Jake was up on a stepladder at the side of the front door to Lavender House that afternoon when Josie drove up in her Cayenne, Ethan in the passenger seat.
Ethan got out, dashed into the house and did this saying, “Yo, Dad!”
He didn’t miss a step or slow. He had a fridge to raid.
Josie got out and walked slowly up to the front door on her high heels, her hips in her jeans swaying in a way he liked a f*ckuva lot.
She stopped, looked at the lamp he was installing then down to the boxes of lamps piled on the ground.
“Motion sensors. Every outside light. You got about a million of them,” he explained and regained her eyes.
Soft eyes. Sweet eyes. Eyes that said a f*ckuva lot.
Then she smiled a soft smile. A sweet smile. A smile that said a f*ckuva lot.
After that, she said quietly, “Be careful, darling,” and walked into the house.
That was when Jake smiled.
* * * * *
Josie slid in bed beside him after going to the bathroom and cleaning up.
When she did, Jake curled an arm around her, rolled to his back taking her with him and stretched out an arm to turn out the light.
When he settled them in, her mostly on him, partly on his side but still pressed deep, their legs tangled, she said into the dark, “I like ungloved.”
He’d had his checkup and the results were in. They were good to give up the condoms, thank Christ.
“I like it too, baby,” he replied, knowing he liked it a whole lot more than she did.
She was silent as she cuddled closer and he thought she was sorting herself to go to sleep when she called hesitantly, “Jake?”
“Right here,” he said on a squeeze of his arm around her.
“I, well…have something to tell you.”
Shit, the way she said that didn’t sound good.
Even so, he encouraged, “Tell me.”
“Um…well, you know, Amond is coming tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
“And you know he’s a friend of mine,” she went on.
“Yeah, Slick.”
She took in a deep breath and gave it to him.
“What you don’t know is that we had a night together some time ago.”
Shit.
Jake said nothing.
She lifted her head and he felt her eyes through the dark.
“You said not to keep anything from you,” she reminded him, her voice soft and cautious.
He did say that, f*ck him.
“I said that, Josie,” he confirmed.
She didn’t go on nor did she move and he felt her vibe, her body beginning to get stiff. No longer cautious, she was getting scared. So he lifted his hand and wrapped it around her jaw, using his thumb to stroke her cheek.
“He’s gonna be here with you, I gotta know this. I can tell you know I don’t like having that history but I gotta have it. You gave it to me. I appreciate that. But more, baby, I know you didn’t live in a nunnery the last twenty years and you know I was no monk. It’s gonna come out because it has to, like me havin’ to share about Terry. So don’t be afraid of letting it out. It’s life and we share our lives, yeah?”
“Yes, Jake.”
“Now settle in and sleep.”
“Okay, darling,” she said right before she settled back in.
He gave her another squeeze when she did.
“Thanks for the honesty,” he whispered.
“You’re welcome,” she whispered back and he felt her relax against him.
She fell asleep before him.
But in her bed, in her house with his kids close and Josie tucked tight, he wasn’t far behind.
* * * * *
“Ohmigod, holy crap, ohmigod, this is gonna be epic,” boy Taylor breathed and he did this because Ethan just ran into the room and announced loudly that, “About fifty thousand Escalades are pulling up the drive!”
This meant rap star Dee-Amond had arrived.
It was the next afternoon and not surprisingly, after hearing the news he was coming, Amber showed up after school with both Taylors in tow and Conner had switched his shift with a bud so he could be there.
As for Jake, no way in f*ck he wasn’t going to be around when Josie’s friend who also was her ex-lover showed. Mostly because he was male, rich, famous, good-looking and an ex-lover.
Actually, totally because of that.
At Ethan’s shout, Josie shot from her chair at the kitchen table and walked quickly on her heels out of the room.
The kids followed her, Jake coming up the rear.
When he got outside, he saw his son was exaggerating but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a cavalcade of flash Escalades in the drive.
Five of them.
The middle one closest to the house had its back door opening and Josie was rushing to it.
Jake stopped, crossed his arms on his chest and watched as Dee-Amond hefted his bulk out of the SUV, flashed a smile at Jake’s woman and folded her in his arms when she threw hers around him.
Shit.
“So…totally…epic,” boy Taylor declared.
“I can’t believe this,” girl Taylor whispered.
“I thought I was freaking out with Lavon Burkett but now I’m really freaking out,” his daughter announced in a breathy voice. “I mean, he’s right here, in Magdalene at Josie’s house.”
