“Oh, wow.”
Dylan chuckled. “Just for the record, we frown on that kind of thing.”
“Don’t worry,” Sela said, holding up her hand. “I’m not looking for a hook-up. I’m perfectly content with my man.”
“Is that right?” Dylan crossed his arms. “This guy you’re seeing, you think he might be the one?”
Even though things had ended badly with Jaxon, Sela still liked and respected his friends enough to be honest with them. “I don’t know. After what happened with Jaxon, I’m a lot more cautious. He hurt me, you know that.”
“For what it’s worth, I know he regrets the way things went down with you.”
“Maybe he won’t make the same mistake the next time.”
Dylan grinned. “You think there’ll be a next time?”
“Not with me,” Sela said, splaying her palm over her chest. “I was talking about his next girlfriend. Maybe what happened with me taught him a lesson about taking risks.” Thinking about Jaxon loving someone else still wasn’t easy for her. She didn’t know if it ever would be, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want him to be happy. She didn’t hate him… anymore.
“I think it taught him a lot,” Dylan said. “But he still has a lot to learn. He’s not a bad guy, but what happened with his parents really messed him up.”
Sela remembered how heart-broken she’d been when she thought of Jaxon as a little boy finding his father that way. “I know. I can’t imagine it’s something you ever get over, but that doesn’t mean you give up on finding love.”
“I think a part of Jax died when his old man killed himself.” Dylan looked sad. “He didn’t have a normal childhood after that. He jumped through hoops trying to keep his mom happy. I think he felt if he didn’t, she might leave him too.”
Sela’s heart hurt every time she thought of the childhood Jaxon had missed out on because the adults in his life were too selfish to put him first. “How is his mother? Really?”
“It’s tough to say. She has her good days and bad, which I guess is typical for people in her condition. I think it’s been harder on Jaxon than on her. You know him, he’s a control freak. He wants to fix everything, and he can’t fix her.”
“Does he spend a lot of time with her?” Sela didn’t know why she was torturing herself, allowing herself to get sucked back into Jaxon’s life.
“As much as he can, though I’m not even sure she knows he’s there half the time.” Dylan leaned back, resting his hand on the edge of the table. “He goes out of obligation. They were never close, not even before his dad died, but he feels it’s his responsibility to take care of her.”
“I know.” Sela had tried to make Jaxon understand that his mother wasn’t his responsibility, but since he’d become successful, he felt it was his duty to make sure she had everything she wanted—which was a lot. She took advantage of her son’s generosity, demanding luxury cars, designer clothes, and a posh condo in the best neighborhood. “I should get ready for my shift. It was nice talking to you, Dylan.”
“Will you come to work for us? It would really help me out of a bind.”
He’d said me, not us, which made it difficult for Sela to say no. Especially since she couldn’t afford to miss a paycheck.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try. But I can’t make any promises.” When she realized how ungrateful she sounded, she said, “Thanks for the opportunity, Dylan.” She leaned in to kiss his cheek. “I do appreciate it.”
“I should be thanking you,” he said, winking. “Can I expect you tomorrow at five?”
“I’ll be there.”
Chapter Three
Jaxon knew he should give Sela time to settle into her new job before he showed up to harass her, but he couldn’t help himself. He needed to see her.
She looked great in her uniform: a tight black skirt, high heels, and a trim white blouse. Her long blond hair was pulled up in a fancy twist, drawing attention to her gorgeous face. He wasn’t the only one who noticed how good she looked. The regulars seemed to be friendlier than usual, calling her over to chat when she had a free minute.
Jaxon hated every second of it. He hadn’t considered that putting her in the midst of a bunch of wealthy, successful, good-looking men might be a bad idea until he saw the consequences of his actions. Those men were drawn to her like bees to honey, and he didn’t know how the hell to extinguish the lot of them.
“How’s it going?” he asked, sneaking up behind her when she was bent over and stacking a pile of leather-bound menus beneath her post.
