Chapter 24
Part of me thought I may be crazy for just blowing off the fact that I had two boyfriends and one of them had put cameras up in my house.
I’d originally gone through a wide array of feelings.
I’d been annoyed and angry and scared originally but slowly all of that turned into appreciation and reassurance.
I knew Kiano and Stone had it bad for me. They’d made that abundantly clear. I also knew they’d do anything for me and genuinely loved me. There was no one in the world who could tell me differently.
Did I think they were crazy? Shit. A little bit.
But the same way I’d been a little scared about who could potentially sneak into my spot and set up cameras, I also felt confident that if someone else had done that shit, either of those men, my men, would take care of it without a second thought.
The best part of being with someone just a little bit crazy was that they were crazy about and for me.
Honestly, I liked that shit.
It helped that they were both fine as hell and I didn’t doubt they wouldn’t cheat or mistreat me. There were worse things to deal with than two men completely devoted to you who wanted to stare at you all day because they loved you so much.
Either way, Stone was back home and I wanted to make my relationship work. I was all in. Having Stone in jail and Kiano running from his office job to meeting lawyers had been enough of a taste of freedom and I could say without a doubt that I didn’t want that shit.
I wanted to be with my men, being loved on and taken care of. If I had to let them eavesdrop on a conversation every once in a while I was fine with that. Hell. How was what they’d done any different than me going through their cars, drawers, and medicine cabinets as soon as I got a chance?
I looked from Kiano to Stone from the backseat, leaned forward, and kissed both of their cheeks.
“What was that for?” Stone asked.
“Put your seatbelt on,” Kiano sniped at the exact same time. “You’re precious cargo. You need to be nice and secure.”
I giggled but sat back and put my seatbelt on.
“Better?”
“Much.” Kiano nodded once.
I snickered and settled in, looking out the window while we drove through the city to my spot. Honestly, I was so happy we were back together I could float.
When we got to my place, a tiny bit of that happiness vanished when someone yelled my name just as we made it to the front door of the building.
“Jiselle!”
All three of us froze and Stone and Kiano both automatically stepped in front of me.
It took a second for me to realize it was Rene and I exhaled as my fight or flight mellowed. I set a hand on each of their shoulders.
“Is it okay if I say I’ve got it now?”
“Do you?” Kiano asked seriously.
“Yeah. Rene isn’t going to do anything crazy to me. We may just argue or whatever, but I’ll be fine.”
“Alright. Well, call us when he leaves, alright?”
“Yeah. Alright.” I forced a smile as my brother closed in on us. “What’s up?”
“What’s up?” He looked between the three of us. “I was hoping I could talk to you.”
“Yeah. Come on.” I nudged my head toward the entrance and pretended I didn’t notice how both Kiano and Stone looked him up and down.
I let Rene inside and my eyes automatically went to where the camera had been. I tossed my bag onto the couch and stretched.
I grabbed a can of soda, popped it open, and set it on the counter to grab a glass and straw.
“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me all day?” I asked dryly.
He exhaled. “Look, I’m not here to argue with you.”
“Okay. So what do you want to talk about, Rene? Seriously?”
“Look, you’re my baby sister and I love you. You know that. I mean, after Mom left and Dad checked out, I looked out for you. Not because I had to but because I love you and wanted you to be safe and happy and feel loved. I think I did an alright job… right?”
“Yeah.” I shifted on my feet. “You did an alright job.”
“Well, imagine my surprise when all of a sudden friends of mine I went to school with are sending me your nudes, Jiselle. Come on. Put yourself in my shoes, alright? I flipped out. Should I have? No, but it was a natural reaction.”
“I’m an adult, Rene.”
“I know. I know. You’re a grown woman and can do what you want but I don’t know.
Part of it was me being mad at you because I still see you as my kid sister and didn’t know how you could…
why you could…” He paused and didn’t finish his sentence.
He took a deep breath. “Look, seeing those pictures made me feel like I failed you.”
“What?”
“I think of myself as the person who’s supposed to look out for you and either you didn’t think you could come to me and tell me that you were struggling financially or you’re naked because you want to be.
Then it turns into, did I not tell you that you were pretty enough when we were growing up?
Did I not instill confidence in you? I mean, fuck. ”
“I’m not struggling financially,” I offered.
“I didn’t start doing cam work because I was broke and needed quick money.
