by Hart, Lane
Oh great, he wants to set me up with someone!
“I’m not interested,” I mutter before I start back to my room.
“He’s an older guy who is lonely but has lots of money,” Sean says, completely ignoring me. “He’s, ah, looking for someone to keep him company. What do you say? Will you let him take you out Friday?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“Why not?” he asks, getting up from the sofa to face me. “You said you’re not dating anyone, right?”
“Right.”
“Then Friday night it’s a date. I’ll tell him to pick you up around eight.”
“Sean, no!” I exclaim. What is with his fucking audacity? “I don’t want to date some old loser!”
“Please, Jetta. I won’t ever ask you for anything again. It’s his birthday, and he’s lonely. Just one night is all I’m asking you for. One night and then you never have to see him again, I swear. You can survive putting up with anyone for just one single night.”
“So you want me to go on a date with him because it’s his birthday and he’s alone, and you feel sorry for him?” I ask in surprise. My brother is many things but sweet is not usually one of them.
“Yes, exactly. No one should have to spend their birthday alone, you know?” he says when he starts walking over toward me. And if he gets too close, he’ll smell Devlin on me.
“I guess…”
“So you’ll do it?” he asks, and I feel like I’m being backed into a literal corner. If I keep saying no, Sean could become suspicious and figure out that I’ve been seeing Devlin. And he’s right, I can suck it up and get through a pity date for just one night. Although, it sort of feels like I’ll be cheating on Devlin. If I tell him I’m doing it only as a favor to Sean, then I’m sure he’ll understand.
“Okay. Fine. One date, but that’s it, Sean,” I reluctantly agree.
“Great! Thank you, Jetta! I owe you big time.”
“Yes, you do,” I agree before I finally head into my room and slam the door.
Devlin
* * *
Things have been going great this week with Jetta. While we still fuck at least twice a day, she’s at least talking to me more, telling me about work and asking how things are going on my new construction site.
In fact, things are so good that after work, once we’ve quenched our thirst for each other and are recovering in each other’s arms, I decide to finally ask her. “What do you say you pack a bag and come stay at my place tonight? I could make us something to eat. We could watch a movie and then cuddle…”
Jetta stiffens where she was resting her head on my chest before she sits up and pulls away from my arms. “I’m sorry Dev, but I can’t tonight. Maybe tomorrow?”
“Why not tonight?” I ask. “You could just tell Sean you’re going to stay with your friend, Carla.”
“Maybe I could come over later tonight?” she offers as she pulls a shirt on, the gesture I’m starting to realize is her way of putting up her walls.
“Why not right now?” I sit up and ask.
“Because I, ah, I have to get a shower, and then-then I have a date.”
“A date?” I exclaim, certain that my hearing is going because that’s ridiculous. Why would Jetta go on a date with someone else when she’s been so concerned about me seeing someone other than her?
“It’s just a favor to Sean. Don’t be jealous or whatever,” she says in rush.
“Don’t be jealous? How else am I supposed to feel about you going out with someone else? And haven’t you done that asshole enough favors for a lifetime?” I grit out.
“I know I have, but he’s my brother, and he was worried about his friend spending his birthday alone. It was sweet.”
“Sounds fishy to me,” I grumble. “Who is this fucker you’re going out with?”
“I don’t know. Sean didn’t tell me his name.”
“So you agreed to go out with someone you know absolutely nothing about? One of your brother’s ‘friends’?”
“It’s not a big deal, Dev!” Jetta says, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest. “We’ll probably just have dinner, and then he’ll bring me home. I could come by your place after?”
“I don’t like this,” I tell her.
“I’ll tell you all about it later, okay? He’s probably gross…”
“What if he’s not?” I ask. “If he’s hot, are you going to fuck him?”
“God no!” she huffs. “I don’t know who he is and have never seen him before.”
“You didn’t know me or even want to know my name before you fucked me!” I remind her.
“Screw you, Devlin!” she says, face turning red with anger. “It’s just a date and I’m going, so get over it! Nothing is going to happen. I think he’s, like, old or something.”
“Old?” I ask in confusion. “Why does your brother have old ass friends?”
“I don’t know! Maybe he’s a client? Someone he painted for.”
“I don’t like it. Cancel,” I demand.
“No. It’s too late to cancel. I’ve already promised Sean.”
“You don’t owe that fucker anything, Jetta! You sold your car for him!” I shout at her. “Cancel the goddamn date right now!”
“I did sell my car, and I would do it again because he’s my brother! He’s the only family I have who gives a shit about me. And yes, he messed up and had a gambling problem, but that’s over now, so please drop it. I need to do my hair and get a shower.”
She needs to shower because she smells like me and is about to go out to dinner with some other fucking man! Nothing to be jealous of, right? It’s not like she’s ever let me take her out on a date. And I won’t ever complain about getting to fuck her twice a day, but I want more, and she refuses to give it to me.
“Fine,” I huff because I know I’m fighting a losing battle. When it’s a choice between hurting me or her brother, it’s always going to be me who gets screwed over. I get it. He’s her family. But the dude is a prick. “Go on your date with some loser tonight, but tomorrow we’re going out to dinner.”
