Determined to Obey by Cj Roberts

the head.” Kid’s mouth falls open, agape with shock. Felipe shakes his head. “I never get tired of your expressive face.”
    “Whatever.” Kid pouts. “Can we focus on Celia now? I don’t get how you’re just sitting here while she’s alone with that asshole.”
    “Watch it, boy. I’m awake now and more than willing to distract you below stairs until Celia has concluded her business.” Felipe waits for the words to sink in and for Kid to drop his shoulders. He may be young, but Kid is no one’s fool.
    “You want her to find out something?”
    “I want her to do more than that.” He rises from the bed and extends his hand toward Kid, who takes it without hesitation. They walk only a few steps to Felipe’s desk, where he motions Kid into a chair and types his convoluted password to view his laptop’s home screen. A few clicks later, they are watching Caleb go down on Celia in Kitten’s room.
    “Holy fuck! You’ve got a camera in there.” Kid is scandalized by the invasion of privacy. “Does Celia know? Oh my God.”
    “Language, boy! Yes, she knows,” Felipe says through a grin. Celia’s legs are spread to their limit, her eyes closed in ecstasy as Caleb sucks and licks noisily between her pillowy nether lips. Celia’s head rests in the lap of Caleb’s virgin slave; Kitten does not appear pleased by the situation. In the days of Rome, Celia would have seduced the rulers of nations. It’s Felipe’s gain that their fates are tied. He is always looking to expand his empire.
    His train of thought is disrupted by Kid’s wince. On the screen, Kitten has just slapped Caleb and run off into the bathroom. He closes out the feed. “See that? She’s jealous.”
    “So?” Kid asks seriously.
    “If Caleb used Celia to solicit Kitten’s jealousy, we can use it to our advantage. A man will do anything to protect that which he holds dear. I only need to know if this girl is more valuable to Caleb than his business relationships.”
    “What about Celia? Isn’t she more important to you than your business relationships ?” Kid does nothing to disguise his revulsion toward Felipe’s cavalier attitude.
    Felipe leans over until his nose nearly touches Kid’s. “Whose idea do you think it was to get close to Rafiq’s apprentice? Do not believe for a moment your mistress is incapable of intrigue. She knows more than you or I ever will about dealing with monstrous men. Understood?”
    “I—I…yes, Felipe.” He wants to leave it there and discovers he’s unable. “But why?” Kid follows the older man back to bed and forgoes his floor pallet to climb beneath the blankets.
    Felipe tucks the covers under Kid’s chin. “Keep this secret and one of these nights, I’ll tell you another.” He knows it isn’t the response the other man is looking for, but it’s the only one he is willing to give. “Until then, tell me something about you I don’t know.”
    Kid sighs. He isn’t going to get more out of Felipe than the man wants to divulge, so he veers toward the path of least resistance. “My name’s Andrew. Andrew William Benson. I don’t think you’ve ever asked,” he mumbles accusingly.
    “Hmm,” Felipe nods, “you were born in Yuma, Arizona to William and Sarah Benson. Your maternal grandparents are alive and living in Connecticut. Celia will have her hands full planning your birthday celebration in two months, and although you’ve been arrested for underage drinking, disturbing the peace, and criminal mischief, you’ve never spent more than a single night in a cell. Now,” he pauses for effect, “tell me something I can’t read from a police report.” Kid’s expression reads like closed captions for the hearing impaired: Please stop talking before I start screaming. Felipe runs his fingers through the boy’s hair. “Why are you called Kid?”
    Kid swallows several times before he can answer. “M-m-my dad,” he chokes out. “In the army, he went by Wild Bill, you know…like