by Sam Crescent
Jack’s face changed. “What kind of trouble?”
“Some of the kids taunt him because he doesn’t have a Mom or a Dad.”
“Kids are fucking assholes.”
She nodded. “I agree. He says it doesn’t bother him.”
“You can see differently.”
“It hurts him, you know. Not because he wants Mom but because it reminds him of being with her. She didn’t want him, and told him regularly that he was a waste of space.”
Jack reached over, placing his hand over hers. “You’ve got no reason to worry, sweetie. Your mother is never going to hurt you again.”
“How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Get us away from her, and not have the social services come and interview us, or stop you.”
Jack smirked. “I’m the kind of guy that gets what I want.”
“I already figured that out. How was your week?”
“Busy and productive.”
“You once told me you own many businesses.”
“I do, and I promise, you don’t want to know about them.”
She took a deep breath. “Mr. Mystery. No problem. Will you be ready to order?”
“I will. Drake is bringing my date.”
“Okay. Do you think this one will last a little longer?” she asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll see. If you ever need me, please call.”
She had all of his personal contact information, which surprised her.
“I will. You’re a sweet man, thank you.”
“Not many people will call me sweet.”
“Then they don’t know you.” She got up and left him alone. “I’ll come back as soon as your date is here.”
“Sit with me a while. Don’t make me wait on my own.”
“I thought you were working. That’s what you do right?”
“Smile for me.”
She frowned, but then gave him what he wanted. Piper owed him everything, and would do anything he asked. Smiling was such a simple request, so where was the harm?
“You have the most beautiful smile,” he said.
“There are a lot of women who’ll smile for you. All you need to do is ask.” She clasped her hands together in her lap. Glancing behind her, she saw Leon was handling her table.
“Do you like working here?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s fun, and everyone is wonderful.”
“I’m glad.”
Piper didn’t know what else to say. This man was her savior, and she never wanted to do anything that would jeopardize that. “Have you made any new business ventures?” she asked.
“One, a nightclub in the city.”
“Wow, that is a pretty big venture. What’s it like?” She listened as he described everything about the club. She saw how animated he was about it, and she found it infectious.
They were so preoccupied that neither of them saw they had company until the woman slapped her hand on the table. “What the hell is this trash doing here?” the woman asked.
Piper jumped and quickly stood. “I’m so sorry.”
“Piper, sit down,” Jack said.
“I didn’t—”
He glared. Piper lowered herself down into the seat.
“Is this the way you want to play it?” The woman looked at her and snorted. “You like playing with the fat chicks. I get it. I’m not good enough—”
Each little comment hurt Piper. She didn’t allow it to show. What was the point? The woman didn’t care. In all of her twenty-one years, Piper had learned that no one cared about the damage they caused to others. It wasn’t a physical hit, but it hurt even more.
She’d done the whole weight loss thing, and it only made her depressed. One life was all she got to live, and she didn’t want to live it eating celery. Who really did that, anyway? Who lived on celery and actually called that living?
“Drake, please take a seat. I’ll deal with this.”
Pipe watched as Jack got to his feet and grabbed the woman’s arm, to which she gasped, crying out.
“I’m causing trouble again, aren’t I?” Piper asked, wincing.
“Not at all.” Drake leaned back, resting his hands behind his head. “You do know she was just a fuck to him.”
Again, Piper winced. “I don’t really think about it.” She didn’t want to think about other women with Jack. The very thought made her depressed, and she refused to be.
Forcing herself to stare at Drake, she saw he was assessing her. “You still hold that aura of innocence,” he said.
“Aura of innocence? Have you been reading those weird medium books again?”
In the last four years she’d learned a lot about Drake and his love of reading. He didn’t want to go to school, but he loved books.
“Not today.”
She bit her lip, and glanced behind her. “Do you think I should get up?”
“No. Jack told you to stay, so stay.”
Piper wondered what the hell was going on. She hated getting in his way, even if it was just a woman for him to have sex with.
Sex. That was something she knew nothing about. She wondered what it would be like with Jack.
There was no way of her ever finding out either. She’d seen the women he dated, and she was nothing like them, and never would be.
Shoving those thoughts aside, she waited for Jack to get back.
****
“Ouch, get off me. You’re hurting me,” Rachel said, trying to pull her arm out of his hold.
Finally out near the street, Jack released her, and watched as she stumbled. She couldn’t get her footing, so she fell on her knees. Her gasp did nothing to him, and he folded his arms, waiting.
“Jack, what the hell?”
She got to her feet and stared at him.
Tilting his head to the side, he frowned, staring at her. What did he see in this whore? He couldn’t see a thing of what would have attracted him. Everything was spilling out of her dress, and her makeup was smudged. She was doused in perfume, and when he glanced down at his hand, he saw she also had a fake suntan. This bitch didn’t even care that she’d hurt another woman.
