Mr. Right Now: Vol. 4: The After Party That Never Ends

by Bellus, HJ

  “Cole, did you bring anyone back?” Kam asks, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

  “Nah.”

  Dax and Eli bounce on the chance to hammer their brothers.

  “Wow, you must not be able to get it up anymore, boys, huh?” Dax stuffs his mouth full of scrambled eggs.

  Kam’s head pounds as if someone is beating on his skull with a hammer. He’s ready to fucking pound Eli and Dax to make them shut the fuck up. He finds the nearest ottoman in the living room, hoping the men will get over their fucking joke.

  Their voices echo into the open living room, and he hears each word. Cole soon joins him.

  “I can get my dick up if I want.”

  “Cole, I know, for Christ’s sake.” Kam lays his forearm over his eyes to shield the lights. He hasn’t had a hangover in ages. The last thing he remembers is sitting up taking a shot with each member of the bridal party and then kissing them.

  “Man, you were spot on last night. The line was a mile long by ten p.m.”

  “Fuck, I’m too old to be drinking like that.”

  “Kam, you’re twenty-five.”

  “Too fucking old to drink like that.” He winces with each word.

  “You were pouring down the liquid, I’ll tell you that, but you did have the club hopping.”

  “Thanks for letting me back in, Cole. You didn’t have to.”

  Cole leans forward, relaxing his elbows on his knees. “Kam, I’m only going to repeat this one time. There’s nothing you could do that would make me turn my back on you. Yes, I may shake my head at you and cuss your ass out, but I’d never turn my back.”

  “I don’t deserve it, Cole. I fucking turned my back on you for purely selfish reasons.”

  “Not my place to judge. You’re my brother, and I love you.”

  Kam has never been one to exchange I love yous. He just nods.

  “Dax told you, huh?”

  Cole nods.

  “A fucking woman shook me to the core, man.” He keeps his eyes shielded with his arm. “How? Why did I let her get to me?”

  “I don’t have the answers, Kam, but I can only tell you I share your pain.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Kam finally is able to sit up, intrigued by his brother’s response, but before he can push his brother any further, the elevator to the penthouse opens up with a single ding, alerting them to a visitor.

  Kam is able to turn his head slightly, and his eyes connect with Jett’s.

  “Well, there she is, Cole, the woman who nearly destroyed me, and now she’s able to nonchalantly waltz into my fucking home.”

  He peels his gaze from Jett and focuses on Cole, who is analyzing her every movement. Kam doesn’t have to make eye contact to remember her long black hair, slender body, and gorgeous smile. It was her giggle that always got to him. Night after night, it’s what he craved. Jett was always such a serious person, and when her giggle invaded a room, it did something to him.

  “You won’t believe this, Kam, but I know what you’re going through. Thing is, I fucked up the relationship on my end, unlike yours.”

  “What?” Kam appreciates Cole’s open conversation, which helps him avoid Jett’s presence.

  “Yeah. She’s a doctor at the hospital who helped take care of Chloe. It was easy and I liked it, but then it became more.”

  “What happened?”

  “It was an easy relationship. I liked it, and then began to crave it, and fucked it up before it even started.”

  “Well, she fucked it up. Not me.”

  Cole leans even closer to Kam. “It never feels good being the one who fucked it up. I’d take back the fuck-ups a hundred times over.

  “The pain is deep, Cole.”

  “You don’t think I fucking know that?” Cole rises to his feet. “I fucked her brother-in-law. You don’t have to tell me how real the pain is and how bad it hurts. I fucking know, but then, you know what, I’m a human being too, and made a mistake.”

  Cole leaves the room, joining his family in the dining area. Kam watches the scene play out in front of him as his family welcomes Jett to the table. The sad thing is he doesn’t see Jett when he looks at her, he sees Satan, and now he sits back watching the only people he’s ever known as family dine with the devil.

  He stands with a rolling head and almost thinks another shot of whiskey might curb his pain. Kam avoids all eye contact as he walks past the breakfast table and truly can’t even begin to imagine the way Jett has him acting.

