Page 8 of Bourbon Kingdom
Internally, I struggled every day. My father tried to shape and mold me into the man he was; he kept me away from my mother, destroyed her life right in front of me, and mentally abused me every damn day, telling me I would never live up to his expectations.
The one thing I craved, the one thing I yearned for from the cold-hearted bastard was love, a simple gesture, an unconditional feeling that a father should have for his son, but I was never granted such a concession. Instead, I was mentally assaulted by my father, forced to grow up faster than any kid should, and turned into an emotionless man who sought love in the wrong places.
The only time in my life I’d ever felt happy, ever felt that unconditional feeling that I’d craved ever since I was a little boy, was when Goldie was in my arms, smiling up at me and busting my balls every chance she got. She was the one true delight to grace my life, and as usually happened in the abhorrent life I lead, she was taken from me.
She was taken away from me not because of Diego, not because of my miscommunication, no, she was taken away from me because of my father, because he saw I was happy and wanted nothing more than to ruin that happiness.
One way or another, I was going to make sure my dad paid. I was going to make sure he got what he deserved. He was a vile, heinous human being, who didn’t deserve to live the life he was leading. He needed to be brought down.
The minute the car arrived at the Lafayette Club, I didn’t wait for my driver to hold the door open. Instead, I bolted out of the car and headed to the back of the club, to Kace’s room. Not even bothering to knock, since Kace didn’t show me the same decency, I barged through his door, but regretted it the minute I heard a girl scream.
In Kace’s bed was a very naked Kace, and a similarly naked Pepper.
“What the fuck?” I roared as I spotted their guilty faces.
Pepper covered up with a sheet, which was asinine, given the fact that I’d seen her naked too many times to count, and tried to push her hair out of her face. While Pepper covered up, the very cocky and pompous Kace turned away from her and sat on the edge of his bed, not caring one bit about his nudity.
“Do you care to explain yourself?” I asked, ready to plow my fist through Kace’s face. Too much had happened in one night, and Kace was about to see all my frustration lashed out on him.
“Not really. Care to fucking knock?” he asked, while folding his hands in his lap, dick still erect.
“How long has this been going on? Is she the only one? Or have you been fucking all of them behind my back?”
“Why do you even care?”
“Because they’re Jett Girls; they belong to me. They are contracted for my pleasure, not yours.”
The words coming out of my mouth were vulgar, they were flagrant, and they were not me. I didn’t think of the girls that way; I considered them more as friends than anything, especially since Goldie had entered my life.
The rage boiling up in my body was too much and there was only one cure, but unfortunately, that cure had been taken away from me today.
Shaking my head, I turned around and started heading out of Kace’s room while I called over my shoulder, “Start finding a replacement Jett Girl.”
“What?!” Pepper yelled, as she stumbled out of bed and pulled on my shoulder. “You’re seriously kicking me out of the club? You can’t be serious. What am I supposed to do? Just not get any while you and Goldie fuck like rabbits upstairs? How is that fair?”
Slowly, I turned around and faced Pepper. With a steely voice, I looked her in the eyes and said, “Did you or did you not sign a contract?”
Taking a second to answer, she finally nodded her head as anguish laced through her eyes. “You can’t do this to me, Jett. I need the club; I’m not ready to leave. Please, Jett.”
I ran my hand over my face and then looked her in the eyes. “The replacement isn’t for you, Pepper.”
Kace approached Pepper and me, wearing shorts now, and asked, “Who’s the replacement for, Babs?”
“No,” I said, while turning around to head up to my third floor. “The replacement is for Goldie; she’s done.”
Not wanting to talk anymore, I left without answering their questions. I was too tired, too drained to deal with anything.
Pepper and Kace? How long had that been going on? I really couldn’t be mad, and if I was honest, I wasn’t mad. I actually could care less. If they wanted to have sex, then by all means, let them have sex. I was at a point in my life where the Bourbon Room was meant for one Jett Girl and one Jett Girl alone.
The minute I got to my office, I poured myself a generous glass of bourbon and sat in my chair, facing the window, so I could look out at the streets of the Garden District. The streets were clear and the pale light of the moon shone down on the trees that covered the sidewalks like a canopy. I used to take pleasure in the view from my office—I felt like I could see all the sinners and saints in the city from my desk chair—but now, the world was just black and white to me; the color that once filled it was gone.
The stairs up to the third floor creaked, and I knew it was Kace; I didn’t have to turn around to confirm my suspicion. I was surprised it took him so long to actually come up to check on me.
“Dude, what’s going on?” he said, as he sat in the chair in front of my desk.
Not turning around, I answered, “She left me; she gave me back my collar.”
“Why?” Kace asked, sounding just as distraught as me.
