Before parting, she looked up at me and said, “God, you’re so fucking hot.” She kissed me and then took off. I watched her little body walk away from me and was apparently caught up in her man-eating swagger because Kace smacked the side of my head to get my attention.
“Fuck,” I said as I held my head and turned to him. “What the hell?”
“Focus, dickweed, what is in the letter?”
If he wasn’t such a brother to me, I would be kicking his ass out of here but that would never happen, even though he was an ass, he was the only true family I still had.
Opening up the letter, I shut the door to the workout room, took a deep breath and read the letter out loud.
Jett,
It was an honor to see you the other night. It’s always a prideful moment for a father to see their son succeed in life and find someone who can make them a better man.
You can deny it all you want but I know how that girl makes you feel, there is no question about it that she means everything to you, despite what you tried to portray. It’s all in your eyes, son.
So, you have two choices, you can either back away from Lot 17 and let me have it, or I can take Goldie for myself. It’s only a matter of time until I take her away from you, it just depends on when it is.
Your choice, son, I hope you choose wisely because I would hate to see that pretty little girl in the hands of my associates, or better yet, in the hands of Rex Titan.
Your Father
“Motherfucker,” Kace mumbled as his hand drove through his hair.
“Fuck…”
“What are you going to do?” Kace asked, grabbing us both a water.
“The only thing I can do. She needs to leave.”
Chapter Twenty One
“I Will Be”
Lo
“Are you kidding me? This does not fit me, Tootse. There is no way Jett will let me wear this outside of this dressing room,” I said as I stood backstage while Tootse did a fitting for an outfit that I was supposed to wear in two nights.
It’s been a week since the “incident.” It almost seemed like every couple of days there was an incident between Jett and me but ever since the big one, there haven’t been any. He’s been more withdrawn and he’s been doing a lot of talking on his phone but in a secretive way. I didn’t like it. I felt like he was planning something and was waiting to break the news to me.
“Yeah, this fabric isn’t as stretchy as I thought it was going to be,” Tootse mumbled as pins stuck out of her mouth. “I think I have to scrap the whole thing.”
“Do you have time for that?” I asked, trying to make sure my nipples weren’t showing.
We had a still life presentation coming up in two nights and we were supposed to resemble trees. We were going to get our bodies painted and Tootse was making dresses that had ivy hanging down them but the fabric underneath wasn’t cooperating over my curves at the current moment, making Tootse’s life difficult.
“I don’t but I can make it work…somehow,” she said while studying the dress.
“Ohhhhh gooooood,” Babs moaned as she flopped herself on the floor, right in front of me. She was wearing standard Jett Girl gear and was holding her stomach. “I ate way too much.”
“A plate of gumbo and two pieces of pecan pie will do that to you,” Pepper said as she walked in, wearing the same gear.
“You know I love pecan pie. Chef was tempting me, that evil bastard.”
“Kace is going to kill you,” Francy said while staring at Tootse’s ass.
“Why?” Babs said while looking up at Francy.
Francy tore her eyes off Tootse to say, “Because, your stomach has grown about five inches in the past hour.”
Babs looked down and poked her stomach and laughed. “Fuck, you’re right. Oh well. I’m on my way out anyways.”
The room grew silent as we thought about Babs’ words. It wouldn’t be the same without her. We were a family and it would be sad to lose Babs, really sad.
“Ah fuck it, where’s the tequila,” Babs shot off as she started feeling around the floor, thinking there was alcohol around her.
“I think there is some back here,” Pepper said as she started poking around behind the curtains.
“Don’t even think about it,” Kace’s voice sounded off as he appeared as if out of nowhere. “Don’t you girls have some studying to do? Pepper, I know you do.”
“Yeah, studying of your body,” Francy mumbled, causing Pepper to smack her leg and give her an evil glare.
Kace must not have heard her because he seemed unaffected. His eyes scanned the room and when they landed on Babs, his brow creased.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Babs lifted her shirt and showed off her stomach. She patted it with pride and said, “About to give birth to two pecan pies and a bowl of gumbo.”
Kace gave her a disgusted look as she slowly pulled herself off the floor, saluted us and went off to do who knew what. I tried not to think about it because I was too grossed out. I loved Babs, I really was going to miss her.
“Wow, stare much, “Francy said to Kace. I looked up and saw him tear his gaze away from me and clear his throat.
“Get upstairs, Francy and Pepper, you two have an exam tonight.”
“Tyrant,” they muttered as two other Jett Girls walked away. Kace was plucking them off one by one.
“Tootse…” Kace said, indicating that it was time for her to leave as well. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought Kace was trying to get me alone.
“Yeah,” she called over her shoulder as she continued to pin my dress and study it.
“Don’t you have something you have to do?”
“Yeah, it’s called what I’m doing right now. I highly doubt Jett would want Lo to do a presentation with only body paint on.”
“That’s right, I wouldn’t,” Jett said in his deep southern voice, shocking us all. He never came down to the Toulouse Room so to see him backstage was a little surprising. Looking up at me, he winked and then turned to Kace and Tootse. “No need to continue, Tootse, she won’t be needing the dress.”
