by Laura Lee
“So, you’re telling me the best thing to do in this situation was fuck some rando?”
He doesn’t say anything for at least thirty seconds. “You followed them to that house, didn’t you?”
I belt out a sardonic laugh. “No, I actually followed someone else and got there before them. But yes, I saw Kingston and his father enter the sex club, or whatever it was. I had a clear view of everything from the back door, which means I also saw my supposed boyfriend fooling around with a naked girl right before he disappeared with her down the hall. ”
Damn it. I didn’t mean to tell him that. My high is obviously making me more loose-lipped than usual.
“Jazz, please call him. It isn’t what it looks like. He’s in a really fucked up place right now, worrying about you.”
I sigh. “Am I a hypocrite, Bent? Am I crazy for feeling so betrayed, considering what happened between the three of us that night?”
“Naw, baby. There’s a big difference between stepping out on your boo versus the two of you inviting someone in to play with you. Talk to him, and you’ll see it’s not what it seems. I know my boy, and I know he’d never do something like that to you. You’re his world, Jazzy.”
I look over my shoulder when the door slides open, and Shawn steps out. “You okay out here?”
“Who the fuck is that?” Bentley shouts angrily.
Shawn scowls, obviously hearing Bentley’s words through the phone.
I hold up a finger, asking him to give me a minute.
“Bent, I need to go. I think I just need to sleep this off. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Jazz, wait. Don’t—”
I end the call and pass it back over to Shawn. “Thanks.”
His eyes bounce between mine. “You okay?”
“I really think I need some sleep.” A yawn escapes, further proving my point.
He jerks his head over his shoulder. “You can take my bed. I just changed the sheets.”
“I’m not going to take your bed.”
Shawn puts a hand on each one of my shoulders and starts guiding me down the hallway. “You’re taking the damn bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. Malakai should be home any minute now, and I can’t guarantee he’ll be alone. It’ll be quieter in my room.”
“Fine,” I concede. “But only because your couch really sucks.”
“Go to bed, Jazz. We’ll talk in the morning.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
JAZZ
“Thanks for the ride. And for everything last night.”
Shawn pulls his navy blue BMW 328i up to the curb, two houses down from Belle’s. The sedan is over ten years old, but the boy keeps it obsessively clean. Boys and their cars, amiright?
“You sure you don’t want me to drive you two somewhere?”
“I’m sure.” I nod, leaving out the part that Belle probably wouldn’t be happy to see him. She liked Shawn well enough while we were dating, but she loves Kingston, and I’m afraid seeing Shawn would confuse her.
“At least reconsider the ride home. There’s no point in paying for one when I can do it for free.” He looks at the backpack on my lap. “You can leave that with me, and I’ll bring it back.”
That’d probably be the smart thing to do considering the Glock I have wrapped in the shirt I wore last night. It’s not loaded, but still. I don’t like the idea of carrying a weapon when I’m spending the day with my sister.
“Yeah... okay. Maybe meet me back here around five?”
Shawn searches my eyes for a moment. “I can do that.”
I offer him a soft smile. “Thanks again, Sha—” Movement down the street catches my eye. “Ah, fuck.”
Shawn’s gaze follows mine. His shoulders stiffen the moment he notices Kingston coming right at us, glaring holes through the windshield. Damn it, I should’ve known he’d show up here.
“Oh, fuck no.” Shawn practically rips the keys out of the ignition and opens the car door.
“Shawn, don’t.”
He scoffs. “Sorry, Jazz. I’m not backing down on this. That preppy fuck has some nerve showing up here.”
I scramble out of the car, catching up with him right as Kingston reaches us. The two men stare each other down, the animosity between them tangible. A muscle jumps in Kingston’s cheek while Shawn clenches and unclenches his fists. Neither one of them says a word. They just square off, trying to murder each other with their eyes.
