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  With that, she turned and left my office.

  “Mom! We are not done talking about this!”

  “Yes, we are. Sometimes you just need a little push.” Her hand reappeared outside my doorway. It made a shoving motion before disappearing again. “Push.”

  “Mom!”

  “Quit arguing, hun. You know you want to see him. It’s written all over your face.”

  I glared at my doorway. “I’m not supposed to be doing the food stuff! It’s not in my contract.”

  She chuckled quietly, still unseen. But the clanging of pans could definitely be heard. “Rules are made to be stomped the fuck on. I’ve told you that many times.”

  I grumbled under my breath, “Great advice from a mother.”

  “I heard that!”

  November 15, 2006 – Age 16

  Shouldering my way through Karim Academy, I grunted heavily when an old friend slammed her backpack into my gut as she passed. Tears welled in my eyes, a sharp edge of a book having nailed me in the ribs. But I kept moving, always moving forward. It had been almost a year since Jet had broken up with me. It had never been more apparent that I was a scholarship kid here at the over-privileged Academy for the rich snobs of Karim. That my mom was just the help their families hired when they wanted a fine meal for an extravagant party. My eyes were now wide open without Jet to protect me against the harshness of my reality.

  And it was shit.

  My life was shit.

  Every minute was shit without Jet in my life. My best friend. The boy I loved.

  My gaze caught on his as I stopped at my locker. I knew he felt the same way. He stood with his numerous friends not more than ten feet away. Always close to me. But never a word said. His ice blue eyes followed me wherever I went.

  Waiting.

  Waiting for me to relent. To explain my past behavior.

  But I couldn’t. It was too damned embarrassing.

  Jet didn’t necessarily prey on peoples’ weaknesses, but I did know that he kept a logbook.

  A log of peoples’ secrets—just in case, one day, he ever needed them.

  And my undisclosed explanation was pathetic.

  Slamming my locker shut, I stuffed my biology book into my backpack. I kept my eyes down as I passed Jet’s group, hearing their conversation quiet as I walked by. Today was no different from yesterday and the day before that and so on. But I kept moving forward.

  Always forward. It was the only way to stay sane.

  I stumbled out of biology class when a classmate let the door close on my fingers. Muttering a curse under my breath, I shook my fingers out, glaring at the red mark on my small digits. “Thanks, asshole.”

  The jerk didn’t even glance back. He merely kept walking as he chuckled at my obvious pain.

  I growled quietly, squatted down, and sat my backpack on the ground. My head was pounding from a killer headache. My biology teacher was notorious for his monotone voice and hour long boring ass speeches. Being prepared for his class was a must. Digging through my backpack for aspirin, I shifted to the side of the hallway so I wouldn’t get whacked any more than normal.

  I jolted when a familiar hand appeared out of nowhere. It grabbed onto the necklace that had slipped out from the neckline of my shirt. My insides ached as I peered up from my crouch. The breath I exhaled came out in a rushed wheeze as I stared into ice blue eyes.

  God, how I loved those eyes—missed those eyes.

  Jet’s lips pinched as he eyed the sapphire ring dangling on the cheap chain. I had started wearing it the day he broke up with me. But he hadn’t known. It was the only way to keep a piece of him close to my heart. His tone was quiet and deep, a whisper of what we always were to each other. “You still have it.”

  My voice was a hoarse croak. “Of course.” I miss you.

  His long, elegant fingers played with the ring gently as his gaze met mine. So quiet. So feral.

  Cold. Always so emotionless… If you didn’t understand him and know what to look for.

  With an easy motion, he carefully let the ring go. It thumped heavily between my breasts.

  He watched it sway…until his gaze caught on my book bag.

  Within a blink, he was bending before me. We were nose to nose.

  And he held a prescription bottle in his hand. My prescription bottle from my backpack.

  My lungs seized. I couldn’t move. My eyes were transfixed on my humiliation in his grip.

  Meticulously, his eyes scanned the label, slowly evaluating while his black brows furrowed.

