“Everyone is going to assume Keylee is one,” Kace suggested. I shrugged my shoulders not caring. Keylee’s welfare was none of my concern. Yes she was attractive and we grew up together but if it came down to her or one of my girls, I would rather sacrifice her reputation over my girls’.

“Jett, you’re going to fuck it up.”

“Fuck what up?” I asked, trying to tamp down the anger that was starting to boil. I didn’t take well to people questioning me, ever.

“Everything with Lo. If she finds out that you are out with some other woman, she is going to freak out.”

The thought crossed my mind but she wouldn’t find out, at least I hoped she wouldn’t. It wasn’t like Goldie gallivanted around with the same people I did. Her friends were locals on Bourbon Street and mine were in St. Charles, they were vastly different.

“She won’t and it doesn’t matter. We’re not exclusive.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Kace called me out. “Lo would be perfect, she would give you the extra help that you would need.”

“She has no class,” I practically shouted, hating myself for admitting the thought that was hounding me in the back of my mind.

Kace sat back in his chair and eyed me with distaste. Taking the last sip of his Bourbon, he set the glass down on my desk and said, “The only one who has no class is you. That girl has done everything you’ve asked. Why not give her a shot rather than instantly putting her down? She might surprise you.”

“Not going to happen,” I muttered as Kace walked away, opening my door where Goldie stood with her head hung low and a defeated stance.

Shit.

Chapter Five

“Chasing Pavements”

Lo

I knew I didn’t belong on the third floor uninvited but I was worried about Kace. I wanted to make sure Jett knew something was wrong with Kace just in case someone needed to take care of him. The way I left him, on the floor, crying, was gutting me and I couldn’t let it go.

I debated with myself for a while in my room, trying to decide if I should tell Jett or not and my guilty conscience won out so I found myself climbing up the very familiar steps of the third floor. When I reached the door, I heard my name being mentioned so of course, I had to listen in. I was a bit of a rebel and curious at heart so there was no way in hell I was going to pry my ear off the door when my name was being thrown around.

The moment Jett shouted that I had no class, my stomach flipped. It was the one clear thing I heard because he said it loud enough. Everything else was muffled. I heard something about some kind of event Jett had to attend and when he said I had no class, I understood precisely what was going on. Jett was ashamed of me and didn’t want me attending any kind of social with him.

Not that I wanted to go to any snooty bullshit party where all you did was drink champagne and ignore the fact that you hated everyone in the room while making pleasantries. No fucking thank you. But the thought of Jett going with someone else was like a dagger to my stomach, I didn’t like it.

I didn’t want to get caught upstairs, now that it seemed like Kace was apparently all right so I was about to turn around when the door to Jett’s office flew open and Kace stood in the doorway. I looked up at him and instead of anger lacing his eyes from seeing me once again break the rules, concern flashed through them. He looked me up and down and tried to read if I heard anything. I just slightly nodded and started to turn around, clearly it was time for me to go back to my room.

“Lo, come in here,” I heard Jett call from his office, making me stop in place.

From behind me, I could feel Kace’s presence as he mumbled, “You don’t have to go in there.”

I looked at his battered face and gave him a half smile, even though I should’ve probably left while flipping Jett off behind my back, showing him that he was right, I had no class, I turned and stared at the man who had captured my heart and twisted it in so many ways that it was almost hard to breathe.

The light from the window behind him cast his body in a shadow as he stood in front of his desk with his hands bracing his upper body on the edge. His hair was slightly disheveled and he was wearing slacks and a button up shirt with the first three buttons undone which only added to his sex appeal. I knew what was under that shirt, what was waiting for my hands to touch, what my body itched for but I blocked those thoughts out of my mind as I walked toward him.

I could feel Kace’s judgmental glare as I ignored him and started to close the door. I looked back at Kace just before I shut the door and caught his glare as he shook his head. He was not pleased with me one bit, but I couldn’t worry about that now.

The door closed quickly as Jett’s body pressed up against mine. His hand was against the door as he hovered over me. His radiant scent filled my senses as I gathered enough courage to turn around and face him. It wasn’t easy, to be face to face with such a strong and overpowering man, especially when I was feeling weak and punctured.

“Look at me,” he demanded.

Why was he being so rude? He was the one who insulted me. I knew I was technically trespassing but he was the one being mean, he was the one in the wrong.

Gathering my strength, I turned around and put my hands on my hips, causing my business shirt to ride up. I was wearing a pair of black lingerie underneath that you could see through the open buttons up top. After our one and only date, Jett said he wanted to see me in yellow but he must have been bullshitting me because there was never shipment that came in. Made me wonder, did he mean anything that day? I tried not to think about it because it would eat me alive.

There were moments in my “relationship” with Jett that I knew he cared for me, that he wanted me, needed me but there were a lot of times where I couldn’t read him. I couldn’t tell if I was just another girl to him. I was constantly questioning myself when I was around him and trying to figure out if I was good enough. There were nights that I wondered why I cared so much, why I let a man play with my head but I realized he wasn’t playing with me, he was just closed off, he was hurt and he wasn’t ready for anything serious. The only thing that kept me coming back for more, that kept me from running away were the light caresses he gave me, the way he called me little one and the way his face lit up when I walked into a room. Those were all signs of a man who cared and that was all I wanted, someone who cared deep for me and I knew Jett did. He captured me and for the life of me, I couldn’t walk away.

Looking up at him, I said, “Don’t talk to me like that.”

“Like what?” he asked as he moved in closer, making my lady bits start to get excited.

“Like a demanding ass.”

Not showing any tells, like normal, he replied, “Are you supposed to be up here, little one?”

“No, but—”

“But nothing. You are out of line.”

“I’m out of line?” I pointed at myself as I tried not to be intimidated by his proximity. “You’re the one who is insulting me behind my back.”

The corner of his eye crinkled, as if he winced but it was quickly gone before I could confirm a reaction from him. The damn man was so stoic.

“You weren’t supposed to hear that.”

“Clearly.” I tried to step away but he blocked me.

“And I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Bullshit, Jett. I know what you think of me.”

“Do you? Please enlighten me about my feelings toward you.”

Huffing, I pushed past him and went to his desk where I grabbed a stupid paper weight that was shaped like a little marble globe and tossed it around in my hands. I was fidgety and starting to get wild so I needed something to calm me down.

“You think I’m just some street trash that you found and can fuck for a while and once you’re done you can just throw me away, with the rest of the Bourbon street residue.”