a relationship with my sister,” I responded firmly. That was technically true. It’s not my fault they didn’t properly research the connection between Jenny and I.

I grabbed Jenny’s arm and pulled her through the crowd of journalists, making gaps by “accidentally” kicking people in the shins or on the back of the knee. Right now I didn’t care if they were men or women, I just wanted to get Jenny out of there. 

We made it into the hotel and then the security team took over, stopping the reporters from coming inside. I didn’t want to end up getting trapped inside the hotel, so I led Jenny straight out the back entrance, which the reporters hadn’t yet thought to cover, and we jumped into the first vacant taxi we found.

“We’re going to have to tell your Dad,” I said to Jenny, once we were out of sight of the hotel. “That story will be doing the rounds soon and even if he doesn’t see it, he’s bound to know someone who will be more than happy to tell him.”

“I know,” Jenny said. She sounded slightly scared at the thought, but she’d been gradually coming round to the fact that we’d have to tell her dad eventually. When we decided to go to Europe together, it became a case of if—not when—we would tell him.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a message from Daisy who hadn’t been in touch since I fired her. She’d sent a link which led to a news story about Jenny and I on a sports site. The opening paragraph quoted “a source close to Jaxon,” as the reason for the leak.

“No need to guess who told all those reporters,” I said, passing my phone to Jenny. 

“Can’t say I’m too surprised,” she replied. “Let’s get this over and done with.”

The taxi took us all the way back to Jenny’s and we nervously walked up to the front door. My own trepidation came as a slight surprise. I didn’t care what Mom said, but I did care about Sheridan’s reaction. I respected him and knew that Jenny’s relationship with her father was an important part of her life.

I went to put my key in the door, but Mom had clearly been waiting and opened the door before my hand reached it. 

“Get inside now,” she yelled. 

I planned to walk inside anyway—that was how doors worked—but I hated doing so knowing Mom thought I was obeying her command. Sheridan stood back slightly, leaning against the banister of the stairs. I nodded at him and he gave a slight smile in return. I wouldn’t go as far as to say he looked happy, but he wasn’t mad either.

“Is it true?” Mom asked. “About you two being… ugh, I don’t even want to say the words.” 

“Yes, it’s true,” I replied, and watched my mom’s face contort into a look of disgrace. She didn’t give a shit about Jenny and me, but she might be worried about the impact it had on her career. Right now, she probably regretted making me take her maiden name after she’d divorced Dad.

“You two are disgusting,” Mom snarled. “I don’t even know what to say to you both. I expect sordid sexual behavior from you,” she said, looking at me, “but I expected better from Jenny.”

“Carrie,” Sheridan began, before my mom raised a hand to cut him off.

“No, Sheridan, she needs to hear this. I don’t know what happened when you went to college, but you’ve changed. I’m going to send you to counseling. You need help.”

I went to yell at Mom, but Sheridan beat me to it. “Don’t you dare speak to my daughter like that,” he yelled.

“I wouldn’t have to if you had the balls to do it yourself,” Mom replied. “Someone needs to talk to her.”

“Not you,” Sheridan said. “Why don’t you disappear to your office and do some work? Or have a drink. I know you’ve got a few bottles stashed away in there.” 

Mom pursed her lips and let out a loud breath of air through her nose, before spinning around and storming off.

“Sorry, Jaxon,” Sheridan said. “I didn’t mean to talk to your mother like that in front of you.”

“She deserved it,” I replied. “I don’t know how you put up with her to be honest.” 

“Let’s go sit down, shall we?” Sheridan said, motioning for Jenny and I to go and sit in the lounge. I sat next to Jenny but resisted the urge to hold her hand. That might be rubbing it in a little too much right now; best to take things slow.

“So, you two are a couple now,” Sheridan said. “When did that happen?” 

“Recently,” Jenny said softly.

“I don’t want to sound unfair or patronizing, but is it possible this relationship is just a reaction to Jaxon’s illness? You must both be going through a hell of a lot emotionally right now. Why don’t you wait until things are more settled before jumping into anything?”

“Mr. Ryers,” I began formally, “we may have gotten together recently, but I have been in love with your daughter for four years. We haven’t rushed into anything here.”

I looked over at Jenny and saw her smiling at me. She was bright red with embarrassment at hearing me profess my love for her to her father, but she couldn’t hide her happiness at hearing the news.

“You’re in love?” Sheridan asked. “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“It’s true, Dad,” Jenny said. “I love him. I know it’s a little weird, but—”

“Don’t worry,” Sheridan said. “I’m hardly one to judge when it comes to relationships. The heart wants what the heart wants. You two might want to consider laying low for a bit though. The press will be all over you.” 

“Actually, Dad,” Jenny began, “we’ve already put some thought into that and there’s something we want to tell you.” 

“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Sheridan asked.

Sheridan handled the news about Jenny and I heading to Europe soon with as much composure as he did the news about our relationship, but I could tell he would probably shed a few tears tonight. 

Jenny promised to spend as much time with him as possible, and we both agreed to help him with the business, although I wouldn’t have the effect on the stores’ profile that I’d had before news of the ‘scandal’ had broken out.

“What are you going to do now?” Sheridan asked. “You can’t move to Europe until after Jaxon has finished his treatment. You’re welcome to stay here of course, but as I’m sure you can tell the atmosphere might be a little… hostile at times.”

“We’re not sure yet,” Jenny replied.