by Mary Martel
“Can I at least get a lap dance before we go?” I asked no one in particular as my eyes moved back to the stage. Unfortunately the exotic beauty had left some time during our conversation. She’d been replaced by a redhead who looked so heavy on top she was in danger of busting out of her brassiere any second now. She wasn’t enthralling in the slightest.
“Never mind,” I muttered in disappointment.
I could always come back at another time and get one. Since Riley worked here and we seemed to be on good terms now, I could always use the excuse of popping on in to see him.
Yeah, that would work.
Chapter Twelve
Make Me Bleed
Franklin
Gem was no longer speaking to me, and to say things were awkward and uncomfortable around the house was an understatement. She wouldn’t even spare me a glance.
Who could blame her? I’d lost my fucking mind.
Inviting the Ken doll over, and telling him we’d share him and he could suck my dick if he wanted. Those were not my finer moments, and I was not impressed with myself.
And now he was on his way over here. Gem had locked herself in the master she’d claimed as hers and she was blasting rap music so loud I half expected her to be deaf when she came out.
That was okay, I didn’t want to talk to me either.
My phone vibrated on the counter, and I was almost afraid to look at the damn thing. My dad had been calling me all day, which meant he had a job for me or some mess he wanted me to take care of. Once the old man had decided I had what it took to take over his place, he’d wasted no time putting me to work and grooming me for the job.
Normally I answered every phone call and took every job he threw at me. Ever since Gin died and I felt like Gem needed me, I’d been dodging phone calls and I’d only taken two jobs. I didn’t want to leave my girl alone while she’d been hurting.
Now I didn’t want to leave her alone for a whole different reason. Because she wouldn’t actually be alone, now would she? She’d be with him because I’d given him the fucking address after I invited him over. Me, not Gem.
I had acted out of character, surprising even myself, but damn. Something had come over me.
When sitting down face to face with Riley and exchanging words with him, I’d realized something very bizarre. I actually liked him. He was decent, honest, and his feelings toward Gem we’re something he did not try to hide, even from me after finding out who my family was.
One of the many reasons I didn’t have many real friends outside of Gem—although I generally despised most people—was because they usually had one of two reactions to me. They were either terrified of me or they wanted to try and use me in whatever way for their own gain, be it for my dick, money, power, or status. You name it, and motherfuckers had tried it.
Gem never gave two shits about what being my friend could do for her. She didn’t give a fuck about money or status or, sadly, where I put my dick. Though that last part was about to change drastically, and she’d be the only person privy to where my dick went.
This silent treatment she was all about had to go, and it was unfortunate timing for me because I also needed to call the old man back and take whatever job he had lined up for me.
I absolutely didn’t want to leave Gem though, but I had to. There was some small, sick part of me that was relieved to know that the Ken doll would be here soon so I wouldn’t have to feel badly about leaving her all alone in her stupidly big house on the beach.
That should have scared me, that I was so comfortable leaving her alone with this guy that we didn’t even really know anything about. I shouldn’t be comfortable leaving her alone with anyone who was not me.
One conversation later with the twat, and all of a sudden it was just cool with me? Yes, something was definitely wrong with me here. Perhaps he had some sort of magic to him and had spun some sort of spell around me. If such things existed in the first place. Which they did not.
Magic didn’t exist in this bleak, fucked up world. If it did, I would have known about it. My father would have likely had some trade in, he had his hands in anything that would make him a dollar and be dangerous. Magic would be both. Like a drug, the lure would be there, and people were generally weak to the temptation. They fell and rich men with no morals ended up with deeper pockets. I had no room to talk or judge because the well of wealth never ran dry for my family thanks to countless weak men and women.
Growing up around such people and my father’s men, I had been trained to be an excellent judge of character. This Riley cat was good people.
There, I said it and there was no taking it back. Once you put something out into the universe, even so much as a thought, the universe would never forget it. I didn’t think anything was erasable. You could hide and you could never so much as breathe a word but the knowledge would still be there, always.
This Riley would know exactly who I was, given that he and Chance were close. Indeed, Chance had even called him “brother.” That meant something deep with Chance, and he would never use that endearment lightly. Just like I would never use it lightly, for to be my brother meant you had power and privilege with my family. It meant a certain level of respect. Just that one word would grant you all that power and Chance had freely given it to Riley. That meant something important, and I knew he’d said it in front of me for a reason. Chance wanted me to know who I was fucking with and just who’d fuck back if I made one wrong move toward his boy.
I liked this.
It spoke highly of Riley to have that regard from a man like Chance. We were both born in filth, and we’d had to learn with the guidance of our fathers how to swim through those murky waters. We’d both not just survived, but we’d thrived, and one day we’d both rule our own kingdoms.
But Chance was not a bad guy, and neither was his father.
The thought of sharing Gem with anyone was abhorrent to me, and I still didn’t understand why I’d spewed that shit to Riley at the club. It was like something other than my brain had overtaken my mouth, and all because I caught my girl looking at the Ken doll with so much longing and lust it had tripped something inside my heart.