  He grabs a few pastries from the kitchen island before heading back to his room. Laughter from the table fills the penthouse and he doesn’t give a fuck if they’re laughing at him. Closing the door to his room and sliding the lock, he flops on his bed, nibbling on the pastry and scrolling through the pictures on his iPhone from the night before.

  He was spot on when predicting Made To Sin would trend, and he even feels a little embarrassed at some of the pictures he’s in. Kam notes to be on the lookout when in public, because he’s pretty certain a pissed off bachelor will be after him in the near future.

  Damn, it’s nice looking at pictures of himself. That would typically be Dax. Lightly laughing to himself, pieces of last night come back to him. The conversation he had with Jett, to fucking the brunette in the hallway, to the dirty dancing with the complete wedding party. He’s pretty sure he remembers getting one of them off on the dance floor.

  A light knocking on the door drags him from his thoughts. “Kam.”

  It’s Jett. He’d recognize that voice in his worst nightmare.

  “Kam.”

  He knows she won’t give it the fuck up, because that’s her style. Reluctantly, he makes his way to the door, knowing the result will only be horrific.

  “Yeah.” Kam opens the door, exposing his bare chest.

  “Can I come in?”

  “No. What do you need?”

  “I want to talk.”

  Kam flings the door the rest of the way open, throwing his arms up in the air. “Come the fuck in. I won’t give you money, and I don’t have any pot, so what would you like?”

  “Fine. I won’t come in. It’s clear you hate me.”

  “That I do. You finally got something right.”

  “It wasn’t a date. I had to go with him.”

  “Oh my god, poor Jett had to go on a fuck date. My heart hurts for you, asshole.”

  “Fuck you, Kam Sterling. Fuck you if you really think I used you and never felt a thing for you. Fuck you.”

  Kam watches Jett storm off and mutters, “Good riddance, bitch.”

  The pain is real and beyond anything Jett could have ever imagined facing. She knows the way she handled that dreaded night was wrong, but never had any clue it would send Kam straight over the edge. She could never have foreseen the pain she’d experience seeing the man who once held everything together for her crumble.

  Jett told him about her childhood and bits and pieces of her momma’s side of the family. And she even gave up details of her father’s business of escorts and the abuse of her and her mother. Through all of that he smiled, patted her back, and then covered her lips.

  Even when they spent night after night together and several lazy days in bed, she knew their relationship was unhealthy at best, but it was as if they were pulled together. How will she ever explain to Kam what she was doing that night? She wished he’d taken her open-ended answer.

  Jett waves to Holden sitting on Dax’s lap, eating cantaloupe. She shakes her head at that girl and orange food. At least Dax has her eating a variety of food now.

  “See you tomorrow morning, Holden.” Jett presses the lobby button on the elevator and wonders if she’ll ever get used to calling her Birdy. It hurts her heart more than she thought to have Kam just let her walk away. She knew he’d be pissed, but unreasonable is something she didn’t see coming her way.

  She refuses to cry over the asshole as the elevator descends. This is something she’s been trained to do from a young age. Te
ars are a sign of weakness. Jett brings her bag up to her chest, clutching it and fighting for the courage to say good-bye to the one man she has loved in her life. Kam stole her heart in the restaurant when he was defiant as hell, and then owned it forever when he intercepted a bad situation in the alleyway.

  She was able to explain it away as her being a pot junkie and owing her dealer a shit ton of cash, and Kam fell for it and paid off all of her debt. She’s never been rescued in her life, and it actually felt good, and that’s when Kam Sterling claimed her heart forever. But like everything else in her life, her past comes crashing right in to fuck it all up. Jett has learned to cherish moments as they happen because nothing good ever lasts.

  Walking through the lobby, Jett’s butt puckers up hoping she doesn’t run into any former bosses or people she once worked with here. For sure, she thought by working in such a hotel with people bustling everywhere that she’d be tucked away far enough from her father, but once again he found her.

  “Jett.”

