“Got to go, keep your distance man and for the love of God, don’t blow it.”
With that, Diego took off and started shaking hands of younger men who Diego grew to know while attending these events. There was a whole secret club of kinky men in the city and Diego knew each and every one of them. They were the only reason why Diego went to these events, so he could network and when he was ready for his club to open, he would have a decent membership.
The next hour flew by in a blur as I watched Diego escort Goldie around, something I should be doing. She made anyone who talked to her laugh and she put a bright smile on their faces. I couldn’t blame them, she had the same effect on me.
Through the night, I heard people whispering about the exotic new girl that was wrapped around the elusive club owner’s arm. Some people liked them, some people didn’t think they belonged but everyone thought she was charming. That she was a breath of fresh air and here I was, with Keylee Zinc acting like a dead fish hanging off my arm. I knew I told her to keep her mouth shut but she took the submissive thing way too seriously. She barely looked up at people and bowed her head most of the time. If anything, she was hurting my image.
Fuck!
The sway of Goldie’s hips mesmerized me as she walked across the room, which was why I didn’t see my dad step right in front of me until he cleared his throat.
“Who is this treat?” he said while looking at Keylee.
I hated this man, despised him. The fact that he could just walk up to me and act like there was nothing between us made me sick to my stomach.
“This is Keylee Zinc. Keylee—” I swallowed hard, “—this is my father, Leo Colby.”
Ever since she went to the bathroom, Keylee finally perked up from the mention of my father and her eyes lit with excitement. She held out her hand and my dad took it in his and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. It was sickening.
“Mr. Colby, what a delight to meet the man who had a part in making this delectable guy.” She leaned in and pressed her free hand against my chest.
As if a match snapped, my attitude did a one eighty and I got in the same mind frame as Keylee. Happy couple.
I wrapped my arm around her and leaned in closer. I watched as my father’s eyes scanned between us with a grin.
“Well, isn’t this a new development.”
“New, maybe but I can’t tell you how happy we are.” Keylee’s lies started flowing and this time, I could actually kiss her for turning on at the right moment.
“Is that right?” My father eyed me.
“It is. It’s actually embarrassing. The paparazzi caught us in a rather intimate moment yesterday,” I added.
“It was rather embarrassing,” Keylee said while holding her hands to her cheeks. What a fucking regular old Martha May with her acting skills. Damn.
“That’s my son for ya, always had a hard time controlling his needs and desires.”
My teeth grinded down, keeping my mouth shut so I didn’t say anything too stupid.
Keylee looked between the two of us and sensed the tension because she pulled away and said, “I think I’m going to get a refill. Can I get you anything, baby?”
Baby? Christ.
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Mr. Colby?” She addressed my father.
“I’m good, dear,” he said without taking his eyes off me.
Getting a clue, she left us and for good measure, I watched her walk away even though her sway wasn’t nearly as impressive as Goldie’s.
“She’s a nice little number. How much are you paying her to be here with you?”
“Not everyone has to pay someone off for a date,” I said while taking a sip of my bourbon.
“So confident tonight, as if you think you’ve won it all.”
“Haven’t I?” I asked, trying to be as unflappable as possible. “I have the woman, I have the house and now I will have the property. Cut your losses, old man, and start going after something else.”
The corner of my father’s mouth twitched as his jaw grew tense.
“I plan on going after something and it’s here in this room, dressed in all black and looking absolutely divine.”
The moment of truth, my face held still as I took another sip of my bourbon as I said, “And what would that be?”
“Don’t play with me, boy.”
“I’m sorry that you think I have time to play around with you, but I don’t so if you would like to get to the point of this conversation, that would be appreciated.”
In the corner of my eye, I could see Goldie approach with Diego chasing behind her.
Not fucking now, please not fucking now. I was holding on by a thread. A bead of sweat trickled down my back as Goldie got closer. Why wasn’t Diego stopping her?
My dad’s head turned and saw her. An evil grin spread across his face and he finally spoke. “You want to get down to the point, fine. Right here, right now, tell me. Lot 17 or Goldie? You can only choose one.”
I knew Goldie heard my father because he spoke loud enough. She stopped in her place as she waited for my answer. I hid the shake in my hand by lowering my glass and set it on a table nearby. My next move would either make or break my relationship with Goldie but I had no choice.
With the flick of my wrist, my hand caressed my jaw, showing off the bright emerald green cufflinks that donned my wrists, trying to portray to Goldie that she needed to have faith.
Without blinking, I cleared my throat and said, “Is there even a choice? No doubt in my mind Lot 17 wins every time.”
I saw the slight intake of air out of the corner of my eye from Goldie’s chest and the defeat in her shoulders. Without looking back, she turned away from me, grabbed Diego and fled through the crowd.
With all the energy I could muster, I smiled and laughed. “You can’t please them all.” With that, I grabbed my bourbon and walked away, leaving my father stunned and Goldie broken-hearted.
Chapter Thirty Seven
“Love of My Life”
Lo
The bounce of my leg kept my beating heart steady as I sat on my bed and thought about the words that rang from Jett’s lips. “Was it even a choice?” I couldn’t lie, it fucking stung to hear him utter such words.
Diego tried to calm me down in the car but I ignored him as the street lanterns of New Orleans passed us by in a blur. My mind felt calm, calmer than it’s felt in a while because I knew what I had to do.
Without a knock, my door burst open and Jett stood in the doorframe, gorgeous as ever wearing his tux with his tie undone and his hair in a mess from the stress he put himself through tonight. I didn’t move, I didn’t waiver as he strode to my bed while shutting the door at the same time. He fell to his knees in front of me and clasped his hands over mine.
“Goldie,” he choked out, looking up at me with desperation. My hand went to his face and caressed his cheek. “God, I’m so sorry. I hope you know that I didn’t mean any of that, that you’re always my number one.”
“Am I?” I asked with a little bit of emotion lacing my voice.
He sat up and looked up at me. “Of course you are, how could you think that you aren’t?”
A part of me wanted to believe him, that I was his number one, that I was the only thing that mattered but that wasn’t the case, especially tonight and to be honest I was okay with that because he was a good man and fighting for a good thing. I couldn’t hold that against him.
“Jett, you have one of the sweetest hearts I’ve ever come across. You don’t like to take credit but you change so many people’s lives. You saved Kace, you gave Diego a second chance, you’ve sheltered and educated the girls, you’re bending over backwards to help the Boys and Girls of New Orleans by sacrificing everything that makes you happy to give them a place to play, a place to grow up in. Am I number one in your life? No, but I’m okay with it because the people, the causes that come before me are deserving of your attention.”