He’d seen.
Pain had flashed in Piper’s eyes without her even saying a word, and it pissed him off. She didn’t fight her corner. She took whatever anyone had to say, and once again, he was angry.
The only other person who had done that was her mother. The woman he’d dug a six foot grave for. Piper didn’t know what he’d done to protect her, and as far as was concerned, she never would. She and Brian would be better off without that slut of a mother.
“Jack?”
“You’re fired, Rachel.”
“What? You liked fucking me. You said I was the best.”
He smirked.
Chasing after women bored him. When he wanted a quick release, he put a notice out in the brothel he owned, waiting to see who’d accept his offer. The women knew firsthand what he wanted. Full access to their body, no strings, and he’d pay them handsomely. Also, while the women were with him, they had a full medical before he fucked them, and then they had to do what he said.
Jack didn’t have time for mistakes, and the women were so desperate for his money they were happy to be ordered around.
“No, please. I can’t go back to that place.”
Rachel had been one of his workers. She’d come to him when she was twenty-eight, begging for a job. He remembered her because of how desperate she’d been. Not because she needed the money, but because she loved fucking, and said she needed it.
Folding his arms, he stared at her. “You should have thought of that before you told the others how you were going to change me, and how I’d be eating out of your hand.”
He’d found it funny when he learned of her claim. Of course he’d known differently. In all of his forty-five years no woman had ever captured his attention or held him. It was simply not done.
Then out of nowhere, a little brunette with caring
brown eyes had made him take notice. Piper was the only constant in his life, and she had the ability to make him feel, to make him care. When he first took her away from her mother, Jack had only wanted to protect her. She’d been young and scared, and yet she’d still kept that love in her gaze. It was one of the things he loved most of all, being able to look her in the eye and see what she was thinking.
“You should have thought of that when you hurt the ones you worked with.” The girls at the brothel hadn’t been hurt. They all had a thick skin, as they had to in order to do their job. Rachel had ruined that by leaving them with the belief she wasn’t coming back.
“This has already taken up too much of my time, and now I’m bored.” He clicked his fingers, and the doorman came toward him.
“Yes, Mr. Sosa.”
“Please make sure this piece of trash is dealt with. I don’t want her spoiling the rest of my night.” With that done, he made his way back into the restaurant. Entering the main room, he saw Drake was talking with Piper, and that he’d gotten her to stay.
Drake and Piper were quite close, and he respected his driver for the care he showed the younger woman.
Much younger woman.
Jack didn’t mind the age gap so much, providing the woman he was with was similar to him. Rachel was very much like him, and that was why he’d picked her. She didn’t give a shit about anyone, and he refused to apologize for using everyone he wanted, including Rachel.
“Can I talk to you?” Mark asked, coming to stand beside him.
Nodding toward Drake—his driver would know to keep Piper company—Jack followed Mark toward his office.
“What is it?” Jack asked.
Entering Mark’s office, he saw how spotless it was. There was no crap lying around, or spare sheets of paper. This was what Jack demanded of each of his businesses, and Mark was under his employ for Exquisite.
“Ronald has been around.”
Jack paused. Ronald was still his enemy, in a big way. Neither of them would concede on giving up their areas of the city. It had been a couple of months since he’d heard from Ronald, but that wasn’t unusual. They weren’t the kind of guys to spend time gossiping to each other.
“What happened?”
“He came in, and before I could stop him, he was in Piper’s section, and I had no choice but to allow him to sit and eat.”
Jack folded his arms. “Not only did you have the enemy here, you put my Piper in his way.”
“It wasn’t intentional, believe me.”
“Who was on the door?” Jack asked.
“That’s the thing, Ben was on the door that night, and no one has found him. He’s gone, and we checked the security footage. All it shows is Ben leaving the door, and then Ronald comes in.”
Jack cursed. Ben was the security he put at the club. He was a vicious thug, who knew what to do. No wonder they’d gotten rid of Ben.
“I will add more security to the door. I don’t want Piper near that asshole, do you understand?”
“I do. I’ll deal with it.”
Jack left the office with Mark behind him. “Piper will be eating dinner with me. I will deposit the money into her account for the time she spent with me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Leaving Mark behind, he approached Drake and Piper. They were laughing and smiling.
“Did I miss anything?” Jack asked.
“No, not at all. Drake was just telling me about a movie he went to see with his date. He needs to settle down, find a wife, don’t you think?”
Jack smiled, taking a seat as Drake stood. “I don’t know. Do you think any woman could handle our guy?”
“Yeah, there’s a woman out there for everyone. I believe that. I also believe there’s a guy out there for me.”
He tensed up, and he saw how sad she suddenly got.
“Any guy who gets you will be lucky,” Drake said.
The sadness faded. “We’ll see. I wonder at times.”
“Drake, do you need to go and do your thing?” Jack asked, looking at his driver.
