Front & Center (Book 2 of the Back-Up Series) (26 page)

Jack shakes his head and flips him off.

“Are you ok?” I ask Hunter on our way to the waiting van.

“No. But I’ll call her and apologize my ass off
and then hopefully everything will be good again.”

“Aren’t relationships fun?” I tease.

“Why would anyone want to go through all this crap? It’s so not worth it.” Trey puts his two cents in.

“Shut up
, Trey.” Scott says, as we pile into the van. “You have no idea what you are talking about. It is worth it. To have someone by your side, having your back no matter what, who would do anything in the world for you…all fucking worth it.”

“
I’m telling you Trey. One of these days you are going to fall hard, and I can’t wait to be there.” Hunter adds.

“Yeah, ok. Keep waiting.
”

H
unter and I exchange a glance. “Mark my words.” He whispers to me. I can’t help but wonder if Trey already has fallen hard, and the rejection he received is what hardened his tattooed heart.

The van is quiet on the short ride to the hotel. Once we each escape to our rooms, I first feel how exhausted I truly am.
I thought I would be up pacing all night, worried about Jack seeing Jessa tomorrow. But the minute my head hits the pillow, I’m out.

Watching her stroll across the café like she owns the place instantly ignites the rage I’ve been harboring inside. It’s literally smoldering in my chest and slowly creeping to the back of my throat. She looks exactly the same…cold and bitchy. There’s no warmth, no spark, no nothing. What the fuck did I ever see in her?

Her pregnant belly is clearly visible. She’s smaller than I thought she would be. She’s probably starving the kid to avoid gaining weight. When she reaches my table, she smiles cunningly. I can’t wait to wipe the grin off her face.

“Hello, Jack.”

“Jessa.”

“You look well.” She says, as she takes the seat across from me. Right behind her head I can see Oscar having his lunch while reading the paper. He glances up quickly to make eye contact.

“What do you want?”

“Charming as ever, I see.”

“You’re lucky I’m here. I
don’t have time for this or you.”

“That’s a shame. Because I have a lot to say.”

“So say it.”

“
What are we going to do about our predicament?” She asks coyly.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m going to be incurring a lot of expenses. I can’t do this alone. You said you would be there financially for the baby. After thinking it through, my pride needs to take a back seat to the welfare of my child.”

I keep my best poker face on, even though my muscles are coiled as if watching my prey
and I am waiting to attack. “What is it you’re looking for?”

“I feel half now
and half after the baby is born would be the best course to take.”

“And what price tag did you put on your child?”

She widens her eyes as if insulted. “Our child. This has nothing to do with that. I cannot care for him without your help.”

“You could
, if you got a job.”

“Are you retracting your offer?
”

“Possibly.”

She takes in a deep breath, as if she is trying to cage her anger. “I’ve always known you to be a coward. Running away from our relationship was one thing. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you are now running away from your responsibilities.”

“I still don’t
believe it’s mine. Until I have solid proof, I will not give you one red cent.”

She leans back and crosses her arms. “
You’ll use any excuse you can. I’ve proved you are the father. You can try to deny it, but it is what it is.”

“Or not.” I pull a copy of the paternity results out from my back pocket and smooth it out on the table. “Let’s talk about your proof.”
I level her with my glare. She is doing a fantastic job at keeping her cool, except for the tiny vein that visibly throbs at her temple.

“So, tell me how this went down.” When she remains silent, I continue. “
Ok, I’ll recap and you tell me if I’m right. You walked into,” I look down to read the name of the lab on the letterhead, “Stemcorp. Correct?”

She rolls her eyes annoyingly as if I’m wasting her time. “You carried my sperm in what, a
Tupperware
container?”

When she doesn’t respond, I smile and persist with my scenario. “You walk
ed up to the front desk and asked for a paternity test of the contents? And they complied readily?”

Now I fold my arms and sit back, waiting for her to speak. When she doesn’t, I add, “I can sit here all day. For this, I don’t mind wasting my time.”

“What do you want from me?”

“The truth. I happen to know you cannot
order a paternity test like a
Happy Meal
. So who’s sperm did you send in the mail for your bargain basement results?”

She sits across from me, mimicking my position and not saying a word.