  Fuck! She turns around hesitantly and sees the one person she never thought would run after her. Kam. She doesn’t move toward him, afraid of what nasty words he’ll spew her way.

  “Please.” He bends over and places his palms on his kneecaps trying to catch his breath. “Please give me a second.”

  She relaxes a bit when she senses the old Kam and his kind and caring ways. Jett steps toward him, grabbing his hand from his knee. “Please, can we go anywhere else besides here?”

  Kam raises back up to a standing position. “I’m not falling back into a cycle of being consumed by you, Jett, and hiding out for days. I just want some answers.”

  “An early lunch? Somewhere we can talk, but not here, please.”

  “And not at your place or in private.”

  “Three blocks down there’s a little deli. Will that work?”

  Kam nods and begins walking by her side as they exit the lobby out into the sun. She watches him pull down his aviators to shield his eyes and her tummy flips with excitement. She never understood how the man got her so heated up from this simple mannerism. Jett’s pretty sure that even Kam Sterling doesn’t understand his own level of sexiness.

  “Why are you being so adamant about not being in private with me?” Jett looks up to Kam, who stands a foot taller than her.

  “I don’t trust myself.” He stops walking. “Or you, for that matter, and I don’t feel like getting my heart broken again.”

  She faces him, looking up into his face, trying to shield her eyes from the sunlight. “I broke your heart?”

  “I’m not sure where I fucked up, Jett, or how in the hell you missed the memo, but I would’ve done anything for you.”

  “I know,” she whispers.

  Kam begins walking again. It takes Jett a few moments to catch up with him, and when she does she naturally grabs his hand and laces her fingers with his. She feels him tense up, but not pull away from her, and in this moment she needs his connection.

  Jett loved, loves, and will always love this man, but she had no idea how close she was to owning his heart as well until Kam’s admission. Of course he gave her whatever she asked for and spent nights with her, but he was a Sterling, branded as the player of all players. Why does her life have to be one mind fuck after another?

  “It’s this one.” Jett motions with her left hand.

  Kam pushes open the door to the tiny deli with only a few tables that seat two and ivy-covered brick walls. He leads the way to the table in the far corner, obviously not worried about ordering and more about talking. He takes a seat, and Jett feels naked without his touch. She follows suit, peeling off her light jacket, hanging it from the back of the chair, and settling in.

  Weeks ago, Kam would’ve found a table where they could sit next to each other, and it would’ve been his hands taking her jacket off and hanging it up.

  “Talk, Jett.” Kam rests his hands on the table, locking his fingers together, and stares her down.

  “I can’t tell you everything, Kam.”

  “It fucking kills me to sit here with you right now. Everything about this situation makes me fucking see red. You can at least have enough fucking respect for me to give me the truth. You say you didn’t cheat and you’re sorry, so fucking explain.”

  A server interrupts them, handing them menus and sharing the daily special. Jett takes a moment to order a turkey bacon sandwich with a garden salad. It helps ease her mind and gives her a few moments to process exactly what she should and shouldn’t tell him.

  “For you, sir?” The server turns to Kam.

  “The same, please.” His jaw is clenched, and Jett knows he won’t take her nonsense excuses much longer.

  “All right, it will be about fifteen minutes. Let me know if you need anything else.” The young woman leans on the table, clearly showing Kam she has tits.

  Jett rolls her eyes, used to women reacting this way to him. Hell, the body shots almost killed her last night. She begged the floor boss to move her to the other side of the club so she wouldn’t have to watch the show he was putting on. It hurt her more than anything her father could’ve ever done to her—or made her do.

  “Talk.” Kam sits back in his chair and folds his arms over his chest.

  “Kam, I just ask you one thing before I tell you the whole truth about me.”

  “What?” he growls.

  Jett’s level of frustration with Kam’s asshole attitude hits an all-time high. She buries her face in her hands. “God, Kam, stop. If you hate me now, just wait until you hear the whole fucking story.” She pulls up to look him straight in the eye. “I fucking love you and you’re treating me like trash.”

  Kam leans forward, slamming his fists into the table. “Then fucking talk.”