  Just as quickly as he had grabbed the bottle, it was back in my bag.

  I was left staring after him as he stood and marched straight to the computer room.

  My chin began to quiver. I knew his schedule better than my own.

  Jet didn’t have a computer class this semester.

  “I’m coming!” I hollered. The rough knocking still didn’t stop at the front door. “I said I’m coming!”

  I jerked open the door, only to be slammed into from a guy barreling into my home. My back hit the wall of the foyer and the mirror next to my head vibrated with the force. Out of oxygen, I inhaled heavily. That scent. I loved that smell. Rainfall and spice. I peered up into ice blues. “What are you doing here, Jet?” He now knew my secret. He had been researching all day long on the computers at school, completely ignoring the rest of his classes.

  Leaning against me heavily, he swung his foot out and kicked my front door closed. His hands lifted and his palms landed on my neck. Gently, they ran over my jaw to cup my cheeks, holding me close. I shivered in remembrance, and he bent to press his forehead to mine. He whispered, “Severe anxiety?”

  I groaned quietly as my cheeks flushed. “Yeah.”

  “When were you diagnosed?”

  I closed my eyes at the mortification. “My mom took me to a shrink nine months ago when I could hardly get out of bed to go to school. It was around the same time your mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.” I felt his hard body stiffen against mine, flinching. I did open my eyes then. I peeked up at him under my lashes, and I shook my head lightly, rubbing our foreheads together. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you then. I was a mess…but I should have been there.”

  His jaw clenched, and the muscles showed in sharp relief. “I understand.” He peered so hard into my eyes, like he was trying to see soul deep. “And I should have been there for you, too. I shouldn’t have walked away like that. I should have listened to you.”

  I shook my head again and lifted my trembling arms to wrap them tight around his waist. “There’s nothing you could have done. It was all me. My mom helped me get the help I need.”

  “Are you still seeing a psychologist?”

  “Yeah, once a month now. It used to be twice a week, but I’ve been learning to cope.”

  “Anxiety attacks? I read about them today. I think I can help you get through—”

  I lifted on my tiptoes and pressed my mouth to his. I couldn’t wait another moment.

  His lips were heaven against mine. So damn perfect, I could taste them all day long.

  He growled deep in his throat, and his hands altered, sliding down my back to grab the back of my thighs. He lifted me in one smooth motion; over a foot taller than me and made of solid Italian strength, I knew he would never drop me. My legs wrapped around his lean waist and my arms went around his neck, holding our bodies flush against each other. As his heat permeated through my clothes, warming me as only he could, he started climbing the steps to my tiny bungalow. With his lips pressed against mine, he asked hurriedly, “When will your mom be back?”

  I knew he needed exact numbers inside that head of his, so I answered the best I could. “She’ll be home from work in two hours and fifteen minutes.”

  He paused outside the door to my bedroom, pulling his lips away from mine. Ice blue eyes that had darkened with desire, a gaze that only I had ever seen, held my brown gaze. He tilted his head to my bedroom with a clear question
. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  My lips lifted. They felt puffy from his rough attention. “I’m always ready for you, Jet.”

  “Hmm.” His lips lifted in the most carnal grin I had ever seen—so full of the pleasure he was about to impart. He stepped inside my bedroom and bumped the door shut behind us. “You’re mine, Lucy Plume.”

  I tried to breathe. “And you’re mine.”

  July 4, 1999 – Age 8

  I slammed my fists onto my hips. “You’re cheating.”

  “No, I’m not,” Jet stated patiently. He pointed with his croquet mallet to where he had sent my pretty red ball spiraling. “If you want me to help you find it, I can—”

  “Shut up, Jet Mak. Just because my mom made me wear this stupid princess dress doesn’t mean I’m a girl that’s scared of the dark.” At least, I could pretend I wasn’t. I hid the shiver that trickled down my spine as I stared at the trees lining the immense backyard of the Mak mansion. I kicked my own mallet with one of my shiny white shoes before picking it up and stomping past the tiki lights making the backyard shine with an iridescent light.

