“Believe it or not, the Courtesan is one of the safest places in the city. No one would get hurt here.” Vane shrugged.
“Why?” I frowned at him.
“Because it’s run by a madam named Natalia Winters. I don’t know the brunt of it, but once you’re inside these walls, you’re safe. The most dangerous men can’t touch each other in here.” He reached over and grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers and squeezing. “As much as I hate the drugs that the bikers bring into this city, getting rid of them isn’t that easy. This hotel is rumored to be partially owned by the Harlots.”
“Those female bikers?”
He nodded and raised my hand to his lips. “We have to make sacrifices sometimes, and going hard on those motorcycle clubs may not be in our best interest.”
I cocked my head in thought. In a weird way, it made sense. Another knock made him release my hand, and he stood, walking back toward the door, and when he opened it, I was assaulted by the smell of food and my belly let out a grumble.
Fuck yes, I wanted that food.
Vane grinned knowingly. That man really had won me over, in ways that surprised even me.
16
Vane
Jaxson’s chest rose and fell softly, but even though he seemed deeply asleep—not even my phone beeping with a text from Ross had caused him to stir—a small worry line dipped between his brows. His lips moved and his fingers twitched. The only glow in the room came from the bathroom doorway and my phone, yet somehow, a single lucky beam of light fell across his face so that I couldn’t look away. All I could do was stare.
I am so fucked.
Pursing my lips, I left him there, caught in whatever dream he seemed to be having. I yanked on my briefs and went to the bathroom where there were complimentary robes folded in a closet. I snagged one of the fluffy black robes and pulled it on. Still reeling with the way I felt as I watched Jaxson sleep, I went out and scooped my phone up off the floor where I’d set it and pocketed the key card. With one final glance at Jaxson, I slipped out into the hallway.
What is going on with me?I paced near our door, back and forth, and every now and then I stopped to listen, but he didn’t call out, or at least not loud enough for me to hear. A man who seemed vaguely familiar walked down the hallway with his suit jacket slung over his shoulder and his long-sleeved shirt unbuttoned. He nodded once at me, but I couldn’t dredge up his name, so I smiled back. Once he was out of sight, I searched the internet for Walnut Creek’s phone number.
Obviously Jaxson was upset and worried about his father, and he’d already made it clear that part of the problem there would bemoney. How much could his dad’s bills possibly be? I glared at my phone for a second and hovered my finger over the number for the hospital.
“Fuck it,” I grumbled and touched the number. The line began to ring. I pressed the phone to my ear and a tingle of guilt started in my gut. I was doing it again, doing things for Jaxson without asking first. This was a good thing, though, so shouldn’t that be fine?
Besides, Iwantedto make sure he was okay, and this was affecting him. If I wanted to make his life easier, shouldn’t I be taking things off his mind that didn’t need to be there? Especially if he was expecting? Something nearly like pain stabbed through my chest and I rubbed it. I loved what Jaxson was becoming to me, what he did for me, and how he made me feel.
“You’ve reached Walnut Creek.” The automated voice rambled on after that about all my options, and I pushed buttons randomly until I got the disgruntled voice of a person.
“Who do you need?” she asked a second time, and I startled. “Mr. Bell’s room.” She muttered to herself under her breath, and I couldn’t understand what she was saying, but before I had a chance to ask if there was a problem, the line rang again.
“Hello?” a tired feminine voice asked, and I recognized Jaxson’s mother, Patrice.
“Hi,” I said quietly. “How are you doing?”
“Oh… Mr. Elwood. Were you calling for an update?” She sounded a little perkier, and I could imagine her straightening up from wherever she was slumped in a chair beside her husband’s bed.
“I… I was wondering if you needed anything. Dinner sent over?” I finished lamely. I really wanted to offer her more than that, a lot more, just so Jaxson wouldn’t be making faces in his sleep. He deserved to be peaceful, and I thought I could probably make that happen. Iwouldmake that happen. But I would talk to him about it first. No reason to give him ammo for a future fight. I’d probably do something awful between now and then that actually deserved his anger.
His mother and I talked briefly, and she ended up allowing me to send food to her from a decent restaurant downtown, and then we hung up with little fanfare. I ordered her a meal to be delivered, and afterward I stood there in the hallway, tapping my phone against my leg. What the hell was I doing? Why did I want to toss money at Jaxson’s family? Clearly because I liked him. Groaning, I smacked the phone against my forehead until it started to leave a painful spot. Another few minutes passed, with me berating myself as an idiot. My self-irritation ran out of steam and I went back into our room.
For a long while I stood beside the bed with my arms crossed, glaring down at him. He’d rolled onto his side, hugging a pillow, and I couldn’t resist running my fingertips along the curves of his leg and hip, all the way to his waist. He was still the same slutty, pragmatic man who’d propositioned me, and I was still the same asshole who’d taken him up on everything he had to offer and more… but now I knew I didn’t want it to stop.
I didn’t want to get bored with him and send him on his way to a bigger, better city than New Gothenburg, and I sure as hell didn’t want him… to get over me.
My stomach sank. The jagged ending to our… whatever was going on between us, just seemed inevitable. Eventually he would go. People always did.
Carefully I lowered myself to the edge of the bed and sat there staring at my dark phone clasped in my hands. My family hadn’t been great. Dad drank too much and worked on the road, my mom banged too much and wouldn’t work at all. Eventually that situation exploded, and I’d ended up living with a neighbor who was nice enough to take me in until I was able to rent my own apartment. In exchange, I’d done every filthy chore in that place.
And I’d done anything I’d needed to in order to stay afloat, stay ahead, and make my mark in the world. That included fucking people who wanted a piece, so long as they had the credentials and pull to make it worth my while. And that didn’t involve things like having a steady guy. I rested my elbows on my knees. But life had smiled on me in a lot of ways. I’d gotten lucky where other chumps didn’t. I was a little more charming, a little smarter, a tad friendlier, a little better at kissing ass than the rest, and I’d used it all to my advantage. What would happen if I just… let things happen? Took my lumps from the media for being out and in politics in New Gothenburg, without trying to actively spin the situation?
Would I piss enough people off that they tried to get me out of city hall before the next election? There were ways to do it.
