Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Ilet Jake guide me out of the coffee shop, attempting to avoid making an even bigger scene than what he already has. A tiny part of me feels bad for making him angry, but then I remember who he is and decide… screw him. He doesn’t deserve any kind of feelings from me other than indifference.
“What are you doing?” I hiss once we’re out of the coffee shop. An employee walks past, and I give her a polite smile.
“We’re going to your office,” Jake says.
I stop. “No, we are not.” I turn and it’s only then that I see Bradley right behind us. “You too? Seriously?”
“Sorry, Jaz, I couldn’t stop him.” Brad shrugs. “I did hear you were kissing some guy, though. Go you.” He holds up a hand for a high-five.
I smile wide as I return the gesture. “Thanks. Best kiss I’ve had in, well, forever.”
“Don’t lie, Jasmine. It’s unbecoming.” Jake smirks—the cocky ass actually smirks at me.
Ignoring the traitorous flutters in my stomach, I scowl at him. “Unbecoming? Really, Jacob? When did you morph into your father?”
“When I had to grow up. You should try it sometime,” he retorts.
“Screw you. Get the hell out of my casino.” I keep my voice low.
“We have a business meeting. We have things to discuss,” Jake says. “I’ll be in your office when you’re ready.” He then pivots and walks away.
I don’t move. “He can’t get into my office,” I scoff.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Bradley laughs.
“Urgh, I’m going to kill him,” I groan.
“No, you’re not. And really, Jazzy, what did you expect would happen when you performed that little stunt of yours?”
“I thought it would prove a point to him, not have him coming down here to confront me.” I sigh. I don’t like confrontation. I never have. I won’t back down to the likes of Jacob Westmead, though. Never.
“You wanted this. For God only knows what reason, you wanted him to react and now he is,” Bradley reminds me.
“No one likes a know-it-all, Brad,” I snap at him as I spin on my heel and head towards my office.
By the time I reach the door, the one that should be locked, it’s open and Jake is standing in the middle of the room.
“How the hell did you get in here?” I yell now that there are no patrons or even employees in earshot. My father’s office is next door, but he won’t be in yet.
“What am I doing here? What the fuck are you doing, Jazzy? Who the fuck is that guy you’re throwing yourself at? And best kiss? Really?” His voice isn’t loud like mine. No, on the outside, Jake is the epitome of cool, calm, and collected. But I know better. I’ve ruffled his perfect little feathers.
“This is my home, my business. I belong here. You do not.” I fold my arms over my chest.
“And what the fuck are you wearing?” Jake’s gaze hones in on my chest. My very exposed chest. I refuse to let him make me feel inferior. Never again.
“A dress,” I tell him. “Seriously, you need to leave.”
“You need to answer my question. Who is he?”
“I don’t need to answer shit. Get the hell out of my office!” I point to the door.
“No. You promised, Jazzy. You promised we would always talk about our issues. Well, you throwing yourself at some asshole is a fucking issue for me. A big fucking issue.”
I smile. Good. I wanted it to be an issue for him.
“You lost the right to any promises I made you when you took my virginity on prom night and then never spoke to me again!” I’ve been waiting years to throw that out there. And now I have.
Jake flinches, as if my words literally slapped him across the face. It’s the growl that comes from behind me that has me spinning around in shock. My father storms into my office.
“Daddy…” I try but it’s too late.
I scream as my father’s fist connects with Jake’s face.
“Daddy, stop, no!” I head towards them, and a pair of arms loops around my waist. I look over a shoulder to find Aiden holding me. “Let me go! Dad, stop!” I yell as he pins Jake to the ground, his fist landing blow after blow to my former prom date’s face, his torso.
Why the hell did I have to say that out loud?
“Aiden, he’s going to kill him! Let me go!”
My brother finally releases me, and I reach out and grab my father’s arm. He sends me a look that I’ve never seen directed at me. Anger.
I’m not an idiot. I know who my father is, and I know what he’s capable of. Which is why I’ve made sure he never knew what Jake and I did on prom night all those years ago. As much as I hate Jacob, or want to hate him, I don’t want him dead.
“Aiden, don’t just stand there. Help me!” I look to my brother, who reluctantly steps forward and grabs my father’s other arm.
“Dad, he’s had enough,” Aiden says.
“He’s had enough when I’ve buried him in a shallow fucking grave,” my father growls.
“Dad, stop! Please!” Tears are streaming down my face now. I can’t stop them. Jake is just lying there. He’s not fighting back. He doesn’t even attempt to block the punches. What the hell is he doing?
Both my father’s and Jake’s eyes land on me. “Fuck,” Jake hisses, blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth.
