by Meghan Quinn
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed one of the workout balls and sat on it as Babs did the same.
“To make a long story short. My dad is after Lot 17 and found out I was putting in for the same property. He knew I had something over him, so he took it upon himself to break up me and Goldie by threatening her life. Goldie got sick of the distance between us, and not being able to live our lives together, so she gave me back my collar and said she was going to protect me. She said to have faith, but honestly, Babs, I have absolutely zero faith in the matter.” I took a deep breath and said, “She went back to Rex Titan.”
“What? Are you sure?” Babs asked, growing concerned.
“I have no clue. What I do know is Rex sent me a text last night saying she was with him. I tried contacting her friend Lyla, her old roommate, to see if Goldie possibly asked for her room back, but Lyla hadn’t heard from Goldie in a while. No one has, which leads me to believe that she truly is with Rex.”
“She hasn’t contacted you?”
“No, and her phone is turned off. I couldn’t even track it if I wanted to.”
“Ah, yes, stalker Jett wouldn’t let me down by missing out on that key factor.”
“I’m not a stalker,” I defended. “Just efficient in my tracking capabilities.”
“Clearly, not efficient enough. Do you want me and the girls to get involved?”
“No,” I said rather harshly. “I don’t want any of you involved. I want you to stay out of this. Kace is out recruiting a new girl as we speak. I will need you and the other three to welcome her with open arms.”
“Where are you going to put her?” Babs asked, slightly confused. “The only room that’s open is Goldie’s.”
“Yes, and it’s currently being cleaned out.”
“Jett, you can’t be serious.”
“I am,” I said, while getting up and heading toward the door. “She returned her collar, Babs. It’s over.”
“It is not,” Babs said, while pushing my shoulder, throwing me off a bit. “She’s trying to make it better. She’s not leaving you, Jett.”
“With Rex? How is that better? How is her running off with another man making it better? No, we’re done,” I answered, while I headed for my office.
My phone rang, and without checking the caller ID, I answered.
“Jett Colby.”
“I found your new girl,” Kace spoke into the phone.
“Perfect, bring her in. Her room is being set up right now.”
“Jett, do you really want to do this?”
“Yes, now don’t question me,” I said, right before hanging up the phone.
Truthfully, the last thing I wanted to do was bring in a new Jett Girl. I was happy with the group we had. I was pleased with the dynamic of the girls, and bringing in someone new was always a risk, because most of the time, personalities clashed. Given the fact that I was bringing in a new girl because one of their own left, it wouldn’t be easy on the new girl. I actually felt bad for her, because she had huge shoes to fill.
The house was much quieter, much more subdued, like all the girls were in mourning. Kace was always a moody bastard, but now that Goldie was gone, he almost seemed like a piece of him had left. I could tell he was mad at me…mad at me for inviting a new Jett Girl to come on board, but what choice did I really have?
In the off-chance that maybe, just maybe, Goldie actually didn’t leave me to be with Rex, then I needed to carry on, show my dad that, in fact, I didn’t mind that Goldie was gone, even though my heart was ripping out of my chest with each passing moment she wasn’t in my arms.
The third floor didn’t have its appeal anymore and, if anything, I wanted to change out my room for Goldie’s. I wanted to stay in her room, where it was bright and cheery. I wanted to sift through her closest, smell her, feel her…
“Jett,” a male voice rang from my office.
Quickly looking up, I saw George, my lawyer, standing in the doorway of my office. Who the hell let him in?
“George, how did you get up here?”
Clearing his throat, he looked at the ground and said, “One of the girls let me in and led me upstairs.”
“Was she wearing a mask?” I asked, starting to grow angry once again.
“Yes,” George said quickly. “I have no clue who it was.”
Patting my face with my towel, I nodded, and led us both into my office. Since it was still morning and I just got done working out, I left my bourbon alone and offered George a water bottle instead, which he declined.
It was very rare that I allowed anyone to see me in anything but a suit and tie, especially when it came to my business, but George was an exception; I’ve known him my whole life.
Sitting down in my chair, I looked over my desk and asked, “To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today?”
“Lot 17,” George said, while pulling out a folder from his briefcase.
“Did we get it?” I asked, leaning forward to look at the file.
“No.” My eyes shot up to his, while devastation enveloped me. “No one got it just yet,” George finished. “Since there has been great interest in the lot, they are going to interview some of the candidates. Luckily, we are one of them.”
“What do you mean, luckily?” I fumed. “We should have been granted the property in the first place. What more do they want?”
“They want to know your plans for the property; they want a presentation with visuals. They want you to show them that your plans will benefit the city.”
“Who else is in the running?” I asked, as I sat back in my chair, trying not to take my anger out on George. He was just the messenger.
“There are only three interviews being conducted. You, of course, Zane Black, a real estate developer in New York City, and Rex Titan and your dad.”
My teeth ground together as I puffed out a frustrated breath. Of course my dad and Rex were in the running. Why wouldn’t they be? They’d bribed practically everyone in the city.
“Do you know who has the upper hand? Who the city is looking more strongly at?”
