Chapter 1

Jason was lying in bed, staring at the wall, his back to the woman in the bed.

Anger and hatred flashing in his green eyes.

The woman in bed with him definitely had him by the balls. Most of the time, that statement is figurative. Once in a while, it's literal, like tonight.

She knows him so well that she periodically rewards him with exactly what he likes. However if he satisfies HER, he receives more money in his bank account, his college tuition gets paid, the lifestyle he has always been accustomed to stays intact.

He felt like a paid whore frankly, but he didn't have too many alternatives.

He tried to break away from this woman and her hold on him. His relationship with Lana would have helped with that. He remembered how he did all he could to protect Lana from "The Bitch".

But she hooked him right back with promises of money and success, along with other perks, if he played his cards right.

Yep! She knew him better than any other woman on the planet.

He felt the bed shift as the woman stood. Jason wouldn't even look at her. Nausea was developing within his gut. This was a ritual or pattern he fell into from the time he was 14. When his dad found out about his son and what was going on, he left him, took off to parts unknown and left Jason to deal with "The Bitch" all by himself.

As the woman pulled on a lavender silk robe, she turned to Jason, all business now. Her long flowing auburn hair falling to her mid back.

"Well, that was... adequate." Genevieve Teague said on a sigh, then she turned to her son in slight approach. "You've been better than this."

Jason ignored her, got up from the bed and grabbed his jeans, putting them on quickly with no underwear. After he zipped up, he turned to the woman that he thought of as a she-demon, glaring at her. How could his own mother cross THAT line and touch him like a woman would her husband?

"Maybe I don't have the right motivation... MOTHER." Jason snarked sarcastically, spitting the last word out like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Or maybe you're losing your touch Jason." Genevieve responded in a matter-of-fact way. "And I think I know just the thing that will get you back to par."

His mother's English accent seriously grated on his nerves!

"And what would that be?" he asked, incredulous.

Smiling secretly, she said, "I have a little surprise for you. Bridget Crosby is being held captive for us at Suicide Slums." She sat at the end of the bed and looked Jason over appreciatively, making Jason's skin crawl in repulsion, "You and I are not that different Jason. We both like a good torture once in a while. The power you feel when you hold another's life in your hands." She stood and walked closer to Jason, into his personal space. Jason resisted the impulse to run, standing his ground and staring her down as she trailed her fingernails lightly over his naked torso. Peering up at him, she smiled knowingly, "You're just as addicted as I am to power and you know it. You can't hide that from your own mother, Jason." Her hand trailed down toward his waist and Jason caught her wandering hand in a firm grip, flinging it away in disgust.

"You got what you wanted." Jason hissed, "Now it's time to pay up."

Genevieve smirked as she reached for her pocketbook, pulling out her checkbook and a pen. "How much this time Jason?"

"Ten thousand." he said without hesitation.

"My, my!" Genevieve's eyebrows shot up. "Do you REALLY think you've earned THAT much?"

"Hell yes!" Jason roared. "If you want the best MOTHER, you pay for it." God how he HATED this woman! The whole experience caused nausea to threaten it's way up to his throat. He just wanted his fucking money and to get the hell outta here.

"Tell you what..." she said calmly as she began writing a check. She tore it out, folded it and passed it to Jason. When he opened it, it was for 5000 dollars.

"That's only half." Jason eyed her suspiciously.

"Take care of Ms Crosby and you'll get the rest."

Jason put the check into his wallet, then placed the wallet in his back pocket. He towered over his mother angrily.

"Next time, you pay 20,000 a pop MOTHER, or else you find another dick."

He stormed away, heading to his own suite of bedrooms in the penthouse as Genevieve smiled inwardly, arms folded, staring at the door Jason just walked through.

"You'll be back my darling." she whispered quietly to Jason's parting back, "Because I will always be the only one giving you what you really need."

Jason heard her when he was in the hallway and stopped dead in his tracks for a moment. In anger, he hit the wall, causing a large hole, letting forth a string of profanities.

Because he knew his mother was right.

God, how he HATED her and what she turned him into!