by Meghan Quinn
“What are you doing here?”
Without saying a word, Jett grabbed my hand and pulled me up from my bed. If I wasn’t so far gone from the way he looked at me, I would have resisted but I was weak, I was pathetic and I craved him. I craved him so damn bad that I wanted to cry. I hated that he had such power over me, that he could turn me into a ball of mush with just a look.
He placed his hand on my cheek and looked me square in the eyes. “My little one, I’m so sorry that I left you wondering these past couple of days…”
“That’s right, you’re sorry,” I said as I pulled away, getting a little bit of my bravado back. “Do you think it’s fun for me waiting for you, wondering where the hell you are or when you’re coming back?” I held up my hand before he could talk. “I know we’re not in a relationship and I get that, but I’m sorry I just can’t sit around after you fuck the ever living hell out of me and then be cool with your disappearance. I worry about you, Jett, I fucking care about you and I think it’s real shitty the way you’ve been treating me. You either like me or you don’t, I can’t do any more of this wafting around, as if the feelings we have for each other, and I know you have feelings, don’t matter. I mean, fuck, Jett. You’re killing me! I feel like I’m bleeding when you leave without a word, when you push me away. It fucking guts me.”
My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath from the mini rant I went on. When I looked back up at Jett, his brow was furrowed and the look of disappointment crossed his features.
“Goldie, I’m so fucking sorry. I’m a…uh…” He ran his hand through his hair and then turned his back on me.
He’s a what? I wanted to shake him and scream at him to finish his sentence but from the way his shoulders sank and the way his back tensed, I knew whatever he was going to say was going to be extremely difficult for him so I pulled back my anger.
Instead of being a giant dick and walking out, like I should, I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his back, giving him comfort. He exhaled sharply and then turned in my grasp. His arms came around my back and pulled me in closer to his chest as he leaned his head down and kissed the side of my temple.
His lips caressed my ear as he said, “I’m a broken man, little one. I was fucked over by someone who I gave my heart to and she stomped on it, broke it in half. She made me feel worthless, used and I haven’t been able to get over the words she spouted off as she walked out of my house and out of my life.”
“What did she say?” I asked barely above a whisper. I didn’t want to scare him away because for the first time since he told me about his mom, he was actually opening up.
Jett shook his head, denying me. Instead of pushing him, I instead rubbed his chest with the palm of my hand and kissed him on the jaw. His body relaxed under my arms and he drew me in even closer.
“You’re too good for me, Goldie, but to hell if I can let you go.”
“I don’t know what that is supposed to mean,” I answered honestly.
He pulled away and lifted his hand that was holding a long, flat jewelry box.
“This is for you, my little one.” The way he said my name with such sincerity had my stomach flipping in excitement.
I looked at the box and then back up at him with a smirk. “This isn’t going to be some Pretty Woman moment where I reach into the box and you snap it on my fingers, is it? Because I have to tell you, you will be sorely disappointed. I have cat-like reflexes.”
A small grin peeked at the corner of Jett’s mouth as he said, “No, it’s not.”
With that, he opened the box and revealed a very thin chained necklace made of white gold and in the middle had a very small round gem pendant with a purple center. It was gorgeous.
Not skipping a beat, he pulled the necklace out of the box and unlocked the ends. “May I?” he asked, hovering over my body.
“Yes,” I said breathlessly as I turned around and he brought the necklace over my head and rested it on my collarbones as he put it on.
Once the necklace was fastened, the pendant settled right where my neck met my chest and the chain grazed the top of my collarbones. It was borderline choker status but not quite. My hand landed on the pendant as I turned to look at him.
“It’s gorgeous, Jett. Thank you so much.”
“Do you know what this is?” he asked as his fingers grazed mine so we were both touching the pendant.
“No.”
Jett took a deep breath and said, “In my world, a symbol like this would mean that you’re mine, that by wearing this necklace day in and day out, you are letting everyone know that you are taken, that you belong to me and only me.”
Realization set in as my mouth fell open and I felt the necklace again.
“Is this a…collar?” I asked, almost flabbergasted from the gesture.
Looking a little sheepish, Jett nodded his head as he gripped the back of his neck with his one hand. The man was nervous, actually nervous. Fuck, I could not deny myself any longer.
With one quick jump, I straddled him as he stood, grabbed his head in my hands and placed my lips on his. I didn’t take it slow at all, no, I drove my tongue into his mouth, demanding that he reciprocate and he did, he did with a groan.
When I pulled away, I searched his face as I said, “What does this mean, Jett?”
He stroked my face with his thumb as he held me up with the other hand. “This means I want to try, that I want to uh…be exclusive.”
“Like a girlfriend?” I singsonged and teased.
He cleared his throat and said, “Something like that.”
I hopped off him and placed my hands on my hip. “Something like that? No, that’s not good enough. I either am or I’m not. I’m sick of playing games with you, Jett. You said early on that you didn’t play games and you know what, neither do I. I’m going to sound like a broken record of a boy band but you need to quit playing games with my heart. I don’t deserve to be fucked one night and then dropped off the face of the planet the next. I’m dead serious when I say it’s all or nothing with me. I’m done with this guessing game.”