I insert myself directly between them. The last thing I need right now is to have them throw punches at each other, then have to deal with someone calling the cops. Both men are pretty evenly matched in size, and Shawn has legit street smarts, but after seeing Kingston fight at Peyton’s birthday party, I think he could actually do some real damage to his opponent.
“Jazz, move,” Kingston grits out.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Shawn retorts.
A cruel smirk forms on Kingston’s lips. “Or what?”
I hold my arms out on either side as they both take a step forward. “Both of you. Knock it off.”
Kingston’s eyes meet mine for the first time. “Is this who you’ve been with all night?” His eyes are bright green today, almost glowing with intensity as he awaits my answer.
I pop a brow. “So, what if it was?”
His eyes narrow. “Then we’re going to have a problem.”
I scoff. “Oh, we already have a problem, Kingston.”
Kingston’s gaze shifts to Shawn. He couldn’t look more unimpressed if he tried. “You can take off now. I’d like to have a word with my girlfriend alone.”
Shawn charges forward again but stops when my palm presses against his puffed-out chest. “Fuck you. I’m not going anywhere. And the way I see it, she ain’t your girl anymore.” He releases a sardonic laugh. “But don’t worry; I took care of her real good last night.”
Shit.
He just had to go and rouse the beast, didn’t he? In one second, Kingston’s pulling me out of the way, and in the next, his fist is connecting with Shawn’s jaw. Shawn fires back immediately, landing a solid blow in roughly the same spot.
“Stop it!” I scream. “Somebody’s going to call the cops, you idiots!”
Of course, they don’t listen and continue trading punches. When I see the neighbors peeking their heads through their curtains, I know I need to end this fast before both these fools get thrown in jail. I’m not stupid enough to risk my face being collateral damage, so I do the first thing I can think of. I take off my shoes, right there in the middle of the street, and hurl one at each one of their heads as hard as I can.
“Ow!” Shawn shouts, rubbing his forehead.
“What the fuck?” Kingston grumbles at the same time, staring at one of my fallen Chucks on the concrete.
I prop a hand on my hip. “You assholes deserved it.”
Shawn’s nostrils flare as he wipes the blood away from his lip. “Did you seriously throw your shoe at my face?”
I roll my eyes. “Hell, yes, I threw my shoe at your face. Quit being such a baby. It’s not like it hurt worse than a fist, but clearly, the element of surprise knocked some sense into you morons.”
Shawn winces. “That’s harsh, babe.”
“Call her that again and see what happens.” Kingston spits blood on the ground.
Shawn juts his chin out. “I’m not afraid of you, playa.”
I throw my hands up. “Oh, shut the hell up, both of you. If you’d stop measuring d—”
“Jazz!”
All three of our heads whip in the direction of my sister’s voice. She’s barreling down the sidewalk toward us with a huge smile on her face.
I crouch down and open my arms to pull her into a hug as soon as she’s within reach. “Hey, kiddo. I missed you.”
Belle squeezes me tighter and buries her nose into my neck. “Missed you, too.”
I glare at both guys over Belle’s shoulder, silently telling them to get their shit together.
I finger a lock of h
er loose hair. “You took the braids out. How’d you get the curls to look so pretty?”
My sister nods. “Monica works at a beauty salon. She gets to take home all sorts of stuff to try. She gots me some new oil that smells like sunscreen.” Belle lifts a lock of her hair, waiting for me to take a sniff. “See?”
I take a whiff of the coconut fragrance. “Mmm, you smell good enough to eat.” I playfully snap my teeth near her neck, making her giggle.
Belle pulls back and frowns when she finally notices Shawn. “What’s he doin’ here?”
Shawn laughs at her accusatory tone. “Hey, there, shorty. Long time, no see.”
Belle balls her fists and parks them on her hips. “I am not short.”
He holds his palms out in surrender. “My mistake. Will you forgive me?”
Now Belle crosses her arms over her chest and harrumphs.
Of course, Kingston’s loving the fact that my sister is giving my ex a less-than-warm reception. “Hey, kiddo.”
