“Sure, there’s a nice bar near here.”
We walked down the street, discussing the client he’d been working with today when he suddenly stopped.
“You know, I can’t represent your dad. I’m not a criminal lawyer. I deal with business. But, even if I could, I need to keep right out of this. I can’t be dragged down with him. He’s going to be lucky to find anyone at all that will take on his case.”
I nodded. Friendships seemed so mercenary to these people. I thanked my lucky stars that I had friends like Angie who didn’t care about that kind of thing.
A soft breeze blew down the street. It had a bite to it, though. Winter was well on its way.
We went to a tiny bar down a discreet laneway. The place looked like it was full of lawyers. It had that lawyer smell of money and leather and corruption.
Frank walked through to a table in a nook off the main room and ordered us a glass of wine each.
“What are your plans after you graduate, Hannah?” he asked.
“I want to keep managing the band. I like that work.”
“I mean a real job.”
I took a sip of my drink and fought back the words I wanted to say. This was not going well.
“I’m making money,” I said, hoping that would stop that line of conversation.
Frank ordered another glass of wine.
“How are you involved in the band?” I asked.
Frank paused with his drink halfway to his mouth. He tried to cover it but there was definitely a moment of shock before he relaxed his face.
“What makes you ask that?”
I hesitated, not wanting to say that I’d seen him with Jack, but then I figured if I didn’t mention it, I’d never find out anything.
“I overheard you, at Jack’s apartment.”
“A client had asked me to contact him urgently. He’s a very angry young man, and I’m not sure if it’s in your best interests to be dating him.” Frank’s hand trembled and the wine sloshed in his glass.
“I can look after myself,” I said, for the second time that day. I don’t know why people thought I couldn’t.
“So, who is your client?” I asked.
“You know I can’t tell you. Client confidentiality, and all that.”
Yet somehow Frank and my father were involved in all this. I wondered if it was someone I knew. That wouldn’t be unreasonable. When I’d asked Dad why he’d signed Storm up to his management company, he’d said he’d done it to help out a friend.
I finished my glass of wine and made my excuses to leave.
I got home, hoping to have a relaxing night. I knew Jack would be at the studio until late and I had a ton of work for uni to catch up on. I also wanted to make a list of all the people I knew who were mutual acquaintances of both my dad and Frank. Not that either of them would ever admit to anything. I put on some music and got some food out of the freezer to reheat.
I’d got most of my readings and assignments up to date when Jack got home. Not only was Eric with him, but also Spud and Denise. By the sound of them crashing through the door, they’d had quite a bit to drink, too.
“What’s happening?”
“We decided to quit the recording early and go to the pub.”
My throat tightened.
“Do you know how much we are paying to have that studio booked for the recording time?” The words sounded naggy even to me, but they had to be said.
“Settle down, Hannah. We’ll get the recording done in the time. Your boy, Jack here, has to have some relaxation time.” Spud put his arm around me, but I shook myself loose. I turned to Eric.
“I expected better from you,” I said, since he was usually the voice of reason within the band.
He, at least, had the sense to look embarrassed about it, which made me feel bad because why should Eric have to be the sensible one all the time?
“Settle down, Hannah,” said Jack. “It’s not like we blew the whole session off. We got a fair bit done.”
I folded my arms. I didn’t want to get into an argument with him, or the other two about this. They were adults and they should be responsible for themselves. It was just that they needed to understand that the recording studio was costing us a fortune and I didn’t want to see that money wasted.
Okay, maybe I was a bit pissy because Spud had obviously thought to call Denise to join them for drinks but Jack hadn’t called me. Maybe he wanted to go drinking without me. Maybe he thought I wasn’t fun.
And, to be honest, this kind of thing seemed to happen every time Jack and I had a ‘grown-up’ talk. Like it was much for him to deal with so he had to act out.
