“Remember, Little One, with great patience, comes great reward.”

“Fuck your patience,” she stated with a chasing smile as she walked toward the bathroom.

“Maneater,” I mumbled to myself, as I pulled away from the gorgeous honey-haired woman who’d stolen my heart.

Needing to make things right with Diego, I left Goldie to herself, hoping she really wouldn’t be sporting a turtleneck when I got back, and found my way around Diego’s club. The man had impeccable design taste, and given the outside appearance of the club, you would never know it was so posh and sophisticated inside. I was quite proud of Diego for coming so far.

As the music grew heavier and vibrated against the narrow hallway I was walking down, light started to peek through, casting a red glow in the club, making it look almost sinister. The lights were set to coincide with the music, so with every pulse of the deep beat, a darker red light would flash, making it almost seem like the walls were bleeding. I was instantly fascinated.

The moment I turned the corner, I was presented with a view of Blane and Diego, bare-chested and wearing tight leather pants with top hats and ropes in their hands as they hovered around a girl who was comfortably hanging from the ceiling.

The scene in front of me was wildly erotic and something I didn’t want Goldie seeing, because I didn’t want her getting any ideas from being near these overly sexual men. Easily, they could steal her away from me, no doubt in my mind they had the potential to swipe my girl, a worry I faced every day.

I watched as Diego’s body moved smoothly with the music, while the red lights beat off his mocha skin. The man was fluid with his movements, gliding around the floor while twisting and turning with each switch of the music. I could see how successful the club could be, given the ringmaster in charge.

Diego spun on his heel and turned in my direction, where he stopped immediately once he saw me standing in the hallway watching him. As if I was an unwanted guest in his club, an intruder, Diego grabbed a remote from his back pocket, turned off the music, and turned on the lights.

“Dude,” Blane complained while covering his eyes. “You have to worn a guy before you blast the lights. My fucking pupils need a second to adjust.”

Without looking at Blane, Diego said, “Take down Marissa and help her lotion her wrists. Practice is over for tonight.”

Blane looked my way and quickly understood the instant tension that filled the room from my presence. Quietly, Blane undid Marissa and escorted her out of the room, leaving me alone with Diego. Not once did Diego’s eyes falter from mine while we waited for Blane to leave, a tactic I taught him when I first took him under my wing. Never back down; never show weakness.

“Why are you here, Jett? Care to blame me for some more of your problems?”

The urge to run my hands through my hair was overpowering, but I held back from showing the nervous tick that I resorted to when I was in a stressful situation. Instead, I held my composure and walked closer to Diego, so we weren’t speaking loudly across the room to each other.

“Would you mind taking a moment to talk to me?”

“I have all the time in the world, talk,” Diego gestured.

Fucker wasn’t going to make it easy, and I didn’t expect him to. I would be disappointed in him if he let me off easily, because that would mean everything I taught him about being a strong confident man was a waste of time.

“May we sit?” I asked, as I gestured to one of the tables that sat around the center stage.

“I would rather stand,” Diego responded stubbornly.

Not trying to exhale in frustration, since this wasn’t going to be easy, I took a deep breath and said, “Diego, I want to apologize for what I said to you about Goldie. I was out of line and in pain. I decided to take my problems out on you when, in fact, you were just being a good friend to Goldie, something I should have been appreciative of.”

Diego tried to hide the shocked look on his face at my apology, but I caught it before he could put on his mask.

Instead of letting him speak, I continued, “I want to thank you for taking Goldie in and being a pillar in her life when I was too much of an idiot to be one. I want to thank you for being respectful enough to not try anything with her, even when Goldie and I haven’t been on the best of terms, and I want to thank you for taking care of her when I couldn’t. I’m very grateful for the friendship you’ve given me, even in times when I didn’t deserve it.”

Silence fell through the room as Diego soaked in everything I said. I wasn’t nervous that he would tell me to fuck off, because from his body language, I could tell he wasn’t mad anymore. I was just anxious to get this conversation over with so I could get back to Goldie.

It felt like minutes ticked by before Diego finally opened his mouth.

“Didn’t ever expect to see Jett Colby thanking me for something in my lifetime, given the amount of generosity you’ve bestowed upon me, but I’m not going to lie, I kind of enjoyed it,” Diego responded, as a smirk crossed his face.

Dickhead.

“I see, so you just wanted to see me grovel.”

“Pretty much,” Diego laughed, while he came toward me and held out his hand, which I shook in relief. “If you want me to pull my pants down so you can kiss my black ass, I would be okay with that too.”

“Don’t push your luck,” I warned.

“Fair enough,” Diego chuckled, but then grew serious for a second. “I won’t lie, I flirted with the girl often, don’t think I was a gentleman while you were apart. You found a good one, a rarity in this city, and if your dumb ass was stupid enough to fuck it up, then I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass me by.”

My lips twitched with his confession, and I tried to take a deep breath before I reached over and choked him.

A loud laugh escaped Diego as he gripped his stomach with one hand and pointed at me with the other.

“Oh, damn, the look on your face is worth the ass beating I’m most likely about to get.”

“You think it’s funny, flirting with my girl?”

“Yeah, I do, and I wasn’t the only one. Blane found a liking for her as well. And, you know what? Fair game, man. You fuck up and it’s fair game.”

“Well, lay the fuck off now,” I warned, making Diego laugh some more.

“No need to warn us, dude. Goldie wanted nothing to do with us. For some foolish reason, she seems to have some kind of feelings for you. No worries about her loyalty, but fuck is it satisfying goading you. I don’t think it will ever get old.”

Needing to lighten up a bit, I let the knot that was forming in my chest loosen just a little as I realized that even the men who threatened me in my thoughts were turned down by Goldie. There was something to be said for trust, and I owed Goldie all of my trust, something I wasn’t able to give her before, something I’ve been working on trying to hand over now.

“Glad I can amuse you,” I replied, while relaxing the tension in my shoulders.

Slapping me on the shoulder, Diego said, “Always a pleasure with you, Jett Colby. I’m assuming the little hellion is waiting for you in her room?”

“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. We’re taking things slow.”

Diego shot me a pointed look that said he didn’t believe me one bit, but I didn’t have to convince him.

“Okay,” Diego replied skeptically.

Not wanting to get into a debate about where I stood with Goldie, I smiled at Diego and asked, “Are we good, man?”

“We’re good,” Diego replied easily.

“Thanks,” I said sincerely before shaking his hand one last time and heading back down the hallway. “Glad I could make up with my honorary Jett Girl.”

Diego flipped me off and called out, “Don’t fuck it up this time, Colby.”

Little did he know, I had no intention of ever letting Goldie out of my life. She would soon be a permanent fixture in my life if I had any say in it.