Glancing at the door, my heart stopped beating in my chest the moment I saw Rex Titan walk through the door with my Little One attached to his arm.
The noise and clatter in the ballroom stopped registering in my mind as Goldie walked in. The air was knocked out of my lungs from the mere sight of her. She was in a teal silk dress that belted loosely at her hips, with a slit on both sides. The dress was held up by two thick straps that covered her breasts, but the neckline was non-existent as the front and the back both fell to the waist of the dress. Her hair was pulled back tightly in a ponytail, and she was wearing dark makeup around her eyes, making her look more exotic than normal. Long earrings dripped from her ears, as well as a very small chain that wrapped around her neck and connected to the waist of her dress. She was beyond exquisite. Every bone in my body wanted to run up to her and claim her, but I stood in place instead, as Rex’s hand guided Goldie by her lower back into the room.
I needed to pull away, to show that I wasn’t affected by her presence, but I couldn’t stop staring at her. It seemed like months since I had seen her, when it had only been a week.
The crowd of the room parted as Rex walked forward, making an obvious beeline for me. As if the room fell silent, all eyes were on us as Rex made the final steps. I glanced at Goldie, whose head was down, avoiding all eye contact with me. Why was she not looking at me? Was she ashamed of what she did? Did she not want to look at me? Did she find me repulsive?
“Jett Colby, I had no clue you were going to be here,” Rex said with a smarmy smile, as he pulled Goldie in closer to him. “I believe you know Goldie.”
With a deep breath, I nodded and looked down at her. Her gaze lifted ever so slowly and her bright blue eyes peeked up, stabbing me directly in the heart. Her face flushed when she noticed the small smile that played on my lips in greeting.
“Good to see you.”
“You too,” she all but whispered.
“Doesn’t my Kitten just look absolutely breathtaking tonight?” Rex asked, while squeezing her side. I watched as Goldie picked her head up and smiled at him.
Rage boiled from the tip of my toes to the top of my head from the lighthearted look she just gave Rex. That smile, that gleam in her eyes, they didn’t belong to anyone but me. Rex didn’t deserve to be looked at by her like that. That look was reserved for one person and one person alone, me.
Calming my raging heart, I thought about the consequences of me lashing out, of letting Rex get to me. So, instead, I swallowed the aching feeling running through my body and allowed my pride to take a hit.
“Quite lovely,” I replied, just as Keylee and my father stepped up next to me. Keylee snuggled into my side once she saw who Rex was with. She clung onto my arm and practically humped my leg to stake her claim.
“Leo, what an honor to see you,” Rex said, while sticking out his hand to shake it.
“Rex, pleasure. What a beautiful date. Goldie, you get more gorgeous every time I see you, maybe because this time around you’re attached to a real man.”
The dig didn’t fail to annoy me.
Without saying a word, Goldie just nodded and smiled. I had never seen my Little One act so suppressed, so quiet, so reserved. I didn’t like it. She was normally a bright spot in the room, but right now she was quiet, almost like she was threatened not to speak. The realization startled me. Why was she doing this?
I shook my head at the thought; only a day or so more and then I would be able to claim her again, to open my arms back up to her, that’s if she wanted me.
My pride took over my thoughts as I wondered if she really did want me. I didn’t want to go after her if she wasn’t into me anymore, if she really wanted Rex.
I needed to get her alone.
“Come, dance with me,” Keylee whined into my ear, while pulling on my arm.
From Keylee’s voice, Goldie’s head snapped up to see the offending woman. Once realization hit her, she looked back up at me with daggers sprouting from her eyes. I knew she didn’t like Keylee, and it was a little thrilling knowing Keylee still had the same effect on her, no matter if we were together or not.
“Not right now,” I dismissed her. “Please, excuse us, we have some other people to say hello to. Rex, Dad…Goldie,” I nodded, while escorting Keylee away from them. There was only so much I could take, and by the way Goldie was looking at me, I was about to crack. I needed to remove myself from a volatile situation.
“I was having fun with them, why were you so rude?” Keylee complained, while I walked her into the depths of the crowd.
“I think you’re failing to realize your role here,” I whispered, deathly close to her ear. “You’re supposed to smile and shake hands. Your opinion is not warranted.”
That shut her up. Did I feel bad for treating her so poorly? No, not at all. She had a privileged life and needed to hear the word “no” on occasion. She couldn’t always get what she wanted, and even though she wanted nothing more than to be accepted into the Lafayette Club, that was one wish she wouldn’t be granted.
“Keylee!”
Three screeching women came up to us with their hands raised in the air, holding champagne, and looking completely inebriated.
Forgetting all sense of decorum, Keylee screeched with them and ran into their arms.
“I didn’t know you bitches were going to be here,” Keylee exclaimed.
“Last minute change of plans; come have some shots with us,” a blonde exclaimed, while swaying back and forth. Maybe shots weren’t the best idea for her, but it would garner some alone time for me.
“I would love to, but…”
I cut Keylee off before she could finish. “Go on, have fun,” I winked at her for good measure.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes, it looks like you girls need to catch up.”