“Ooo, I get to be naked,” I said clapping my hands, earning a scowl from Jett.
“No, you’re not going to do the presentation.”
I turned to Kace who turned to Jett who looked at me with determination. What the hell?
“Okay, soooo, does this mean you’re firing me? Because if that’s the case, I demand to do a recount.”
“A recount?” both Jett and Kace asked at the same time.
“Yeah, you know, from the dick committee. Isn’t that where you go to make all your dickhead decisions?” I asked Jett.
Man, I was feeling spicy today. Tootse giggled below me while still pinning my dress, even though apparently I didn’t need it.
“Would you mind leaving us alone?” Jett said to Kace and Tootse but kept his gaze on me.
Kace patted Jett’s back and said, “Good luck, man, she seems to be in a mood.”
“Hey, Kace,” I called out as he started to walk away. He turned so I could barely see his face. “Why don’t you try calling up that redhead again, it seems like your little dicky doo da needs a red-flamin whoo-ha to warm it up a bit.” Like an immature teenage boy, I put my finger at my crotch height and wiggled it around.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he shook his head and walked away.
Laughing, Tootse got up, gathered her things, sent me a wink and left, leaving Jett and me to ourselves.
When I turned to gauge Jett’s mood, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His face was blank of emotion.
“So, catch that football game?” I asked, trying to fill the silence in the room. I hated awkward silences. “Yeah, me either,” I continued. “Interesting fact, did you know the Superdome is one of the biggest enclosed arenas in the world? Yeah, weird, huh? It’s like the ninth wonder of the world, right in our backyard.”
“Eighth,” Jett said as he ca
me closer.
“Eighth?”
“Yes, it would be the eighth wonder of the world, if that was the case.” He inched even closer.
“No, it would be the ninth. The eighth is sitting in your pants right now.” I shrugged my shoulders and gave him a cheesy smile as I tried to refrain from spouting off a “yuck-yuck” kind of laugh.
His hand found the small of my back and pulled me to him. The smell coming off him was intoxicating as I got lost in his presence, something I found so easily to do.
“Your lips are a little loose today, little one.”
“Yeah, well, when you deny me your dick, I start to go crazy. Please impale me so I no longer lose my mind. Your dick is my only cure,” I said as I held on to the lapels of his jacket.
“You’re never going to get what you want when you ask like that.”
His lips ran the length of my jaw, setting my nerves on fire as my toes curled from his five o’clock shadow brushing against my soft cheek.
“Uhh, what?” I asked, forgetting what I was trying to say.
“I need to talk to you.” His lips found mine and he gently nipped on them before turning to the other side of my jaw to work his magic.
“Um, talking…what. Ooo, yeah. Is that your tongue?”
Jett pulled away and looked me in the eyes. “It seems like someone is going to put up a fight tonight in the Bourbon Room. You’ve been rather talkative.”
Breathing heavily from his attack on my nerves and the way he pulled away so fast, I said, “I thought we were supposed to talk? I’m so confused. Why aren’t you kissing me anymore? More kisses.” I puckered my lips and started kissing the air.
A small smile crossed his face as he gave in and pressed his lips against mine. I could not get enough of this Jett, of the affectionate and passionate one. Don’t get me wrong, I lived to see the dominant, protective Jett but I could not help but crave his gentle touch as well.
Pulling away again, he pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around my body so I was buried into his shoulder. I felt the tension in his back as I held on to him, drawing concern from me.
“What’s wrong?”
Exhaling, he kissed the side of my head and said, “Do you remember Diego from the other night?”
“Yes, is everything okay with him?” I was nervous that whoever the devil man that Jett was talking about the other night might have gotten to Diego. Not that the old man had much of a chance. Diego was grade A man meat with muscles that didn’t end for days. Although, old man could have hired someone but then again, Diego would be the guy I would hire to take someone out so I didn’t see how he could possibly…
“Goldie,” Jett said, interrupting my thoughts. “Please pay attention.”
“Sorry.”
“Like I was saying, you’re going to have to go over there starting tomorrow.”
“Wait, what?” I asked pulling away. I missed a big part of that conversation.
“Are you paying attention now?” he asked, growing frustrated with me.
“Yes.”
“Diego needs some help with his kink club. He needs someone to help him with some paintings around the club and I knew you would be perfect to help him. It does mean that you’re going to have to put your Jett Girl duties on hold and stay there.”
“What?!” I shot off him, exposing a tit because the dress I was wearing had no forgiveness. I covered up quickly and put my hands on my hips. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Goldie, this is not up for negotiation.”
“To hell it isn’t! You can’t tell me what to do. I make my own decisions,” I said defiantly as I held up my chin and turned to sit on a chair. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned away from him. Yup, I looked like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum.
I could feel the agitation flowing off Jett as he walked toward me, trying to stay calm. I had to give him credit for reining in his feelings. I did a good job of pushing him over the edge and right now was no exception.
