Chapter 23
Vulnerability
Fabien led Craig inside his house, which had a vaulted ceiling and a large open living room and dining room with a view of the back patio, which had a grill, a table with an umbrella and chairs, and a gazebo with a hot tub. There was a small kitchen to the right as you entered. To the right, were two doors; one led to the bathroom and the other to the large master bedroom, Fabien’s bedroom. By the dining room table were two doors, one led to another bathroom, and another to Gus’ bedroom.
Fabien opened his bedroom. It had green walls with banners on the walls, movie posters of classic movies, a cabinet with pictures of him with his horses, and trophies he won for his horses. There was a kingsize captain’s bed with a green comforter set and a desk with a computer.
Fabien: “What do you think?”
He smiled. Craig whistled.
Craig: “It’s sexy, like you!”
He purred. Fabien beamed and took his hands to his bed.
Fabien: “Green is my favorite color.”
He purred.
Craig: “Mine too!”
He grinned.
Fabien rose to the glass cabinet and showed a picture of him when he was 18 with a black Arabian horse. Fabien was dressed in a green plaid shirt, jeans, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat.
Craig: “So, you like horses, huh?”
Fabien: “Yes, I love horses. I was riding them since I was a little boy.”
He beamed and showed him his trophies.
Craig: “Oh yeah? Well… do you wanna ride this stallion?”
He gestured to himself. Fabien looked away.
Fabien: “Not tonight. Look, I don’t want to have sex right now. It’s not you. I just wanted you to… get to know me. Everyone is all about Tristan. What about me?”
He huffed and folded his arms over his chest. Craig was taken aback by his answer.
Craig: “Oh? Yeah, all right! PFFT, fuck that hoity-toity lawyer cunt! You’re better than him!”
He scoffed. Fabien beamed.
Fabien: “Y-You think so?!”
His eyes sparkled.
He showed him a group picture of the servers at Danny Donger’s surrounding an obese white man dressed in a gold robe with a black trim. He had a bulbous nose, and a cleft chin, and his dark blond hair was receding.
Fabien: “This was for a birthday party for some rich doctor’s son. This guy was a huge creep. I have this picture because I look good in it.”
He smirked. Craig burst out laughing at the man.
Craig: “Wahahaha, look at that big fat drongo!”
He cackled.
Fabien: “He reminded me of your sister’s ex-boyfriend or girlfriend’s now ex, Maxx Malone. He made those stupid innuendos from American Pizza, but Maxx is a kid… This guy is old enough to be our dad.”
He laughed and hugged his legs.
Fabien: “We have this footlong hot dog special… It’s called ‘Dan’s Donger.’ That guy would ask a server to suck on it and pretend like he’s sucking on his dick and make stupid puns about his dong. He also has a made-up word called ‘Schmoodar’.”
He elaborated. Craig burst out laughing.
Craig: “WAHAHAH, What a fuckin’ chungo drongo!”
Fabien surveyed Craig for a long minute.
Fabien: “You can’t read, right?”
He finally asked him.
Craig: “Yes, I can!”
He pouted. Fabien picked up an “American Living” magazine and showed him a recipe for three-cheese beef lasagna.
Fabien: “Read this recipe to me.”
Craig: “Why?! I’m not some hoity-toity chef cunt like that Lazaros cunt!”
He shifted his eyes. Fabien locked his gaze on him.
Fabien: “Craig, if you want me, you have to be vulnerable with me.”
He said firmly. Craig knit his eyebrows and swallowed hard.
Fabien: “Also, I cook.”
He laughed.
Craig: “Oh, yeah? Can ya cook better than Laza-cunt?”
He laughed.
Fabien: “Hahahaha, of course.”
He winked.
Fabien: “But really, Craig, answer my question. I already know the answer. I wish you’d tell me is all.”
He sighed and looked away.
Craig: “...What question is that?”
He shifted his eyes.
Fabien: “Why can’t you read?”
Craig froze up.
Craig: “...I just can’t, okay!”
