She hung up a few moments later.
“What did she say?” Fadiyah asked.
“They are postponing their trip down here again,” Jet said, sounding relieved.
“And?” Fadiyah asked, knowing Jet’s mother had said more.
“She told me how I should stop partying so much and grow up,” Jet said, blinking, with a sarcastic smile on her face.
Fadiyah looked back at her surprised.
“Why would she say that to you?” Fadiyah asked, her tone reflecting her surprise.
Jet sighed, settling back on the bed and tossing her phone on the nightstand. “Because babe, my parents don’t like me much, and frankly I don’t like them either, so at least it’s mutual.”
“Your parents love you, Jet,” Fadiyah said.
Jet gave a short sarcastic laugh. “No, babe, your parents loved you, my parents see me as a disappointment.”
“How could they see you that way? That is not possible,” Fadiyah said, shaking her head.
Jet smiled at her. “Unfortunately, babe, it is highly possible and believe me, they let me know it regularly. I’m their biggest failure in life.”
Fadiyah shook her head, unable to fathom how Jet’s parents could see her as any kind of failure.
“It bothers you,” Fadiyah said quietly.
“No,” Jet said, shaking her head.
“It bothers you,” Fadiyah said again, her eyes searching Jet’s. “That is why you talk to them the way you do.”
Jet looked back at her, her look amused. “Are you sure you don’t want to go into psychology instead?”
Fadiyah laughed softly. “No, I need to be a nurse to keep up with this kind of thing,” she said, touching the dark bruise and one inch gash on Jet’s upper arm.
“It’s fine,” Jet said.
“You always say that,” Fadiyah said. “Even when you were shot, you said you were fine.”
Jet grinned. “It’s my go to. But this doesn’t even hurt.”
Fadiyah pressed her finger against the wound making Jet jump.
“Hey!” Jet said, laughing despite the pain.
“I thought it did not hurt,” Fadiyah said, her look narrowed.
“Well, as long as you don’t friggin’ poke it, it doesn’t hurt, sheesh!”
Fadiyah just grinned at her.
“Always going to call me on my bullshit, aren’t you?” Jet asked, not looking unpleased by the prospect.
“I am,” Fadiyah said, nodding affirmation.
“Probably a good thing,” Jet said, smiling.
“I believe so.”
Skyler woke to the feeling of a tongue on her face. Groaning, she pushed Benny’s muzzle away.
“It would be okay, dude, if you were an insanely beautiful woman…” she muttered tiredly. “But you have dog breath…”
“Will this insanely beautiful woman do?” Devin asked, standing beside the bed, looking down at Skyler, her emerald-green eyes sparkling in the morning sunlight.
“Yes, you’ll do nicely.” Skyler grinned, taking Devin’s hand and pulling her down on the bed.
Devin laughed as she moved to lie over Skyler.
“Is it time to get up?” Skyler asked, glancing at the clock.
“No,” Devin said, smiling. “Benny just wanted to say good morning.”
“How about you?” Skyler asked. “Do you want to say good morning?”
“Definitely,” Devin said, lowering her head to kiss Skyler’s lips.
Skyler’s arm encircled her, pulling aside the covers and pulling Devin closer to her. They made love, exciting each other as they always did; they had always had incredible sexual chemistry.
Afterwards they lay together, Devin still over Skyler, her face pressed against Skyler’s neck, trying to catch their breath.
“Is it bad luck to have sex before the wedding?” Skyler asked, still slightly breathless.
“It’s bad luck to have sex with someone else before the wedding,” Devin replied, grinning.
“You mean other than the person you’re marrying?” Skyler asked, grinning as well.
“That’s deadly, yeah,” Devin said, moving to look down at Skyler, her eyes narrowed. “Especially for you.”
Skyler grinned. “Why especially for me?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Because I’d kill ya,” Devin said, her look pointed.
“Mmm…” Skyler murmured her light blue-green eyes looking amused.
“I’m mean,” Devin said.