Placing both hands on my thighs and squatting down to look at me, he said, “I know you do but I need you to do this. I need you to help him out.”
“Just tell me what this is really about. Just say it, you don’t want me here anymore.”
God, I sounded so whiny.
“You know that’s not true so don’t go accusing me of such lies.”
“Then what is this about?”
“It’s about helping someone out for me and…” He trailed off as he grabbed the back of his neck and tried to phrase his next sentence to his liking.
“Just fucking say it.” I threw my hands up in frustration. “I can handle whatever you’re going to say, I’m not a child.”
“You sure are acting like one,” Jett said quickly.
“Oh, is that how it’s going to be? Well, you’re a giant dick.”
Groaning, he ran his hands over his face and said, “Can we please have a conversation without getting into a stupid fight?”
“Sure. All you have to do is not be a chauvinistic ass who thinks he can control everyone.”
“Jesus!” Jett threw his hands in the air as he stood. “I’m just trying to fucking protect you. Can you let me do that?”
I opened my mouth to shoot back at him but I could visibly see the frustration and pain he was going through so for once, I shut my mouth and walked over to him. His back was toward me so I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek against his back.
“I’m sorry. I was just thrown off by the fact that you want me to leave.”
“I don’t want you to leave,” he said while turning around in my arms. “I want to keep you with me at all times, next to me, holding me, whispering in my ear and mouthing off to me.” I laughed as he continued, “But I need you to do this, not just for Diego but for me. Things are starting to get serious and even though I need you, I need to protect you because if something ever happened to you, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”
“What does that mean?”
He took a deep breath and said, “It means, I need to make it look like we’re no longer in each other’s lives.”
“Are you serious?” I asked as tears started to form in my eyes.
Kissing each eyelid, he said, “Please don’t cry, little one. I don’t want to do this but I don’t have a choice in the matter. Please just do this for me, for us.”
“For how long?” I asked as I thought about how all of this came out of nowhere.
“Until I get everything settled. It’s my number one priority. And it’s not like you’re going to be alone, I talked to Diego and you’ll have a good time painting and being the amazing artist you are. The time will go by quickly.”
“No, it won’t because I won’t have you.”
“I will still come to see you. I will try to be there almost every night. There is a back door to the club that will hide my entrance. No one will know. I just need to make it seem like you’re not a Jett Girl anymore.”
“So you’re firing me.”
“No, little one. You’re just taking a break until I figure everything out.” He tilted my chin up and placed a kiss on my lips. “This is all my fault because I couldn’t stay away, because I couldn’t deny myself these lips and this body.” His hands ran up the length of my sides. “I fucked everything up.”
“You really did,” I said with a chuckle, making him smile.
“I’m sorry.”
“You owe me.” I played with his tie.
“Can I start making it up to you tonight?”
“Hmm…can I tie you up and have my way with you?”
“Fat chance in hell, little one,” he said while pinching my ass and guiding me to the back stairs that led up to the third floor.
Chapter Twenty Two
“Faith”
Lo
Silence circulated through the car as I drove with Jett over to Diego’s new club with some of my possessions and mainly clothes. I only had two suitcases but it felt like my
whole life. This was not what I wanted at all and it all felt like the beginning of the end so to say I wanted to throw up was an understatement. I was sweating, I was terrified, I didn’t want to leave him. He was a constant solid in my life now that I depended on and to not have him near me, to have to act like he means nothing to me was like twisting a knife into my heart.
The streets were barely lit and there were still some late night partiers that flanked the streets of New Orleans. Soft lanterns lit up the roads, casting a glow on the trash left over from the night shenanigans. When Jett said I had to leave “tomorrow” he apparently meant first thing tomorrow because we were riding around at three in the morning. He said we couldn’t do this in the middle of the day if I wanted him to get me situated which I understood but it was all happening so fast. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to the girls or Kace for that matter. Not that I really wanted to say bye to the giant asshole that graced the hallways of the Lafayette Club but it would have been nice to have the option.
My hand was entwined with Jett’s as we rode in silence. I knew he could sense my uneasiness so he sat close to me and would occasionally lean over to whisper in my ear or kiss me gently on the cheek.
The car came to a stop as we sat in an abandoned back alley. We weren’t on Bourbon Street but we were in the French Quarter and not the nicest part. This was where his club was?
“This is just the back entrance,” Jett murmured as if he could read my mind. “The club’s front sits on Royal Street and is marked as a plain door. Only the people who are a part of Diego’s secret society will know about it.”
“Sounds intriguing. Are we near Burgundy Street?” I asked, looking around.
“Yes.”
I nodded my head as I was able to place my surroundings. Royal was one street parallel with Bourbon and was considered to be the fancier street of the French Quarter where little boutique’s and galleries were located. It was odd, to travel from Bourbon Street where drinkers were pelvic thrusting each other and watching street performers and then walk one block down to Royal where ladies in sweater sets perused the art galleries where pieces of art work were priced well into the thousands. Only in New Orleans.