“Oh my God, Jaxon,” she said, jumping. “You scared me.”
“Sorry.”
She stood up, brushing her breasts against his chest when she turned too quickly. “Oh… I…” She stepped back, nearly stumbling.
He reached for her arm. “Relax, Sela. It’s just me. No reason to be nervous.” He could tell she was by her rapid breathing and dilated pupils. Obviously she hadn’t been expecting him, and his presence had caught her off guard.
She held a menu against her chest as though it were a shield. “Right. I don’t know what got into me. I guess I should thank you.” She gestured around the crowded lounge. “You know, for the job. Joe had to lay me off. Dylan’s offer couldn’t have come at a better time.”
“Is that so?” Jaxon thought of his promise to Marlie. He would tell Sela the truth, just as soon as he was back in her good graces. “Well, I’m glad it all worked out.” He looked around at the crowd of men watching them with interest. “Anyone giving you a hard time?”
Sela looked over her shoulder, smiling at her admirers. “No, the guys are great. They’ve all been really friendly.”
“I’ll just bet,” he muttered. He thought about what had happened with their last hostess. Even though they frowned upon their employees dating customers, the girls could find ways to be discreet about it if the potential pay-off was high enough, and nowhere was it higher than in the V.I.P. lounge.
“Are you just checking in?” Sela asked, eyeing a customer who was clearly trying to get her attention.
Jaxon gave the guy the evil eye. He didn’t recognize him as one of their regulars and didn’t care if he never saw him again. He once would have done just about anything to keep their big spenders happy, but that was a different time, and he was a different man. Now he realized that some things were more important than the almighty dollar. Like Sela.
“Hey, you,” Sabrina Mitchell said, hip bumping Jaxon.
Sabrina had been coming to the bar ever since it opened, and she was as comfortable rubbing elbows with the rich and famous as she was hustling pool with the sports fanatics. Her family owned a big sports agency that represented a lot of big names, so many of the guys who hung out in the lounge owed her a huge debt of gratitude. Jaxon had always thought of her as a little sister.
“Hey, yourself.” Jaxon hooked an arm over Sabrina’s shoulder.
Sabrina launched herself at Sela. “Oh my God! I didn’t know you were working here.”
The two knew each other because of all the time Sela had spent at High Rollers when she and Jaxon were dating.
“It’s good to see you, Sabrina,” Sela said, hugging her back. “I’ve been meaning to call you, but things have been so hectic with work and school and”—she glanced at Jaxon—“trying to fit in a social life.”
“I ran into your sister downtown,” Sabrina said. “She told me you were dating some college professor. Is that true?”
Sela smiled. “It is. His name is Sheldon. We’ve only been seeing each other a few months, but…” She cleared her throat when she caught Jaxon hanging on her every word. “I like him a lot.”
“Well, good for you.” Sabrina squeezed Sela’s hands. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
“I am. Well, I should get back to work. Do you need a table?” she asked Sabrina.
“What do you think, Jax?” Sabrina asked. “You wanna buy a thirsty girl a drink?”
“You got it.” That would give him m
ore time to observe his ex.
A slight frown crossed Sela’s face. “Okay, let me show you to your table.”
Jaxon stopped to shake hands with a few regulars before claiming the seat across from Sabrina. He overheard Sela and Sabrina chatting about bridesmaids’ dresses and comfortable shoes, so he asked, “Is your sister making you wear something hideous on her big day, Sela?”
She laughed. “You know she tried, but I told her if she did, I’d make her wear seafoam green taffeta on my wedding day.”
Her wedding day. A vision of Sela wearing a long white gown and walking down the aisle toward him flashed through Jaxon’s mind, making his brain freeze. He wanted her back in his life, but he’d never thought that far into the future.
Sabrina reached across the table to cover his hand with hers. “Are you okay? You look a little pale all of a sudden.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I’m okay.”
“I’ll ask your server to get you started with some water,” Sela offered.