Holy shit, I was quaking in my boots. Where the hell did that come from? Even though I was surprised with myself, I realized that I meant it. I truly meant what I said. I was sick of being played with. I was at a breaking point and he either wanted me in his life, fully, or he wanted me to leave forever. I couldn’t take this up and down shit anymore.
“Well…” I asked while crossing my hands over my chest.
He looked at me as his hand held on to the back of his head. His pose was sexy as hell and I knew he wasn’t doing it on purpose it was just Jett being Jett but fucking hell all I wanted to do was rip his clothes off and take him. Forget about the clothes, I just needed to unzip his pants, I was that fucking ready.
He released his hand and stepped forward. He separated my arms and grabbed a hold of my hands. He brought them up to his lips and he lightly kissed them as he looked me directly in the eyes, stealing my heart, looking into my soul.
“You’re mine, Goldie. Are titles that important?”
Were they? Not really but I wanted to hear him say it. I needed to hear him say it but I knew at this moment, I shouldn’t push my luck. Even though I was dying to hear the words come out of his mouth, he was opening himself up to me and letting me in. I needed to be happy with baby steps.
“They are to me but I get it, Jett. I get you’re scared.” I stood up and pressed another kiss to his jaw as my hand caressed his cheek. “I just need to know that since I’m yours, that makes you mine as well. I need to hear you say it.”
He nodded his head and without skipping a beat, he said, “I’m yours, Goldie, all fucking yours.”
Elation throbbed through my veins as he grabbed the sides of my head and brought his lips down onto mine. His hands ran from my cheeks down to my neck where he caressed my necklace as his mouth explored mine. Waves of nerves and new found feelings rushed through me as he pressed his body against mine, sign
aling to me that he meant what he said. He was mine.
He groaned and pulled away, leaving me breathless and wanting more. He smiled, fucking smiled down at me and I felt my heart flip upside down from the endearing look on his face.
“As much as I would love to pull that robe off you and expose that beautiful skin of yours, we need to get you dressed because we have an event to get to.”
My eyes lit up from the mention of him taking me out.
“We’re still going to go?”
“Of course, why do you think I’m dressed like this?”
“To make my clit pop off?”
Jett shook his head as a small smirk crossed his face.
“Oh shit, sorry.” I covered my mouth and took a deep breath as I tried to regain myself. “I promise I will be on my best behavior tonight. I’ve been working with Miss Mary all week to get polished for tonight. You know, in case you did show up.”
“I was going to show up.”
“I had my second thoughts,” I stated as I looked away.
Jett grabbed my chin and made me look him in the eyes. “Listen to me closely, little one. No matter what happens, no matter what comes between us, I will always be there for you. You will always be able to count on me and I don’t want you thinking any differently, okay?”
I nodded my head as he lightly kissed my lips.
His hands traveled down to the waist of my robe and untied the tie, revealing my strapless bra and thong.
His gaze wandered down to my flat stomach—thank you Kace—and nodded in appreciation.
“You’re exquisite, little one.” He frowned as he took in everything. “Where is your gold lingerie? Were you that mad at me to deprive me of such a thing?”
I looked at him confused. “What are you talking about? I never got gold lingerie.”
His head snapped up as he looked over to my closet. “You mean to tell me, you never got any?”
“No. Was I supposed to?”
Jett made an indescribable sound as he reached into his pocket and started typing something out on his phone. When he was done, he looked back up at me and then reached for the dress that was behind me on the bathroom door.
“Get dressed, little one. We have a long night ahead of us.”
“How is it going to end?” I asked as I grabbed on to his lapels and leaned into him.
“I think you know,” he said as he leaned down and played with my necklace. “I can’t tell you how much pride runs through my bones seeing you wear my collar. It makes me want to fuck you so hard that you remember who owns you.”
“I don’t need you to fuck me to know who owns me, Jett. You’ve owned me since the first day at Kitten’s Castle when you ordered your drink with that sultry southern voice of yours.”
I pulled away and walked toward the bathroom to put my dress on. As I walked away, I heard Jett faintly say, “You’ve owned me since the first day I saw you at the cemetery.”
When I turned to ask him if I heard him right, I saw him looking at one of my drawings of his mother’s grave and decided to let it go. He had enough for tonight. I didn’t want to push him any further. I was content with our progress.
Chapter Twelve
“You Really Got a Hold on Me”
Jett
I waited in the grand entrance of the Lafayette Club for Goldie to come down the stairs. My chest should feel constricted right now, I should feel tied down and panicky but I wasn’t. I almost felt kind of free, for once, since Goldie entered my life. Was claiming her as mine all it really took?
It was a big step on my part, fucking huge. I’ve never felt so vulnerable in my entire life but when Goldie allowed me to put my collar around her beautiful neck, I’ve never felt so much pride before. Pride for myself and pride to have a girl like Goldie on my arm. She was foul-mouthed most of the time and had a hard time submitting and following my rules but I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. That I didn’t enjoy the challenge. I never knew what to expect from her and that was one of the best things about being with her, near her and owning her.