“Come.” Jake heard Josie order and his eyes went from his girl to his woman to see she was thankfully no longer in Amond’s arms but had her hand in his and was guiding him their way.
His eyes were lifted to take in Lavender House and his mouth was moving, “Jesus, beautiful, I’m gettin’ it now why you’d wanna stay. This crib is tight.”
She grinned at him before she stopped him in front of his audience and threw out her hand.
“This is my posse,” she stated, words that, if anything else was happening at that moment, would make Jake smile.
He didn’t smile.
“Conner, Jake’s oldest.” She pointed to him and Conner stuck a hand out that Amond took and shook. “Amber, Jake’s daughter.” She motioned to Amber and his daughter clapped once before she stuck her hand out and Amond grinned at her and took it. “The Taylors, Amber’s personal posse, boy Taylor and girl Taylor,” Josie went on and Amond was obviously holding back laughter as he shook their hands in turn. “Ethan, Jake’s youngest,” she continued.
Amond spoke to Eath, saying, “Yo, little man,” as he stuck out his hand.
Ethan grabbed it and whispered, “Awesome.”
“And last, Jake,” Josie finished, her smiling eyes coming to him.
Jake looked from her to Amond to see the man had his gaze on Jake.
“Holy shit,” Amond said when Jake caught his eyes.
Even with this bizarre remark, Jake moved through the Taylors and extended a hand, muttering, “Pleasure.”
Amond took his hand and told him something he knew but was shocked as shit the rap star knew it.
“You’re The Truck.”
“Whoa! Dad! He knows you!” Ethan cried.
“Yep,” Jake answered Amond.
Amond let his hand go and turned to Josie. “Josephine, girl, you didn’t tell me your fighter was The Truck.” Before she could say anything, he looked back at Jake. “Caught your fight in Vegas against De Matteo. You f*cked him up. Judges were jacked. He could barely stand and you were still dancing.”
Jake remembered that but he didn’t share with Amond that he was moving so he wouldn’t pass out.
“Fight fan?” Jake asked.
“Fu…hell yeah,” he answered.
“We’re even then seein’ as your music’s the shit,” Jake replied.
Amond grinned, the diamonds in his ears twinkling in the sun, his teeth so white, Jake was almost blinded.
“Everyone inside,” Josie ordered and he looked to her to see her grinning big, pleased Jake had passed preliminary inspection or pleased her friend was there. Or both.
It was Jake who was pleased when she moved to him, clasped hold of his arm in one hand, pressing to his side, and she turned back to Amond to extend a hand, noting, “I’m sorry, Amond. Circumstances have changed. We have a full house. But it’s a big house so we have your room covered. Though, I’m not sure where your crew is going to stay.”
“They got rooms in town,” Amond noted and Jake looked to the lane to see that his “crew” was already rolling out, leaving an Escalade behind for the boss. Jake looked back at the man when he went on, “I can stay there if you’re full.”
But Amond was watching her closely, probably wondering why the house was full.
“The kids would be disappointed if they didn’t get to brag at school that Dee-Amond was hanging with them tonight,” Josie told him the truth.
Amond looked from her to Jake, back to her and murmured, “Can’t disappoint the kids.”
“Absolutely not,” Josie agreed, dragging Jake in after latching on to Amond’s hand and doing the same with him.
Jake detached to close the door but Josie kept dragging Amond toward the kitchen, saying, “Let’s get you a drink before I start dinner.”
Before she disappeared into the kitchen, she threw a smile over her shoulder at Jake.
This meant Amond threw a look over his shoulder at Jake.
He was not smiling.
Then they disappeared.
Jake sighed, locked the door and followed them.
* * * * *
His cell on his desk at the club rang. Jake looked from the booze inventory to the phone and took the call.
“Yo,” he greeted.
“You are not gonna believe this shit, but f*ckin’ Dee-Amond just walked in the door and asked to see you,” one of his bouncers said in his ear.
Not unexpected.
But still unwanted.
Earlier, drinks had gone well.
Dinner had gone well.
After the kids went to bed and they were sitting around talking, Jake eventually saying he had to get to the club had gone okay, but only okay because he wasn’t big on leaving Josie with Amond.
This was because it was clear Josie thought the world of Amond in a way he could accept but Amond thought the world of Josie in a way he didn’t like all that much.
He had no idea how what was about to go down would go.
Since the man got there, conversation had been surface. Josie led it, Jake followed. He thought at first it was because the kids were around, excited and what was hanging over her head was not something she wanted to get into when they were there.