“Uh-huh…” Skyler said, nodding.
“I can be.”
“You can, huh?” Skyler said, her grin widening.
“Skyler Boché!” Devin exclaimed. “Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?” Skyler asked.
“Giving me that look like you are so amused by me.”
“But I am amused by you, babe,” Skyler said.
“You know what I mean…” Devin said, attempting to be angry, but failing miserably.
“Yes, I know,” Skyler said. “And I’d never do that, so its moot point.”
“Okay then,” Devin said, her grin in place again.
“And you’re really okay with leaving on Tuesday for the honeymoon?” Skyler asked then.
“Yes,” Devin assured her. “I know you need to be there for that meeting and I want you to be, so it’s totally okay.”
Skyler looked like she wanted to ask something else, but then changed her mind.
“What?” Devin asked, seeing the look and knowing better than to let Skyler avoid addressing something.
Skyler looked at her, her eyes searching. “And you’re really okay with the idea that I’m going to be working around Jet again?”
Devin smiled softly, having thought that might be Skyler’s question.
“Sky,” she said, her tone sure and her look direct. “I love you, and I trust you, okay?”
Skyler nodded. “I just don’t want you to think that Jet is the reason I’m changing jobs,” she said then. “Things have gone to shit at LAFDsince our captain retired and―”
“Babe, I know that,” Devin said. “I’ve heard what you and Jams have been talking about for months. And I know you’re both unhappy there now. This is a great opportunity for both of you, and I want you to grab it.”
Skyler drew in a deep breath, blowing it out, shaking her head. “I don’t know how I got so lucky,” she said, smiling. “Of all the women I could have found, how did I find you?”
“You didn’t, I found you,” Devin told her. “And I chased after you mercilessly until I got to keep you.”
Skyler smiled, what Devin was saying was partially true. Devin had definitely chased her and pushed her to accept her affection. Skyler hadn’t been willing to accept anything from anyone at that point in her life, other than sex. Devin had changed her mind about that, by being there and not giving up on her. It was for that reason that Skyler loved her so much.
“Well, you need to know that I know how lucky I am that you did,” Skyler told her.
“You can show me for the rest of our lives, babe,” Devin told her.
“I plan to.”
“Good,” Devin responded, smiling.
Later that evening, Jet stood in the backyard, smoking and waiting on Fadiyah. She looked extremely debonair in black slacks, a crisp white long sleeved shirt with starched cuffs with obsidian cuff links. The shirt was open at the throat exposing a fair amount of chest, and her dog tags; the Army star on one tag, and the two silver bars of the rank of Captain on the other. In her ears she wore black obsidian studs. Her black Dolce & Gabbana silk suit jacket with satin accents on the collar and pockets hung over the chair she sat in. On her feet she wore very expensive looking Italian leather boots with a two inch heel.
She made a very striking picture that took Fadiyah’s breath away when she walked up to the back door looking for Jet. She was nervous because Ashley had helped her with her outfit and makeup, and she had no idea how Jet would react.
/> She wore a dress that Jet had paid for but hadn’t seen yet. Jet had handed Ashley her credit card and told her to help Fadiyah find a dress for Skyler’s wedding. Fadiyah had wanted to surprise Jet. Holding her breath, she opened the back sliding door and stepped carefully outside.
Jet turned at the sound of the back door, and literally froze, her mouth agape, her eyes sweeping from Fadiyah’s head down to her toes and back up again. Then she moved to stand.
Fadiyah wore a long gown that was black lace over a beige silk under-gown. The neckline was a sweetheart shape and the dress nipped in sharply at the waist, hugging down past Fadiyah’s mid-thigh, then flared at the bottom. The dress itself was strapless, but Fadiyah wore a sheer black and lace shrug to cover her shoulders and arms. Her silky black hair fell in long graceful curls, with the top held back with black jeweled combs. The makeup that Ashley had helped her apply was just enough to enhance her beautiful skin and bone structure, and to show off her silver-gray eyes.