“Princess, don’t waste your tears on some asshole who will never deserve them.” Dad finally stands and then wraps his arms around me.
I let myself sink into his embrace. I know that to a lot of people, my father is a monster. But to me, he’s a safety blanket. Despite what I just witnessed. “Please don’t hurt him anymore,” I whisper.
With a kiss to my forehead, Dad wipes the tears from my face, and then steps back, turning his attention to Jake.
“You were supposed to stay the fuck away from her. She doesn’t need to get messed up in your fucked-up shit, Jacob.
If I see you around my daughter again, I will fucking kill you,” he says and then walks out.
Aiden stays behind. “You gonna be okay?”
I nod my head. I can’t say anything. There are so many questions running through my mind.
What the hell is my father talking about?
What shit is he messed up in? Dad has never been a huge Jacob fan, but I figured it was because he was a boy and Dad didn’t want me hanging around boys.
Is there something else? What are they hiding from me?
“Call me if you need anything. Want me to get security to take the trash out?” Aiden asks, looking at Jake, who is slowly pulling himself up off the floor.
“Don’t be rude. I’ll handle it,” I tell my brother.
“Speaking the truth isn’t rude, sis. It’s just honest.” Aiden shrugs before he turns and walks out like my father.
Silence falls over my office. My office. I haven’t even spent time working in it yet, and now it’s tainted with this awful moment.
“Are you okay?” I finally ask Jake.
“I will be.” He winces, his arm pressed up against the right side of his body.
“Come with me.” I don’t know why, but I hold out a hand. Jake looks at it as if it’s going to bite him. Is this why he left me? Did my father threaten him? We were just kids. I wouldn’t blame him if he were scared of my father actually killing him.
“Where to?”
“My apartment. You need ice, a lot of it,” I say, looking at Jake’s face, which is starting to swell. There’s a small cut on his cheek, and his bottom lip is split open.
“If you wanted to play nurse with me, Jazzy, you could have just asked.” He smirks and then winces in pain.
“I hope that hurt a lot,” I hiss. “Come on.” I push out the door, and Jake slowly follows behind me.
Stepping into the elevator, I pull my phone from my bag and text my stepmother.
Me:
Daddy just beat the crap out of Jacob.
Antonia:
Where are you? Are you okay?
I smile. I tell her my father was in a fight, and she’s worried about me.
Me:
I’m fine. Jacob, not so much. Daddy knows.
Antonia:
I’ll handle him.
By handle him, she means she will calm him down, talk him off whatever ledge he plans to toss Jacob’s lifeless body over.
Once we’re in my apartment, I guide Jake into the kitchen. “Sit here,” I instruct as I head to the bathroom and retrieve a first aid kit. I then settle the kit on the counter in front of him. “Why didn’t you fight back?”
“What?”
“You didn’t even try to block my father’s punches. Why?” I’ve seen Jacob fight when we were at school. He knows how to defend himself.
“I deserve a lot worse than this for what I did to you,” he says, his voice quiet, his gaze locked on mine.
My throat constricts. I open my mouth to say something when I hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps. And then Aurelio enters the kitchen.
“Babycakes, you ditched me.” He walks over and places his hands on my cheeks.
“Babycakes? Really?” I scrunch up my nose, not able to hold back my laughter.
“Sweet cheeks? Honey bunny?” Aurelio suggests.
“Jazzy is fine,” I tell him. A throat clears, and I look across to a very pissed-off Jacob. “Aurelio, this is Jake. Jake, Aurelio, my… friend.”
“Do all your friends give you stupid fucking pet names, Jazzy?” Jake sneers.
“Only the good ones.” I shrug.
“We can revisit the pet name options later. When I have you naked and spread out underneath me,” Aurelio says, nothing but humor in his eyes.
“You really want your sister to have to take you back down under in a body bag?” CJ’s voice enters the kitchen.
“When the hell did my place become the drop-in center?” I ask my brother.
“Mom called and told me to come check on you.” CJ looks from me to Jake and then smiles wide. “That’s an improvement, Westmead.” He then turns to Aurelio. “Get your hands off my fucking sister, asshole.”
“But she likes my hands on her, and my tongue, and my—”
I reach out and cover Aurelio’s mouth before he can continue. “Stop. He’s joking,” I tell my brother.
“It’s not funny,” CJ deadpans.
“Speaking of sisters? Where is mine?” Aurelio asks.
“In her room, naked in the shower where I left her,” CJ says, and now it’s Aurelio’s turn to sneer.
“Okay, you two, out! Now!” I order them.