But even after the Taylors took off and the kids had called it a night, Josie kept it surface. She wasn’t nervous. She didn’t give the vibe she was trying to hide something. And in the end, Jake took it as her wanting to enjoy her time with her friend and not have that shit f*ck it up.
However, he’d not shared the particulars about anything but his gym. Jake had no clue how Amond would react to his club being a strip club. The man had an interesting past so he might be cool. He also might not like what Jake had being linked to Josie.
“Bring him to my door,” Jake said into the phone. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Gotcha,” was the reply.
He dropped his phone to the desk, got up and moved to the door.
He had it opened when Amond, not surprisingly garnering a shitload of attention, was ten feet away.
But Amond’s attention was centered on Jake.
“Totally cool to meet you,” his bouncer said when they stopped at the door, extending his hand to Amond.
“Yeah, brother,” Amond muttered over the music, taking his hand, gripping it, letting it go and turning right back to Jake.
Jake gave his boy a chin lift then turned to the side to let Amond in. Amond took the invitation and Jake followed him up the stairs, the door drowning out the music as it closed behind him.
Jake let Amond set the scene. The only thing he took was moving to the front of his desk, sitting his ass on the edge of it and crossing his arms.
Amond stood in the center of the room, leveled his eyes on Jake and opened with, “Got yourself a titty bar.”
Not starting great.
“Yep,” was Jake’s one-syllable reply.
Amond studied him.
Then he quit doing that and stated, “We’ll get this out there seein’ as I’m gettin’ the feeling it’s not lost on you. I’ve had Josephine.”
And not getting any better.
“She told me,” Jake shared.
Amond nodded and went on. “Wanted to keep her, she was not hip on that, so I kept her the only way she’d let me do it. I’m unattached but this is not about that. This is just about her bein’ a good woman that means somethin’ to me.”
Jake did nothing but nod.
Amond kept going.
“That’s outta the way, she’s dancin’ around shit and I’m guessin’ that you and your kids got a place seein’ as you live here but you’re in her house. And her house is a f*ckin’ nice house. What I wanna know is, what is she dancin’ around and why the f*ck you got you and your kids in my girl’s house?”
“I want her safe,” Jake replied.
“From what?” Amond fired his question back instantly.
“Her uncle is contesting the will. Since this news came down on her, we’ve not heard anything. The firm her grandmother has used for years for counsel is not returning her calls. Her uncle is old but he’s got a history of bein’ a supreme a*shole. That house means a lot to her, I’m not lettin’ her alone in it or takin’ her away from it to keep her at my place when he’s out there and I don’t know what he’s up to. But more, she doesn’t know what he’s up to and I know she feels safe there so that’s where she’s stayin’. Since she is, to keep her feelin’ that way, so am I. And I come with my kids.”
Amond moved to one of the chairs in front of his desk and leaned his weight into a hand at the back of it before asking, “What’s the story on this uncle?”
“I was close to her grandmother and she told me she’s not talked to her son for twenty-eight years, this bein’ when she got custody of Josie when her other son beat the shit outta her, put her in the hospital and she was not down with that. Her older boy was not big on her gettin’ involved. Bad blood turned acid and that was the last she ever heard from her boys. Seein’ as they were hanging tight after Josie’s dad knocked the crap outta her, I see where Lydie was comin’ from, cuttin’ those ties. Now, he’s in it for the money and maybe to jack Josie. I’m gonna see that doesn’t happen.”
He kept talking even when Amond’s eyes narrowed and his pissed off energy filled the room. When he was done talking, the man’s demeanor didn’t change even a little bit.
“Put her in the hospital?” he whispered.
“Yep. But he’s dead. His brother unfortunately isn’t. They were bad seeds from the beginning and grew that way, taught by a dad who by Lydie’s account was even f*ckin’ worse.”
“Jesus, f*ck.” Amond was still whispering.
“That’s about it,” Jake agreed.
“I didn’t know any of this shit,” Amond told him.
“If Lydie didn’t share, I’d still be trying to crack that nut. Josie didn’t give it to anyone. Not even Gagnon, until recently,” Jake replied.
“This guy have a name?” Amond asked.
Now, thank f*ck, their conversation was getting better.
“You wading in?” Jake asked back.
“F*ck yeah,” Amond said.
“Davis Malone, the uncle,” Jake shared immediately. “Think he’s bankrolled by Boston Stone, a local big man who has a small dick, Josie wasn’t interested in it, made that clear and he wants to make her pay by gettin’ Lavender House. They got counsel by the name of Terry Baginski whose ass I unfortunately tapped a long time ago, didn’t enjoy it, didn’t call, and I don’t know if she’s just a bitch or a bitch with a grudge. But she’s waded in too.”