“Nothing? Suddenly you are speechless? I thought you had a lot to say?” I lean forward and boast, “I am so onto you. Is it my baby?”

“I don’t know.”

“Jessa, I want you to tell me the truth right now or I walk out that door. I will contact the police claiming you tried to extort money from me and you falsified this test.”

She takes in a shaky breath and levels me with her stone
cold gaze. “It’s either yours or Danny’s.”

“Now we are getting somewhere. Why the hell did you get involved with that fucking lunatic?”

She pauses, probably debating in her head what she should say. I prod her willingly. “I’m warning you…speak or I’m gone.”

“Max was having a bad time last
year. Danny got him hooked on heroin. He owed Danny a lot of money. I paid some of his debt. I thought I could handle Danny and control him. As you know, he is not a bright person. I was buying time until I came up with a better plan.”

I barely blink. I don’t want to give her an excuse to stop her confession. “
After some time, Danny was losing his patience and threatened Max and my mom’s safety.”

“Why didn’t you go to the police?”

“He said being in jail would be worth the satisfaction he got from hurting us.”

“Jesus.
”

“One night, he was high on crack, spewing all the things he wanted to do to you for kicking him out of Devil’s Lair. I told him it was his own fault. He became a raving lunatic. He slapped me around. Not bad enough to send me to the hospital, but just enough to scare the crap out of me. As he was hitting me, he told me he’d do worse if he got his hands on you. The entire time all I could think of was you. I always felt you and I weren’t done yet. I felt we belonged together. I loved you so much. I still do, even if it is unrequited.”

“You love me so much
, and yet you want to fuck with my life?”

“I’m helping you.” She ignores my incredulous look and adds,
“I derailed him. I convinced him the best way to get back at you was to ruin your life, not take it. The night we ran into each other wasn’t an accident. I planned on sleeping with you and I did. I was also having sex with Danny as well. I figured one of you would get me pregnant.”

“
There’s the Jessa I know.”

She smirks at my comment.
“I knew what I had to do.”

“So the crap you told me about freezing my sperm?”

“Didn’t happen. I wish I had thought of it sooner and not when it was too late. I really don’t know if it’s yours or Danny’s. When I did become pregnant, I knew my plan would work. You’d help me financially. I would be tied to you for the rest of our lives. I could get Danny out of my life. Hell, maybe you would even fall back in love with me in the process. You did love me before.”

“No,
I did not.”

“I
feel otherwise.”

I clench my jaw, feeling my control slipping
away.

“
When I came to tell you my happy news, I wasn’t prepared to hear that you had fallen in love since the night we were together. Of all people, you?”

“Karma’s a bitch, like you.”

She goes on as if she didn’t hear me. “Danny was livid. He didn’t agree with my plan and wanted me to have an abortion. After he slapped me around some more, I convinced him this baby was his cash ticket. Based on your love confession, I had to revise. I could have easily panicked, but I had too much at stake.”

“So he k
nows you are here trying to get money out of me?”

“It’s the only thing that’s been keeping him patient.”

“This isn’t good for you. I’m not paying you a penny until I know if this child is mine.”

“
I don’t have a doubt he will hurt me. If I come back without money, he will lose it.”

“Then hide out and get some help.”

The ice around Jessa’s heart slowly starts to melt as her eyes well up with tears. But then again, it could be an act. “He’ll find me. You must care about me enough to not want this to happen.”

“You
can’t be serious. I should call the police right now. You tried to ruin my life!” I glance around the café after realizing that I raised my voice. Oscar watches from his table.

“Jack, this could be your baby. You would knowingly be putting him and me at risk. I know you aren’t that cold and heartless.
Not to mention Lizzy’s safety.”

“You know about that?”

She looks away for a second before responding. “He told me. It’s his insurance policy.”

Fuck…she still has me by the balls
, yet again. “When do you leave?” I ask with complete contempt.

“Tomorrow.”

“I need to speak to my lawyer.” She nods silently. “I have another question. Why did you coerce Leila into breaking up with me?”

“
As long as she was in your life, I knew you wouldn’t do the right thing. I needed you to be vulnerable.”

“Who’s your mole?”

“What?”

“I know you have someone feeding you information. Who is it?”