A smile stretches across her face, right before she launches herself into Kingston’s arms. Shawn’s not the only one right now who’s uncomfortable with the fact that Belle adores Kingston so much.
Kingston stands with Belle proudly propped on his hip. He tugs on one of her curls and says, “Your hair looks really pretty.”
“Thank you.” Belle gingerly presses her fingertips to the corner of his mouth. “You have an owie on your lip.”
Kingston’s tongue snakes out, wiping the little droplet of blood away. “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
Shawn and I both shake our heads at Kingston’s obvious dig.
I tell my stupid heart to stay firm when Kingston boops her on the nose. “You feel like going to the children’s museum today?”
Motherfucker.
Belle’s face lights up. “Yeah!”
“Actually... Belle, I was thinking you and I could have a sisters-only day. Maybe hop on the bus like old times and go somewhere fun?”
Her brows draw together. “But I wanna go to the children’s museum.”
“Yeah, Jazz, she wants to go to the museum.” Kingston smiles victoriously.
I mentally flip him off. “Well, then we can take the bus to the museum and still have our sisters’ day.”
“Or I can drive you,” Shawn offers. “Promise I won’t get in the way. I’ll just be your chauffeur.”
Belle looks at Shawn first, then me, then Kingston. I think she’s finally sensing the tension in the air. Her brow furrows as she pulls on Kingston’s sleeve, prompting him to let her down.
“Are you mad at me?”
I shake my head. “Of course not, honey. Why would you think that?”
“Because everyone looks really mad, like the time I spilled juice all over the couch, and Daddy yelled at me and made me go to bed without dinner.”
I have to work really hard to conceal my hatred toward my sister’s father. Another reason I need a job: So I can consult an attorney to see what my chances of getting partial custody are.
Kingston kneels down. “Hey, princess. No one’s mad.”
Belle points to Shawn. “Then why’s his lip bleedin’ too?”
Kingston doesn’t even spare Shawn a glance. “We were just playing around.”
Shawn uses the bottom of his shirt to wipe the blood off. Thankfully, the shirt’s black, so hopefully it won’t stain. He winks when he catches me staring at his abs, which are a helluva lot more defined than they used to be. I may not want to be with him, but I’m sure as shit not blind. Unfortunately, Kingston catches me looking too, which earns me a glare.
I give him one right back. “Don’t even start with me.”
Belle grabs my hand. “Jazz?”
I sigh. “Honey, I promise no one is mad at you. And we’ll do something super fun, but I need to have some grown-up talk with the boys first. Why don’t you go back inside, and I’ll come get you in just a few?”
“Then, you, me, and Kingston will go to the children’s museum?”
I give her a reassuring smile. “We’ll get that all figured out, okay? Just go back inside, and I’ll be there soon.”
Belle twitches her nose. “Fine.”
Nobody says a word until she’s back inside the house. As soon as she closes the door, all bets are off.
“You need to leave,” Kingston tells Shawn.
Shawn scoffs. “Fuck, no.”
I hang my head in resignation. Both guys watch me as I duck into Shawn’s Beamer and grab my backpack.
“Jazz—” Shawn starts.
I hold up my hand. “I know what I’m doing, Shawn. Thank you for last night. I’ll call you later, okay?”
He looks between Kingston and me incredulously. “Are you kidding me right now? You’re taking his side after what he did?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’m taking my sister’s side. And what’s best for her right now is to avoid causing a scene and confusing her further.”
“I don’t like this.” Shawn adjusts the brim of his ball cap.
“It’ll be fine, Shawn. I’ll call you later. I promise.”
He releases a heavy breath before hooking me around the shoulders and pulling me into a side hug. Kingston looks murderous as Shawn kisses the top of my head, but fuck him. He has no right to say shit right now.
“If I don’t hear from you tonight, I’m coming up there.”
Shawn points two fingers to his eyes, then back at Kingston. “I’m watching you, fucker.”
Kingston’s square jaw tics. “Right back at you.”