“Certainly. I’ll be back when you finish.”
“Oh, what happened to your date?” Piper asked.
“She decided to behave like a child, and she had no choice but to go.”
Piper’s lips formed a perfect O. The sight caught him unaware as he wondered how good they would look wrapped around his cock. Jack jerked as he stared at her. In all the time he’d been protecting her, never once had he had sexual thoughts about her, but in that moment, he saw her in a completely different light. She was no longer a kid, but twenty-one years old.
She waved her hand across his face, and Jack smiled.
“Sorry, spaced out there for a second.”
“Spaced out? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that.”
“Let’s just say I’ve been awakened to something.”
“Sounds awesome.”
“It really is.” Sipping at his water, he stared across the table, and wondered if she had any feelings for him. He’d been a huge part of her life, keeping all the bad at bay. Of course, he’d failed with that asshole Ronald getting close. Would his enemy want her sweetness as much as he did?
The thought of another man touching her filled him with rage.
“Are you okay?” She leaned over the table, and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. “You don’t have a temperature.”
He took her hand, kissing her knuckles. “What makes you think I’ve got something wrong?”
“You’re frowning and pulling strange faces. Kind of creepy.”
“I don’t mean to be.” He looked around the restaurant, and remembered how hungry he was. “Let’s eat.”
“I’ve got to work.”
“I’ve already told Mark, and he’s fine with it. You’re not going to make me eat all by myself, are you?”
She shook her head. “Of course not.”
No, he’d noticed long ago Piper couldn’t tell him no, and he used that to help him get whatever he wanted.
Lifting his hand, he got Leon’s attention, and let the rest of his worries fade away.
Chapter Two
Two weeks later, on her way out of the community college, Piper hadn’t been watching where she was going, and bumped into a hard wall of flesh. She ended up on her ass with a yelp.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, looking up and frowned.
She recognized the man vaguely.
“No, it’s me I’m afraid. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“Oh, neither was I.”
“You seem to be the worse for wear. Here let me help you.” He offered out his hand, which she took. Within seconds she was back on her feet, but he’d pulled her with a force that she now collided with his chest.
“I’m so sorry again. I’m such a klutz today.” She stepped away from him, getting the space she needed.
“It’s okay. It’s not every day I have a pretty lady all over me.”
You’re fat, ugly, and no man will ever want you.
Piper blushed and looked away. She hated compliments as they reminded her of another time, a time she’d rather forget.
“Don’t I know you?” he asked.
“I really don’t know.”
“No, I’m sure I’ve seen you before.”
She stared at him, wondering what was going on. Something didn’t feel right to her, and she hated this feeling that twisted in her gut. That day four years ago when she’d walked down the street after school, and saw Jack, the same thing occurred. She’d been petrified, but when she saw his face, she’d known she had to stop in order to help him.
“I really don’t know.”
Why did she react this way to the two men? The only other time had been when her mother brought home another “daddy”. Yeah, it had been sick, and her mother had the worst taste in men. She didn’t even want to think about the men that she’d grown up with, that she’d fought off, and finally protected Brian from.
That was a whole other life.
Her feelings for Jack had changed also. She no longer feared him when she was near. She looked forward to his visits rather than dreaded them, and deep in her heart, she wanted him to be happy. He’d done so much for her, and she’d been stupid to worry about who he was.
“I’ve got to get goi—”
“Exquisite, that’s it. You’re one of the waitresses there. Excellent food. I struggle to always book a table.”
She smiled. The last thing she wanted to do was risk bad relations with Mark, the owner. “The food is excellent.”
“I knew I knew you.”
She chuckled. “You go to the college?” Her stomach was still twisting, and she tried to ignore it.
“I’m here to see a friend actually.”
“Which friend?”
“Marshall Rivers,” he said. “Have you heard of him?”
“He’s my English professor.”
“Very good at what he does, right?”
She nodded. “He’s a really patient teacher. I won’t keep you. Sorry for landing on you, and thank you for helping me up, I really do appreciate it.”
“What are friends for?”
Looking behind him, she saw that Drake had pulled up outside of the college. “I really need to go,” she said.
Moving around him, she made her way toward the car. Drake didn’t get out even as he stared a hole into the man’s back.
“Who was that?”
“I don’t know. Some guy from the restaurant. How come you’re picking me up?” He rarely picked her up.
“There has been an incident at school with Brian, and you need to go and pick him up from Jack’s.”
“Oh, crap. What happened?”
“It would seem Brian doesn’t like being called an orphan, and the kids are having a lot of pleasure when it comes to teasing him.”
“Kids are horrible, and cruel.”
“That I agree with.” Drake pulled away from the college, and she shoved her bag into the back. She refused to sit behind Drake. It seemed wrong to do that.
“Where are we going?”
“Jack told me to take you back to his apartment.”