I don’t know why I’d tossed out the question to Emme. “Why do they feel the need to assert their supposed authority while touting their arrogance?”
Well, maybe my blanket assumption was extreme, but the way Jaxon had reacted had been ridiculous. He’d acted as if I was working for someone hell bent on destroying him.
While I’d yet to confirm my suspicions given I was at practice very early, his behavior and what I’d seen the day before had led me to the conclusion that the Prince family was involved in a hellof a lot more than just running a hospitality company or even land development, which is what I’d heard from Emmeline.
Jaxon’s behavior had all the earmarks of a crime syndicate.
She’d apologized for her brother several times and I’d sensed there was much more going on with her family than I’d been made aware of. Plus, she’d been somewhat cagey when I’d broached the subject. I’d had a half dozen or more questions I’d wanted to ask her, but there’d been an awkwardness between us. I’d been exhausted, hiding under the covers even though sleep had been difficult.
Sadly, the questions lingered in my mind.
“Because some of them are,” she answered with an unusual quietness to her tone.
“I’m sorry. Last night was just…”
I touched the beautiful fabric on the chair and sighed. Besides a sleepless night, I’d had a shitty rehearsal. With only a couple of days to go before the sold-out performance, I was way too out of sorts to assume the emotional side of the role.
Emmeline purposely knocked into me, something she’d done years before. She managed to grab my attention. “You can say it, Anna. Telling me my brother is a horrible person isn’t going to hurt my feelings.”
“I’m sorry. It’s not fair to you. I never wanted to put you in a position to be in an argument with your brother.”
“I have three others I can count on.” She laughed seeing my face, but her smile faded almost immediately. “I’m kidding.”
“Still, that’s not fair to you.”
“Jaxon isn’t a bad egg. In fact, he’s usually my favorite of all my brothers. He takes protecting the family very seriously and has since college. Although lately, I don’t know what’s going on with him. His moods have become much darker over the last few months. It’s funny. When he adopted Zorro, I thought he was finally able to let someone in past his armor.”
“The gorgeous dog I met yesterday.”
She nodded. “Yes, from what my brother told me, now being used as a drug-sniffing dog. I guess that’s what he used to do when he worked with the police. I don’t know if it’s his getting older or maybe he just needs a hobby. A girlfriend would do him a hell of a lot of good.”
I had no idea why she was sharing so many personal details, but at least I was gathering a sense of what made Jaxon tick.
“Well, I’m sorry to say I can’t offer to be his go-to girl. We didn’t quite hit it off.” Every time I moved, I was reminded of the harsh spanking. I’d even stood in front of the mirror, glaring at the red marks. I’d expected to see his handprint on both ass cheeks. Thankfully, I’d been wrong but still, the ache continued and I had no doubt would for several days.
The questions lingered on the tip of my tongue.
“If I’d known he would use his acts of seduction on you, I wouldn’t have asked him to go to the benefit in my place.”
In all the years I’d known Emme, I almost never saw her blush. “Emme. I’m a big girl. What happened between us was mutual. Okay? We were pretending to be something we weren’t.”
She finally looked me in the eyes. “You know you can trust me. Right? I mean if you need to talk about your past, I’m here. Irealize you don’t know me very well, but I have a very interesting family so I might be able to offer advice.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Did she suddenly find it difficult to trust me? How could I blame her? I’d lied to her the entire time I’d known her. A wave of guilt hit me.
We continued walking through the store. Going shopping had been Emme’s idea, the store showcasing gently used furniture and home accessories. However, what the store sold certainly wasn’t what my idea of grabbing a couple of cheap pieces of furniture had been. The items were gorgeous, designer in quality.
She stopped in front of a beautiful leather sofa and chair. “I don’t blame you for being cautious around my brother, but he is single.” Her smile was sly. “I think he’s been working too hard. He acts like I can’t take care of myself and that there are enemies everywhere.”
“Enemies. I didn’t know the hospitality business was that cutthroat.”
“Oh, the family has several businesses, which makes all four brothers in the family crazy about keeping me safe. It’s ridiculous. I’m a grown woman.” She stopped herself as if realizing whatever she was about to say was potentially dangerous.
“He had every right not to trust me. I was just in your home. All you did was ask him to fix the toilet and I tried to bash his head in.”
“Let me give you a hint about my family. They can take being attacked and I assure you they dish it out.”
The look on her face caught me off guard. “I’m not certain how to take that.”