Kingston and I stand in silence while Shawn gets behind the wheel and drives away. When he’s down the street, I start walking toward Kingston’s Rover.
“I’m not talking about this out here. Is the car open?”
I hear the locks disengage when we get closer. “It is now.”
I open the driver’s door and toss my bag over the seat into the cargo area. When I see the question in Kingston’s eyes, I say, “I don’t trust you not to drive off if you get behind the wheel.”
The asshole smirks as he rounds the car to climb in on the passenger’s side. “Whatever you say, Jazz. But I’m holding on to these so you can’t run off.” He dangles my shoes by the laces, laughing when I unsuccessfully try grabbing them.
I point a stern finger at him. “You don’t need to be a dick about it.”
“Quit behaving like a spoiled brat, and maybe I won’t.”
“Excuse me?!” I rear back. “You have some fucking nerve.”
“You wanna tell me what the disappearing act was about? And why the fuck you’d go to that asshole?”
My eyes narrow. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t already talk to Bentley.”
“Humor me.” Kingston throws out his hand. “Tell me what you think you saw, and I’ll tell you what you really saw. Then, we can move on to how fucking stupid you were for following someone to that house in the first place.”
“Wow.” I shake my head. “Just... wow.”
“Nothing to say?” He raises his eyebrows. “Fine. I’ll go. I made a huge breakthrough with my dad last night. Huge.”
I golf clap. “By fucking some chick in the middle of a sex club? Congratulations.”
“I didn’t fuck anyone,” he grits out.
I roll my eyes. “Fine. Got your dick sucked. Whatever.”
“I didn’t do anything with anyone, Jazz.”
My jaw drops. “I was there, Kingston! I was at the back door, looking in. I saw you stick your tongue down some naked chick’s throat! Right before she dragged you down a hallway.”
He closes his eyes for a moment. “That’s the last thing I wanted you to see, but it had to be done. And nothing else happened.”
“Right.” I fold my arms over my chest. “Why should I believe you? Because you’ve been so honest up until this point?”
He growls. “I’m fucking dead serious, Jazz.”
“Fine. Then why don’t you t
ell me what really happened? And why you had to kiss some naked rando?”
“Because my dad was testing my loyalty. He was questioning me about you... about my feelings for you. When I assured him he imagined things, he asked me how far I was willing to go to prove myself.” Kingston rubs the side of his jaw. “I told him I’d do whatever it took to ease his concerns.”
“And his answer to that was bringing you to an orgy?”
“It wasn’t an orgy. I mean, technically, I guess the fucking occurred all in the same room, but those women weren’t there for the fun of it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“They were working. My dad and Madeline run a prostitution ring. The real reason behind Ivanov’s party was to invite guests to their newest fetish room. Apparently, they have regular clientele who need excuses to get away from their significant others. Or, some of them just get off on the knowledge that their spouses are nearby while someone else is sucking their dicks, I don’t know. So... Alex, or one of their other hosts, as he called them, throws a party.
“Enough people are invited where it wouldn’t be noticeable if a few disappeared for a while. And it’s not uncommon for men to branch off at these parties to discuss business, which is likely the excuse they use. My dad said it was only one of many things he had his hands on. I got the impression they were going behind your dad’s back on this one; hence, why he wasn’t invited.”
I scrub a hand down my face. Sadly, everything Kingston’s said to this point is believable, considering the players and what I saw. It still doesn’t excuse his actions.
“Kingston, that still doesn’t explain the girl you were with.”
“Yeah, it does, Jazz. I already told you my dad was testing my loyalty to him. His way of doing that was to get me to screw someone else to prove my thing with you is purely physical. Honestly, I think he was also looking for something to hold over me. I don’t know if you noticed, but there were cameras in every corner. My dad said they were there if any of his guests wanted a memento, but I think he uses the footage for blackmail. I wouldn’t be surprised if he planned on sending a video of me with that woman to you to further whatever his agenda is.