Spud had gotten beers out of the fridge for him and Denise. That bugged me too. How dare he do that? That was my fridge. He shouldn’t just be helping himself. Sure it was Eric and Jack’s place before I moved in, but I liked to think it belonged to the three of us now since all three of us lived here.
There was a knock at the door and a few of Jack’s friends showed up. Good thing I’d finished studying or this would be really annoying.
“Jack,” someone squealed. That girl I hated rushed into the room and threw her arms around his neck. When she broke away, she scowled at me.
“We’ve met before?” she asked.
I’d never worked out that girl’s connection to Jack, other than that she had been maybe a fuck buddy. She slunk around him like an alley cat.
I really didn’t feel like talking to any of those people.
“What’s Angie up to tonight?” I asked Eric, wondering why she hadn’t joined them either.
“She’s out of town doing some filming. She got a call this afternoon. Sounds like it’s a good opportunity for her, working on a professional set, even if it’s just running errands.”
He smiled and I smiled back. I couldn’t stay angry with Eric. He was so transparent. No mood swings; no angst; just a genuine nice guy. Why couldn’t I fall for someone like that instead of cranky-pants Jack Colt, who was standing far too close to that annoying chick?
“How are things going with you guys?” I knew Angie had issues with Eric’s mother. It’d almost stopped her from dating Eric but she’d gotten over that. Eric-Mama still wasn’t happy, but she’d realised Angie was going to be part of Eric’s life.
“Okay, mostly.”
I nodded.
“It’s strange, in a way. It’s like this is my mother.” He held up one hand. “And this is Angie.” He held up his other hand as far away from the first as possible. “They are so different, right? Mum, she’s so conservative and full of old Korean values, while Angie, she’s all edgy and tough. But, underneath it all, they are so much alike. Both are fiercely loyal to the people in their lives, and willing to do anything for others. I wish I could make them see that.”
“Both love to talk too.”
I smiled. Eric smiled back. “That’s a true thing.”
I thought about telling him about the place I’d looked at and asking how he’d feel if Jack and I moved out, but figured that was a conversation for another time. I didn’t feel much like talking.
I put on my jacket and went outside to get some quiet. God knew how long these people would be here. No one ever thought about me needing to study, or needing to sleep, or maybe needing some space of my own. All I got was to be the one looking after everyone else.
It was colder outside than I’d expected, but I didn’t want to go back in. I’d feel like a fool—most of these people had seen me at that party and I had no idea what I’d actually done that night. Maybe I could scale the outside of the building and get up to my room. I looked at the solid concrete wall. It didn’t have any footholds, and it’d mean that I’d have to jump a fair distance diagonally to get to the window. Which would be the window to Eric’s room anyway. It didn’t seem that possible.
Then Spud and a couple of Jack’s friends came outside to smoke a joint so I had to go back in.
That first party seemed so long ago. I’d gotten dr
unk, then Spud had gotten me stoned, and I’d had a paranoid fit and hidden in Jack’s wardrobe. I’d passed out until he bought some chick into his room and I threw up while he was in the process of being sucked off by her. Wow, we hated each other back then. Mostly hated each other.
Now he’d promised he’d give me 100%. Well 98%. But instead he was telling some story of exploits from long ago that that chick was obviously a part of, and the two of them kept laughing and hugging each other. And I wasn’t at all sure whether she was the one who’d given him the blowjob or not. She’d been at that party but I don’t know if that was her in the bedroom. My memory had been all woozy and vague at that stage. Still, she could keep her hands off him.
I hated that I felt so jealous and I hated that I felt so cranky, but it seemed like as soon as any kind of problem arose in our relationship, I was left holding all the responsibility and being forced to find a solution while Jack went on some kind of bender. He was fine when there was some kind of action to be taken, swooping in to save the day, but regular shit like talking about stuff—he was weak as piss.
I didn’t want this to be the pattern for the rest of our lives. We’d had enough games and running away to last a lifetime. I wanted to work hard to make this work.