“We are, huh?” she asks, sounding surprised.
“What? You can go out with a stranger but not me, the man you’ve been fucking for a month?”
“A month? Has it really been that long?”
“Yeah, it has. And that’s not counting the concert.”
“Wow. A whole month. We should celebrate. For the first time in your life, you’ve only slept with one woman for the past four weeks.”
“I’m sensing some sarcasm,” I note.
“Goodbye, Dev. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jetta says with a shake of her head before she walks out of her room with a change of clothes in her arms, a fucking dress, if I’m not mistaken, and slams the door behind her.
“Enjoy your date! If you won’t go on one with me, then maybe I’ll go out tonight and find someone who will!” I yell at the closed door, instantly regretting the words that come out of my mouth. They were stupid, and I know I’ve made a huge mistake before Jetta opens the door again, her face furious.
“I knew you couldn’t be happy with just me!” she exclaims.
“That’s not what I meant…” I start, but she railroads right over me.
“Go date someone else or screw them! I always knew you would move on to someone else even though you kept denying it!”
“I don’t want anyone else,” I assure her, but it’s too late. I fucked up and said the worst thing I could to the woman who has never fully trusted me.
“That’s not what you just said, so get out, Devlin. We’re done!” she shouts.
Guess that means she won’t be coming over to my place tonight afterward.
“You’re upset. I get it,” I say as I start putting my clothes on. “Just don’t say shit you don’t mean. You like me, Jetta. Maybe even more than like me. I’m not sure why you think I’m going to hurt you, but I’m not. I care about you. A lot. Not that you’ll believe me. Still,
it’s true. I’m falling in love with you and only you.”
I hear the door down the hall shut and realize she’s already left without even hearing me out. Jetta just needs a little time to cool off and so do I.
But she’s crazy if she thinks I’m just going to leave. Fuck that. I’m not going anywhere except to follow her ass on this date with a stranger. I don’t trust her brother as far as I can throw his ass, and I’m certain there’s more to this ‘date’ than he has told her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jetta
* * *
Devlin’s gone by the time I get ready. He didn’t even get to see my new hair color that is now a bright arrangement of blue, green and purple streaks. Not that I dyed it for my date, but for myself. And maybe because I thought Dev would like it.
He’s long gone, of course, but I still miss him. I thought he might stick around and keep arguing and putting up a fight about my date.
I haven’t decided if I’ll go by his place later tonight or not. He said some hurtful things, but I think it was just because he was jealous. Jealous of a man I’ve never met, which is crazy. At the same time, I’m jealous of the hypothetical woman he threatened to go on a date with, so maybe he’s right and I do more than just like him.
The doorbell rings before I can think more about my feelings for Devlin. Since Sean hasn’t come home yet, I go and answer it to meet my mystery man.
“Hi,” I say when I open up with a fake smile that falters as I take in his enormous size and the threatening vibe coming off the big man wearing all black.
“Mr. Cox sent me to pick you up for your date,” the giant informs me, his voice even icier than his looks.
“So, you’re not my date?”
“No,” he answers, swiftly turning around and walking away.
That’s a relief.
“Let me grab my purse and I’ll be right down!” I call out.
“Make it fast,” he responds, which pisses me off.
Hopefully this Mr. Cox is more polite than his chauffeur or whatever the heck he is.
I grab the black purse that matches my cocktail dress and then lock up before jogging down the stairs in my heels.
The only car with lights on is a dark sedan, so I go over and open the passenger door.
“You sit in the back,” the gruff driver informs me.
“All right then,” I mutter, shutting the door to open the rear one.
As soon as I sit down and close the door, he backs out of the parking lot without another word, and then we’re pulling out of the complex and driving away from the city.
“Ah, where are we going?” I ask since all the restaurants are all back in town.
“To Mr. Cox’s residence.”
“His residence? No one mentioned that to me,” I say. “I thought we were going to have dinner.”
“Mr. Cox has hired a chef to cook his favorite for you — a deep-fried duck with plum sauce and an oyster stuffing.”
“Oh, okay.”
Strange that he insists on us eating at his house, but it is his birthday.
A few minutes later and we’re pulling up to a three-story mansion on the beach. It’s lit up with lights lining the long driveway. There are several more large men like the driver standing around as if they’re patrolling a prison and not a home. I thought Sean said this guy was going to have to spend his birthday alone. Looks like he has plenty of people around…
Who the heck is Mr. Cox?
I guess I’m about to find out since the car stops and then someone comes over and opens my door for me when I hesitate to climb out.
“Right this way, Miss James,” the driver says.
“Thanks,” I tell him as I climb out and follow him into the elegant residence.
“Go right inside,” he tells me in the entry way before he snatches my purse from my hand and urges me forward with a rough shove to my back.
“I would like to take my purse with me,” I complain before I realize we’re in the living room where a fat man in a dark suit sits on what can only be described as a throne.
“Jetta! I’m so glad you could join me tonight,” he says with a big smile. Spreading his arms, he says, “Welcome to my home.”