She’d never looked at me with longing because she’d always had me in whatever capacity she wanted me, and we both knew this. If she’d ever once even so much as hinted at wanting something more with me than friendship and an unbreakable bond, then I would have given it to her in a heartbeat. She’d never wanted me for more than that until recently, and unfortunately for me, it had come around at the same time she’d started looking at this new twat with lust in her eyes and then guilt whenever her eyes came back to me.
I didn’t like the guilt, it made me feel bad things I didn’t want to feel. I preferred her being open and honest with me in all things. Since that was what I preferred, I would make it so that was what I got. And in doing so, I would have to accept the presence of that fucking Ken doll who in reality wasn’t all that bad.
On the bright side, I wouldn’t have to worry about leaving her alone. I wouldn’t have to feel guilty or be only half there during a job, which would likely end up badly for me because they always required my full attention.
On the downside, I would now worry about what the two of them were getting up to because she wasn’t the only one with lust and longing in her eyes when faced with the other.
I thought, upon seeing it on his face, I’d rage and annihilate him no matter what family he had at his back. I’d been astounded when I hadn’t felt the urge, even in the slightest.
Instead, I’d felt a perverse sort of curiosity. Perhaps I would enjoy watching their interludes. Perhaps that would be the thing that breaks me and what eventually would lead to the destruction of Riley. Either way, we’d find out. I was committed to seeing where this route led us to, most curious indeed, and things, mostly people, never intrigued me.
No, I would not let this opportunity slip through my fingers. But if Gem somehow got hurt during this time in any
way, then I’d be taking all that pain out on Riley until there was nothing left to him but endless pain and suffering.
I picked up my phone, unlocked the screen, and engaged my voicemail.
My father’s voice came through the speaker, sounding immensely irritated and annoyed. “For fuck’s sake, Franklin, is it too much to ask that you answer your damn phone when I call? I understand your girl has suffered a grave loss and you feel it’s your duty to be there for her during it. I get that, my son, and I even respect your decision to do it. But your life does not revolve around this girl and it never will. As much as it might pain you to hear this, and it pains me to say it, your life belongs to the family business now. It’s just the way it is. It was the same way for me, and when your mother came into my life, I had a hard time figuring out where she fit into that life too. In the end she didn’t, which is why she’s gone. You’ll need to figure this out for yourself sooner rather than later, son, before my patience runs out. If you can’t figure it out, you’ll have to let her go. I suggest you handle your business and get your head back in the fucking game. Don’t make me have to remind you again, son, neither one of us will enjoy that.”
I gritted my teeth and deleted the message. What a fucking dick, but that was my father for you. Never just a father, but always the boss. If he let my shit go unchecked, then he’d have a bunch of other assholes on his hands that thought they could get away with whatever the fuck they wanted. That meant more work for me, because the old man would rather watch me get my hands dirty now than do it himself.
It was exhausting already, and I hadn’t even taken the reins yet. At least when I did, I’d no longer be on his leash. Thank fuck for that.
And to even insinuate I would have to give up Gem filled me with a blind rage and possessiveness that I knew I was capable of but had never quite felt on this level before. It was what I thought I’d feel when seeing her interact with her new would-be boyfriend. It was not something I ever thought I’d feel toward my own damn father, but hey, here we were.
This meant I’d be going home to get my instructions for the job and then I’d be having words with my father. He’d know exactly what Gem meant to me and that she’d never be going away, no matter what he had to say about it.
If he so much as suggested it to me again, perhaps he’d be the one who found himself taking a little trip somewhere and out of my life.
Like, say, a deep hole in the ground I’d make him dig before tossing his lifeless ass down inside of it.
After all, I was my father’s son. He’d be disappointed in anything less.
The kid was fucking nervous and Gem was still locked inside her room. She’d exchanged the rap music for some angry, depressing emo shit that was giving me a headache, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her to turn the crap off.
Whether or not she knew Riley was here was anyone’s guess. I had no intentions of knocking on her door and letting her know. She was acting like a ridiculous brat, and I wasn’t in the mood to entertain her emotional bullshit at the moment. Not when I was brimming over with so much of my own since listening to that fucking voice message.
Riley looked out the glass doors that faced the water and whistled under his breath. “My, how the other half lives.”
Luckily for him there was no sarcasm or censure in his voice. In fact, I couldn’t pick up any emotion. He held his cards tight to his chest, and I only knew he was nervous because he wouldn’t stay in one place and his eyes kept shifting everywhere, not staying still.
“Gem is in a mood,” I happily shared with him, no longer feeling bad about bailing on her tonight and leaving her here with him.