He huffed, folding his arms across his chest.
Craig: “The words look fuckin’ stupid ‘n I can’t read what they say!”
He said with frustration in his tone.
Fabien: “Are you illiterate or dyslexic?”
He asked and locked his gaze on him.
Craig: “...I dunno?”
He shifted his eyes and bowed his head, anticipating him to laugh at him or mock him as others had done before.
Fabien: “Thank you, Craig.”
He kissed his cheek. Craig shivered and had never felt a kiss quite like it before.
Craig: “O-Oh? What did I do?”
He chuckled and locked his gaze on him.
Fabien: “For sharing that with me…”
He smiled.
Craig: “O-Oh, no prob!”
He smiled a bit.
Craig: “I’m surprised you ain’t laughin’ at me or mocking me…”
His voice trailed off.
Fabien: “Nah, if I want to laugh, I can look no further than your sister’s fatass ex-boyfriend or girlfriend and his or her now ex. That Sex Bee guy.”
He chuckled. Craig smiled with relief and laughed.
Craig: “Fuckin’ Glitter cock of Sex Bee!”
He cackled.
He then paused.
Craig: “Say… What happened to that other glitter cock at the gig?”
He pressed him, folding his arms across his chest.
Fabien: “Oh, he’s going to be touring with Torturgazm and I don’t think he much liked being here with Gus because Gus talks about his special interests too much and is messy.”
He shrugged. A wide smirk spread across Craig’s lips.
Craig: “Oh really now?”
He beamed.
Craig: “Well, I don’t mind mess!”
He said putting his feet up on the table, kicking over empty cans. Fabien laughed.
Fabien: “I can see that! That whiny girl who hangs off Tristan is a huge neat freak.”
He cupped his mouth and laughed. Craig scoffed.
Craig: “That whole group is a bunch of hoity-toity douchebags!”
He scoffed.
Fabien: “Who is the worst, Ivy, Deimos, or Tristan?”
He smirked.
Fabien: “Or Lazaros?”
He cupped his mouth.
Craig: “Lazaros ‘n that chungo drongo need to stay the fuck away from my sister!”
He huffed. Fabien put his hand on Craig’s shoulder.
Fabien: “Relax. Lazaros is purposefully hitting on him, her, or it to spite Makayla. Lazaros will jump to that fat genderless blob in no time because he or she is perfect for him. They will worship him as Lazaros worships Deimos and his father.”
He snorted. Craig burst out laughing.
Craig: “Yeah, well, good, he should just fuck off with that chungo drongo ‘n fuck each other or somethin’ leave my sister alone!”
He pouted.
Fabien: “Of course, Lazaros has bigger fish to fry…”
He laughed at his quip.
Craig: “More like a whale!”
He laughed.
Fabien put his hand on Craig’s lap.
Fabien: “Do you like spicy food?”
He smirked.
Craig: “Fuck yeah, I do!”
Fabien: “How about I make you some spicy Cantonese chow mein?”
He whispered to him.
Craig: “That’d be wicked sick!”
He grinned.
~
At the Pink Flamingo Mall, Jaclyn waited in the food court for someone. She was dressed in a black tight-fitting dress to her knees with leopard print lapels, a huge belt, a black hat, and heels. She spotted him. It was Maxx eyeing up a bunch of girls. Jaclyn rose and approached him, clearing her throat to get his attention.
Maxx: “Hey, lady babes! You’re all hot enough for Maxxy but I wanna find Filly-babe, too!”
He drooled. Jaclyn loudly cleared her throat. The girls scoffed and walked away from him. Maxx whined and followed them.
Jaclyn: “AH-HEM!”
She said loudly. Maxx spotted Cathy’s Closet, the lingerie shop, and walked toward that.
Maxx: “Filly-babe?”
Jaclyn: “EXCUSE ME! I AM RIGHT HERE!”
She snapped at Maxx and shifted her eyes when she realized she lost her temper. Maxx turned around and purred at her.
Maxx: “Oooooh, do you want da Sex Beest, baby?! Your tits are small but you’ll do!”
