Chapter 13
Jett
My driver and assistant Bryson, the one that looks like Michael B.
Jordan but twice the size, starts driving towards the gothic Hills mansion I thought was my second home.
Bry sings incredible r&b, is way hotter than me, and much less annoying.
Still, somehow, I get all the damn attention.
He also calls himself my bodyguard, though I haven’t run into a situation I can’t handle myself, yet.
Thankfully, he also interprets random voice memos and makes them a reality for me, always.
“Thanks, man,” I say, looking at the box he’s prepared for me in the backseat.
Inside is a blood red vase filled with twenty-four black, long-stem roses for Mads, her favourite whiskey, Max’s scotch, Jewels’ Bordeaux, Lola’s tequila, and Cuban cigars for Jude.
I have to spend all day in the studio, but I wanted to try pleading my case first with whoever’d hear me out.
Bry helps me get everything on the porch, and I knock for fucking ever.
Finally, the door opens, and of course, it’s Jude, who I thought was my mate. “Jett…” he sighs, tightening up his ridiculous man bun and planting his hands on his hips. “What are you doing here, man? Breaking and entering and then returning to the scene so soon, seriously?”
“You guys had Baby fuckin’ bawling, she was so upset last night when we FaceTime’d. I had to come check on her. I wanted to be there for the family meeting to discuss this, but she said she had it handled. What is your beef with me all of a sudden, J?”
Jude squeezes his temples with one hand. “Why? Why after all this time? Why my baby sister, Jett? You can fuck anyone!”
“I have fucked anyone, and everyone! I don’t want them! I never wanted them, but they were my only choice!”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
I groan, wondering how to make this go better than it is currently. “Don’t … don’t tell them, all right? I wanna tell you, all of you, like, individually.”
“Tell us what?”
“That I’ve been in love with Mads for eight years come this Halloween.”
“WHAT THE FUCK?”
“I mean, it was an innocent crush! I never touched her! Never! Until yesterday.”
His cheeks heat, and his hands ball into fists.
“Nothing about you is innocent, Jett, we fucking know you, man.” My close mate of the last several years looks like he wants to knock me out.
Maybe I should have expected this but I really didn’t see it happening like this at all!
Jesus, you would never expect this bullshit with the way these people talk me up on the regular, I swear. “What. Did. You. Do. Jett?”
“We just snogged, all right? I didn’t poison your precious Baby with diseases like you told her I would.
Even if I shagged her, she’d be safe, take a fucking look!
” I tear the printout from the notebook and throw it at him.
“She’s been an adult for many years, you do know that, right?
She’s been naked on many a person’s telly, or are you living in a different reality than I am? ”
“You say you hate liars. You really don't realise what this makes you, Jett? Why didn’t you tell her or us? You thought you’d lose your precious spot in dad’s inner circle, is that it?
” Now I wanna punch him, bad. I grit my teeth and shake my head no.
“Do you get how badly this is going to fuck up your relationship with dad, ruin all the collaborations you have planned?”
“I wasn't lying, not, fuck, not on purpose! Mads never saw me like that. In fact, she lied back then and told me she didn't date just so I'd leave her alone. I wasn’t ‘bout to make things awkward and tell her how I felt! Being ’round your family has always made me feel right, like there was suddenly nothing wrong with me. Couldn’t throw that away because she thought some desperate emo boy was hittin’ on her, being a creep. Now, if I want to give Mads a real commitment, treat her better than any princely looking prick could, how would that ruin my relationship with dad?” I ask.
Jude rolls his eyes, “Dude, you’ve cheated on every person you’ve ever dated, I wasn’t born yesterday! You can’t keep it in your pants, Maddy will be devastated, and Dad will have you offed. End of story! Rest. In. Peace. Jett”
“I wasn’t faithful to them because none of them were her! No one could compare to Baby and the pedestal I’ve put her on! She’s royalty to me, she’s wife material! She’s everything I’ve always—I would never do that to her!”
“Wife material? Do you hear yourself, Jett? You, married? You’re fucking mental!”
“You really think Ace Archer was worthy of giving her an engagement, and I’m the piece of shit?”
“Fuck, no! I love you, man, I—Jesus Christ. Can’t you just date a hot pop-star and leave my sister alone?”
“Jude, by some fuckin’ grace of God miracle, she wants me. I want her. And I promise I’ll treat her better than any asshole you’ve let her date before. I know you'd prefer me in your life over that twat and others like him. Let me show you I deserve to be by her side. All right?”
He shakes his head, resigned. “Man, fine, I-if you can get mum and dad to believe you, it’s up to them.”
“You don’t think I could possibly treat her right, do you?”
Jude reads the printout, nods, tosses it in the box, and picks it up as if it weighs more than an elephant, “I’d like you to prove me wrong, Jett, and I think you should have a chance to do that. Now don’t set off the alarm tonight! Later.”
* * *
Tonight I don’t set off the alarm because my girl’s disarmed it, waiting for me. My girl. Fuck. The thought of that being true, the thought of that being permanent, sends shivers down my spine.
I peek in to see her moping around on her bed listening to my last album and my jaded ass emo self feels fireworks of elation and validation explode inside me.
My emo girl! Hearts might as well burst from my eyes as I peel her window open and see her sad face light up with a grin.
Yup, this is my girl. Not just her perky breasts, tight little arse, pouty mouth, or fit fanny that I spend every spare minute wondering if it’s bare like I like, wondering how it will taste, and if it can take all I have to offer.
No, not just her body, all of her is mine, and her family will have no choice but to accept that.
“Thanks for the roses and whiskey.” She fists her hand around the collar of my Misfits tank like she did last night, pulling me into her. She has sampled some and I can smell it on her breath. She gets flushed looking at my tank. “My punk rock boy.”
“Took you long enough to realise your type was wrong. That your type was me. Huh, darling?”
She nods quickly. She’s wearing another tank braless, this time with Jack White’s face stretched across her perfect tits.
I hope he’s not my competition because he’s a much better guitar player than me and a literal daddy, which may make him even more of Baby’s type.
This girl truly has no idea how many kinks she has hiding under the surface, and I can’t wait to uncover all of them.
My fingers glide over the outline of her nipples, and she gasps into my mouth as I kiss her, lost in a whiskey-coated daydream, my tongue claiming hers.
We jump, hearing Jewels’ pissed off voice on the other side of the bedroom door. “I can see Bryson hovering in the driveway! This is not happening tonight! Goodnight, Jett!”
She’s a fucking adult! I want to scream, and I nearly do, but Baby puts her mouth on mine one more time and whispers, “Sorry,” against my lips. I hate to leave her, but I say goodbye and again promise to fix all this. I have zero doubt about that.