Own It

by M Dauphin

  “Yea, I did too for the longest time. He’s starting to redeem himself, though. He’s tried in his own way to help me but he just isn’t good at that part of life. He can throw money at you, but he can’t show many emotions.”

  “I hear ya.”

  “He’s a good guy, Jett. I don’t want you thinking less of him because he wasn’t there for me.”

  “Well I do.” I grumble and pull her tighter to me. “But I’ll work on not wanting to beat his ass.”

  “Thank you,” she murmurs. “Hey Jett?”

  “Yea, kid?”

  “Will you come to dinner with me tomorrow night?”

  A weight lifts off my chest and I smile, holding tight to her.

  “Absolutely, kid. Anything you want.”

  “I want to sleep for three days,” she mumbles, and shortly after her soft snores fill the room.

  I lay there most of the night, uncomfortable but not willing to wake her up just for my comfort. She’s content, she’s happy, and that makes me happy. Who cares about sleeping on a couch when you have the woman you’ve been unknowingly waiting for your entire life turns up and passes out here.

  From the moment I met her, Lo’s barged her way into my life. She damn near trampled me twice in one day; that should’ve been a sign. Now, just a few weeks later, I’m completely smitten with her.

  I pass out sometime after two, thanks to the clock on the wall keeping me company up until then. When she starts to stir, I try to pull her tighter but she has other plans.

  And they aren’t what my dick is wishing this morning.

  “I have to piss,” she grumbles, rolling off the couch and making her way to the bathroom.

  I never said she was the most lady-like of creatures… especially not in the morning… but she’s mine. And I’m keeping her.

  After stretching out some sore muscles, I grab my running shoes and start to stretch out for a run before the sun gets too hot.

  “Where are you going?” She asks from behind me. I turn back and look at her, hair tussled, no pants, and one of my old t-shirts on. I can’t help but smile at this vixen. She’s so fucking sexy and isn’t even trying!

  “A run,” I say, standing. “And when I get back, we’re spending the entire day in bed.”

  “Until dinner tonight,” she grumbles, spinning and heading for the bedroom. “I’ll be waiting for you!” she yells on her way.

  “OH hey!” I yell back at her, shaking my head. I completely forgot to tell her this last night, and I hope she says yes because I’ve already bought our plane tickets. She stops and looks back at me. “I need you to come to Mexico with me next month.” I smile when her eyes go wide.

  “What?” She shrieks. “I can’t just up and go to Mexico, Jett! I have a jo-” She pauses and slowly grins when the realization hits her.

  “And you’ll get paid for it. Obviously. Since it’s a job requirement and all.”

  “Sneaky, sneaky, Mr. Voss,” she tsks. “Go. Run. I have plans for us today.” She winks and heads into the bedroom, stripping off the shirt she’s wearing and tossing it on the floor on her way.

  … Fuck this. I’ll get my cardio in another way today.

  “You okay over there?” I grin at her and try to calm her nerves but she looks like she’s about to open the car door and bolt… and we’re doing 70 on the interstate.

  “Fine,” she clips. “Perfect, why?” She flashes me one of those fake smiles and I shake my head, holding back what I really want to tell her.

  Like- You don’t need your mother’s acceptance, so fuck her and let’s go get Chinese food. Or- You look fucking beautiful tonight, let’s skip this shit and go back to my place and continue savoring each other’s bodies.

  Neither of those are supportive boyfriend statements, so I keep my mouth shut and reach over, taking her hand in mine. She smiles gently over at me, this time a real one, and relaxes a bit in her seat.

  As we pull into the parking lot of the ritzy seafood place her brother apparently picked she groans.

  “Hey,” I whisper. Her eyes flash to mine sadly and I grin. “It’s dinner, Lo. With your family. It’ll be fine. And if it’s not, I’m right here, ready to kick ass and take names.”

  “Just don’t let her get to you, okay?”

  “Bah, please!” I boast, opening my door. “Nothing can break me.” I lie.

  Lo. Lo can break me.