“That’d be great,” Jaxon said. “Thanks.”
“I should get back to my post,” Sela said, spotting a group of newcomers. “Enjoy your evening.”
Jaxon didn’t realize he was watching her walk away until Sabrina laughed and said, “You’ve still got it bad for her, don’t you?”
“You could say that.”
“Have you told her you’re sorry and that letting her go was the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?”
Jaxon waited until their waitress set two glasses of water on their table and left before he said, “I tried. She won’t hear it. She thinks this guy she’s with may be the one.”
“So you have to prove she’s wrong.” Sabrina took a sip of her water before picking up the leather-bound menu. “I feel like seafood tonight. You want to share the platter for two?”
“How do you suggest I prove it to her?” Maybe Sabrina had an angle Jaxon hadn’t considered. Short of getting some face time with Sela, he had no idea how to win her over.
“You could start by inviting me to the wedding as your date.”
“How did you know I was invited to the wedding?”
“I mentioned I ran into Kiki. She told me she invited you. In fact, she was the one who suggested I come with you.” Sabrina grinned. “She thought it might be good for her sister to think you’ve moved on. Running into y’all here tonight was just a happy coincidence.”
Jaxon laughed at the absurdity of Sabrina’s suggestion. No way would Sela assume he and Sabrina were anything more than friends. “I appreciate you trying to help, but—”
“Do you have a better idea?” Sabrina closed the menu and set it on the table. “You know she’s going to be there with her new man, and your plan is what? To go stag and watch her all night like some crazed stalker? Her parents would love that.”
Jaxon scowled. Sabrina was right; he really hadn’t thought this through. “Maybe I shouldn’t even go to the wedding.”
“When will you get another opportunity to spend time with her outside of work?”
“How do you know she wouldn’t avoid me like the plague at the wedding? Like you said, her boyfriend and parents will be there.”
The Richards had always wanted their daughter to end up with one of the senior partners in their law firm, someone they’d hand-picked because of his pedigree. No matter how many zeroes were tacked onto his bank statement, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks would never be welcome in their social circle.
“Sela’s polite to a fault. She may still be pissed at you, and definitely guarded, but I can tell she’s thawing. Let her know you want to be her friend… that you’re trying to make her life easier. Earn her trust, and she’ll come around.”
Since Jaxon didn’t have any better ideas, he decided he’d be wise to take Sabrina’s advice. “I’m sure you have better things to do on Saturday night than being my plus-one at some snooty country-club affair.”
She smiled. “It’s that, or go out with a retired golfer with a bum knee who whines way too much and relives his glory days as if I care to know anything about golf.”
That was what he loved about Sabrina: She was a straight shooter. “In that case, you have yourself a date.” He toasted her with his water glass “But I’m counting on you to stop me from making a fool of myself when I meet Sela’s boyfriend.” He said the word with such distaste that Sabrina giggled.
“It’s a deal.”
* * *
Sela was surprised her sister was waiting up when she got home. “I thought you were spending the night at Chad’s house. Weren’t you going over the seating for the wedding?”
Kiki wrinkled her nose. “We had a difference of opinion, so I thought I’d crash here. I hope my room will still be open when he’s my husband and we have a fight.”
“I plan on turning your room into an office,” Sela said with a smile, sinking onto the couch as she slipped off her five-inch heels. She bent to rub her aching feet. “You could always stay with Mom and Dad if you need a place to crash.”
Kiki slapped her sister’s arm. “Oh, that’s cold. You know I hate staying at the ice palace.”
That was their nickname for the house their parents had bought when they left for college. While most empty-nesters were downsizing, their parents upsized to impress their wealthy friends. Their chosen décor was white on white because, as they put it, they didn’t have to worry about kids messing things up anymore. Sela was tempted to ask them if they’d considered the possibility of having grandchildren visit, but it would be a waste of her breath. Her parents would have rigid rules for grandchildren to follow, just as they had for their own children.
