Chapter 23 Spencer #2
“Of course not, Pet. Spencer might as well be family, and family is always welcome.” He finally steps back, stretching his arm out into the house.
“Please come in. Dinner will be ready shortly, but we were just headed into the formal dining room for wine. If you’ll join us.
” He says, and while he’s phrased it as a question, we both know it’s not.
We step through the door, and while I had initially planned to drop my hand, I keep it there now. I’m not sure if it’s for her comfort or my own, but she doesn’t pull away.
“Thank you,” Jade says as we move past him, and he closes the door behind us. Randall turns to head down the hall, and we follow him.
The first time Jade was here had been for a party, and while it wasn’t long ago, it feels like a different lifetime now.
That night, we were ordered to watch her, and we did, or at least I did.
I would have been more than happy to let her wander off and disappear if it hadn’t been our asses on the line.
Tonight’s different thought, now I would rather deal with Randall than let her out of my sight.
We make it down the hall and into the living room.
I know from being here when I was younger that the doors on the left of this room lead to the formal dining room, but before we make it there, the doors on the other side of the room open, and Jake steps out.
It’s been years since I’ve been to this part of the house; most of Jake’s parties are in the front and the bedrooms, so I don’t remember where that door leads. I guess it doesn’t matter much.
“Jacob,” Randall calls, his stern voice causing Jake’s head to snap up. Looking at his father as he heads toward us. He gives me a nod and looks over at Jade for just a moment before he turns his attention to his father, who scolds him quietly, as if we can’t hear him.
“I told you to be here by five, not when you damn well please.” His voice is bitter, and the venom’s impossible to miss. No wonder Randall and my father get along so well. They’re both unbearable assholes.
Jake doesn’t respond, instead looking at the doors to the dining area with an absent look on his face.
Randall’s back straightens, and he runs his hands down the front of his suit, pressing out wrinkles that don’t exist before he turns his attention back to us as if he just remembered we were there.
“Please excuse my son. This way,” he says before he resumes walking, and we fall into step behind him.
Jake lingers for a moment, still looking off blankly, but I ignore him.
He’s a big boy, and I’m sure he’s more than used to this shit.
Unfortunately, Jade doesn’t share the same idea, and as we move past him, she pauses.
It’s brief, but she reaches her hand out to wrap around his forearm and gives a squeeze before dropping her arm and starting forward again.
If I hadn’t been paying such close attention to her, I might’ve missed it, and when Randall looks back at us a moment later, still smiling as we follow, I can only assume that he did.
But Jake didn’t.
Jade doesn’t look back at him, so she doesn’t get to see the look of confusion he shoots her way before looking back down at his arm as if she branded him, and just like that, he’s following along behind us.
Fuck.
Why does she have to have such a bleeding heart?
When we finally enter the room, I roll my eyes to the ceiling, begging whatever fucking higher power will listen for the strength to get through this hellish dinner.
Randall stretches out his arms to show off the entire table that has what I can only imagine is the most expensive everything on it.
I bet you could steal the spoons alone and live off the money you got hawking them for a while.
Don’t get me wrong; we all have money. Most of us were born into it, but nobody likes to show off quite like Randall.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t assign us seats before he strolls over to the head of the table and stands behind his chair, watching to see where we go, and I know this is some kind of game to him.
The only problem is I don’t know the game, and I can’t possibly hope to understand it quickly enough to make a difference.
Without missing a beat, Jade walks toward him, even though the table is large enough to seat at least twenty people comfortably.
She stands behind the second chair on his left side, and his smile widens.
I might not know this game, but it would appear Jade does.
She stands behind the chair, making no move to seat herself, and once again, my manners kick in as I move forward to pull out her chair for her.
I reach her at the same time Randall does, and he shoots me a glare.
“Have a seat, boy,” he says the words with a sharp hiss that has me rolling my eyes so hard I swear I see my fucking brain, but he doesn’t even notice. Already having turned his attention back to Jade.
He pushes her chair in, bracing his hands on both of her shoulders and leaning down to whisper in her ear.
“You look more delicious than any dessert that might grace our table tonight, Pet.” He licks up her ear, and I have to fight back both the urge to lunge at him and the urge to vomit at the same damn time.
Jade doesn’t so much as flinch, and he pulls away before heading back to take his own seat. The moment his back is to her, she wipes his saliva from her ear and gives a small shiver of what I can only guess is disgust. But by the time his eyes are back on her, she’s perfectly composed once again.