Still, it wasn’t the moment to talk this over with Jack. He was too busy being the king of Partyland.
I packed up my laptop and my books and headed upstairs. I didn’t know if I’d be able to sleep, but at least I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. When I got to the landing, I looked down on Jack with that girl, feeling a massive urge to run back and claim him as mine. I wanted to punch her in the head and tell her to get her manky hands off him. But I’d told Jack that I trusted him not to put his dick anywhere he shouldn’t and, in return, I’d not cut his balls off in his sleep. I couldn’t watch over him 24 hours a day.
I curled up on the bed and decided to watch something on the laptop with my headphones on, so I couldn’t hear them downstairs. They must have turned the bass up because the music thudded through the floor from downstairs. I’d never get to sleep.
I got comfortable and must’ve fallen asleep while I was in the middle of watching it, waking up in a weird position and feeling incredibly thirsty.
I took my headphones off and realised the noise had stopped from downstairs. The party must’ve finished and they’d all gone home. Maybe Jack was asleep on the couch. I headed down to get a drink before my tongue stuck permanently to the roof of my mouth when I heard a weird sound. Kind of a high-pitched snorting. That definitely wasn’t Jack.
A chill went through me and I froze.
Everything was quiet so I took a tentative step down the stairs. I heard it again, along with some other weird noises.
The lights were off but the moonlight streamed through the windows. I couldn’t see anything strange in the room. I kept walking down the stairs, but quietly, so as not to draw attention to myself in case there were any hell-beasts lurking. I tiptoed across to the kitchen when I heard the noise again.
Then I saw it.
Right there, in front of my eyes. I saw it, and it couldn’t be unseen. Denise on the couch and Spud between her legs, eating her out. Gross. Like, totally gross. Yet I kept looking. I couldn’t look away. Denise’s face twisted up in some kind of tortured frenzy, her hands on his ears. She had her legs spread wide with the moon hitting the bare, white skin of her thighs, her feet curled around the edge of the sofa.
She let out a guttural moan and raised her hips.
I really should not be watching this. I really should not be at all watching.
She moaned again and her arm flung back to grasp the cushion above her head. I wasn’t even sure how she could balance like that. Her hips thrust against him now and she had a tight hold of his hair, and the sounds got louder.
I had to flee before they noticed me standing there, watching them like some creepy freak. I rushed across the room and up the stairs, with Denise’s screams growing louder and more urgent. Who knew Spud could even make a woman scream like that?
I darted into the bedroom, shutting the door behind me. I leaned against it, breathing heavily.
Where was Jack?
He obviously wasn’t sleeping on the couch. I don’t think we’d even be able to use that couch again. It’d be all covered with sticky Denise juice. What the hell were they doing here, anyway? Didn’t they have a home to go to? I couldn’t get the image of Denise writhing around out of my head. I wished Jack were here. I really wanted him touching me, doing that biting thing he did on my neck that made me arch my back and beg him to give me release. Instead I only had myself and my fingers.
The thought that it was Spud and Denise making me feel so horny just made it seem dirty and wrong.
Chapter 10
“You shoulda just told them to fuck the hell out of your apartment,” said Angie. “I mean, really, who does that in someone else’s house? They could’ve at least put a towel down on the cushions or something. You are never going to get the smell out.”
“I guess they thought no one was home or that I was sound asleep. Who knows? Do those two even think? I’m pissy with Jack for going out and leaving them there. I’m pissy with Spud, too. I’m pretty much pissy with the whole world at the moment. Except you. And Eric.”
“You should be pissy with Eric too. He shoulda told Jack to stop being a dick. He’s meant to be the sensible one. I’ll have something to say to him tonight.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t. Maybe Eric gets sick of being sensible. Why does there even have to be a responsible one? Why the hell can’t Jack just be a bit less of a dick? You know, I didn’t feel like I could say anything about Spud because it’s not my place. I’m like a couch surfer there. Nothing is mine. I have all my uni stuff and all my work stuff in bags around the place. Jack just gets pissy when I try to talk about my feelings, and I have no space of my own.”