She looks down and fiddles with a ring on her finger. “Rich.”

“Is that who tampered with the bus opening night?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I needed to delay you guys so I could get Rich on board. He was an afterthought when I found out you were with Leila.”

“How do you know
Rich?”

“I needed a way in opening night. I hung around the arena the day before and propositioned him.”

I give her a look of pure disgust. “You’re ruthless. Did Danny know about this?”

“No.”

I wait for her to look up. When she does, I smile deviously. “For the record, we’re done. It ends now. Your threats of telling the gossip sites that I forced myself on you aren’t going to happen. I have never forced myself on you. Correct?”

She nods.

“Answer me.” I prod.

“Yes.”

“Good. Now here’s the good news. This entire conversation has been watched and recorded.” She looks around quickly, as her nostrils flare ever so slightly. “
And guess what? Leila and I aren’t apart, she is now my fiancé.”

She
pales and looks like I just sucker punched her.

“
Surprised? We played you as much as you played us. My sister will have protection in New York. My fiancé and I have security with us on this trip. We are not sitting ducks to you and Danny any longer. I’m only playing your game for now, because I am not going to be held responsible for hurting that child. And you better hope it is mine or your future will not be a pleasant one. Clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Good. I suggest you do your homework and cooperate with us. We know he’s dealing. Anything you know, we now know too. Got it?”

“Yep.”

“Once you have the baby, we will have a real paternity test taken. If it is mine, I will financially support just the baby…not you. If it’s not mine, you better hope I don’t press charges. I want you to contact me when you get back to New York. I’ll let you know what your next move will be.”

She sits quietly for a few moments, taking it all in. When she speaks, her voice is filled with emotion.
“Where did it all go wrong for us Jack?”

“Honestly? For me it was the day I met you.” I stand and walk away
knowing I’ve left her completely stunned.

“Jack, I’m dying here.”

“You’re not going to believe all I have to tell you.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m in the car waiting for Oscar. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Can you call Dylan? We’ll meet you
in his room.”

“Ok.
Are you ok?”

“Yeah, baby.
I am. I love you.”

“Me too.” He hangs up and I call Dylan as instructed.
After explaining Jack’s conversation, I quickly dress and make my way to his room.

I’ve been sitting on the edge of my bed for hours waiting to hear from him. This has been the
worse form of torture. He still sounds on edge, but I can hear the change in his voice. Like a weight has been lifted.

Dylan opens the door after hearing my knock. “Hey, Leila. Oscar just calle
d and said they are on their way up. I think he’s going to tell us some good news.”

“I hope so. I’m so done with this.” I take the chair by the small table and start nervously tapping my foot.

A knock accelerates my heartbeat. I can’t wait to touch him. I miss him so much. Dylan opens the door to Oscar and Jack.

Jack comes right over to me, pulls me into his arms, and buries his face in my neck. He kisses my neck and pulls back to look into my eyes.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” 

“You did good, baby. Because of you, I was able to derail her fucking plans.”

I smile at him before kissing his lips. “I want to hear all of it.”

He sits in the club chair in the corner and pulls me onto his lap. Oscar and Dylan each sit at the table facing us.

“She wants money. She came here looking for a payout.
She wanted half now, half when the baby is born. She never gave me an amount. Once I said I would provide support, only if it is indeed mine, the conversation took a whole other course. She insulted me. So I pulled out the test and enlightened her with what we knew. I then demanded the truth. She finally let it all out. She is involved with that fucker. Her brother got tangled in drugs and owes Danny a lot of money. Jessa paid part of his debt, but tried to manipulate her way out of the rest. Danny wasn’t as dumb as she thought. He hits her. He threatened her family. I asked why she hasn’t gone to the police. Danny said he actually wouldn’t mind jail time in exchange for hurting them. She decided if she got pregnant she could be tied to me, and I could help pay Danny off. She arranged to meet me, have sex with me, and I’d increase her chances to have a baby. I was her back-up plan. She isn’t positive the baby is mine, since she was sleeping with Danny as well.”

