“Excuse me?” Jett asked.

“How much am I going to owe you for this? I don’t have any cash, but I can suck you off every night if you want. I pretty much will do anything sexual. Just name it, I’ve probably done it at least five times for cash.”

My stomach flipped from her candidness. I’d thought my life was a pile of shit, but looking at Barbara, seeing the desperation in her eyes, I knew I didn’t have it half as bad.

“Barbara, you don’t owe me anything. I want to help.”

A shrill laugh escaped her as she set her hand on her hip and prepared for battle.

“You want to help?” she asked, using air quotes. She stepped forward and poked Jett in the chest. “I don’t know what it is with you rich fucks and denying what you want until you make us spell it out for you. It’s like some kind of shame factor for you. Let’s just get this out in the open. I’ve got holes. Use them how you please while I crash here for a while.”

She blew past us and walked in the house. Jett turned his wide eyes to me, and I almost laughed from the comical look on his face.

“She’s got holes, Jett, use them how you please,” I repeated with a slight grin.

“Christ,” Jett mumbled, walking into the house.

For some reason, I knew I was going to get along with Barbara very well.

“Nice digs. Homeboy’s got swag,” Barbara said, taking in the house. “I mean, chrome and leather, nice touch.” She turned toward Jett and looked him up and down. “What’s your worth?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Jett responded, looking almost offended. What did he expect from a girl like Barbara? She was rough around the edges and had zero tact.

“Hmm, are you going to have that stick up your ass the entire time I’m here?” Barbara asked. “Because honestly, I don’t prefer to work around it, but I can do it. It wouldn’t be my first time fucking a rich boy like you. At least you have the decency to put me up in your dubs. So where am I sleeping?”

“Barbara, you’re here to better yourself, to earn an education, and make something of your life,” Jett offered, trying to help her realize his intentions.

A pop of gum echoed in the room from Barbara as she crossed her arms over her chest and analyzed us with a suspicious look.

She pointed to us and asked, “You two an item?”

“Fuck no,” I said quickly, making Jett turn toward me with a half-smile.

“Too good for me?” he asked.

“We’re not doing this,” I replied. “Barbara, I will show you to your room.”

“Oh, my own butler. How fancy,” she sassed me.

I turned quickly on my heel and got in her face. “I’m not your fucking butler, and I’m not your friend. I’m here to make sure you do what you’re supposed to do and follow the rules. Understand?”

The grit in my voice made Barbara gulp slightly before she nodded. I was walking her up the stairs when Jett called.

“Before you leave, Barbara, you will no longer go by your born name. Now that you’re a Jett Girl, you are to be elusive. You are an ambiguous human being now. The only people who will know who you actually are, are Kace and myself. From now on, you will be known as Babs. Your past is just that—your past. This is the first step to a new beginning. After you leave the Lafayette Club, you will have an education and a purpose in life. Your days on the streets are done. That life is behind you. It’s time to move on.”

“Ehhh, okay,” Barbara answered skeptically as she followed me up the stairs, clearly not motivated by Jett’s speech.

Even though Jett was talking directly to Barbara, I couldn’t help but think he was also trying to get through to me as well. A new beginning? There were no new beginnings where I was concerned.

I led Barbara, or Babs, to her room and opened the door for her. The space was exceedingly nicer than mine. A wall of windows flanked the right side, bringing in a great deal of sunlight. Deep orange curtains framed the windows, while sepia-toned pictures of New Orleans graced the walls. The bedding was white, and the walls were light orange, making the room almost look like a Creamsicle. It was a room that would bring happiness and solace, a room I didn’t need to be in.

“This is your room. Inside the closet—”

“This is my room?” Babs asked, cutting me off. She walked around the space in awe, taking in the small touches and pops of color.

“Yes, this is your room,” I answered, not wanting to hang around for her to clearly cry. I could see it happening in the way she walked around her new space, taking everything in. Her eyes beautifully glistened in awe. Nope, I didn’t do crying women. “Like I was saying, there are clothes in the closet, a bathroom to the side with makeup—”

“This is all for me?” she interrupted again. “What’s the catch?”

“There is no catch. Jett wants to help you.”

“Why? Why me?”

If I’d known this was going to be a twenty-questions kind of thing, I wouldn’t have signed up for it. I didn’t do social interactions, either. “I don’t know,” I responded, trying to end the conversation.

“You’re lying. You know why he chose me, so tell me.”

Running a hand over my face, I took a deep breath. “I don’t know, Babs. Maybe you remind him of someone from his past, but that’s not a story for me to tell. I’m here to make sure the club runs properly, that you’re minding your business and doing what you’re supposed to do.”

Suspiciously she eyed me and then said, “What happened to you?”

“Excuse me?”

She looked into my eyes, her face relaxed, and some kind of realization hit her. “You’re Kace Haywood, the boxer.”

“We’re done here,” I said, walking away. “I will be around tomorrow morning with a contract for you to sign. Don’t get into any fucking trouble tonight.”

My chest had constricted around my heart when she recognized me. It was still very raw. The scandal still swallowed me whole at night, making it hard to sleep. I didn’t need to relive it with this woman whom I’d just met and who frankly needed a shower, because she smelled like piss, and her hair looked like it had been knotted for days.

“I can understand the need to hide,” Babs said as I reached the door. “For what it’s worth, I don’t believe a word of it. I’ve watched your career, and from what I’ve seen, you’ve been nothing but a hard and honest worker. You got fucked, just like me. You might not want to be my friend, Kace, but just so you know, we are very much alike. If you need someone to talk to, you can always come to me.”

Without turning around and acknowledging her, I left. What I needed was to get the hell out of her room before I broke down in front of her. I was prideful, like Jett, and never showed weakness, but the lump in my throat was growing at an alarming rate, making it impossible to breathe. I needed to find some alone time, away from the entire world.

Chapter Thirteen

My present…

Everything in my body was telling me to turn around, to forget the little agreement I’d made with Lyla and walk away, but for some godforsaken reason, I found myself standing outside Lyla’s shitty apartment, about to knock on her door.

I’d spent zero time getting ready for this. I didn’t want her thinking I was attempting to make something of this date, so I’d thrown on a pair of black jeans, a V-necked gray shirt with the front sloppily tucked in the waistband of my jeans, which showed off my worn out black belt, and then to top it all off, I put on my old Vans that had seen better days. I was the epitome of casual.

Running my hands through my hair, I took a deep breath and knocked on her door.

While I waited for her to answer, I looked around the dump she was living in with disapproval. I was surprised the building was still standing, it looked so dilapidated. There was some definitely illegal business being conducted on the first floor, and her neighbor on the second floor apparently didn’t care about the blood splatters on his door.