“Oh, my God, he’s so swoon worthy,” a red head said, while eye fucking me.
“Thank you,” she giggled, while placing a kiss on my cheek and walking off with her friends.
Feeling lighter without Keylee hanging on me, I surveyed Goldie’s movements from the back of the room. I watched as she was introduced to Rex’s comrades. She smiled gracefully, listened intently to their stories, and laughed while everyone else laughed. She fit in, the only problem was, she was with the wrong man.
I saw my father look around the room and then whisper into Rex’s ear. Rex nodded his head and turned to Goldie. He said something to her, and then pointed to where the bathrooms were located. She looked confused, but then pulled away when Rex’s gaze turned stern. She stepped away, fumbled with her purse, and then walked away. Rex shook his head and then pulled my father out of sight, behind some pillars.
It was time to make my move.
14
“Take Me To Church”
Goldie
I couldn’t breathe; my heart started beating at an alarming rate against my chest the minute I locked eyes with Jett Colby.
Like always, he looked impeccable in a sharp, fitted, black tux with black bow tie. His hair was long at the top and shaved on the sides, making him look almost sinister, but incredibly sexy at the same time. I could see how the fitted shirt under his jacket pulled against his well-defined chest, making me want to forget everything that happened between us and throw myself at him.
But what made my heart drop wasn’t the mere sight of the man I handed my heart over to, no, it was the kiwi that attached herself to him.
My heart sank from the thought of Jett actually being with Keylee. Were they together now that I wasn’t in the picture? I told him I would be back. Would he really resort to taking her out again? The thought broke me in half.
How could he want Keylee? She looked like a damn hyena with her hair teased to the heavens and her stupid fucking smile showing off her fangs. I wanted to flick her in the forehead and then search that rat’s nest on her head for a little woodland family that might have taken up residence. I wouldn’t be shocked if two squirrels and a
rabbit popped up, smoking cigarettes and discussing the threesome they just had. If anyone had woodland debauchery up in their hair, it would be Keylee.
Fucking fuzzy ass fruit.
The last thing I wanted to do was make nice with all of Rex’s friends, so when he asked me to go to the bathroom, to excuse myself from his conversation, I was more than happy to take him up on his demand. Frankly, I was too worn out to think about what he and Leo might be talking about.
This morning, when I was training the girls for tonight, I noticed Rex had his phone in the club, and that’s when it dawned on me. I would have to somehow grab his phone from him at some point and record my evidence using his own device. The only thing was, how did I go about doing that? How did I go about grabbing his phone from him?
There was another demonstration tomorrow night that I would be able to attend, as well as Rex. I made a mental note to talk to Blane at some point in the morning to see what I could do, because I was done. After seeing Jett, I wanted this all to be over. I wanted to crawl my way back into his arms and just hope and pray he kept his faith in our relationship and waited for me.
Not really needing to go to the bathroom, I meandered slowly to the back, where I could see a long line forming already. I blew out a frustrated breath as I eyed all the women in backless dresses and pearls. I would never get used to the way these people thought, the way they functioned. They had money excreting out of their pores and a good percentage of them didn’t put it to good use. The only person I knew of who actually was doing something good in this city was Jett.
Opening my clutch, I went to grab my lipstick when a strong arm wrapped around me and pulled me into a dark room that was opposite the bathrooms. The door clicked shut and my pulse picked up.
“What’s going on?” I asked, while looking around, trying to feel for a door. My hand came in contact with a warm body and I screeched. “I will knife hand you!” I warned, as I put my hands up and started swinging them around in the dark, making contact with nothing.
“When you’re finished, I would like to speak to you,” came the unmistakable voice of Jett Colby.
My gut clenched at the sound of his voice and the fact that we were in the same room, alone.
“Jett,” I offered, as I tried to find him. His hands stilled my shoulders and turned me around.
Light from the moon poured through the window, casting a small glow on Jett’s face when I finally saw him. My body seized on me from the hard stare on his face. His jaw ticked as he studied me. His face was freshly shaven, begging for my hands to touch him, caress him, and just get lost in the feel of him.
He was utter perfection and it hurt too damn bad to be standing in front of him with my hands tied behind my back, not being able to tell him how I felt or show him how much I want him, how much I need him.
My body ached to have his arms wrapped around me and his head buried against mine, his eyes telling me how he truly felt.
Right now, he was wearing a mask, a professional mask I’ve only seen a couple of times, a mask that was most definitely not reserved for me, and it hurt knowing that he could turn that face on when seeing me for the first time since I’d left the club.
Nervous, I just stared up at him, waiting for him to say something, because I knew anything that came out of my mouth was not going to be intelligent from the way he turned my brain into mush.
His eyes ran the length of my body, taking in the rather revealing dress I had on.
“You look…breathtaking,” he said softly, as his hands found my hips. My breath caught in my throat as he pulled me in closer. “Why are you here?” he asked, looking me square in the eye.
“Because Rex asked me,” I said meekly. His stare was cutting me in half, breaking down every strong wall I ever built up.
He thought about my answer for a second, and then said, “I asked you to stay with me, but I guess that meant nothing to you.”