Jake and Amanda join us, Amanda sitting to his right while Jake takes the left, putting himself between Randall and Jade. I can’t say I’m happy she’s next to Jake, but I can’t deny it’s better than Amanda.
Amanda talks while servers come around and pour wine for each of us. Jade and I both hold our wine glasses, but neither of us takes so much as a sip. The thought of having a buzz for this is tempting as all hell, but I know I need to keep my head, and a buzz isn’t worth the possible consequences.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity of Amanda’s useless whining, talks of shopping, and all the mundane things, the servers bring out the first course.
It smells fantastic, even though I’m not sure what it is. Too bad there's not enough on the plate to even fill Jade, let alone me.
Nobody talks while we eat, and while I didn’t want the wine to make sure my head stays level, I have no such problems with the food, and it appears Jade doesn’t either.
We both eat, though Jade eats significantly less.
If I had to guess, I would say she’s eating for show and nothing more. Fucking manners.
“Jake could use a date for the upcoming charity gala, Jade. I think the two of you would make a perfect pair,” Randall says while taking a sip of his wine as if what he’s saying was no big deal.
Jade’s posture stiffens. It's just a subtle shift, and while I'm sure the others missed it, I don't. After watching her for the past few weeks, it's damn near impossible not to see it.
She's been wound tight since the ride over here, but as the night progresses, it only worsens.
Any more, and she's going to shatter. The only problem is I don't know if that will be good or bad. I can’t say I wouldn’t love to watch her hop over the damn table and end him, but that might put a wrench in our plans to use him.
She nods, and Randall smiles like the cat who got the canary.
But when she speaks, her words aren’t in agreement, and his smile drops into a scowl.
"I appreciate the invitation, but I really must decline.
My studies are my top priority at the moment, and after missing so much schooling, I need the time to catch up. "
"Of course," Randall grits out. He might be upset, but her logic’s sound enough that even he can't argue it without looking like an ass, and I have to fight a smirk.
He's good at this game, but it would appear that Jade is too.
Not for the first time, I wonder if maybe we've underestimated Jade once again.
She was built for this. And as much as I loathe to admit it, maybe Kratos made the right call, making her the head of Vengeance.
She clearly has all the right qualities to be a leader.
The rest of the dinner is pretty boring.
Randall fills the silence more often than not with talk of himself.
His election, the city, blah blah blah, all bullshit, and after a while, I tune him out entirely.
Amanda continues to shoot glares at Jade when she thinks I'm not paying attention, but I notice.
I'll have to talk to the guys about her because if this continues unchecked, I imagine she's going to become a problem.
The waitstaff took our plates after the dessert course. It was something chocolate. It wasn't bad, but it was entirely too small, just like every other portion tonight.
Fuck, I hope Roderick still planned to cook or, at the very least, stop and grab something on the way home. I’m still starving.
I steal a glance at Jade’s plate before they scoop it up, and I’m shocked to find that her dessert is entirely untouched.
If it were anything but chocolate, I might think it was because she didn’t like it, but I know for a fact that Jade loves chocolate.
So much so that we have more of it than ever available at the house.
Which is crazy considering how much Rick usually opposes junk food.
“Jake, why don’t you show Jade around the house? I need a word with Spencer,” Randall says, his voice breaking me from my thoughts of fucking chocolate, and I shoot him a bored look.
I’ve known Randall all my life. If he thinks I don’t know what he’s doing, then he’s stupider than he looks, and somehow I don’t think that's possible.
Jade looks over at me, and for the first time all night, the emotion is apparent in her eyes.
She’s afraid, but not for herself. Of course not.
She’s afraid to leave me alone with Randall, but he won’t hurt me, not here and not without good reason.
I wasn’t lying when I said he and my father are good friends.
While that doesn’t guarantee my safety, it means I would have to work hard to deserve anything he would give me if he decided to.
I nod, letting her know I’ll be okay. She hesitates for a moment longer before she returns my nod with a small one of her own, and Jake stands to come and pull out her chair.
Jade stands, placing her napkin, which had been on her lap, up on the table before she follows Jake out of the room the way we came.
I can feel her eyes on me as she walks out the door, but I don’t look away from Randall, who, for the first time tonight, seems more interested in me than her.
Let’s see if I can keep it that way.