It took Jet a few long moments to find her breath.
“My God you are so beautiful…” Jet said reverently.
Fadiyah smiled shyly. “You look very handsome,” she said, biting her lower lip.
Jet stepped over to her, touching her cheek with her hand, leaning in to kiss her lips softly. She pulled back and just looked down at the girl in amazement.
“You look absolutely amazing, baby girl,” Jet said, her tone awed.
Fadiyah couldn’t stop smiling. Jet always made her feel like she was the most incredible woman she’d ever seen. Fadiyah knew from watching Jet at the club, and from talking to Ashley, that Jet had been with a lot of women. It made her feel extremely special and lucky to have captured Jet, even if it was only for the time being. She never completely believed that she could keep Jet forever, but she promised herself not to worry about such things. She enjoyed the time with Jet now.
Sebastian opened his front door, and was stunned. Ashley stood at the door with a navy blue gown on that hugged her in all the right places. She’d asked Sebastian to be her date at the last minute, not wanting to be the third wheel to Jet and Fadiyah. She loved them to death, and was slowly but surely getting over Jet, but sometimes she just wanted to get away and breathe. Calling Sebastian had taken a serious amount of courage building, but she’d been secretly thrilled when he’d been more than happy to take her up on her offer.
“Wow,” Sebastian said simply, his eyes taking her in.
“Wow yourself,” Ashley said, taking in his attire.
Sebastian was dressed in black slacks, with a rich green shirt that came fairly close to matching the color of his eyes. He also wore a black alligator skin belt and dress boots that matched. His blond hair was still damp from his shower, and he hadn’t buttoned his shirt yet, which exposed a very nice expanse of well-muscled golden skin, marred only by a scar on his left pectoral muscle.
“Obviously I’m running late,” he told her as he opened his door wider to let her walk in.
Ashley smiled. “I think I’m a little early too, so we’ll call it even,” she said, smiling, proud of herself for not stammering.
The man definitely had sex appeal in spades.
“I’ll be ready in just a minute, okay?” Sebastian said, winking at her. “Make yourself at home.”
Ashely looked around his apartment, noting that he definitely wasn’t a slob. He had good taste in furnishings, rich woods with just enough style to keep them from being plain, but not fussy at all. It was ‘manly’ furniture, Ashley thought, grinning to herself.
Jet had told her that Sebastian was the kind of man she thought she should date. Ashley tried not to let it bother her that Jet was trying to push her to dating other people. She knew that Jet was with Fadiyah and had accepted that it was the way things were meant to be. But it didn’t hurt any less when Jet very obviously wanted her to move on; it wasn’t that easy. She did love Jet, she’d come to realize she probably always had. The emotions were mixed up in nostalgia and some sort of hero worship. Ashley knew it was something she needed to deal with to move on, and she knew that Jet would do whatever she could to help. It just wasn’t easy and would take some time.
It took Ashley a couple of minutes to notice that Sebastian had music on in his apartment. Walking over to where the iHome sat on a sofa table, she looked at the song displayed on the iPod. The words were so incredibly apt for her situation she had to know who sang it. The song was a rock/rap type of song by Linkin Park called “In the End.” She found herself closing her eyes and moving her head to the beat, the words so fitting it was like the song had been written for her. The last verse and chorus said it all. It talked about putting her trust in someone and that for all she’d done, she still ended up with nothing.
Sebastian watched Ashley from the doorway to his bedroom. He saw the way she closed her eyes listening to the song. He knew the song and he could see that she felt every word it said. Something inside him twisted. For whatever reason, this girl had gotten under his skin, and he knew she hadn’t even tried. He could tell that she wasn’t the kind of woman that knew how to get to a man, nothing about Ashley was contrived. She was wide open, and even when she was trying her best to be brave, he could see right through her. For a man like him, who was very used to women throwing themselves at him, using every weapon in their arsenal to catch him, someone like Ashley was an anomaly.