“Ah, thank you. And, um, happy birthday,” I reply as I turn around and watch the giant escape with my purse, my phone, my lifeline to the world outside of this bizarre residence.
“Birthday?” Mr. Cox repeats with his bushy eyebrows bunched. “It’s not my birthday.”
“It’s not? I thought…Sean said…I’m sorry I must have misheard him.”
“You must have,” he agrees as he stands up and comes waddling toward me. “Come. Let’s see if dinner is ready.”
“Okay,” I agree even though every cell in my body is telling me something isn’t right with this man and this house or his guards or whatever they are.
I wish I would’ve listened to Devlin and cancelled. He wasn’t just acting like a jealous boyfriend; he was worried about me. I get that now.
The closer we get to the dining room, the more the smell of a delicious roasted meat grows, which is the first good thing I can say about this date. Although, I have completely lost my appetite.
A long wooden table with at least ten chairs is set for just two, the seat at the end and the one to the right.
“Have a seat and tell me a little about yourself,” Mr. Cox urges, pulling out my chair for me.
As soon as we’re both seated, he yells, “We’re ready to be served!” and a young, pretty woman with thick, frizzy, red hair comes rushing out with two silver platters, one in each hand. There’s only one way to describe her — she looks frazzled.
“I hope the meal is to your liking, sir,” she tells Mr. Cox when she places his dish in front of him and then mine in front of me.
“You better hope it is to my liking as well,” he mutters, which sounds ominous while the woman wrings her hands in front of her nervously. “Now leave us.”
“Yes, sir,” she replies with one last nervous glance at me before she disappears into the kitchen or whatever is beyond the dining room.
Mr. Cox lifts the lid of his platter and inhales deeply. “Ah, if it’s as good as it smells, we’re in for a real treat.” He grabs a fork and shoves a bite in before looking at me. “Eat up, Jetta. Cora Walsh is supposedly the best chef around. You’re going to need your energy for later.”
“What’s…what’s later?” I ask since I thought we would have dinner, talk for a little while and then I could go home.
“A game,” Mr. Cox informs me with his mouth full of food. “You’ve heard of hide and seek I’m sure.”
“Yes, when I was a child,” I respond in confusion.
“Well, this is the grown-up version,” he explains. “You’ll try to hide somewhere in the house, and I will find you eventually.”
“I’m not sure I understand…”
“The real fun begins when I find you. And I will find you before the night is over,” he says placing his forearm on the table to lean toward me with a vicious grin. He winks at me before he goes back to eating with his mouth full. “And I must warn you, Jetta. I’ve been told I’m somewhat of a sadist. Nothing is more titillating to me than inflicting pain on beautiful women until they break.”
Oh. My. God.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Devlin
* * *
As soon as a Mercedes sedan pulled up at Jetta’s place, I wanted to throw up. But then the driver, some big ass fucker, who looked vaguely familiar, got out and went to the door to get Jetta; then insisted she sit in the backseat. This shit keeps getting stranger.
Of course I followed them out of the city, hoping I was wrong about their destination the closer they got to the private beaches and a residence I know all too well – Harold fucking Cox.
It doesn’t make sense. Jetta had no idea who her brother had set her up with tonight. If she had, I’m certain she would’ve turned him down.
Which has me wond
ering what the hell Sean was thinking when he made some sort of fucked up deal with Harry in exchange for a date with her. That’s when I finally remember him trying to make the same deal with me and Fiasco. He told us he had a “hot sister” and could hook us up with her if we gave him a break on his debt.
I quickly pull over onto a sandy shoulder before I get too close to the house to call Jetta’s son of a bitch brother.
“What do you want, Dev? I paid in full,” Sean says when he answers.
“No, you didn’t pay in full. Jetta did. Now tell me what the fuck she’s doing in a car on her way to Harry Cox’s house right fucking now!”
“How did you…have you been screwing her?”
“I’m in love with her, you idiot! I’ve been sneaking out of the apartment for weeks, and you didn’t even notice!”
“Stay away from Jetta!” he exclaims. “She’s too good for you!”
He’s right. She is too good for me. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop seeing her.
“I would love to see you try and keep me from her. Now start talking fast before I find you and beat the words out of your sorry mouth!”
“It’s none of your fucking business –”
“Talk and talk fast, you stupid motherfucker, or I will end you!” I roar at him through the phone so loudly it echoes around the night sky.
“Fine!” he huffs. “It’s no big deal. I owe Harry.”
“You’re in debt to him you mean,” I grumble as I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing myself for the rest of his explanation. “What’s Jetta have to do with that?”
“Harry’s men must have saw her coming or going from my place and followed her. They saw her working at the waterpark and told Harry. He thought she was my girlfriend at first, someone to use to hurt me, so I told him she was my sister.”
“And?” I snap at him.
“And he made me a deal. He wanted a date with her, or-or he was going to kill me.”
“Jesus fucking Christ! I have no fucking idea why you would ever agree to send your sister to Harry’s house for a date in the first place, but do you have any idea how much danger she could be in? He’s a goddamn human trafficker, for fuck’s sake!”
