Becoming a Jett Girl (The Bourbon Series) (17 page)

His words rang through my head as I tried to go to sleep. He hadn’t even given me a chance, but then again, maybe he was right. I couldn’t even get two drinks right, how could I remember a whole choreographed dance?
 

As I soaked in the beautiful surroundings of my temporary home, I thought how I probably should just leave. If Jett’s non-existent invitation to join him in the Bourbon Room wasn’t an indication of me not belonging in the club, then Kace’s rather uncensored opinion of me was.

Chapter Nineteen

“Dark Horse”

Goldie/Lo

Rays of sun pierced through my closed lids as I tried to fight the morning light and sleep a little longer. I knew this was my last morning in the Lafayette Club and I wanted to soak in as much of it as possible.
 

I was still hurting from last night. Kace made it quite clear that he didn’t think I could make it as a Jett Girl and he didn’t think I belonged in the club, let alone his presence. What I didn’t get was, why? Why did he have such strong hateful feelings toward me?
 

My eyes finally opened and, as I scanned the room that gave me hope for once in the past nine years of my crap life, I felt a tear trickle down my face as I tried to figure out what I was going to do. I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have a place to live, although Lyla would most likely invite me back to the apartment, but I didn’t want to go back there.

I most likely didn’t have a job back at Kitten’s Castle. Who knew how Jett had ended my job there? I was worse off than when I came here and what was even worse was the fact that I had gotten used to the rich dwellings, the plentiful food in my stomach, and the feeling of someone watching over me and taking care of me.
 

Needing to get my day started, I threw the covers off my legs for the last time and dangled my feet off the high bed. I looked at the flowers I received from Jett and took in their scent. They were so beautiful…just like me he said. I was going to miss…

“What’s this?” I murmured to myself as I saw an envelope on my nightstand propped up with my name on it. It wasn’t there before, so someone must have put it in my room, either early this morning or last night.
 

I tore it open, showing absolutely zero grace, and read it.
 

Lo,
 

I send my deepest regrets and apology for what you had to go through last night. I want you to know the behavior of those two men was unacceptable and is not tolerated. Their memberships to the club have been revoked, effective immediately, and infinitely terminated.
 

Last night was an incident I never would have wished upon one of my girls and the way Kace reacted was out of line. He has been warned. You and the other girls are to be treated with the utmost respect because you deserve it. You hold the cards in this house, all of you do. We are all at your mercy, so next time another member, myself, or Kace treats you without respect, you are allowed to leave and remove yourself from that situation because you are better than that, you deserve better than that.

You deserve to be treated like a Queen.
 

I don’t want last night to deter you from moving forward. I have been watching you and the way you interacted with the girls and a couple of the members last night; you are the exact fit I was looking for. You bring light to this dark house. No wonder your parent’s named you Goldie, your golden rays fill this house with the kind of refreshing attitude we needed.
 

I look forward to seeing more of you and watching as you grow into a Jett Girl because I have never been more sure about anything in my life than you being here.
 

-Jett

The man had to know he was good at writing letters because in a matter of seconds, he stripped me down and bared my broken soul and sewed it back up with a couple of words.
 

A couple of seconds ago, I was ready to pack my pathetic pillow case and walk out the wrought iron gates of this beautiful house, but after reading Jett’s card, I felt invigorated and ready to work my ass off to prove Kace wrong and Jett right.
 

I went to my closet, put on my workout clothes, grabbed my phone and ear buds and went down to the little gym that we had access to. The girls wouldn’t be down there yet and, if I wanted to become a Jett Girl, I had a lot of catching up to do and that meant I had to put in the extra time.
 

Kace could go fuck his own dick for all I cared. I was going to show him what a giant ass he was and how far he shoved his foot in his mouth last night. He might be hot as hell and I might have wanted to straddle him and take what I wanted last night, but not now. Now all I wanted was to drive him crazy with proving him wrong, but also drive him crazy with the body he didn’t think was good enough.
 

I smiled to myself as I turned on my workout playlist and started the treadmill. Kace was going to get a rude awakening. Not only was he going to be told, but he was going to be in physical pain from dealing with my scantily-clad body.
 

Babs walked in the room and stopped instantly when she saw me already working up a sweat.
 

“Good morning,” she said, as she got on the treadmill next to me.

Pausing the treadmill, I turned toward her and straddled the conveyor belt.
 

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure,” she said, as she took a drink from her water bottle.
 

“Can you teach me everything there is to know about being a Jett Girl?”

A small smile crossed Babs’ face. “It’s about time, girl. You sticking it to Kace?”

“I want to do a lot more then stick it to him, but yes, I want to show him that I was born to do this. I want to prove him so wrong.”

“Thank God. I have been waiting for you to finally crack. Kace has been a total dick to you. Don’t worry. I’ll rally the girls and we’ll get you in prime Jett Girl shape. We’ll have you on stage doing a solo in no time. You’ve already got the looks and the body; you just need to learn the attitude.”

Excitement coursed through my body at the thought of being totally made over…not physically, but mentally and emotionally. This was it for me. I was going to be a Jett Girl if it was the last thing I did and I was going to be the best Jett Girl in the club because I had the four best girls with all different traits to teach me.