“Not at this time, but I can do some digging for you.”
“Yes, I need to know what my chances are, what kind of ideas I need to throw together.”
“Stick with your original proposal, Jett. Don’t change it now; it would look like you’re nervous, that you’re original proposal wasn’t good enough. If it wasn’t good enough, it never would have been considered.”
Even though I didn’t want to admit it, because I was a stubborn man, George was right.
If I changed things now, it would look bad for my character. If I changed my plans, it would be showing weakness, and that was one thing I never did; I never showed my weakness.
Besides Goldie, but that was an emotion I couldn’t control. Goldie swept me up with her sassy mouth and crippled me, she was the one and only thing that could bring me to my knees, that could tear me open for the world to see.
“You’re right,” I concurred with George. “When are the interviews?”
“Two weeks. You have some time to pull together some graphics and put together a presentation, which needs to be short and concise, because you only have twenty minutes altogether for your presentation and questions at the end.”
“Not a problem,” I said with confidence. This wouldn’t be my first interview for a property. I wasn’t nervous about the presentation; I was worried about what my dad had up his sleeve. The man would do anything to win Lot 17, even sinking to the level of locking me in my own damn house so I didn’t make it to my interview. The man would stop at nothing.
“I will draw up the official plans once again for you to hand out at the interview. Do you want me to get in touch with Jeremy, your assistant, so he can start on the graphics?”
“No, I can handle that,” I answered. “I will be in touch with Jeremy. Thank you for coming over here to tell me, George. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime,” George said, as he handed me the folde
r he’d pulled out of his briefcase earlier. “Please call if you need anything; if not, I will be in touch if I hear anything else, and when I hear about the time of your interview.”
“Thank you.”
I dismissed George and opened up my computer to look through my emails, hoping maybe there would be some kind of contact from Goldie. I would take just about anything from her right now, for her to confirm that, in fact, she still thought about me…that she wasn’t with Rex.
When I searched through my emails, scanning for one email address only, I didn’t find anything from her. So, I sat back in my chair and ran my hand through my hair, trying to tamp down my frustration. There was business I needed to tend to, plans for different properties around the city that needed to be discussed, but all I could think about was the little honey-haired girl who took over my heart.
What was she doing? Was she lounging in the arms of Rex Titan right now? Was he really keeping her warm? The mere thought of that happening had me wanting to pull out every last strand of my hair.
“Hey,” came Kace’s voice and a knock to my door.
Looking up, I saw him standing sturdily with someone behind him. Did he really bring up the new Jett Girl with him?
“What are you doing?” I asked, assessing my appearance and disheveled heart. I was by no means prepared to meet a new Jett Girl, especially when it wasn’t on my terms.
“Thought you might want to meet the new Jett Girl,” Kace said with a smirk.
“Now is not the time,” I warned.
“Oh, please, stop being a priss,” a strong, yet feminine voice came from behind Kace.
One of my eyebrows rose at the nerve of the new girl who was about to join my club.
“Excuse me?”
Stepping aside, Kace allowed the new Jett Girl to come forward, and I nearly toppled over.
The beautiful mocha skin of Lyla, Goldie’s old roommate came forward, wearing the Jett Girl gear, minus the mask. She walked toward me with purpose, and from behind her back, she dropped her Jett Girl file on my desk with purpose.
With a smirk on her face, Lyla pointed at the folder and said, “Papers are signed, but I’ve made a few revisions.”
“What gave you the right to do…?”
Lyla held up her hand and interrupted me. “I’m going to stop you right there, buster. You can take your controlling and dominant ways and shove them up your ass. Frankly, I don’t need this job; I’m more than capable of pulling in enough money to make things work for me at the bar. Give me some water and a white T-shirt, and I’ll make the room rain with boners and cash. But you need me for a couple of reasons. One, you need another Jett Girl, since Goldie is now gone. I know how important it is to meet the members’ needs, believe me. Two, I’m here to make sure you don’t do anything stupid because your poor little feelings have been hurt. And three, you need someone to help you find Goldie. I’m the closest thing you’ll get when it comes to that girl. Keep my identity hidden, and during the day, I’ll make it my duty to find out where Goldie is.”
“I don’t care where she is,” I replied arrogantly.
“Yup, calling bullshit on that right away. Nice try, though,” she smiled at me. “So, here’s what’s going to happen, I’m going to room with Babs because the room that you were going to give me is Goldie’s, and you’re not going to change that. You can take your Bourbon Room and shove it up your ass. Don’t even ask any of the girls to come up to it, because collectively as a whole, we choose not to submit to you. That room is meant for you and Goldie. I will learn how to present myself and be a fill-in, but the moment Goldie comes back, I’m out. I’m here mainly to make sure you don’t do something completely stupid, like ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
She folded her arms across her chest and smirked at me, as if she knew everything. Her cockiness reminded me of myself, and I hated it. But what I hated more was the lack of control I had; there was zero. I felt like I didn’t have a say in anything, and that was what was going to drive me to do something that I shouldn’t be doing.
