The doorbell barely dings when she jerks the door open. Her blonde hair is in cute pigtail braids today and she’s wearing a brown cotton dress with tiny straps that reveal part of her red work bathing suit.
“Hey,” I say, out of breath because of her stunning beauty and not the flight of stairs.
“Hey. So you’ve got proof?” she asks.
“Yep.”
“Okay. Come in and let me see it,” she says with a sigh.
I go on in and take a seat on the sofa, waiting for her to sit next to me before I pull out my phone to show her. The video is ready to go, so all I have to do is hit play.
Jetta watches the footage of her brother silently. There are several different clips combined, showing him on the boat on different days in different clothes. He’s sometimes at the blackjack table; other times he sits down for several hands of poker. On one occasion, when he loses, he gets pissed, stands up and wipes everything off the table before stomping off.
“So he’s been gambling,” Jetta states the obvious.
“Sorry, baby,” I tell her.
She jumps to her feet, face turning bright red and angry. For a second I think it’s because I called her baby before she launches into a rant.
“He lied to me! I asked him pointblank if he owed money from gambling, and he lied right to my face! Why? Why would he lie to me?”
“No clue,” I answer even though I know it’s a rhetorical question.
“He makes me so freakin’ mad!”
“Do you want me to hit him again?” I joke.
“No. I just…I want him to stop lying and to stop gambling.”
“You have every right to be angry at him,” I assure her. “And I know just the thing for you to get back at him. He would be so upset if you slept with me again…”
“Devlin!” Jetta exclaims.
“What? It’s true,” I say honestly.
“Okay. Time for you to go,” she says, grabbing me by the arm to get me to my feet. “I appreciate you showing me the videos, but I’ll handle my brother from now on.”
“You’re not through with me just yet,” I remind her when we reach the door. “He still owes me.”
“Oh. Right,” she mutters. “Just a second.”
She leaves me at the door to go into her room, and when she comes back, there’s an envelope in her hand, one that’s so full of cash it won’t close. “Here’s the rest of what he owes. You’re done with Sean now, right?”
I take the envelope and flip through the green bills, relieved Sean’s debt is paid, but at the same time frustrated that it was Jetta who came up with it and not him.
“Right, Devlin?”
“Why would you still help him out, Jet? Knowing now that he lied to you on top of everything else?” I ask in confusion.
“Because he’s my brother!” she exclaims. “And I would like to think, if our roles were reversed and he had the means to help me out financially when I was desperate, that he would do the same, you know?”
“I think you’re overestimating him.”
“Is Sean settled up with the MC or not?” she asks through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, the MC is finished with Sean,” I agree. “You won’t have to worry about this happening again either since he’s been banned from all of our establishments.”
“Good. Thanks,” she says while crossing her arms over her chest.
“You’re welcome,” I say as I hold the heavy envelope, wishing I could give it back to her but knowing Malcolm would lose his shit if I paid it. He’s right. I shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. “So, I guess this is goodbye, huh?” I ask.
“Yep. Goodbye, Dev.”
“Goodbye, Jet,” I reply with a sad smile as I open the door and step out. “How about one last kiss?”
“Why?” she asks.
“Because why not? Unless you’re afraid that if you kiss me again you won’t be able to resist getting naked with me?”
Jetta leans forward and holds on to the front of my cut for balance when she goes up on her toes to place a quick kiss on my lips. When she tries to pull away, I grab the back of her neck with my free hand to keep her mouth on mine, spearing my tongue past her lips. She kisses me back like I hoped, but not for long before she pushes me away.
“That’s enough! Go. I have to get to work,” she says.
“That’s too bad,” I say when I refuse to budge an inch and look down at her face that’s still close to mine. “Because if you didn’t have to go to work, I could spend hours reminding you how good we are together.”
“Guess I’ll just have to live with the memories,” she replies before she pushes me backward and I finally cave and take a few steps toward the stairs.
“Is that your bike down there?” Jetta asks when she sees my Honda Fury sparkling in the parking lot.
“It sure is,” I respond. “Why? You a fan of motorcycles? I’ve got a Harley too…”
“Ah, well, yeah, I guess I am a fan of bikes,” she says, licking her lips like she’s tasting me on them. “Could you maybe give me a ride to work?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” I agree in a rush before she changes her mind. “I didn’t see your car in the lot. Is it at the shop or something?”
“Yeah, ah, it’s in the shop,” she says quickly. “Let me just grab my purse, and I’ll be ready to go.”
“Cool,” I say, and then I wait on the balcony for her to return with her things. While she locks the door, I tell her, “I could pick you up after work too if your car’s not ready.”
“Thanks. That would be great actually,” Jetta says when she turns back around to face me and hikes her canvas tote higher on her shoulder. “I get off at six.”
“Then it’s a date,” I reply before we start down the steps side by side.
“Not a date. Just a ride,” Jetta corrects.
“Semantics,” I mutter with a wave of the envelope. Having Sean’s debt paid and her asking me for a favor is definitely progress.
It’s only a matter of time before she invites me inside where we go at it like horn-dogs again.
Chapter Fifteen
Jetta
* * *
Devlin is surprisingly reliable.
For the next few days, he takes me to work in the morning and picks me up in the afternoon, always on time, never late.
Throughout the day, he texts me several times to confirm my schedule even though it never changes. And of course, he also shows up early each morning and hints at coming into the apartment, but I always decline because being alone with him is a terrible idea.
I’m not strong enough to keep refusing his advances, especially after he kisses me. So I’ve made sure to not give him any more opportunities. This morning, I was waiting in the parking lot when he pulled up, and then in the afternoons I have the perfect excuse that Sean’s home so Devlin can’t come up with me or it would cause World War III.
“So, thanks for giving me a ride again today,” I tell Devlin after I climb off his bike back at the apartment.