  The sparkles from the flickering flames were perfect for our game. I loved Mrs. Mak. She always knew how to make our playtime extra special. It wasn’t her fault Jet had more muscle than I had and could make my ball disappear. Squinting into the darkness where the trees lay, I spotted my red ball half under a dark green bush. “Found it!”

  Taking a deep breath, I glanced left, and then right, and raced into the darkness. The trees with their fat leaves blotted out the moon’s glow, shadowing even the grass to a deep evergreen. I shuddered as I hit a spider web. I didn’t scream as the sticky web grabbed onto my left arm.

  Instead, I gritted my teeth as I bent down, peering under the bush.

  My mom would have been proud of me.

  The hem of my white dress brushed against the dirt, and I glanced up when I heard a crunch behind me. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

  “Sorry,” Jet murmured, then bent down next to me. He peered under the bush, examining how my ball lay. He finally decided, “You’ll need my help to get it out of there in one swing.”

  I grumbled quietly. He was right. My best friend was always right. It was annoying sometimes.

  Like now.

  “Won’t that be cheating?” I muttered, glaring at the ball.

  Jet looked up at me, his lips curved and his dimples showed. “I won’t tell.”

  I turned my glare on him. “Pinkie promise?”

  He rolled his eyes as he stood straight. “Pinkie promise. Though, I think that’s stupid.” He pointed the tip of his mallet at my nose. “If I say I won’t, then I won’t.”

  “Whatever,” I grumbled, and then stood. “Hold the shrub back for me.”

  One of his black brows rose. “Manners?”

  I huffed. “Please, hold back the shrub for me.”

  With great dignity, he nodded once. Taking great care not to get his tuxedo dirty, he used his mallet to hold back the creaking limbs of the bush. “Ready.”

  Settling my white shoes into a comfortable foothold, I positioned myself just right. I cracked my ball as hard as I could. It flew off the ground…and came to a rolling stop back into the light of our gaming field. I grinned and threw my arms around Jet’s shoulders, hugging him tight. “I did it!”

  His chuckle was soft as he patted my back awkwardly, still holding the bush back with one hand on his mallet. “Good job, Lucy.”

  I pulled away from him and glanced up at the back of his house where the hundred windows were filled will light against the rock exterior. “I bet my mom has her dessert out by now. Want to go inside to the party and get some?”

  Jet’s expression instantly altered. His crooked smile flattened, and he gazed at me with total concentration honed on my eyes. “We can’t go in there tonight. You know that.”

  I whined gently, “But we can sneak in.” There were hidden passages all over the house.

  His lips thinned, and he hesitated. “My parents said it wasn’t a party for kids.”

  I snorted as we started to walk back up to our gaming area. “Yeah, I saw.”

  His gaze jerked to mine. “What did you see?”

  A blush stole over my cheeks. I whispered, “I saw naked people through the windows.”

  Jet groaned heavily. “It wasn’t my parents, was it?”

  “Ew!” My jaw dropped. “No! That would be gross.”

  “Thank God,” he grumbled under his breath.

  A thought occurred. It was icky. “Have you seen them—”

  “Be quiet, Lucy.”

  My mouth snapped shut, even as my eyes widened. “Okay.”

  He shook his head at my expression. “It’s not like that. They just aren’t…quiet.”

  My nose crinkled, and I glanced away. I nibbled on my bottom lip. “Neither is my mom with her boyfriends.” Another thought popped into my head. This one made me giggle instead of cringe. “You know what else I saw tonight?”

  His black brows lifted. Back to calm. So easy going. “What?”

  I leaned over and cupped my hand around his ear, whispering, “Mr. Gordon was wearing pink stockings under his tuxedo pants. And underwear like my mom’s.”

  Jet blinked once. Twice. Then stopped walking. He lowered his mallet to the cool grass and put a hand into his tuxedo jacket. He pulled out a small notepad and pen. He began scribbling furiously on it.

  My brows scrunched together. “What are you doing?”