He knew damned good and well that she was in love with Jet, and he could only imagine what Jet’s eventual rejection had done to her. He saw a big difference in her from when he’d first met her, to the woman that stood listening to his music now. She had more confidence now, extending to calling him to ask him to be her date for the wedding. He’d been very surprised, but also very pleased that she seemed to be pulling herself away from Jet finally.
The cynical part of him wondered if this was some kind of ploy to make Jet jealous, he knew if that was the case it was bound to fail miserably. It was obvious to everyone who’d seen Jet with Fadiyah now that she was deeply in love with the girl. It had broken his heart a bit for Ashley, and he knew it was that broken heart that ached for her now, as he watched her listening to a song that talked about losing something you’d tried so hard to get.
Moving from the door jamb he was leaning against, he walked over to Ashley, touching her gently on the arm. She jumped slightly, and then grimaced.
“I’m sorry, I was kind of…” she began, then shook her head. “Never mind.”
“It’s a good song,” Sebastian said, his look understanding.
“Yeah…” Ashley said, doing everything she could to keep the sadness out of her voice. She succeeded in keeping it out of her voice, but nothing would erase it from her eyes.
Once again, something in Sebastian clenched, he wanted to see her smile without that shadow in her blue eyes.
“Are you like Jet in the listening to music constantly thing?” she asked then.
Sebastian grinned. “Yeah, I guess I am,” he said, nodding.
“She says it’s because of her ADHD, is that you too?” Ashley asked, cringing inwardly thinking she was talking way too much about Jet!
Sebastian looked pensive. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about that. I just need the chaos.”
Ashley smiled. “That’s an interesting way to put it,” she said.
“You ready to go?” he asked her, pulling on his jacket.
“Yes,” she said. “Oh, wait.” she said then, reaching up to straighten his collar for him.
He stood, patiently waiting for her to finish, a grin on his lips. Classic romantic moment, Bach. Are you brave enough? his brain asked him. For once in his life he didn’t grab the easy opportunity. He didn’t want to push her, or make her think that he was after her because he figured she was easy.
“There,” Ashley said, smiling up at him.
“Let’s go,” he said, smiling at her.
She was happily reminded that Sebastian Bach was every bit the gentleman. He opened doors for
her and helped her up into his vehicle. Driving to the venue, Ashley found that she was very happy that she’d been brave enough to ask him to be her date. The last thing she’d wanted to do was to show up to this wedding where literally every one of her friends was in a couple, either alone or with Jet and Fadiyah. It just reminded her too much of high school, and that was just not a memory she wanted.
The venue for Skyler and Devin’s wedding was beyond amazing. It was called Vibiana and was located in the historic part of downtown Los Angeles. Since the wedding was small, the ceremony itself was held outside on a beautifully decorated veranda. The colors for the wedding were a rich deep purple and black. Everything about the decorations reflected those colors. The chairs for the guests were covered in black silk with a long purple satin runner down the center. The flowers were all shades of purple, with various styles and textures. It was an early evening wedding, so it was already getting dark and on the veranda was up lit with purple hues.
As the wedding guests walked in, they all exclaimed at the incredible beauty of everything.
Jet escorted Fadiyah to a seat, then leaning down to kiss her lips softly, she said, “I’ll be right back.”
Walking over to a side area, Jet located Skyler.
“So how ya doin’?” Jet asked, grinning.
“Shut it, Jet,” Skyler said, grinning too.
Jet took in Skyler’s suit; she looked damned good in all black with a purple tie and pocket square.
“You look nervous,” Jet said.
“I look scared out of my fucking mind, Jet,” Skyler shot back.
Jet chuckled. “Nah, you’ll be okay,” she said, smiling.
Skyler took a deep breath and nodded. “I need a damned cigarette.”
“Well, see… That’s what your troublemaking friends are good for,” Jet said, pulling her pack out of her jacket and shaking out one to offer to Skyler.
Jet Blue (WeHo Book 5) Page 25
