The crowd of the room parted as Rex walked forward, making an obvious beeline for me. As if the room fell silent, all eyes were on us as Rex made the final steps. I glanced at Goldie, whose head was down, avoiding all eye contact with me. Why was she not looking at me? Was she ashamed of what she did? Did she not want to look at me? Did she find me repulsive?
“Jett Colby, I had no clue you were going to be here,” Rex said with a smarmy smile, as he pulled Goldie in closer to him. “I believe you know Goldie.”
With a deep breath, I nodded and looked down at her. Her gaze lifted ever so slowly and her bright blue eyes peeked up, stabbing me directly in the heart. Her face flushed when she noticed the small smile that played on my lips in greeting.
“Good to see you.”
“You too,” she all but whispered.
“Doesn’t my Kitten just look absolutely breathtaking tonight?” Rex asked, while squeezing her side. I watched as Goldie picked her head up and smiled at him.
Rage boiled from the tip of my toes to the top of my head from the lighthearted look she just gave Rex. That smile, that gleam in her eyes, they didn’t belong to anyone but me. Rex didn’t deserve to be looked at by her like that. That look was reserved for one person and one person alone, me.
Calming my raging heart, I thought about the consequences of me lashing out, of letting Rex get to me. So, instead, I swallowed the aching feeling running through my body and allowed my pride to take a hit.
“Quite lovely,” I replied, just as Keylee and my father stepped up next to me. Keylee snuggled into my side once she saw who Rex was with. She clung onto my arm and practically humped my leg to stake her claim.
“Leo, what an honor to see you,” Rex said, while sticking out his hand to shake it.
“Rex, pleasure. What a beautiful date. Goldie, you get more gorgeous every time I see you, maybe because this time around you’re attached to a real man.”
The dig didn’t fail to annoy me.
Without saying a word, Goldie just nodded and smiled. I had never seen my Little One act so suppressed, so quiet, so reserved. I didn’t like it. She was normally a bright spot in the room, but right now she was quiet, almost like she was threatened not to speak. The realization startled me. Why was she doing this?
I shook my head at the thought; only a day or so more and then I would be able to claim her again, to open my arms back up to her, that’s if she wanted me.
My pride took over my thoughts as I wondered if she really did want me. I didn’t want to go after her if she wasn’t into me anymore, if she really wanted Rex.
I needed to get her alone.
“Come, dance with me,” Keylee whined into my ear, while pulling on my arm.
From Keylee’s voice, Goldie’s head snapped up to see the offending woman. Once realization hit her, she looked back up at me with daggers sprouting from her eyes. I knew she didn’t like Keylee, and it was a little thrilling knowing Keylee still had the same effect on her, no matter if we were together or not.
“Not right now,” I dismissed her. “Please, excuse us, we have some other people to say hello to. Rex, Dad…Goldie,” I nodded, while escorting Keylee away from them. There was only so much I could take, and by the way Goldie was looking at me, I was about to crack. I needed to remove myself from a volatile situation.
“I was having fun with them, why were you so rude?” Keylee complained, while I walked her into the depths of the crowd.
“I think you’re failing to realize your role here,” I whispered, deathly close to her ear. “You’re supposed to smile and shake hands. Your opinion is not warranted.”
That shut her up. Did I feel bad for treating her so poorly? No, not at all. She had a privileged life and needed to hear the word “no” on occasion. She couldn’t always get what she wanted, and even though she wanted nothing more than to be accepted into the Lafayette Club, that was one wish she wouldn’t be granted.
“Keylee!”
Three screeching women came up to us with their hands raised in the air, holding champagne, and looking completely inebriated.
Forgetting all sense of decorum, Keylee screeched with them and ran into their arms.
“I didn’t know you bitches were going to be here,” Keylee exclaimed.
“Last minute change of plans; come have some shots with us,” a blonde exclaimed, while swaying back and forth. Maybe shots weren’t the best idea for her, but it would garner some alone time for me.
“I would love to, but…”
I cut Keylee off before she could finish. “Go on, have fun,” I winked at her for good measure.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes, it looks like you girls need to catch up.”
“Oh, my God, he’s so swoon worthy,” a red head said, while eye fucking me.
“Thank you,” she giggled, while placing a kiss on my cheek and walking off with her friends.
Feeling lighter without Keylee hanging on me, I surveyed Goldie’s movements from the back of the room. I watched as she was introduced to Rex’s comrades. She smiled gracefully, listened intently to their stories, and laughed while everyone else laughed. She fit in, the only problem was, she was with the wrong man.
I saw my father look around the room and then whisper into Rex’s ear. Rex nodded his head and turned to Goldie. He said something to her, and then pointed to where the bathrooms were located. She looked confused, but then pulled away when Rex’s gaze turned stern. She stepped away, fumbled with her purse, and then walked away. Rex shook his head and then pulled my father out of sight, behind some pillars.
It was time to make my move.
14
“Take Me To Church”
Goldie
I couldn’t breathe; my heart started beating at an alarming rate against my chest the minute I locked eyes with Jett Colby.
Like always, he looked impeccable in a sharp, fitted, black tux with black bow tie. His hair was long at the top and shaved on the sides, making him look almost sinister, but incredibly sexy at the same time. I could see how the fitted shirt under his jacket pulled against his well-defined chest, making me want to forget everything that happened between us and throw myself at him.
But what made my heart drop wasn’t the mere sight of the man I handed my heart over to, no, it was the kiwi that attached herself to him.
My heart sank from the thought of Jett actually being with Keylee. Were they together now that I wasn’t in the picture? I told him I would be back. Would he really resort to taking her out again? The thought broke me in half.
How could he want Keylee? She looked like a damn hyena with her hair teased to the heavens and her stupid fucking smile showing off her fangs. I wanted to flick her in the forehead and then search that rat’s nest on her head for a little woodland family that might have taken up residence. I wouldn’t be shocked if two squirrels and a rabbit popped up, smoking cigarettes and discussing the threesome they just had. If anyone had woodland debauchery up in their hair, it would be Keylee.
Fucking fuzzy ass fruit.
The last thing I wanted to do was make nice with all of Rex’s friends, so when he asked me to go to the bathroom, to excuse myself from his conversation, I was more than happy to take him up on his demand. Frankly, I was too worn out to think about what he and Leo might be talking about.
This morning, when I was training the girls for tonight, I noticed Rex had his phone in the club, and that’s when it dawned on me. I would have to somehow grab his phone from him at some point and record my evidence using his own device. The only thing was, how did I go about doing that? How did I go about grabbing his phone from him?
There was another demonstration tomorrow night that I would be able to attend, as well as Rex. I made a mental note to talk to Blane at some point in the morning to see what I could do, because I was done. After seeing Jett, I wanted this all to be over. I wanted to crawl my way back into his arms and just hope and pray he kept his faith in our relationship and waited for me.