  I open her door and help her out. It’s unnecessary, I guess, but I was raised to respect women so it’s second nature for me, really. We walk in and her brother, alone at a table in the middle of the restaurant, waves us over.

  “Hey man,” Chris says, throwing Lo a strange glance as he gives me a bro-hug.

  “So where’s mom?” Lo asks, sitting down in between us. It’s almost like she’s using us as a safety barrier from the woman we’re waiting on.

  I’m slightly nervous to meet this woman who has my girl wound so tight. If she’s anything near as bad as Lo makes her out to be I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep my comments to myself tonight.

  “Hey anything new with the will?” I ask Chris, trying to take Lo’s attention off the pending dinner disaster. He sighs and shakes his head.

  “All signs point to everything in the will being legal. If you want, I can have Paisley-”

  “No. Stop right there.” Fuck no he’s not getting her involved in this. “This is the last thing she needs to worry about. You and I both know the minute she finds out about this she’ll fucking flip. She doesn’t need this stress. If I have to go back to work there for a few years until the girls turn 18 then I fucking will.” I growl, feeling my blood pressure rising over the thought of having to leave the shop. I really thought Chris was going to find something but I guess when there’s nothing to be found… that’s it. Lo’s hand rests on my thigh, relaxing me.

  When Chris clears his throat and nods towards the door, Lo stiffens and I give her hand a squeeze.

  “My Christopher!” A woman croons, embracing him like she hasn’t seen him in ages.

  “Mother,” Chris says, just polite enough for a stranger. But this is his mother! What the hell is wrong with this family?

  I chuckle to myself softly… it’s my fucking family. Are all families as fucked up as ours?

  The woman, not much taller than Lo but baring a bone chilling resemblance to her, flicks her gaze to me and chills run down my spine.

  I thought my mom was bad. She’s rainbows and glitter shits compared to this woman’s cold gaze.

  “Who is this?” She states the question like I’ve officially ruined her day and I grin slowly, standing and reaching over the table to shake her hand and introduce myself.

  “Jett Voss, Ma’am.”

  She eyes my hand and slowly flicks her stare from me, over to Lo who’s still sitting in her seat, and back to me.

  “Why are you here?” She narrows her eyes at me, with no intention of returning my gesture, and I hear Chris clear his throat. I let out a small chuckle, because it’s not nice to punch a lady in the throat, and sit back down.

  “He’s my boyfriend, mom.” Lo states, her shaking hand coming to my knee.

  “Mm,” her mother replies. She takes her seat and immediately calls over the waiter for a bottle of wine.

  The way she completely ignores Lo makes my skin boil. She’s over there, talking to Chris and completely dismissing the fact that her other offspring is sitting right next to him. Why the hell are we even here right now?

  It’s all I have in me not to speak up and tell this woman off. The way she’s reduced Lo to a pile of ashamed skin is embarrassing for her and making me literally shake. Lo looks over at me and smiles, about to say something when her mother finally speaks up.

  “So you brought a play thing to dinner with us?” Her eyebrow, perched high on her forehead, looks like it’s stuck in this judgment casting glare. I take a deep breath but the look Chris is giving me right now tells me to let Lo handle this.

  “I brought m
y boyfriend, mother. His name’s Jett, and you can speak to him, he won’t bite.”

  “I just don’t get why you’d do this to me. I never see you, then when I do you bring this… man?”

  Lo plasters on that fake smile I’ve seen way too much today and takes a breath.

  “This man goes where I go. He’s good to me. I need good in my life, don’t you think?”

  Oh sweet Jesus if looks could kill her mother would be murderous right now.

  “I think you need to re-evaluate what’s good for you, sweetheart,” he mother croons. I let out a growl but Lo’s hand clamps onto my knee and she grins over at me, her face void of every emotion and it creeps me the fuck out.

  “Jett is good for me,” she says, shrugging.

