Chapter 35
After leaving the RV park, getting to Spencer’s penthouse was the only thing taking up space in my mind. Everything that Jax said hadn’t really hit me yet. For years now, I’d been dealing with him and his dickish behavior.
It was routine at this point.
It was only as of lately, when I started paying him extra, that he increased his asshole tendencies. Once he could feel the official end of us coming, he dialed up the nasty texts, the random visits to where I lived, and made the creeping feeling of his presence known.
He claimed he didn’t want me in his life. That I was a bother and a cock block. That I was only good for sex—and apparently, money—but now, that was all over. He’d been paid and he was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he couldn’t use me as his toy anymore.
The RV park was only a mile or so off the Strip, and I used the extra steps to clear my head before getting to Spencer. I didn’t want to risk being a total mess when I saw him.
With it being the tail end of summer in late September, the heat was still brutal. I ditched the outdoors and made my way through the connected casinos to cool off.
The relief from the air conditioning and knowing I was only one building over from Spencer’s stirred up flutters in my stomach I hadn’t felt before. Every step closer, I swore I could smell his musky scent—even through the cigarette smoke that filled the casino.
I imagined walking through the elevator doors, Spencer wrapping me up in his strong embrace, and all my problems from the day melting away with his touch alone.
As I shifted my bag to my other shoulder, I’d accidentally bumped into the person walking the opposite direction. “Oh! I’m so sor—” I cut myself off as a pair of haunting brown eyes looked back into mine.
“What are the fucking odds?” Jax latched his hand around my arm.
“Jax, let go of me.” My voice cracked when I tried to pull my arm from his grip.
I’d spent my entire walk here shaking off the remnants of how Jax made me feel.
My mood was finally starting to shift from feeling at an all-time low, to walking on sunshine.
I flipped from thinking about all of the degrading thoughts he drilled into my head, to a whirlwind of praise and admiration that Spencer never went a day without giving to me.
When I felt my lowest, I always had Spencer’s words to fall back on.
Fast forward to now, for all of that to be shut down the moment Jax made himself present.
“Nah. It’s about time we talked about why you’ve been fucking my dad to pay me off.”
Dad?
Blood drained from my face and my jaw popped open.
Had his dad paid me one night when I was escorting? How did he know?
“Let go of me, you fucking stalker,” I spat, trying once more to wiggle free.
“Tsk, tsk, Avery. Here I thought you would try to deny it.” His voice had that evil, condescending tone that seemed to be more permanent these days.
Jax continued to pull me through the casino, his grip tightening around my arm with every step. And that’s when it hit me.
Jackson Russo? I shook my head because, no—that was wrong.
He didn’t grow up as Jackson Russo. He never knew his dad, so he shared his last name with his mother.
For as long as I’d known him, since we were just kids, he went by Jax.
Kids at school, his mom, teachers, everyone referred to him as Jax.
Obviously, I’d known his name was Jackson; I even shared that bit of information with Spencer.
But what were the fucking odds that his Jackson and my Jackson were the same person?
Out of all the Jackson’s in the world it seemed damn near impossible … yet here we were.
As we road tripped from California to Vegas, Jax told me how eager he was to hopefully meet his father once we moved to Vegas. But that was so fucking long ago…
Could it really be Spencer?
How the fuck had it all not clicked until this very moment?
Our relationship only lasted three months once we moved here. When shit went down with the video, and him cheating on me, I had to spend years being an escort, trying my best to block everything out that tied back to Jax. I never even thought about him finally meeting his dad. I didn’t care.
But it was all making sense now.
His name.
His dad living in this city.
Spencer finding out later in life he was a dad.
The jacks fanning across his fucking hand and etched into his skin. A permanent reminder that every time he touched me, he shared his DNA with the person I despised most in life.
What could this mean for me and Spencer? For our relationship? We would forever be connected with Jax in the middle.
The thoughts stirred up the bile in my stomach.
There wasn’t a sliver of me that believed Spencer knew any of this. I had a sinking feeling that he was in the dark just as much as I was. That Jax was somehow playing both of us.
As Jax dragged me through the casino, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Spencer off to the side. Once I saw the call connected, I pulled it up to my ear and immediately started talking.