I mean, well, maybe I did at the beginning…
but now I just like doing it, and yeah, it pays well but it’s also just fun.
That doesn’t mean my confidence is low or that you failed.
You didn’t fail, and no matter how I was raised, I’m grown now.
I grew into my own person just like everyone does.
My actions are a reflection of me, not you. ”
“Yeah. That’s easier said than fucking felt.” He walked to my fridge, yanked it open, and grabbed a beer. “I don’t want you naked on the internet.”
“Well the internet is forever, so that ship sailed a long time ago.”
He exhaled and shook his head.
“How long have you been doing this shit?”
“A few years.”
“When do you plan on stopping?”
“Honestly? Soon.”
“Yeah?” He lifted an eyebrow.
“Yeah. It hasn’t been appealing to me as much lately,” I confessed. “I mean, maybe I’ll pop in every now and again, but I’m not going to be consistent.” I walked to my fridge and got a beer too. “I’m not taking the page down,” I added.
“Why would you when you’re living like this?” He looked around the penthouse apartment, took a sip from his bottle, and shook his head again. “You taking care of yourself?”
“I do cam work, not porn. I don’t have a co-star, but yes, I’m tested regularly.”
“Well, you’re at least having sex with two different men.” He nudged his head toward the door.
“Yeah, but they’re frequently tested too and they’re not porn stars either.”
“Well, I mean, I figured Kiano wasn’t.”
“Neither is Stone,” I assured him.
“And what’s going on there?”
“We’re dating.”
He paused and slowly lowered his beer.
“Both of them?!”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’m dating both of them.”
“Fuck, Jiselle. How’d you… When did you… They’re okay with that?”
“They’re okay with it,” I confirmed. “Look, I’m happy and an adult.
I don’t need your blessing when it comes to how I make my money or navigate my relationships, but I can’t lie, I do kind of want it.
” I nudged him lightly with my elbow. “And even if you don’t want to give me your blessing, can’t you just tell me you still love me? ”
“Jiselle?” he scoffed. “That’s not a question. That’ll never be a question. Of course I love you.” He hugged me.
I wrapped my arms around him.
“I hate when you yell at me,” I muttered into his chest.
“Yeah. I know. I’m sorry.” He rubbed my back and we slowly pulled back. “Just be careful and take care of yourself, alright?”
“Alright.”
“And if you don’t want to cam anymore but you need money, I’ll bail you out.”
“I know.”
“And if shit doesn’t work out with those guys, just know I’m down to help you move your entire life with no notice. I have a room already laid out for you back home and I’d nurse your broken heart whenever you want.”
“I know.”
“Good.” He took another drink from his beer.
“I’m not going to stand here and lie and tell you I’m happy for you or I support you because I don’t.
And as far as the cam shit goes, I probably never will, but I will say I want you to be happy and know you’ve got to make your own decisions.
So I’m taking a step back to let you do that. ”
“Thank you.”
“Uh huh.” He took another drink. “And that other guy, not Kiano, how’s he?”
“Stone?” I offered.
“Yeah. Tell me about him.”
“He’s the second oldest of six boys and lives with his siblings. Half of them are underage so he kind of stepped into the parent role and… he’s good at it.” I smiled. “His family is important to him.”
“They both treat you well?”
“Yeah. They treat me well. They're a little protective but I like it honestly.”
He nodded.
“I want to meet him and I, uh, want to have a real conversation with Kiano too. If he’s dating you, I want to get to know him. I love you and I may not get it, but if they’re going to be around long term, I owe that shit to you at least, to give them a chance.”
I smiled.
“I can arrange that. Just let me know when you’re interested.”
“Whenever we can get our schedules to align.”
“Do you have anything else going on tonight?”
Rene looked at me for a while then tilted his head back and finished his beer before shaking his head.
“Nah. If you can get them to circle back around, we can do it now.”
“Okay.” I set my beer bottle on the counter and pulled my phone out of my pocket.
If I could get them to circle back around? Please. My babies would walk through fire if I asked them nicely enough but I didn’t say that. Instead I just dialed Stone since Kiano had been driving.
He answered on the second ring. “What’s up, baby?”
“My brother was hoping he could meet up with you guys if you have some time tonight. He’s going to be in town for a few more hours.”
“Any specific time?”
“Nope, just whenever you get a chance.”
“A’ight. Come to the door then.”