I sighed as I rested my head on the window pane. When did my life become so complicated? It used to be so easy; I worked, I fucked and I protected, now I worried. I didn’t want to worry but I didn’t have a choice, there were so many new factors in my life that I needed to consider.

Goldie was one of them.

I ran my hand through my hair as I thought about what the hell I got myself into. I was going to bring Goldie out in public, where everyone could see her, could see who she was. It was dangerous, people might even know her, like my dad or Rex Titan but the look on Goldie’s defeated face kept outweighing my cons of having her on my arm at my events. At least if she was next to me at all times, I would be able to protect her, to shield her from the cruel and cold world that I lived in.

Chapter Seven

“Crazy”

Lo

There is this feeling you have the next morning after an amazing bout of sex, this tingle in your lady area that keeps saying, you were utterly fucked to the hilt of your cervix last night and holy fuck was it good.

As I brushed my hair out for the day, I thought about that feeling that Jett gave me. He was an animal last night, like he couldn’t get inside me enough and I agreed, I wish he was able to bury himself deeper. I made a mental note to start stretching more.

Last night, I saw Jett cave, I saw him cave to my needs and once again I realized, I did hold the cards like he always said. Was I insulted last night, fuck yeah but was Jett sincere and honest? He was. He was right, there was a lack of class where I was concerned. I have a dirty mouth and I know how to use it, and I’ve used it on him so I can only imagine his hesitation when it comes to taking me to some high class society parties but what he doesn’t realize is that I can clean up when need be.

It’s like going to visit your grandparents, there was a certain filter you used when talking to them. No fuck this and fuck that and pussy on my shoulder kind of crap. There is a certain innocent poise that you must use with grandparents, like, “Oh the weather was a total dreary mess yesterday.” Or “Man, I played a mean game of solitaire last night that kept me up till nine!” Simple as that, when out and about with Jett, I just had to channel my grandparent filter. Shouldn’t be too hard, especially since I would be practicing with Miss Mary.

I grabbed my mask and heels and slipped them on since I would be walking through the main house to meet Miss Mary in the dining room. The masks started to feel like a second skin now and when I wasn’t wearing one, I almost felt naked. The business shirts that we had to wear were still a little awkward. It was like wearing a dress at all times, which was fine, but fuck I could use a frump day and wear a pair of holey sweats. Heels were heels, I have always worn them so no biggie there.

With my hair in a high ponytail and my Jett Girl attire on, I headed down the back staircase and to the dining room. This would be the first time that I would actually spend time in the dining room. It made me sad that we never really had any formal dinners. The girls and I usually just ate in the back of the Toulouse Room before a presentation. We still had a lot of fun but it would be nice to have something formal, to treat ourselves and have dinner as a “family.”

My heels hit the tile of the hallway that led toward the dining room, echoing off the walls. The Lafayette Club was gorgeous and sophisticated, I didn’t think I would ever get over the fact that I lived in such a place so instead, I just soaked it all in. Rags to…pretend-riches was my story. They weren’t my riches but I lived in them.

I was taking in a picture of Bourbon Street on the wall near the grand entryway when I heard someone walking toward me. My heart flipped as I hoped it was Jett, and even though I saw him for a good portion of last night, I still got butterflies in my stomach just knowing I might see him again. As I looked up to see if it was Jett, I saw a pair of blue eyes but they weren’t Jett’s or Kace’s…they were someone else’s.

Standing in front of me, in a well-tailored suit was a light-skinned African American man with a shaved head and piercing blue eyes that hit me in my very soul. I stopped in my tracks as I took in his broad shoulders, his well-defined chest that I could see ripple under his dress shirt and the tight waist that peeked under his sport coat. The man exuded confidence just like Jett and had an air of sophistication that rivaled Jett’s.

Umm…fucking yummy.

He smiled at me as he stared at my chest and that was when I realized I was gripping my breast and practically pinching my nipple right in front of the man. I was a horny, horny girl. Quickly tearing my hand away from my breast and hoping my other hand wasn’t fingering myself without my knowledge, I nodded at him and continued my trek to the dining room.

I heard heavy footsteps behind me that I recognized as Kace’s. The man insisted upon pounding his way through the house.

“Diego, how are you man?” Kace asked with lightness to his voice that I never received. Moody bastard.

“Good to see you, Kace. I’m just fine. Is Jett upstairs?” Diego, I presumed, said in a deep, luscious voice. Oh God, was he hot. Did Jett only know hot people? Was I sucked into some hot man black hole? If I was, I was fucking loving it.

“Yup, he’s waiting for you. You can go on up.”

I heard footsteps walk away as I held on to the wall of the hallway not minding my own business at all. I was curious and I loved butting into everyone else’s business.

“Don’t you have refining school to get to?” Kace breathed inches from my ear making me yip in surprise. Apparently the man did know how to be silent when he walked because I didn’t hear him coming up behind me at all.

I looked over my shoulder and met his eyes. “I was just taking in the texture of this wall,” I replied, trying to pass off my nosiness.

He didn’t buy it. “Mind your own business, Lo. How many times do I have to tell you that?” he whispered in my ear, sending goose bumps along my body as I felt his breath caress my skin. My hormones were on overload.

“Probably a couple more,” I replied in a cute voice while smiling.

Kace huffed as his eyes blatantly wondered down my shirt that was gaping open at the top. When he looked back up at me, his eyes were blazing with need which only made me gulp.

“Everything okay with Jett?”

Only able to move my head since my throat was dry, I nodded.

“Good. Listen to Miss Mary. She will tell you everything you need to know.”

Kace pulled away, allowing me to breathe again, no longer sucking in all the air in my vicinity.

Before I walked into the dining room, Kace called out my name again. I turned to see him standing in the entryway, with his hands tucked into the worn out pockets of his jeans and his plane white T-shirt stretching across his chest. No matter who my heart belonged to, it would always have a special place for Kace…always.

“Thank you…for checking on me yesterday.” He looked up through his eyelashes as he talked to me, a modest pose I hadn’t seen from him before. Whatever happened to him, hit him hard because he never showed emotion and right now, all I could see was hurt and pain pouring out of him.

“Any time,” I replied.

He stepped forward for a second and then shook his head as if what he was about to do would be the biggest mistake of his life. I wanted to go up to him and ask him what was going on but I didn’t. I kept the line that was drawn in the sand between the two of us, respected his wishes and entered the dining room with a heavy heart.

***

Learning etiquette didn’t seem like it would be very hard to do until I stepped into the dining room and came face to face with Miss Mary. I was expecting to see a little old white lady, with an impressive bouffant and real pearls gracing her neck but instead I was standing next to a six foot tall, rotund black woman with a scarf in her hair and an apron around her belly. Her face read, “Don’t fuck with me,” and I wasn’t going to! I glanced at the ruler that she was holding in her goliath-sized hands and gulped.