“That’s not true,” I said quickly, while shaking my head, but he pushed me away and started pacing the short distance of the dark room. “Jett, I’m trying to make things better.”
“By sleeping with Rex?” he gritted out, smacking me in the face with his words.
“What?! No! I’m not sleeping with him.”
A sarcastic laugh escaped his mouth. “You’re telling me the man who used to pay you for sex isn’t fucking you right now?”
The tone of his voice, the way his body moved was terrifying. I had never seen him so angry before.
“No, he hasn’t even touched me. That’s more than I can say for that stupid kiwi you brought with you.”
His head snapped up and he glared at me. “You think I’m messing around with her?”
“Well, didn’t you kiss her out there?”
On the cheek, but still seeing his lips caress someone else’s skin was like a dagger to the heart.
“And I thought you were too engrossed with your new boyfriend to notice,” Jett said childishly.
“He’s not my boyfriend, you…” the words died on my lips because, technically, Jett wasn’t my boyfriend right now.
“Were you going to say…I am? How is that possible? How could I be your boyfriend when clearly you’re with another man? Tell me, Goldie, how does that work?”
Okay, he was mad. I should have seen that coming when I took of my collar, but it was all for a good reason. I was trying to make a better life for us. I was trying to protect him, trying to fix things. He had to understand that, right?”
“I’m not with him, Jett.”
Grabbing me by the shoulders, he pushed me up against the wall of the room and stood inches from my body.
“Then, what the fuck are you doing with him?” his voice broke as his eyebrows fell and he said, “Are you trying to intentionally hurt me?”
Just like that, my entire heart crumbled to the floor. The man was hurting, he was weak, and I could see it in his eyes. There was no doubt in my mind that by me leaving, by me handing him my collar, I had destroyed him. It was evident by the way he was staring into my eyes.
I lifted my hand and caressed his face softly, reveling in the feel of his smooth skin against my hand. Lightly, I could feel him push his face into my palm, giving me only the slightest bit of hope.
“Jett, I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to help you.”
“I don’t need your help,” he said gruffly. “I just need you.”
One of his hands travelled from my shoulder down the side of my dress. He slipped it into the front of my exposed stomach and drew it up to right below my breast. His touch burned my skin, made me weak in the knees, and reminded me of all the reasons why I was beyond in love with the man in front of me.
My breathing became erratic as his eyes never left mine and his fingers lightly grazed the underside of my braless breast.
“This dress is too revealing,” he chastised, as his other hand found the slit of my dress and pushed me up against the wall even harder.
His fingers continued to make feather-like touches across my sensitive skin as they travelled up to my erect nipple. Without touching my breast, his fingers pinched my nipple in the most erotic way possible, making me throw my head back and moan.
A throbbing ache took place between my legs, reminding me that it’s been way too long since I’ve been with this man, this all-consuming man who held my heart in the palm of his hand.
“Say it,” he whispered in my ear, sending chills up my spine. “Say it, Little One. Make me forget this unyielding suffering that you’ve put me through. Remove this pain.”
The mixture of his touches, of his hand inching closer and closer to the front of my thong, and the desperation in his voice had me muttering those six little words that he was begging to hear.
“I’m here to submit to you,” I said breathlessly.
A light growl came out of his mouth, as his hand found the hem of my thong and started to tug it down, while his fingers squeezed my nipple, sending waves of pleasure rolling t
hrough my body.
A deep need crawled through me as he pulled my thong down just enough to grant him access. I needed more of him; I needed him to squeeze more than my nipple, I needed his lips, his tongue.
“Spread your legs,” he demanded with his deep southern voice, curling my toes right there in my high heels.
Like it was second nature, my body reacted to his demand, granting him more access. His lips trailed the side of my neck, but never made full contact; it was just a whisper against my skin, an empty promise of what he could offer me.
Instinctively, my hands went to his waist, but he pushed them away and kept me pinned to the wall.
“Did I tell you that you could touch me?”
I shook my head no, as I looked at him through my lashes, trying to read him, trying to see exactly what he wanted. At that moment, I knew what he needed; he needed control, which I was more than willing to hand over to him.
“Put your hands above your head and don’t move them unless you want me to leave this room right now.”
His threat hit me hard, because there was no way in hell I wanted him to leave, so I raised my hands above my head and waited for his next command.
Trailing both his hands to the front of my dress, he moved the panels that were covering my breasts to the side and stared at my naked skin. He bit down on his lip right before diving forward and taking one of my breasts into his mouth. His teeth nipped at my nipple as his hand squeezed relentlessly at my other breast.
Fuck, I was coming undone. Just from his touch, from the way he moved his mouth over me. He captured my soul with one touch; there was no turning back from him.
When I thought I couldn’t take the torture anymore, he moved his head away from me and pushed back. Emptiness consumed me at his distance, but then I saw what he was doing and a burning need took over the core of my body.
His hands moved to the waist of his pants and slowly undid them, pulling out his erection. My mouth watered at the sight of him. It had been way too long since I’d been with Jett, since I’d experienced the mystifying feeling only he could bestow upon me.