“So how was your first night on the new job?” Kiki asked.
“It was okay, I guess.” Sela leaned back with a heavy sigh. “Jaxon was there.”
“Imagine that.”
“I don’t know that he was there to see me.” Sela felt a little unsettled, though she couldn’t say why. “He spent most of the evening with Sabrina Mitchell. They had dinner and drinks, and then they shot some pool.”
Kiki smirked. “Sounds like you were keeping pretty close tabs on them.”
“They were seated in my section most of the evening. It was hard not to notice them.”
“Especially since you were watching them so intently.”
Sela smacked her sister’s bare thigh. “Shut up! I was not.”
“So you think they’re a couple?”
Sela felt a knot tighten in her stomach. Even though she had no future with Jaxon, it was still hard for her to think of him with someone else. She told herself she was being a sentimental fool, but she hadn’t been with enough men to pretend having sex was insignificant. “I don’t know. They seemed pretty cozy, but I didn’t get the impression he was there to meet her.”
“Then you think he came to check up on you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he showed up because he was hoping Sabrina would be there?”
“And that makes you uncomfortable, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t believe he’d be insensitive enough to flaunt his new woman in front of me,” Sela said, biting the skin around her nails. “But maybe I’m being silly. It’s been over between us for a long time. I’ve moved on. Maybe he decided it was time for him to do the same.”
“Sabrina Mitchell, huh?” Kiki tipped her head from one side to the other. “What do you think of her?”
“She’s great.” Sabrina was fun, beautiful, successful, and she didn’t give a rip what anyone thought about her. It was hard not to like her.
“I think so too,” Kiki said. “It’s not a stretch to think Jaxon would share our opinion.”
“I don’t know. I always got the impression he thought of her more as a little sister.”
Kiki rolled her eyes and swatted Sela’s hand away from her mouth. “Don’t be naïve. Sabrina’s gorgeous and available. If she lets Jaxon know she’s interested, he’ll be all over her.”
“You really think so?”
Sela continued to tear at her cuticles. Kiki didn’t want her to make a mess of her nails before the wedding, but it was a nervous habit she couldn’t seem to shake.
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Kiki asked. “You told him you weren’t interested in him anymore. Did you mean that?”
“Of course I did! I have Sheldon now.”
“Right. How could I forget the witty, wise, and charming professor?”
“I know you’re being sarcastic, but he is all of those things and more. You’d see that if you were willing to give him a chance,” Sela said.
“Mom and Dad are willing to accept him. That should tell you all you need to know.”
“They love Chad. What does that say about him?”
“That he’s a kiss-ass,” Kiki said, grinning. “But I’m willing to overlook that one little character flaw because he’s great in the sack.”
Sela laughed. Her sister was right. Sela needed to stop overanalyzing. “I think it’s great if Jaxon and Sabrina are a couple. Maybe she can straighten him out.”
Kiki covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. “God, you’re a terrible liar. Remind me to give you lessons some time.”
“I’m the big sister. I thought I was supposed to be the one corrupting you, not the other way around.”
Kiki’s smile slipped. “If you still have feelings for him, you have to tell him, sis.”
That comment was so unexpected, it took Sela a minute to gather her wits enough to respond. “I don’t. How many times do I have to tell you I’m over him?”
“Does it hurt to see him with someone else?”
“We don’t even know that he’s with Sabrina,” she said, trying to avoid the question. “For all we know, they’re just friends.”
“But if they’re not,” Kiki said, “if it’s the start of something more, your last chance with him may be slipping away. Are you sure you can live with that?”
Sela ignored the pain in her chest when she stood and straightened her skirt. She couldn’t talk about it anymore. “We lost our chance at happiness when he told me it was over. I learned how to live without him, and I don’t ever intend to go back.” She was halfway to her bedroom when her cell phone rang. Running back down the hall to get her purse, she stubbed her toe on the corner of the table. “Damn it!”
Cheap Shot Page 4