I put my ear buds back in my ears, turned up my new favorite Katy Perry song and ran to the beat of her latest hit, Dark Horse. I was coming after Kace and there was no going back.
 

Chapter Twenty

“Hysteria”

Jett

There was a definite change in Goldie and I noticed it after the morning I left her a note on her night stand. It was risky, dropping off the letter myself, but I wanted to be near her. I wanted her to be able to feel my heat and know that I was there for her, even though I had yet to truly meet her. It just wasn’t time yet. I wanted her to build herself first, become her own person. I wanted her to want to be a Jett Girl and not because she could be invited up to the Bourbon Room. I wanted her to want to change and it seemed like she did.
 

She was spunkier, sassier and sexier. Watching her practice with the girls was sweet torture. At first, she looked like she had two left feet as she tried to learn the steps to some of Pepper’s most complicated presentations, but she started to get it and when she did, fuck, I was sweating just watching her.
 

She wasn’t tall like the other girls, but she was curvy and in all the right places and she knew exactly how to show off all her assets. She was going to be trouble with the members and I was prepared to throw out every member of the club who even tried to touch her. She was only there for them to look at and, if I were honest, I didn’t even want that.
 

“I thought this meeting was at one,” Kace said as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat next to me. He was wearing a suit and tie and was basically with me for intimidation factor. Two strong, tall and powerful men against one always carried the advantage, and that was what I needed, an advantage.
 

“Patience, Kace.”

“Fuck patience. I have shit to do today.”

“Like what?”

“I have practices to watch. I don’t spend my days watching over people on security cameras. I actually have to interact with them.”

I leaned back in my chair and swished the bourbon around in my glass as I studied my friend for too many years. He was always a moody little bitch, but even more now than before and I knew the reason why.
 

“Interesting little spat you had with Goldie in the hallway.”

“Lo,” Kace corrected me.

I leaned forward and looked him directly in the eyes. “I can call her whatever the fuck I want, so correct me one more time and you won’t like what happens.” I took a sip of my drink and continued, “It seemed like you and Goldie were getting intimate.”

I never brought up the other night to Kace because I thought he handled it well, besides what he said to her. That was why I wrote that note to Goldie; I didn’t want her taking off because of Kace taking his anger out on her.
 

“She’s horny as hell and persistent. You’re going to have to do something about that.”

“She’s fine. What I’m worried about is you and the way you look at her.”

“Nothing is going on.”

“I know nothing is going on, but that doesn’t mean nothing is going on in your head.”

Kace was about to answer when we were interrupted by the clearing of a man’s throat. I looked up and made eye contact with the same color eyes as mine.
 

I stood up and held out my hand, “Dad. Please have a seat.”

“I didn’t expect to be invited to lunch by you Jett. I was rather shocked when I saw the appointment on my calendar.”

He looked over at Kace and nodded his head. “I see you are still choosing to hang out with the bottom dwellers.”

My dad was never a fan of the Haywoods; he always thought they were below us, since they were a blue collar family, making it through life paycheck to paycheck. I knew better than to judge people by the amount of money in their wallets, but to judge them by the convictions they hold in their hearts.
 

“Nice to see you too, Leo,” Kace responded while taking a longer sip of his beer than normal.
 

The waitress brought over a scotch for my dad and I watched as he routinely stirred the drink three times before putting it up to his lips and taking a sip. Anger rolled through my body as my dad admired his beloved scotch. The man would choose his scotch over his own flesh and blood any day.
 

“So, tell me what the hell I’m doing here,” Leo said, while leaning back in his chair with his leg crossed over his knee, eying me with that “no bullshit” look.

“I wanted to talk to you in person about the Lot 17 property we both seem to be going after.”

A small glimpse of surprise spread across Leo’s face, but he quickly tamped it down.
 

“I was unaware you knew of my interest.”

“Well, I do and I know how you’re trying to grab the property, so I suggest you let it go or I have no problem turning in you and your friends from city planning to the officials.”

A sardonic laugh escaped Leo’s mouth. “You have no clue who I know. Go ahead, try to turn me in.”

I leaned forward and said, “You have no fucking clue who I know and you can bet your sorry ass, they’re a lot higher than your people.”

Leo set his glass down and said, “You think you own this city, don’t you? I taught you everything you know.”

“Yeah, and instead of trying to put all my knowledge to financial gain, I try to put it to good use, to help people.”

“You really think you’re helping people?” He laughed again, “People are only using you. Don’t you get that? They are all using you. You have money and money is what they want; they don’t care about you, no one ever has. Not even your whore of a mother, who used you too.”

I slammed my fist on the table, silencing all conversations around us. I leaned forward, ignoring the onlookers and said, “Don’t you dare talk about my mother.”

Leo just laughed again and looked at Kace. “What is a little fuck like you doing here?”

The look on Kace’s face spoke murder. He knew of the shitty family past I had, so it was understandable that he was on the verge of taking my dad out with one swift uppercut.
 

“Trying not to beat you to a bloody pulp,” Kace said, while placing his fists on the table.
 

Visibly, my dad recoiled, knowing the true potential Kace had of hurting a man and my ability to cover it up.
 

“What do you want from me?”
 

“I want you to back off. That property is supposed to be earmarked for the Boys and Girls Clubs. Be a decent human for once in your life and back off.”

Leo shook his head and stood up while buttoning his suit jacket.