“How dirty you want it?” Amond asked and Jake didn’t exactly understand the question but he also didn’t care.
“I’m in love with her so I want her breathing easy and doin’ that quick. That house is all she’s got left of her grandmother. I got her in a good place where she feels safe with me, my kids, but I figure it’s still the only place she truly feels safe. She doesn’t wanna let it go. They’ll never get that house but even the threat of it is gonna f*ck with her head and I’m not good with that. Stone has the power and money to drag this out and I’m not good with Josie dealing with that either. They’re also bringing up bad shit she should not ever have to face. So I don’t know what you’re asking but you feel like getting dirty, however that comes about, I’m not gonna stand in your way.”
“I can get very dirty,” Amond told him.
“I’ll repeat, I’m not gonna stand in your way.”
“Where are you with dirty?” Amond asked.
“My hands gotta stay clean seein’ as I got a woman and kids I need to see to after this is done.”
Amond didn’t miss a beat before he asked, “You’re in love with her?”
And Jake didn’t miss a beat before he answered, “Absolutely.”
“She loves you,” Amond informed him.
“I know,” Jake replied.
Amond held his eyes.
Then he whispered, “F*ck, that kills.”
Fortunately, Jake was not, nor would ever be, in the position to feel his pain.
Still, he got him, but he said nothing.
“I’m gettin’ Henry’s f*cked up vibe right about now,” Amond shared.
“She’s in good hands,” Jake told him.
“She been to your titty bar?” he asked.
“Prefer strip club, man, and yeah. She advises the girls on how to do their hair to get maximum tips.”
At that, Amond burst out in deep, loud laughter.
Jake let himself smile as he did.
When he was done, Amond gave him the stamp of approval by saying, “We’re good.”
“No offense,” Jake replied. “But I wouldn’t care if we weren’t. She’s mine and that’s not ever gonna change. But for her, I’m obliged. She’s essentially had one woman as her entire family her whole life. That one woman was a really f*ckin’ good one but Josie deserves more. I’m givin’ her that. You keep things good with all of us that gives her more. And I want her to have everything.”
“Point made, brother,” Amond replied quietly, his eyes never leaving Jake’s.
“Excellent,” Jake returned.
Amond grinned. “Now I’m in the mood to check out your talent. Gotta get my crew out here, bring a roll of fifties ‘cause I snuck a peek, man, and gotta say, bumf*ck Maine has got some seriously fine tail.”
And that was when Jake grinned.
* * * * *
Holding her down with his hands at her wrists in the pillow over her head, Jake rode his woman.
The only thing she could use to latch on with were her legs and her p-ssy so she had her legs wrapped tight around the backs of his thighs and her p-ssy was pulsing around his cock.
Jesus.
Heaven.
Just like Josie, she was getting there fast.
“Hold on, baby,” he whispered against her mouth as she panted against his.
“Jake,” she breathed, squirming under him.
He rolled his hips, thrust in and he knew he hit the spot when her p-ssy clutched him tight.
Jesus.
Heaven.
“Hold on, Josie.”
“God.”
He kept taking her.
She kept squirming, panting, her legs tightening.
“Let me have my hands, darling,” she begged.
“Let me ride you, honey,” he returned, rolling his hips back, powering in, and getting a soft, sexy gasp.
Beautiful.
He kissed her, driving his tongue inside as he drove his dick into her.
Her head tilted at the same time it came off the bed so she could press her mouth against his to get more.
He drove in harder.
She tore her mouth from his, turning her head to the side, whimpering, “I can’t hold on.”
“Then let go.”
She let go, he heard it and felt it. Gliding his hands up, he threaded his fingers in hers and she clasped tight as she moaned low and used his thighs as leverage to lift her hips into his thrusting ones.
He took her harder.
She kept whimpering, moaning, panting and clutching him with everything she had, her fingers releasing and gripping each time she took his cock.
Gorgeous.
So f*cking gorgeous, it moved over him. He slammed deep, shoved his face in her neck and let it happen.
She slid her heels up his thighs so she could wrap her legs around his hips and she did this tight, holding onto his hands, clenching her p-ssy around his cock.
His hips bucked twice as he poured himself inside her.
When it left him, he tasted the skin of her neck, smelled the remnants of her perfume, the scent of her hair, liking all that but not as much as her p-ssy undulating against his cock in her own aftermath.
F*ck yeah, he liked to have her ungloved.
Finally, he felt her lips at his ear where she asked quietly, “Can I have my hands now?”
