Page 17 of Revenge & Truth

“Sorry, it wasn’t that funny, but in a way, it totally was,” I offered, trying to explain. “God, I needed a good laugh.”

Jace came to sit on the edge of the bed, unbothered by the fact the room reeked of sex, and we were naked and sweaty. Not to mention Jace was fully aware we’d just finished our morning delight.

“Babe, there’s no need to explain yourself. It’s been hell for you the past month. I’m glad you finally gave in and let one of us get you to relax for a bit,” Jace said, reaching out to rest a hand on my leg.

“Hey, asshole, that’s my leg,” Ryker grumbled, pulling it away.

Jace shrugged. “Dude, you know I swing both ways. How do you know I didn’t do it on purpose?”

“Ah…”

“Holy fuck, Ryker, I wasn’t being serious,” Jace blurted. “You and I are just good friends, no matter how attractive you are. One boyfriend and a girlfriend are more than enough for me.” Pausing, he shifted his gaze to me. “Not to say there is anything wrong with having seven boyfriends if that’s what makes you happy. Each person has to do what’s right for them and tell the world to fuck off if they have a problem with it.”

I blinked at him a few times as my brain made sense of the string of words that came out of his mouth. “D-did you just call me your girlfriend?”

“That was probably unfair for me to announce post-orgasm and pre-coffee,” Jace commented, not really answering my question.

“You also said boyfriends, as in plural,” I continued, still digesting all that.

“Hmm… maybe that isn’t the right name for us. I’ll have to do some research and see if there is a better term unless there’s something you want us to call ourselves?” Jace asked.

Pushing myself up so I was seated, I scrubbed my face with my hands. “Okay. Wow. I seriously need some coffee before I even attempt to have this conversation.”

“Fair enough,” Jace agreed. “The real reason I came up to check on you is because you were late for breakfast. Should I have them hold off for another half hour for you to get ready or bring it up here?”

Running my hands through my hair, trying to get it to settle down, I pondered that question. “Have them hold it. I’ll be down as soon as I can. This is a conversation that needs to happen with the others.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Jace said, reaching out to grip my chin. “I’ll see you downstairs, but just so things are crystal clear between us… Braxton and I had a conversation just like you requested, which I appreciate more than you know for respecting our dynamic. That being said, I wanted you to hear it from me. I have zero problem sharing Brax with you and supporting whatever happened between you two. However, I want to be clear that I also have romantic intentions toward you and would like the chance to explore that.”

Caught off guard by his direct approach, I didn’t know how to respond, so I merely stared at him. He slowly leaned in, giving me a chance to pull away, but when I didn’t, he kissed me slow and deep, our tongues twining around each other.

“Now be a good girl and get ready,” Jace instructed. “We have a busy day full of revenge ahead of us.” With that, he got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

I turned to look at Ryker sitting up against the headboard. “What the fuck was that?”

“That, my love, is precisely why Jace is in charge of the gambling business the Family conducts. Bastard always knows the right time to play his cards,” Ryker muttered. “He’s right, though. We do need to get ready for the day if you still want a lunch date at Rhythm & Boobs.”

Tossing back the sheets, he crawled out of my giant-ass bed, giving me a great view of his ass. Then he slipped on his pants and cocked a brow at me. “What?”

“Nothing, just enjoying the view,” I murmured, grinning at him.

He groaned, tossing back his head. “Love, you can’t say shit like that. It makes me want to eat you out until you’re screaming again, and we don’t have time.”

“Well, we could shower together, saving water and time. Who knows, we might even be able to fit in a quickie,” I suggested.

Ryker grabbed his shirt off the floor and scowled at me. “You know damn well there will be nothing quick about sex between us for a good long while if I have anything to say about it.”

Pouting, I slid out from the covers and stood. That’s when I was reminded of the downside to no condoms. “Shit,” I swore as I felt Ryker’s cum leak out of me and hurried to the bathroom.

“Love you, see you down at breakfast,” Ryker called after me with a chuckle.

“Bastard,” I grumbled, turning on the shower. “But I love you too, even if you’re an ass sometimes.”

It took two cups of coffee before I felt like my brain was working on all cylinders. The guys were talking amongst themselves, having learned to hold off saying anything to me until I spoke first. If they did, the chances of me snapping at them were rather high. I wasn’t proud of that fact, but it is what it is.

Setting down my third cup of coffee, I directed my gaze to Braxton. He gave me a warm smile and waited for me to say whatever was on my mind. “Tell me what you know about the club R&B. I’ve read everything we have on paper, but I don’t really understand why we picked that club to work with in the first place. They’ve never paid on time, their distribution is shit, hence the not being paid, and they have hardly any customer base for the drugs or girls.”

The table fell silent the moment I started to speak as they listened to my question. Braxton took a quick gulp of his coffee before answering, “I noticed that too and did some digging of my own when we made the list of who to visit. It would seem that the previous person in my role decided to take on the club because his brother-in-law owned it. As you mentioned, there wasn’t a customer base then, just like there isn’t now. I suppose he thought it would get better if the caliber of women and drugs offered were raised. Problem is… the owner was a shithead who gave away the drugs to buddies and didn’t stop the girls from leaving when they weren’t making any money.”