Chapter 8
As soon as we parked in front of the restaurant, I hopped out of the car. I knew Jase had a thing about opening doors, but this wasn’t that. I didn’t need him being a fake gentleman tonight and opening and holding doors for me. This was just dinner.
“Why did you do that, Harp?” Jase asked as he climbed out of his car.
“Because we’re not doing all that. You’re not getting any pussy, so you don’t have to worry about trying to pretend to be so nice. I already know you, Jase, and I’m completely capable of opening my own damn door.”
“Don’t do that shit again,” he challenged, pointing in my direction as he moved closer.
I couldn’t help but smile at how serious he was. I still rolled my eyes. “Whatever, Jase. This place looks nice. Have you eaten here before?” I quizzed.
“Once or twice. They have a lot of Pescatarian options. I wasn’t sure if you were still on your strict program.”
Wow. I wasn’t sure if I was surprised or not that Jase remembered that I went through a period where I mostly ate fish.
It was during my first couple of years in college when I was trying to maintain my fighting weight.
Then again, he had always been so observant.
It was one of the things I loved about him.
“I try to eat fairly healthy. I’ve incorporated a few other things though. Having a child made me lighten my restrictions. Plus, once I wasn’t fighting anymore, it wasn’t necessary.”
“Either way, you still look good as fuck. Come on, let’s get inside. I made a reservation.”
“Look at you.”
“I had to. This place gets busy on Friday nights.”
“We didn’t have to come here. You didn’t even know if I would join you.”
“Of course, I knew you would, Harp.”
“Yeah right. You literally said you were surprised that I was getting dressed.”
“And I was, but that doesn't mean you weren’t coming. You were coming.”
“I would talk trash, but I’m here, so I guess you got me there.” I shrugged.
“How can I help you?” the hostess asked once it was our turn.
“Reservation for Doctor St. John,” Jase stated.
“Right this way, Doctor St. John. We’ve been expecting you,” she said as she collected a couple of menus.
“Give me something near the bar,” Jase requested, making me glance over at him.
He tightened his grip on my hand as we trailed the hostess at a casual pace.
Jase looked so good with his locs up in a messy man bun.
His beard was trimmed to perfection only highlighting his full pink lips even more.
Jase was dressed in all black, adding to his dark, sexy aura.
When we made it to our table, the hostess pulled out my chair, and Jase kissed my hand as I lowered myself into my seat.
He finally released my hand and took his seat, but his dark brown eyes never left mine.
“It really doesn’t make any sense how thick and fine you’ve gotten over the years, Harp. The nigga who lost you is a damn fool. No, I’m a damn fool for letting him get to you in the first place.”
I smirked. “I’m with you when you’re right.”
“I’ve always loved your confidence. Keep that energy.” His grin mirrored my own.
“Hi, I’m Marisa. I’ll be your waitress for the night. What can I get you two lovely people to drink tonight?”
Jase ordered a bottle of wine for the table and gave me time to pick out an appetizer before our waitress went on her way.
She had barely left the table when a man showed up with a bottle of wine, opening it and filling our glasses before leaving it to rest on the table.
I immediately picked up my glass and took a sip, savoring the sweetness of the white wine.
I loved a good, sweet wine. He remembered.
My eyes flashed up to Jase, but my vision seemed to blur as they focused on something just over his shoulder.
Jordy.
There he was, as beautiful as ever, sitting at the bar while knuckling something brown.
Brown liquor was always his preference. His eyes were glued to me in an unreadable expression, but I knew exactly what he was thinking.
Tearing my attention off Jordy, I glared at Jase as he held his hands up in mock surrender.
“Was this part of y’all’s agreement?”
“Don’t worry about anything going on in this room if it’s not happening at this table, Harp. Who did you come here with?”
“I’m starting to wonder. Did you tell him to come here?”
“I only told him where we were going. He showed up on his own. You know he’s not letting you too far out of his sight if I’m around.” Jase chuckled. He was enjoying this shit. Of course he was. This was their thing.
“I’m glad you’re so amused by all of this.”
“I’m amused by you. You look so fucking cute when you’re annoyed, Harp.”