  “Coming from the girl who thought keeping a baby she didn’t deserve was ‘good for her’? Oh Lauren, I don’t know where I went wrong with you. You know how well that whole mess of trying to keep a human life alive went for you, how are you supposed to keep this… relationship…” she rolls her eyes and I’ve never wished I could hit a woman before. “Alive.”

  Her gaze, full on contempt and hatred blaring through those cold as fuck eyes, land on Lo and I watch Lo for a response.

  “Mother can’t we just have a calm dinner? You are the one that wanted this, anyway,” Chris speaks up, trying to pacify her before Lo loses it.

  “I did. I was hoping my daughter would be able to tell me she has her shit together, though,” she scoffs. “Between her using you for housing and feeding off this Voss…” she looks over at me and I’ve never felt so small in my life. “I know your family. Your brother was a workaholic and your dad a drug addict? Am I right?”

  “Ma’am-” I start but Chris cuts me off.

  “Enough, mother!” he blurts.

  Lo curses then bolts as fast as she can away from the table and out the front door.

  “Shit,” I huff, standing and hearing a gasp come from her mother. I spin and glare at the woman before rushing after Lo. “You’re a fucking piece of work, you know that? You’ve abused her for too long. It ends now. Your daughter wanted a baby and fucking lost it… you never deserved to have children in the first place. I feel sorry for how miserable you must be to have to treat your own flesh and blood the way that you treat her.”

  She’s gaping at me, at a loss for words for probably the first time in her life, and I nod at Chris before Jogging outside just to miss Lo as she slides into a cab.

  “Fuck!” I blurt, so fucking pissed right now. How the hell did this happen? Who even set this fucking dinner ‘meeting’ up?

  “Hey man, sorry about her,” Chris huffs from behind me and I’m so pissed I could slug him.

  “This your doing? You force her to do this?”

  “Mom asked for dinner,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Won’t make that mistake again.”

  “No. We fucking won’t, will we? Now she’s fucking gone and I have no clue where she went!”

  He nods silently for a moment then pulls his keys from his pocket.

  “Your car here?” He asks and I nod. “Good. Follow me, I think I know where she went.”

  I groan and begrudgingly follow him to the outskirts of town. When we stop at the entrance to a small cemetery my heart sinks. I climb out of the car just as Chris is getting out of his.

  “She comes here to think sometimes. His plot is the third row in on the left. You can’t miss it.” The look on his face right now isn’t that of a calm, cool, and collected man.

  It’s that of a broken uncle.

  “Think she needs some time alone?” I shove my hands in my pocket, not sure if I’m ready for all the emotions of being at her son’s gravesite.

  “I think she needs you, Jett. I could go up there but she still hates me for being so distant when he was sick.” He huffs. “Jesus I was a tool. I loved that boy… I did… but I didn’t have the time for them. I never have the fucking time, I guess.” He rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath, relaxing against his car. “She’s not been the same since he died. I’ve tried, but the first glimpses of the girl I used to know started showing when you came in to the picture. You’re what she needs, Jett.”

  I nod and thank him for helping me find her, then walk towards the grave.

  A five year old’s gravesite. One covered in balloons, flowers, and stuffed animals. Still, fresh flowers.

  She’s sitting on his grave, one of the stuffed animals in her hand, and when she hears the crunch of the gravel under my shoes approaching she looks up and her eyes go wide.

  “Hey kid,” I manage, walking over to her hesitantly.

  “I didn’t kill him,” she sniffles. “I did my best. It’s not my fault he’s dead,” she manages, before breaking down in tears.

  My strong Lo, always trying to hold back, is still completely shattered.

  “I know,” I whisper, taking her into my arms and holding her tight while she falls apart.

  I don’t know how long we stay like this, on the ground right next to her son’s grave, but when she pulls back and looks at me, her red rimmed eyes are dry and she’s breathing evenly.

  “I’m sorry about my mom,” she says, picking at the grass.

  “Don’t be. The woman is vile, that’s for sure. You’re not doing any of those lunches or dinners or any meetings again without me there. And next time I won’t be so polite.” I growl.

  “She’s always been bad, but today it’s like she truly hated me.”