“S-S-Spencer. I need y-your help!” I spoke, my voice shaky and hushed.
So badly, I wanted to hide my fear. But knowing Spencer was on the other line, not far from where I was, my guard dropped, begging for his rescue.
“Avery. Where are you?” he instantly responded, hopefully catching on to my distress.
“Spencer. My ex … He—” I spat out before Jax snapped and grabbed my phone from my hand, ending the call.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Avery?”
“Calling your Daddy,” I answered with spite in my voice, feeling brave.
“So, you’re admitting it. You’re fucking my dad?”
Jax was clearly bothered. But for what reason? He cheated on me. He told me how badly he wanted me out of his life. How I was in the way of him living the life he really wanted. I was never good enough.
The questions taking up space in my mind were overflowing.
Why had he chosen to live his everyday life tormenting me? Why would he care who I was in bed with? And more importantly, how did he even know?
“Spencer is my boyfriend,” I confirmed, putting his name out in the open, evaporating any chance of confusion. “Does that upset you? That your dad takes better care of me than you ever did?” I pouted sarcastically.
I knew what I was doing, spurring him on. But the moment I heard Spencer’s voice from the other end of the phone, I stopped caring.
Brave Avery took over, willing to fight and not put up with his shit.
He’d said far nastier shit to me that it had me smiling on the inside, knowing I had one way I could get inside of his head.
Part of me was fearful. Scared out of my mind.
But what did Jax think he could really pull off in the middle of the casino?
They didn’t call it the eye in the sky for nothing.
We were completely surrounded by cameras and employees walking the floor at every corner.
His time was limited.
As he pulled me through a sea of deserted slot machines, out of habit, my eyes scanned for Spencer.
He’d find me.
I had no idea how.
But my gut told me he’d be here in no time.
Jax guided me toward a hallway that led to men’s bathrooms on the left and women’s on the right. But before we made it to the end of the hall, there was a family restroom that he quickly pulled me into.
With four walls surrounding us, and not a person in sight, I knew I needed to come up with a plan to get me out of this situation.
When Jax flipped the lock, I stepped backward, creating as much space between us as I could.
“Aw. Come on, Avery. Don’t be scared. There used to be a time when you fell to your knees for me when I snapped my fingers.
Plus, my dad would never go for a dirty little thing like you.
A girl who came from nothing. He has more money than he knows what to do with.
You’re just the gum on his shoe; a young girl with perky tits for him to fuck and throw away when he’s done with you. ”
I swallowed.
His eyes turned dark like fresh tar. My heart pounded, echoing like the bass in a nightclub.
I refused to let him sense my panic. I wouldn’t let him hear the fear in my voice when I finally mustered up all the strength I could to respond.
“What a shame that your daddy’s genetics didn’t pass down as one would hope.” I looked him up and down with disgust. “Tell me, have you been following me? Are you lying through your teeth and still so obsessed with me that you had a tracker on me? What is it?”
Jax moved in closer. The smell of him that once felt like home burned my lungs. His presence I once wanted to be around every minute of the day growing up only turned into something I despised.
“You really want to know?” His steps crept closer. Too close for comfort.
I nodded slowly.
He chuckled before answering.
“About a month ago, I was at the Cosmo, gambling with some friends. I went to the bar to grab a round of drinks, only to find out that the bar was closed for a private event. Sure enough, I saw you walking up—meeting my dad in an empty bar. He looked at you like any man in his forties would. Like he couldn’t wait to take you home and use you until he was finished. ”
Startling me, Jax reached out, grabbing my hip, and pushed my back flat against the wall.
I sucked in a breath, clenching my teeth, along with my fists at my sides.
As he recounted that night—the only night that Spencer paid for my company—my fingernails dug into the palm of my hand so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if I drew blood.
On a night that I loosened up and allowed myself to enjoy—a night I told myself I never deserved the kind of happiness that he was offering, I was being watched the whole damn time.
“I watched you two from the table I was at all night. You left for dinner. I drank at that bar until you finished eating. Then I watched him bring you up to his penthouse. I can only imagine what a nasty slut like yourself did to him. But I’m sure it was worth every penny he gave you to pay me off. ”