Jack glances at me quickly as I try to absorb what he’s telling us. He rubs my back soothingly and continues. “When she showed up opening night, she wasn’t prepared for Leila to be in my life. It threw her. She had to revise and revisit what she initially wanted from me. She concocted
a story and convinced Danny the baby was his cash ticket. This appeased him, for now. The problem is, if she doesn’t return with some sort of compensation, he will hurt her. She was quick to remind me that it still can be my baby, and by not helping, I would be putting him in harm’s way. She also mentioned his fixation on Lizzy.”

Oscar interrupts. “Paying her would be a bad idea.”

“I agree. How do we handle this?”

“We need to get him arrested…and soon.” Oscar responds.

Jack looks apprehensive. “I still feel we should go to the police. Tell them everything.”

“
Ace did inform them of the events up until now. I’ll pull together what little evidence I have, the text message from Danny, the falsified paternity test. I’ll call Ace to discuss our course of action.” He pauses briefly and adds, “I’ll also put a call into my buddy, Colt at *Orion. Maybe he can start some more invasive background checks on this asshole.”

Jack
remembers another part of his conversation with Jessa. “I found out who she used to get her info. Fire Rich, immediately. I want him ruined. I want his chances of ever working with another band killed.”

Oscar shakes his head. “That doesn’t surprise me. Did she mention anyone else?”

“No, but I thought of that. She was quick to tell me it was Rich. I wouldn’t doubt there is another.”

“Now that she implicated him, I can work with that. I’ll take care of it today.”

I still don’t trust her. I still worry she will try to hurt Jack. “What about her claims that you forced yourself on her?”

Jack gives me a half grin. “I
got her to admit it, and then I told her that her threats are meaningless and our conversation was being recorded.”

“So now what?”
Dylan asks.

“So now, I take my fiancé, my sister and future brother–in-law out on the town. I need fun.”
He looks at me and adds, “I’ll see if the guys want to come too.”

“Jack, maybe that’s not a g
ood idea.”

He shakes
his head at my concern. “We’ll be fine. I told her we are together and you are now my fiancé. She’s in shock right now. I wouldn’t doubt she is still sitting at the table staring into space.”

Relief floods my veins.

No more charades?

No more game playing?

He can move back on the bus with me?

I grin at him like a fool.

“What?”

“You can come back to our bus.” I whisper enthusiastically.

“Damn straight I can.” His fingers curl around my waist and he winks seductively. “Oscar can you drive us to the
Bellagio
? I would like to hang there until our show.”

“Sure, I just want to make some phone calls
first.”

He
smiles at me. “That works with my plans. Call Evan and tell him we’ll meet them in an hour.” I feel optimistic for the first time in weeks. I lean in to kiss his lips when he pulls away and demands, “Oh, and put that ring on.” He palms my face and resumes our kiss passionately. Someone clearing his throat brings me back to reality.

“Jack!
” He chuckles at my embarrassment as I hastily climb off his lap. “I’m going to call Evan.”

I
walk into the bathroom leaving him with Oscar and Dylan. First thing I do is to unpin the ring and slip it on my finger where it belongs.

“Hey
, Evan.”

“What happened?”

“It’s good. I promise. Where are you?”

“We are being lazy.”

“Ugh.” Evan laughs into the phone. “Do you want to hang out or continue being
lazy
?”

“No, we can hang out. Right
, Liz?” I hear her say yes. “Where?”

“Meet us inside the main entrance of the
Bellagio
in an hour.”

“Ok. See you then.”

When I walk back out, Oscar is gone and Jack looks like he’s having a serious conversation with Dylan. “Sorry. Do you want me to give you guys some privacy?”

Dylan shakes his heads. “No, all’s good.”

Jack stands and takes my hand. “Let’s go.”

“We don’t have to meet Evan for an hour.”

“Exactly.”
I glance at Dylan in time to see his frown.

Jack
literally drags me down the hall to his room. The minute we are inside, he pushes me up against the wall and crushes his lips to mine. I can feel all his tension leave his body. His hands roam over mine, not knowing where to touch first. He walks us backwards towards the bed and falls while pulling me with him. The bed is so hard that when we land, we actually bounce apart from each other.

“Oh my God.” I giggle from the hilarity of the situation.

“This place is a dump.”

“
A few days ago we would have thought this place were a palace. You have turned into such a diva. We can’t always be in a
Bellagio
.”