“I can’t stand you, and I’m not annoyed,” I lied, chancing another look in Jordy’s direction just to verify that he was still gazing at me. He was.
I put my eyes back on Jase because I refused to let Jordy know how much of an effect he had on me. I was absolutely certain that he knew, but I wasn’t just going to give in to him so willingly.
JoJo looked so good dressed in all black and peering at me through the dark rims of his glasses.
Absentmindedly, he sipped his drink, but those probing, dark-brown eyes fastened to me indefinitely.
There was something dark and mysterious about Jordy that always tugged at something dark and kinky embedded somewhere deep inside me.
He knew it even before I could put my finger on what it was.
Sometimes I couldn’t understand why people couldn’t tell them apart, then I remembered those two or three weeks when I thought they were the same damn person.
Something was off, but Jordy was such a layered person that I honestly thought it was just his personality.
Sometimes he was playful and fun, and other times, he was quietly charming and attentive.
Then again, I was seventeen years old when I met them. I didn’t know shit about shit.
Once the appetizers and wine came, I felt a little more at ease.
Jordy’s looming presence didn’t irritate me enough to make me not want to enjoy the crab cakes that the waitress raved about.
After not eating half the day due to my nerves, I was starving.
I tore into one of the crab cakes with my fork and closed my eyes as the sweet and flaky combination hit my palate.
“Pretty good?” Jase questioned as I picked up my glass of wine.
“They’re delicious. I see you’ve almost finished yours.”
“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite things on the menu. The calamari is pretty good too, tender and not too rubbery.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind for when I come back.”
“You should.” He nodded.
“The wine is good too. I’m actually kinda glad I came. I didn’t know how bad I needed to get out of the house.”
“I’m glad you came too. Look, Harp, I know how you feel about reliving the past, but I would be remiss if I didn’t say anything.
I know I hurt you. That party was completely my idea, and I’m sure whatever you saw was my fault too.
You know he wasn’t a drinker. I influenced him to loosen up and indulge.
I felt like I was losing him. This was on me, not him.
I know my actions were fucked up and caused unnecessary pain to the two people I love the most. I promise I’ll never hurt you again, Harper.
If you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. ”
I waved him off. “Thank you for saying that, but I promise you don’t have to do that.”
“But I do. I need you to forgive me, Harp. JoJo never fully forgave me. He won’t say it, but I know it’s true. He blames me for us losing you.”
“Jordy was an adult just as well as you were, Jase. You might have brought the girls there, but you didn’t put his dick in that girl’s mouth and make him sit there and take it. Don’t put that on yourself. It’s not fair that he did.”
“Yes it is, Harp. He didn’t want to be there. He told me not to invite the girls, but I insisted.”
“What did you order?” I asked, changing the subject to something that actually mattered right now.
“Blackened halibut and roasted vegetables. I’ll have some of your sea bass.”
“Oh no you won’t. You should have ordered what you wanted. I don’t even let my son eat off my plate.”
That made him grin. “I don’t have to eat off your plate. You can just feed it to me.”
“Yeah, right.”
When our entrees came, I tried not to notice Jordy leaving the bar. I was just grateful that he was gone. It was silly that I missed his presence at the same time. I was so annoyed with myself that I couldn’t stand it.
When Jordy came to me with the concept of voyeurism, I thought he was crazy.
That was until I went down a rabbit hole, researching and trying to understand why he and his brother were so into it, watching each other.
Instead of being disgusted like I expected myself to be, I became intrigued and then enthralled.
It didn’t take long for me to figure out that I was just as twisted as my guys. I especially loved for my quiet, sweet JoJo to watch me with Jase. It was amazing to see how he reasserted his dominance when I was back in his arms.
Over time, I became obsessed with the back-and-forth and the way both of them seemed to worship the ground I walked on in public, no matter what we did behind closed doors.
Too much time had passed though. Plus, now as a thirty-year-old woman and not a twenty-year-old girl, I knew better than to get involved with brothers.
I learned the hard way how that could affect my life. I didn’t need to be taught again.
“I’m enjoying spending time with you, but I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t tell you how bad I want to fuck you right now. I’m talking on this table right now, especially with him watching.”
“Oh, wow, there he is,” I said, shaking my head as I took a sip of my wine.