He wiggled his eyebrows. Jaclyn forced a smile. Remember, you need money until Tristan changes his mind, she thought.
Jaclyn: “Hello, I am Jaclyn Kovalenko. You must be Maxwell Malone, the son of the Prime Minister of Australia, George Malone.”
She smiled at him and held her hand out for him to kiss.
Maxx: “NAH-AH! IT’S MAXXY!”
He stomped his foot. Jaclyn grimaced.
Jaclyn: “Shall we speak somewhere private?”
Maxx: “Oh, boy! You wanna fuck Maxxy Malone of Sex Beest!? WAHOOO!!!”
He threw his fist up in the air and jumped around the area. Teenagers were pointing and laughing at Maxx. Jaclyn’s fury soared.
Jaclyn: “Not so loud!”
She hissed.
Maxx: “Okay, Jackie-babe! We can go to your place or mine! I gotta wait for Tonsey if mine!”
He grinned. She grabbed his hand and dragged him out.
Jaclyn: “No, Maxwell, I would prefer… this between us…”
She hissed through clenched teeth as she dragged him out.
Maxx: “OH, BOY! WE’RE GONNA FUCK!”
He shouted at everyone. People stopped, pointed, and laughed. Jaclyn could hear someone say, “Is she that desperate she will take him?” She didn’t want to admit they were right and didn’t want to give anyone the satisfaction of beating her.
~
Jaclyn hailed a cab home and paid the taxi driver extra to shut up about her and Maxx. Jaclyn sat Maxx down in her living room.
Maxx: “Oooooh, you wanna fuck on da couch, baby?!”
He smirked. Jaclyn growled at him. She couldn’t wait for this to be done and over with, to get that money, and wait for Deimos and Tristan to see her worth. Just a few more minutes and he will be gone and I will be a millionaire, she thought.
She straightened her posture and stood erect.
Jaclyn: “Not yet, Maxwell… I need you to do something for me…”
She began. Maxx began taking his pants off.
Jaclyn: “NOT THAT!”
She screamed and slammed him down on the couch.
Maxx: “Ooooh, someone likes it rough…!”
He purred. Jaclyn slammed a life insurance policy for five million dollars on the table with a pen.
Maxx: “What’s this bullshit? I ain’t readin’ all that!”
He folded his arms over and pouted. Jaclyn had that glint in her eye. Just what I wanted to hear, she thought.
She put her forefinger on the signature line and handed him a pen.
Jaclyn: “You don’t need to. Sign here.”
She crooned.
Maxx: “I don’t wanna…!”
He groaned.
Maxx: “I wanna sign my glam shot!”
He pulled out a poster of himself. Jaclyn took it from his hands and ripped it up, baring her teeth at him.
Jaclyn: “STOP IT NOW! I DON’T WANT THIS FOOLISHNESS!”
She screamed at him. Maxx gaped at the torn-up pieces.
Maxx: “M-My baby…”
He sniffled.
Jaclyn: “I’ll get you a drink… Take your time, Maxwell…”
She said with strain and went into the kitchen.
She opened the fridge and saw a pitcher of southern sweet tea in the fridge that Lazaros made a month ago. She grabbed that, poured that into a glass, and went to her locked cabinet. She used a key to open it and saw a tin labeled, “in case Lazaros gets too annoying. Only use if he signs the life insurance policy.” Jaclyn’s face twisted with rage. He never did sign that life insurance policy or change the beneficiary to me, she bitterly thought. She opened it and retrieved a bottle of iseolite. Iseolite is one of the deadliest poisons on the market. So far, it’s the only poison not detected by autopsies. She opened the bottle and poured the entire contents of it into the sweet tea.
She saw Maxx with his penis out stroking it. How she wanted him dead so badly but she needed to secure her future.
Jaclyn: “Did you sign the life insurance policy, Maxwell?”
She graced Maxx with a saccharine smile. Maxx smiled dumbly at her.
Maxx: “Huh?”