“Make no mistake
, baby. I would fuck you if we were in the men’s room at Penn Station right now.”

“Ew.”

“Just sayin’.”

“One day engaged and
the romance is already gone?”

“There are two sides to my coin. You’ve seen both.
Mr. Raunchy and Mr. Romance live side by side.”

I move closer and align myself with his body. “And I love them both.”

“Good, because right now Mr. Raunchy is in the room. I need to fuck you.” He announces as he starts to pull off my clothes. I immediately reciprocate, pulling off his t-shirt. When we get tangled, we separate just long enough to finish stripping.

He pushes me onto my back and without
any preamble, dives between my legs. The rush of air I release and the buck of my hips spur him on. His mouth covers me completely while his tongue flicks dead center. He draws his lips in and sucks the spot he was just teasing.

I
can already feel the buildup in my thighs and in the pit of my stomach. Hell, I actually feel it in my toes and the roots of my hair.

He slowly pushes his fingers
into me and twists them from side to side. He nibbles on me like he’s having me for lunch. I dig my fingers into his hair, manipulating his movements for my own pleasure. I unashamedly use him to my advantage. He complies willingly and I completely lose it. I come so hard that it causes me to tighten my thighs against his head in an attempt to control their trembling. I can feel him smile against me, and it only encourages the tremors that are taking over my whole body.

Once I calm myself down, I throw an arm over my eyes and declare, “Holy shit.”

“I’m not done.” He flips me over and slides right in. My fingers instantly pull at the cheap, scratchy bedspread that is beneath me.

“Fuck.” He says to no one in particular. His f
ingers grip my hips so tightly that I’ll probably bruise. Mr. Raunchy is giving me one hundred and ten percent of himself, literally. With each thrust, I can feel his happy trail tickle the base of my spine.

He moves one of his hands around my hip to stroke me in front.
In response, I hold onto his forearm just in case he decides to remove it. He gets my message and rubs me straight into my second orgasm.

Less than a minute later, he grunts and st
ills while remaining buried deep inside of me. He slumps over my back, once he returns to earth.

“Just what I needed,” h
e mumbles into my shoulder.

“Yeah, me too…twice.” I collapse onto the bed and he falls with me.

He moves to my side and immediately closes his eyes. I take the opportunity to stare at him…at every inch of him. How did I get so lucky? I’m going to be this man’s wife. This is completely insane. I’ve known him less than six months, but it feels so right. It feels as if every decision, every choice, and every plan I made has led me right to him.

I scoot closer
and he wraps his arm around me, but never opens his eyes. “Babe, do you want me to cancel on Ev and Lizzy? You are exhausted. You didn’t sleep much these past two days.”

“Mmm. No. Just ask for another hour. That’s all I need.” The rise and fall of his chest tells me he fell back to sleep. I quietly
grab my phone to call Evan.

“Hey.”

“Ev, we’re running late.”

“Why are you whispering?”

“Jack is sleeping. We’ll meet at three.”

“Ironically Liz is sleeping too. I was just about to wake her. This works out better for us too.”

He quietly chuckles into the phone.

“What?”

“It seems the Marino
s wore out the Lairs.” He announces.

“
Evan, T.M.I.”



Once we met up with Liz and Evan, we grabbed something to eat and decided to hit the
casino. As we stroll through, hand in hand, I feel life is just as it should be. No more hiding. The guys are joining us soon. Jack decided to cancel rehearsals and arranged a small party backstage for Evan and Lizzy after our show.

Jen is arriving today with Krista and Malcolm.
Dylan volunteered to meet with Jen as soon as she arrives to fill her in. She has been kept in the dark and will not be happy about it. Dylan has been so awesome to us. He really doesn’t need to be. It just proves what an honorable person he is. Oscar is handling the Rich situation. He has remained steadfast in his commitment to us. His loyalty is unwavering.

“I want to gambl
e,” I announce. Dragging Jack by the hand, I lead us directly to the slots.

“Here?
Slots are for wussies.” Evan leans closer and lowers his voice. “Look around. Everyone in this section is above the age of seventy.”

I snort at his comment
. My watered down complimentary rum and Diet Coke comes right out of my nose.

“That is
totally disgusting.” Evan says, wearing his poker face.