  “Well I don’t hate you, and isn’t that all that matters?” I nudge her and grin, trying to lighten the mood.

  “You sure about that? After you met my family?”

  “Very much the opposite, kid,” I whisper, reaching out and tucking her windblown hair out of her face. I could have just said it… finally said the words that I know are true… but I didn’t. Today’s not the right time. “How about we get out of here,” I say, standing up and helping her to stand.

  “I am super hungry. I didn’t even get to eat my dinner,” she laughs.

  “First stop, China King!” I remark, making her smile. “There’s that smile I love so much.”

  I lean in and kiss her.

  “So you really paid for me to go to Mexico with you?” She asks on the walk back to the car.

  “Of course.”

  “Do we have to come home?” She asks, making me laugh.

  What her mom has done to her is beyond repair. I can’t help their relationship, but I can make sure I’m here for her; to help fill any void she may feel. The girl I saw at the table today isn’t my Lo.

  My Lo is fearless, strong, and stubborn. That’s the girl I fell in love with.

  A month goes by faster than you think when you’re trying to prepare for our out of country trip. Between the scheduling of the bike delivery to the plane tickets and hotel stays and all the extracurricular shit Jett has us doing, we’re landing in Mexico City before I can take a breath.

  “I can’t wait to fuck you on every surface of this fucking place,” he growls, throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me into the house we rented on the beach for the week. I slap his ass and when he lets me down, slowly, I make sure I press against him in all the right spots, making him groan. “You’re gonna kill me, kid,” he mutters when my hands go to his crotch.

  “It’s vacation, babe,” I purr, falling to my knees in front of him. It’s been too long since I’ve tasted him and I’m ravenous for more. Pushing his pants down and springing him free, I take him all the way to the back of my throat. He growls and fists his hands in my hair, then gently starts thrusting into my mouth. I cup his balls with one hand and bring my other hand between my legs.

  “Are you fucking playing with yourself right now?”

  I pop my mouth off him and grin, continuing working my clit.

  “You like that?” I whisper.

  “Fucking Christ I do.” In one swoop he lifts me and sets me on the counter then backs away. “Keep it up.” He nods to my pussy and I grin
, sliding my fingers through my wet core. His hand goes to his dick and we lock eyes as we masturbate for each other. Watching him pleasure himself is too much, and when I feel my orgasm starting to tingle through me I squeeze my eyes closed.

  “Open them!” he barks, and I snap my eyes back open to his. Lust filled, hooded eyes lock onto mine and within seconds I’m coming completely undone and all under Jett’s gaze.

  “Holy fuck that was hot,” he grunts, his hand working faster. I grin, biting my lip, then hop down and go to my knees right in time to help finish him off.

  Swallowing, I hum and lick my lips looking up at him.

  “I haven’t had a meal that good in a long time,” I whisper, reaching out and licking his dick. He growls and backs away, huffing.

  “That was hot as sin, Lo.”

  “I tend to agree with you,” I stand and walk to my phone when an email alarm goes off.

  “No work this week,” he grumbles, taking the work cell phone from my hands. “In a week, we go back to reality and I more than likely start working my life away.” He rolls his eyes and pulls me onto his lap.

  “So there’s nothing my brother can do for you?” I don’t want him to leave the shop – he loves the shop– but I also don’t want his nieces to suffer. Like he said, the shop stays, his love for it will never grow old, and the minute he can get out of Shuer for good he is.

  “Not from the looks of it. It’s completely legal having a clause like that in the will, and he can’t look any further because he wasn’t the one that my brother appointed to the will.”

  “That’s just weird,” I mumble. “They were best friends, why wouldn’t he have Chris do it?”

  “Who knows,” he huffs, standing. “Enough work talk. Let’s go. The beach awaits.” He holds his hand out to help me stand.

  We spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing on the oceanfront. The city is beautiful and bustling behind us, but the only work we have to do there is tomorrow when we meet to deliver the bikes. The rest of the time we’re doing jack shit, and I couldn’t be happier.