When she asked if she owned me, I wanted to laugh. Was it really that hard for her to see? No matter how many times I tried to get her out of my head, I couldn’t. She had taken up residence in my brain, my body and my soul. She had me wrapped around that little pinky of hers and I would do anything for her, fucking anything.
I just needed to take baby steps. Being with a girl, with just one girl as more than a lover is overwhelming. There are emotional responsibilities that I need to be prepared for and I’m terrified as fuck about whether or not I’m ready for them. I want to be, I need to be because I can’t lose Goldie. She’s too damn important to me. I hate to admit it but she has slowly become my world and that bastard Kace can see it. He’s laughing his way around the damn club at me. I know he’s just itching to say “I told you so,” and a part of me wants to shove it up his ass and prove him wrong because that’s the kind of ass I am, but I know that won’t get me anywhere but miserable in my office with a glass full of bourbon in my hand.
I glanced at my watch and tried to figure out what was taking so damn long for Goldie to meet me downstairs. All she had to do was put on a dress. She was already wearing her undergarments, her hair and makeup were done so she should be good to go.
The thought of her in her black lingerie had me shifting in position so I didn’t get too excited about the proposition of seeing her in it again later tonight. One thing I wasn’t happy with was the fact that Goldie still didn’t have her gold lingerie. I sent a message to Kace about it but he has yet to get back to me. I would be getting to the bottom of that tomorrow.
The faint sound of heels clicking against the hardwood floor brought my attention to the top of the stairs where Goldie was standing. Her hair was no longer in a bun but instead was in long waves cascading down past her shoulders. The gray dress she had on was beyond exquisite, accentuating every beautiful asset of her body.
She glided down the stairs and I felt my heart catch in my throat as I watched her approach me, wearing my collar. She was a sight that could take down any man. Her lips were framed in a pretty light pink gloss that made me want to push her up against the wall and take what I wanted.
“Are you ready?” she asked shyly.
I grabbed her hand and brought it up to my mouth. I kissed her softly and said, “You’re so beautiful, little one. So damn beautiful.”
A light blush spread across her cheeks as her eyes beamed.
“Thank you.”
I held out my arm for her to grab, which she did and I leaned down in her ear. “Are you ready?”
“I am,” she said while straightening her posture, something she must had learned from Miss Mary. It delighted me to see her try, not that she needed to. Honestly, I would take her any way I could get her. I just wanted her to be prepared for the heinous humans she was about to meet.
I led her to the front door and just when we were about to leave, there was a ruckus of whistles and cheering coming down the hallway. Goldie and I turned around to see the other Jett Girls tossing confetti and blowing on noise makers as they made their way toward us. Goldie laughed and I just stared at them all, a little stunned. Behind them all was Kace, with his arms crossed, leaning against the hallway wall with a slight smirk on his face.
“Finally!” the girls all shouted as they ran up to Goldie and gave her a hug.
“You two are perfect for each other.” Tootse clapped as she bounced up and down.
Francy patted her shoulder and then looked at me. “You scored yourself a hot piece of ass, Jett. Don’t fuck it up.”
“Yeah, don’t fuck it up,” Babs repeated as she pushed my shoulder.
“Or we will fuck you up,” Pepper added as they all started to come at me like a little blonde mafia, besides Francy.
I held my hands up and said, “I may have chosen Goldie but that doesn’t mean you ladies can get out of control. Know your roles,” I said with a smirk.
“You’re lucky you’re on your way out,” Babs said.
“Give him hell, Lo,” Francy added.
I looked down at Goldie who was looking up at me with a devilish glint in her eye.
Without taking my eyes off her, I said, “I have no doubt in my mind that she won’t.” A small smile spread across her face as I grabbed her hand again. “Time to go.” I turned to the girls and gave them all a wink. “Night, ladies. Don’t get too drunk tonight.”
“Don’t worry about us, Lo is the one with the drunken craziness,” Pepper said as they all started walking away.
God help the men out on the streets tonight because as their jean-clad asses walked away from me, I knew they were going to cause hell tonight.
I led Goldie out to the waiting limo and held the door open for her. I watched as she hiked up her dress slightly so she could climb in. The slight movement brought the slit up to a dangerous height and the mere thought of what she was hiding underneath had me itching to ditch the event and take her back upstairs.
Fuck me, this was going to be a long night.
I slid in next to her and shut the door. The driver pulled forward as Goldie leaned into my shoulder and rested her head on my chest. I wasn’t used to being comfortably intimate with someone but I liked the way she felt against me so I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, allowing her to bury herself deeper into my side.
“Thank you for taking me tonight,” she said with not much spunk like usual but more sincerity.
I kissed the top of her head and played with a strand of her hair. “I’m glad I was able to pull my head out of my ass and realize that I needed you.”
She nuzzled my chest and said, “Please don’t ever stop saying that.”
We sat in silence holding on to each other as the streets of New Orleans passed us by. I should feel weird, I should want to distance myself but right now, in this moment, I knew I made the right choice. I just hoped it didn’t backfire on me. I wasn’t strong enough to get my heart ripped out of my chest again. I liked to pretend I was a strong man and nothing affected me but deep down, I was a hurting son of a bitch with a black hole where my heart should be.