  Jett notices the server watching them, along with the few men behind the counter making their sandwiches.

  “My dad found me. I didn’t tell you the whole truth about him, just that he was awful to my mother and me. My dad owns an escort business.” She pauses for a moment, gathering strength to tell her darkest secret. “Kam, I’ve never told anyone, but my dad has made me work for him since I was sixteen.”

  And Kam hit the mark Jett expected. The look on his face nearly kills her. It’s a mixture of disgust and hatred.

  “I didn’t have a choice, asshole, so before you judge me, you can fuck off. My dad’s an animal, and I thought I ran far enough away. But I guess I didn’t.”

  “The night you climbed into that limo?” Kam asks.

  “God, for someone I love so much, I fucking hate you, Kam Sterling.”

  Jett stands from the table, throwing down her napkin and walking away from him. She doesn’t need his judgmental stares and harsh words. She tried, and that’s all she can do. Jett hails a cab, and when securely in the back seat, she lets her weakness flow. She cries for what could’ve been, but never will.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “Um, you have to pay before you leave. We’ve had too many walk outs.”

  “For fuck’s sake.” Kam digs in his back pocket and throws his wallet at the man in the white apron.

  By the time he makes it outside, she’s gone. Vanished. No trace of what direction she might have gone. Vomit threatens to spill out of his mouth onto the sidewalk. Her admission stunned him, and not knowing how to react to it, he just fucking lost her. He still tries to process the words. Since sixteen she worked for her dad. What the fuck?

  Kam runs back into the shop, retrieving his wallet form the shop owner and then snagging his phone off the table. He dials her number and listens to the recorded message about the number no longer being in service. Birdy has to have her number. She has to.

  He dials Dax’s number and waits for several rings before he answers. His brother is out of breath and is barely able to talk. Kam is pretty damn sure he just interrupted something.

  “Hey, I need to know if Birdy has Jett’s new number.”

  “Here, you can talk to her.”
>
  “Hello.”

  Birdy’s voice is a dead giveaway that he totally just interrupted a fucking session.

  “I need Jett’s new number.”

  “Kam, she doesn’t have a new number. Said she couldn’t afford her phone bill and had it disconnected.”

  “Fuck, okay.”

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to her now.”

  “Kam she’s completely and wildly in love with you. I don’t know all the details, but she’s hurting too.”

  “I’m starting to see that. Thanks, Birdy.”

  He hangs up the phone, jogs back toward the hotel, and finds one of the Sterling vehicles not in use. He comes across the black sports car and climbs in it. Cranking the engine to life, he notices the limo and the driver that Jett climbed into that night. He pauses for a moment, studying the men in front of him. An older gentleman finally emerges from the back of the limo. Kam rolls his window down, trying to listen to their conversation.

  “Sir, she was just here, but now Al can’t find her in the hotel. The room she told you she was living in is empty right now.”

  “Call her number.”

  “It’s disconnected, sir.”

  “Find that little shit. She owes me big time, and I’m not letting her escape again.”

  Kam’s foot lightly taps the accelerator, revving his engine and letting the men know he’s going to pull out of his parking spot. Several different plans of action flow through his mind. The first one being to run the fat fucker over and end Jett’s misery now. He’s sure that Satan is standing before him, but the second plan is to get to her before her father does.

  Kam takes the high road, offering the men a friendly wave as he pulls out of the parking garage, hoping not to make them suspicious. He drives to Jett’s apartment, but takes several unnecessary turns and even stops for Starbucks, buying a single cup of coffee. Fuck, he’s a PR playboy for his club, not a fucking detective, but he wracks his mind recalling all the things they do in the movies to not be followed.

  A ten-minute drive turns into a thirty-minute one, but he feels good as he pulls up to her building. Puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. Always wanting to hide out at her place, and the money he gave her. He’s not one hundred percent sure what it was used for, but he can almost guarantee it was to avoid her father. Kam appreciates each piece of security as he walks into Jett’s apartment and knows it’s not a coincidence.