“Before you get all huffy, why don’t you let me figure out Goldie, and you focus on your business,” she added, clearly seeing how uncomfortable I was.
“Why should I trust you?” I finally asked, after her demands were over.
“Because I know what’s best for Goldie, and that would be you. I’ve known her for a very long time now, and nothing has brought her such great joy as when she’s with you. You think she lights up a room on her own, try watching her when you’re near. She is so bright, so enthusiastic, so completely Goldie that it’s intoxicating to see. You two are meant for each other, and I’ll be damned if I see it any other way.”
I mulled over her statement. There was one thing she was missing; Goldie wasn’t the only one who changed…I was not the same person when I was around Goldie. I wasn’t a controlling bastard, I was completely different, I was happy, enthralled, completely, without a doubt…in love.
Fuck.
Shaking my head, I turned around and looked out my window. Love? Did it really come to that?
Visions of Goldie ran through my head. The first time she was asked to come up to the Bourbon Room and how nervous she was, the first time we went out on a date and how beautiful she looked in her yellow dress. The first time I gave her a Jett Girl set, the look of joy on her face. The moment I gave her my collar…fuck.
My throat closed up on me as I thought about the loss I was suffering…how I would do anything to have her standing in front of me with my arms wrapped around her waist and my chin resting on her head.
“I’m not going to look for anyone else,” Kace said, backing Lyla up. “It’s Lyla or no one.”
The two pains in my ass must have communicated beforehand, because they were a united front on Goldie’s behalf.
In a surprising moment of complete and utter weakness, I turned my seat so I could rest my elbows on my desk and run my hands over my face. I didn’t do emotion in front of people, but I was so fucking exhausted, I couldn’t help it.
“She’s not with me anymore,” I stated weakly. “I received a message from Rex; she’s with him.”
The room fell silent at my confession. I wasn’t sure what Lyla was thinking, but I could feel Kace’s eyes boring a hole through me. He knew about my past history with Rex and how losing my Little One to him could bring down my stone façade in a matter of seconds, which it proved to do.
“How do you know?” Kace asked, sounding more confused than anything.
“Rex texted me that she was with him. Since he’s not the most trustworthy man, I checked around, and no one else has heard from her. That’s the only place she could be.”
“Shit,” Kace muttered.
“Rex, as in the guy she used to bone for money? No way, he was hot, but she wouldn’t go back to him. Although, he did offer her a life with him a little while back…” Lyla thought out loud.
“What?” I asked, fury starting to pour through me, washing out the debilitating pain of feeling weak and useless.
Startled, Lyla said, “When she first started here, Rex wanted to take her back, once he found out she was becoming a Jett Girl. He offered her a place to stay, so she didn’t have to stay with you. At the time, Rex didn’t know she was desperate for help.”
Vaguely, I remembered Goldie talking to Rex before I gave her a set. Was she taking him up on his offer now? After so long? That didn’t make sense.
“Fucking hell,” Kace said, as he ran his hand over his face.
“What?” Both Lyla and I asked at the same time.
He was silent for a second, and I was about to yell at him to spit it the fuck out, but he continued, “I bet you anything she’s trying to take down Rex’s club. Diego told me he told her what he knew about it. She said she wanted to protect you; without a doubt, that’s what she’s doing.”
Fucking hell was right.
6
“Secrets”
Goldie
What the hell did I just watch?
Whatever it was, I felt a little wrong for watching it, but watching the girl orgasm was fucking hot, like if I had a cock, I would be stroking it right now.
From the corner of my eye, I looked at Rex to see that he was smiling brightly and purely satisfied with Blane’s performance with the fem-bot; I mean, how could he not be pleased? My armpits were sweating and my legs wanted to spread just from watching that.
“Well done,” Rex said, as he stood. “Please release her so she can meet me in the back. I hope you don’t mind, Kitten, since we are building a friendship now.”
I scrunched my face, as I tried to comprehend what he was telling me.
“Don’t mind what?”
Rex pointedly looked down at his crotch and that’s when I noticed his arousal.
“You can take care of it if you want; I would prefer it, actually.”
Gah! Gross. I usually like a good old fashioned boner against the pants, but after the way Rex was practically panting during the whole demonstration and the creepy look on his face now, yeah, I couldn’t be more turned off. Lady boner shriveled up…good job, Rex.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” I replied, really not knowing what to say.
“Really?” Rex asked, “You would rather go to the back with me?”
“What? No!” I shouted, and then realized I needed to bring it down a couple of decibels. “I mean, no,” I replied more calmly. “I misunderstood; I don’t mind if you, uh…let her take care of that,” I pointed at his boner.
Taking a deep breath, he leaned down and pressed his head against my ear. “Don’t worry, Kitten, she will only be pleasuring me; I’m holding out myself to be with you…emotionally.”
Oh, well fucking lucky me. Jesus. When did Rex become such a creep?
“Got to get it somewhere,” I smiled and shrugged my shoulders, wondering what the hell was coming out of my mouth.
“You’re not mad?” Rex asked, looking a little worried.