Jaclyn’s mouth twitched. She pointed to the signature field.
Jaclyn: “Sign this.”
She instructed.
Maxx: “Wh-What!? WHAT ABOUT MY GLAM SHOTS, BABY!?”
He shrieked.
Jaclyn shook with fury. She didn’t want to do this but he was becoming difficult and she needed that money. She couldn’t wait for Deimos and Tristan to change their minds for long. She had to use the same tactic to lure him in as she did to Lazaros. She cupped Maxx’s face and winced.
Maxx: “B-Baby?!”
He grinned. She took a deep breath and locked lips on him. Maxx’s temperature rose and the blood rushed to his face. She wrenched away from him and gagged.
Jaclyn: “S-Sign that NOW!”
She gagged and commanded. Maxx nodded and signed his name on the life insurance policy, which would mean upon his death, Jaclyn would get five million dollars. Jaclyn smiled. That disgusting kiss was worth it, she thought with a smug grin.
She handed Maxx a glass of sweet tea.
Jaclyn: “You must be hot… Drink this.”
She smiled. Maxx pouted.
Maxx: “NAH-AH, BABY! Maxxy only drinks goon! It’s da drink of the rockin’ rebels!”
He snapped. Jaclyn’s face crumpled. Must I endure this again?! She thought. Oh God, here goes, she thought. She locked lips on Maxx again. Maxx felt a warm and arousing sensation all over. Upon wrenching away, he took the glass and chugged it, draining the glass. Jaclyn chuckled and smiled evilly. Just wait fifteen minutes, she thought.
Maxx: “NOW, LET’S FUCK, BABY!”
He hollered. Jaclyn put her hands up.
Jaclyn: “Be quiet, please…”
She said gently and took the life insurance policy, tucking it under her arm.
Maxx: “B-But, I wanna fuck! PLEEEEEEEEASE!!! I know I came here for Filly-babe but Maxxy Malone fucks lots of lady babes!”
He gloated. Jaclyn rested her head on her hand.
Jaclyn: “In fifteen minutes. I promise.”
She sniggered.
Maxx: “Oh, baby, yer breakin’ mah balls!”
He sank to the couch and whined.
Jaclyn checked the clock. Five minutes have passed. She bore her gaze on him as she waited for the poison to take effect. Any minute now, she thought.
Maxx: “Come OOOONNNN, JACKIE-BABE! Wh-Why are we waitin’! I WANT ACTION TONIIIIIIGHT!!! SAD MY ACTION TONIGHT! YOU GOT DA LOOKS I NEED TONIIIGHT!! OOOOOOOHH!!”
He sang and shrieked. Jaclyn cupped her ears.
Jaclyn: “WILL YOU STOP THAT GOD-AWFUL SINGING?!”
She bellowed at him and slammed her fist on the armchair. She swung her eyes at the clock and her heart sank. Twenty minutes have passed, she thought. Why isn’t he dead?! Was I sold a fake?! She thought as her heart hammered in her chest watching this clown dance in her living room.
Her breathing hitched as her ire increased. She turned beet red as her eyes burned like hot coals, her nostrils flared, and she bared her teeth.
Jaclyn: “YOU LIVING WASTE OF SPACE!! I WOULD NEVER HAVE SEX WITH YOU! YOU’RE THE WORST EXAMPLE OF A HUMAN BEING! YOU? YOU’RE NOT HUMAN!”
She bellowed at him. Maxx gaped at her with wide eyes.
Maxx: “J-Jackie-babe?! There’s enough Maxxy for all da lady babes!”
He whined and stomped his feet.
She threw him out on her lawn and slammed the door on him. When she returned inside, she noticed the glass she served Maxx’s sweet tea was gone. She clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes. They won’t find traces of iseolite in it because it wasn’t iseolite, she thought and stormed off to her bedroom.
~
Maxx looked around her windows.
Maxx: “Maybe I can see her getting undressed…”
He grinned. Someone jabbed a needle in Maxx’s neck.