She could be his beautiful mess to take care of for the night, or however long this job lasted and I was gone for. I frowned, wondering if he’d even be able to stay here with her for that long if necessary. He did have a job after all. What other obligations did he have in his life? I needed to know everything about him, and I needed to know days ago. Looked like I needed to make another phone call and possibly pencil in a face-to-face with another asshole outside of my dad. I didn’t just need this information days ago, but I actually should have had it. Someone wasn’t doing their job correctly and needed to get their shit together. Unfortunately for me, it was my job to rein that shit in and get it in hand. When I was in charge, I was going to change things around a bit, and I’d have people to do this shit for me so I didn’t have to. Good, loyal soldiers were so hard to come by though.
“What type of mood are we talking about here?” he asked curiously.
“You’ll figure it out,” I replied unhelpfully but truthfully.
I had a feeling Riley would soon be embarking on the courageous journey of learning all the many facets of Gem’s moods, and there was a great deal of them to be discovered. I did not envy him this, but at the same time I was pissed he got the chance in the first place when I didn’t feel like he deserved it.
“I’ve got something I need to do tonight and don’t know when I’ll be back,” I informed him without looking at him. My eyes had moved deeper into the room, at the mouth of the hallway, where Gem stood lurking in the shadows.
“I might not even be back tomorrow,” I told her, and still she did not leave her hiding place. “It depends on what the job is, and I need to make a trip home to pick up some things.”
I really should pack up the rest of my shit and bring it on over here to show Gem I really was here with her to stay for good. She needed to know I was here and I wasn’t going anywhere. Too many people in her life had died in such a short span of time that it was no wonder she wanted a few strays on her leash to make herself feel comfortable.
Riley’s attraction was starting to make more sense to me by the second. As was my sudden change of heart toward the whole thing.
Fuck, maybe I just thought he was pretty to look at too, because he was, just a little bit.
Fuck, what the hell was I thinking?
This fucking guy had some serious voodoo magic he was working over on both Gem and me.
My eyes shifted from Gemmy back to the man in question, and I wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see he’d also felt my girl’s presence enter the room. Hmm… we had that in common it seemed.
Gem, however, only had eyes for me. I was relieved to see it. I had never been jealous before in my life, but I damn well knew this would bring out the worst in me. Jealousy would likely bring out a rage in me, and I wouldn’t want to break Gem’s new toy before we even got to play with it.
Gem crept slightly into the room. “Is it dangerous?” she asked quietly. “What does that man have you doing for him now?”
Fuck me, she looked alarmed. I closed my eyes tight and felt something inside my chest loosen. I was a horrible son of a bitch for being relieved at seeing her distress.
No matter what Riley turned out to be to her, she’d always be mine and that was the only thing that mattered.
“I don’t know yet, Gemmy. I haven’t checked back in with him, but he’s been calling nonstop and I’ve been dodging him because I didn’t want to leave you alone right now.” I pointed in Riley’s direction. “Now you’re not alone, and he can stay with you until I get back.”
In a blur of motion that took me by surprise, she rushed me. I braced and locked my legs in place as she jumped on me. She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, and her legs went around my waist. Immediately, I dropped my hands to her round ass and held as I squeezed, holding her tight against me.
We both ignored the other person in the room and that worked just fine for me. I hoped he felt like an intruder, and I hoped he was bothered by our embrace.
Gemmy laid her forehead on mine and closed her eyes.
“You’ll be careful,” she demanded. “You’ll be more careful than you’ve ever been in your whole entire life, Franks. I need you to come back to me no matter what. And I want you to promise me that you won’t trust that man. I know he’s your father and you love him, but he’s not a good ma
n. He uses you for his own greed, and once you go astray from the life he’s mapped out for you, he’s going to be pissed and that makes me nervous for you. Promise me, Franks.”
She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. The problem was I could promise her I would be careful, but I couldn’t promise her I’d always come home. I could promise to do my best, but I didn’t think that was the kind of promise she’d want to hear.
I liked my life how it was, and I actually liked working for my father. It was all I knew and there’d be no other life for me. I didn’t grow up a little boy with big dreams of becoming a firefighter or a police officer or even a goddamn nine to five motherfucker in a suit and tie sitting behind my big desk while making bank the clean way.
I wanted to wear a suit and tie, and I wanted neither to get bloody while I worked because that would piss me off.
I wanted people to hear my name or look me in the eyes and be struck with fear. I had earned that right, and I fucking got off on it.
And, most importantly, I wanted to run my father’s empire one day knowing it belonged to me because it’d either been passed on to me or I’d wrested it away from the fucker.
No, I couldn’t make Gemmy pretty promises. They’d be lies and I didn’t lie to my girl. One day she’d be seated on that throne beside me. She just didn’t know it yet.
I rubbed my nose along the length of hers. “I’ll be careful, I’ll give you that. But I want you to give me something in return. Don’t fuck him. Not while I’m gone. Not yet. I get to fuck you first. Anything else is going to piss me off. I don’t care if you fuck around with him, just don’t fuck him.”
She made an angry noise as her fingernails dug in painfully at the back of my neck. I smirked at her as she tipped her head back so she could look down at me.
“I’m not one of those girls you can boss around and tell what to do,” she hissed at me. Her fingernails dug in deeper, and I knew they’d leave marks for days.