“Did you tell him about the office?”
“Yeah but he hasn’t said anything. I’m giving him time to come to his own decision.”
I’d met up with Angie after class to go shopping. She’d told me one of her friends had just opened a shop with super cute clothes. Even though I was on a budget, I needed to shop. It helped with the trauma of dealing with shit. I’d pulled out a few things that looked promising but they all were a bit frou-frou when I had a look at them.
“Have you heard any more about your dad?”
“The extradition request has been processed and sent off. He’s in China so it’s just a formality, since they have a treaty covering this kind of thing. Now all they have to do is go over there, arrest him and escort him back. Apparently, he’s under house arrest.”
“Sheesh, that’s some serious shit going down. Do they handcuff him on the plane and all that?”
I pulled a cute shirt covered in daisies out of the rack, wondering if daisies were maybe a bit too twee.
“I doubt it. It’s not like he can run from the plane or anything. And he’s hardly likely to turn to terrorism. I mean, it’s just a simple business thing. He’s not a full-on criminal or anything like that.”
I put the shirt back. I wasn’t a daisy-shirt person.
“Still, it must be serious if they are going through all this. It’s not like a couple of overdue parking fines. And they took all your stuff. Any idea when you’ll get it back?”
“Not idea at all. Apparently there is a big investigation going on. They took stuff of my mine. Stuff my grandmother had given me. Even my car, which was pretty bad considering I was the innocent one in all this. The only thing I got was the cash in my wallet and my grandmother’s ring. There might be some compensation when they sort it all out.”
We left the shop to get coffee. It kinda disappointed me that there was nothing I was in love with enough to buy, but I guessed that was okay. As well as not having enough space for my study and business stuff, I had far too little room in the wardrobe. For all he liked to cultivate his outlaw image, Jack had a
helluva lot of clothes. Expensive boots and things, too. And a lot of grooming products. I’d shown Angie one day and we’d both had a bit of a giggle over his manly skin care regime.
“I hope it works out for you. We’ll be rich if you get all the stuff back.”
“We?”
“Hey, you won’t forget your friends will you? Your friends who supported you in your bleakest hours?”
“Of course not.”
I laughed at Angie. Then I spotted someone across the street that looked familiar.
“That’s Jack’s mum.”
I called out to her and she came running over. That amazed me. If I’d robbed money from someone’s handbag, I’d at least try and avoid them. I guess she didn’t have much shame. I wasn’t going to mention the stolen money though. I’d just write it off and be more careful from now on.
Angie pulled a face at me. I could tell she wasn’t that impressed with Shirley.
“Want to join us for a coffee?” I asked. Angie pulled an even more twisted face. I wanted to talk to this woman though. She knew things I wanted to find out. If I got her talking, I could learn so much. I know I’d said I didn’t want to pry into Jack’s background but—well, that was a blatant lie. I really did want to pry. I needed to find things out, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell me.
“Coffee, yeah, coffee would be great,” she said, her eyes darting around as though someone was going to take this treat away from her. “I’m a bit skint though. And a bit hungry…”
It’d be worth the cost of a coffee if I got some answers to my questions. Angie glared daggers at me, though.
We went to a different cafe to the usual one and grabbed a table away from people. Shirley excused herself and went to the bathroom.
“Probably gone to shoot up,” said Angie.
I glared at her.
“Well, it’s true. You can’t trust junkies, Hannah. You can’t trust them at all. They’ll lie and they’ll steal, and they’ll put everyone else last because all they love is the drugs. Just cut your losses with her.”
I shook my head. Usually Angie saw the best in people, but she really seemed to hate Jack’s mum.
Bad Boy Redemption (Bad Boy Rock Star #3) Page 5