Maxx: “Argh!”
He cried and fell over passed out. A shadow loomed over Maxx.
~
Dr. Ellis Hoffman and Dr. Wolfgang Duerr were in a facility located on the outskirts of Pink Top City. They sat at a table in a lone room with a mirror at the end. They were discussing Dr. Hoffman’s report. Ellis pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.
Ellis: “I have witnessed Maxx’s moves since he came here to Pink Top City. He mentions Filly-babe often.”
He stated. Dr. Wolfgang Duerr smoked his pipe.
Wolfgang: “Ah, yes…”
He leaned back and smoked his pipe. He gazed up at the utility lights on the ceiling, deep in thought. Dr. Hoffman pulled out a tabloid and cleared his throat as he read from it.
Ellis: “If this holds any ground, this ‘Filly-babe’ is the nickname he has given to the daughter of Basilia Flores, Felipa. They had a one-night stand back in Selene Valley…”
He raised his head to meet Wolfgang’s.
Ellis: “When she returned home after we released him, he offered a buddy trip with Ashley Sabatini. I can confirm this but he and Ashley have since ended their friendship, which is why I had to relocate.”
He nodded. Dr. Duerr blew smoke out of his pipe.
Wolfgang: “And the contents of the glass served to him by Jaclyn Kovalenko?”
He prompted. Ellis shuffled several papers and adjusted his glasses.
Ellis: “Yes, there was enough iseolite in it to kill twenty racehorses…”
He said as his eyebrows rose.
Ellis: “When iseolite enters the system, it dissipates, which is why it’s undetectable in autopsies but it’s detectable in containers, glasses, et cetera. A drop will kill a human in fifteen minutes but she put enough in there to kill several racehorses…”
He gulped.
Wolfgang: “Fascinating…”
He whispered and pushed the button for the mirror to flip to observe Maxx in another room. He was scratching at the walls and pounding.
Maxx: “FILLY-BAAAAABE!!!”
He shrieked. He ran into the walls and fell. He scrambled to his feet and rammed into the wall again.
Maxx: “ARGH!”
He cried.
Wolfgang: “In all my years as a genetic engineer, I have never come across a creature of such…”
He said breathlessly as he pressed his gloved palm against the glass watching Maxx ram into walls repeatedly and scream.
Wolfgang: “...Magnificence…”
Dr. Hoffman raised an eyebrow. I wouldn’t use that to describe Maxx, he thought.
Wolfgang: “He might be the solution to our problems.”
He said triumphantly as he turned to face Dr. Hoffman, folding his arms behind his back.
Ellis: “Are you being facetious, sir?”
Dr. Duerr extinguished his pipe and put on his fedora.
Wolfgang: “Not at all… If this goes accordingly, he will be very useful…”
He smiled and gave Dr. Hoffman two pats on the shoulder before he left.
~
Fabien made spicy Cantonese chow mein for Craig and him. It had egg noodles with mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, onion, pork, chicken, and shrimp in a spicy sauce. Fabien had the TV playing in the background with thrash metal music for Craig.
Suddenly, an ad showed on TV showcasing the winners of the Jackpot Gold. It was a young white man who appeared to be in his early twenties and an older white man who was in his fifties or sixties. The young man was tall, slim, and had reddish-brown curly hair and hazel eyes. His eyes had that innocent, sheltered look about them. His face was round and he had a long, large pointed nose with freckles scattered across them. He was dressed in an olive sweater with black jeans and sneakers. The older man had white hair parted sideways with an oblong face that had jowls. Small square-framed glasses hung over his long, large pointed nose. He was dressed in a blue sweater, jeans, and loafers. They announced that father and son, Hector and Harry Hunter, won five hundred million dollars. They were on a trip from Anglia and bought a ticket here. Now they’re here to stay.
Craig: “NEEEEEEERD.”
He pouted.
Craig: “We should’ve won!”
Fabien: “Yeah… We need it more than some old fart and his retarded kid.”
He huffed and thrust a forkful of noodles in his mouth.
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