He pressed his forearms deeper into the pillow, pressing her hands deeper into it, as he lifted slightly up to look down at her, her hair now dark in the shadows, spread all over. He couldn’t see her distinctly but he still knew she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen, the best lay he’d ever had, the best thing that had ever happened to him.
So he gripped her hands harder with his fingers and dropped his head to give her a slow, deep, long kiss and he kept giving it to her until her legs grew taut around his ass and her fingers clenched his.
Only then did he let her mouth and hands go.
She immediately moved her arms to wrap them around him and she used them as well to hold on tight.
“I think I like you waking me up when you get back from the club,” she noted and his body started moving on hers, doing it to shake with laughter.
She would.
He’d woken her with a kiss then he kissed her other places and did it for a long time. Only after that did he f*ck her.
She liked his mouth.
She liked his cock better.
“I’ll make a note of that,” he replied.
She started moving her hands light on his skin and Jake had never had a woman whose touch was so light. So sweet. How it could be delicate and give so much, he had no f*cking clue.
He just knew it did.
“You wanna clean up?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered but she sounded like she preferred the opposite and he knew it was because she would be losing him and she didn’t like that.
But he liked that she didn’t.
He kissed her again before he lifted up to kiss her forehead, down to kiss her nose, down to kiss her throat, down to her chest and he slid out, kissing her ribs. He rolled off and kissed her stomach.
Only then did he plant a forearm in the bed beside her, lift up to look at her and order, “Hurry.”
“All right,” she replied, moving into him to take his jaw in both her hands, touch her mouth to his and slide off the bed.
He watched through the shadows as she pulled on her nightie, her panties then she grabbed her robe off the end of the bed and swung it on before she padded barefoot to the door. She was careful not to make a noise leaving the room and he knew she was careful once she left the room because he didn’t hear shit until she was back.
He had a light on and was out of bed by then. Having rooted through his bag to get his pajama bottoms, he had them on and was tying the string.
She came right to him, shrugging off the robe and tossing it aside to land on the bed before she slid her arms around him and pressed close, tipping her head back to catch his eyes.
“Things go all right with Amond at the club?” she asked as he curved his arms around her.
“He had six boys in his crew, his manager, his other manager, two bodyguards, his music director and some guy he introduced as a ‘consultant.’ He told me they left his publicist and stylist behind because they’re chicks. But they didn’t leave the rolls of fifties and hundreds behind. My girls freaked and right now, by my count, four of ‘em are gettin’ laid and the other manager, both bodyguards and the consultant are gettin’ lucky but only because they primed that luck by handin’ out cash. And by handin’ out cash, I mean I counted but quit after I got over three grand and they were far from done. My girls had a good night and it was clear they were ready to show their gratitude.”
“So I take it that it went well,” she noted.
“They all drank top shelf and by that I mean the top top shelf. The shit we gotta get outta the safe when someone’s either so drunk they don’t give a shit they’re maxin’ out their credit card on hundred fifty-dollar snifters of cognac or they’re celebrating something huge. Even I haven’t tasted that shit until tonight.”
When he finished talking, she was smiling when she repeated, “So I take it that it went well.”
He grinned into her smiling face. “Yeah, it went well.”
She pressed closer, saying, “I knew he’d like you.”
He gave her a squeeze. “Baby, he likes you and he’d like whatever made you happy, he wouldn’t give a f*ck what that was.”
Her face got soft and he thought it was for Amond but what she said next proved him wrong.
“Yes, he’d like whatever made me happy.”
F*ck, but he liked to see that look on her face, that shine in her eyes, all of it directed at him, giving it to him. And what she gave him was the knowledge that he gave it to her.
He never expected this, but there it was.
And it took everything he had not to kick his own ass that he didn’t go for it before.
But he didn’t.
Now he had it.
That was where he was, that was where he had her.
So he had to focus on moving forward.
“We gonna stand here huggin’ all night or are you gonna let me get some shuteye?”
She let out a quiet giggle before she gave him a squeeze, rolled up on her toes, tipping her head way back and he accepted the invitation, dropping his to brush his lips against hers.
When he was done, she said, “I’m going to let you get some shuteye.”
Her arms loosened, his did too and they moved to the bed. He was turning out the light even as she was cuddling into him so by the time he was settled, she was tucked tight, tangled up and relaxed deep.
“’Night, Slick,” he muttered.
“Goodnight, darling,” she whispered into his skin giving his stomach a squeeze.
He reciprocated the squeeze and after a few minutes, felt her weight settle into him.
A few minutes after that, his weight settled into the bed as he fell asleep.