  Absently, he pointed to the woman chaperoning us this night. She was new. I hadn’t seen her here before. She looked nice enough.“Mrs. Kline is my latest tutor. She’s teaching me ways to work on my ‘thing’ with numbers. She said to take up a new hobby.” He shrugged. “I have.”

  I peered over Jet’s shoulder, reading what he had written. And the many other notes he had already taken. My eyes widened. I snorted at the third listing. “Did he actually steal all of—”

  He snapped the notebook shut. “Lucy.”

  “What?”

  He sighed heavily. “Let’s just eat the treats your mom made for us. My mom said the fireworks would start exactly two hours after sundown.” He glanced at his watch. “That’ll be soon. We can finish the game afterward.”

  Forlornly, I glanced once more at the back of the mansion. Their dessert was bound to be better than ours. I sighed and walked next to Jet to our picnic blanket at the edge of our game. He was right. Again. We shouldn’t go where we’re not supposed to.

  Not tonight anyway. The adults were doing gross adult stuff.

  The fireworks started five minutes later. Eating my sugar cookie with delicious icing, I rested my head on Jet’s shoulder. It was beautiful. Mom always said that Karim had the best fireworks display in the entire United Stated of America.

  My cheeks flushed in the darkness when Jet tentatively rested his hand on top of mine.

  Tonight, my mom had also said there was no better place to watch the display than on top of the hill at the Mak mansion. Slowly gripping my best friend’s hand, I knew my mom was right, too.

  Present Day

  It took a half hour to get into The Club. The security team was so freaking thorough it made my teeth bleed. It was damned near ridiculous. And it made me curious as hell as to what was inside the place. But once I walked in with the other two catering employees, I understood the need for secrecy.

  There would be no cameras in here. No listening devices. Definitely no cell phones.

  All items such as that were checked at the door.

  If there were an emergency at home…well, the people here were probably too busy to care.

  Jet had outdone himself with this club.

  Definitely stepping it up a notch from the sins of his father’s legacy.

  The only way to describe it was—legal carnality.

  The Club was in the heart of downtown Karim, too. Prime real estate for the wealthy.

  One step away from th
e wholesome gingerbread shops and wrought iron lamp posts of Gerome Street and you waltzed into decadence that sang of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. All with one small exception—you would have to indulge with a little sting if the women and men lounging on the couches in dominatrix attire were any indication. There were three floors of this building, too. I could only imagine what lay hidden in each room.

  My own requested outfit made sense now.

  It didn’t make me feel any less self-conscious, but it fit the ambiance. I pulled on the skin tight black suit that I wore. My mom had taken me shopping when I told her I didn’t have an outfit as the order requested. I wore black pants that hugged my ass and a black suit jacket with only one button that clasped right below my breasts. Black high heels completed the ensemble.

  No shirt.

  No bra.

  The tight as hell suit jacket was barely keeping my goods covered.

  I glanced to the employees with me.

  Nancy was a size two and Cary was a size four. I was a size eight.

  I wish I could say I carried the extra weight in my chest. But I was only average there.

  I was merely short and slightly round. Not fat. But…round.

  Soft is how Jet always described me. I kind of liked that.

  I hoped he still felt the same way.

  Nancy asked politely, “Ms. Plume, where do you want us to set up?”

  “Were you here last month with my mother when she catered?”

  She pointed to the right. “Yeah, we set up right over there. Mr. Mak preferred us to use half the bar instead of taking up some of the dance floor.”

  I nodded in agreement. “Same as last time then.” Carefully, I helped Nancy and Cary maneuver the black bins of food around the lingering clientele at the tables. There was a tall woman behind the bar with a short, sparkling white wig and black leather that formed to each of her sensuous curves. As we rounded the bar, I smiled politely and held out my hand. “Hi, I’m Ms. Plume. We’re catering here tonight for your monthly event. Should we set up shop here?”

  I didn’t expect the beaming smile I received. She grabbed my hand in a firm shake, and her brown eyes ran over me from head to toe. Her makeup was incredible. All glitter and jewels. “Lucy Plume?”