Page 118 of Bourbon Kingdom
“Lot 17. I will be offering up a community center where the girls will now work, as well as Kace. We will be offering free classes to the community and the girls will help teach them. They will be able to apply the education they’ve been earning during their years with me to help those in need, those who also need a second chance. I’ve also made connections with local businesses, which will be providing educational classes as well, to help those who need to get back on their feet. Kace will be offering classes in self-defense, boxing, and general exercise. There will be housing in the back for those who might need a place to sleep at night, and a soup kitchen as well.”
Oh, fuck, my heart was a puddle in my chest for the man right in front of me.
“After Katrina hit, this whole city was rolled over. A lot of people, including yourself, lost everything they ever had, and they lost hope. I want to help bring back that hope, to help those who might have lost everything land back on their feet. My mission is to make Lot 17 into a place of refuge, a place of rebuilding, and a place of challenge, but I can’t do it without you, Goldie. I need your help. I need your bright, shining personality to help encourage people to turn their lives around, to find a new hope to strive for.”
Shaking my head, I asked, “How can I help them?”
“Art therapy,” Jett said, smiling sweetly at me.
No, this was not how it was supposed to happen. I was supposed to figure out my own life, not let Jett figure it out for me.
“No,” I shook my head. “You can’t just come swooping in here with your amazing ideas and figure everything out. I need to figure out my own life; I can’t rely on you anymore.”
Perplexed, Jett studied me for a second and then said, “Little one, it’s my job to protect you, to provide for you, to make you happy. I wouldn’t be doing my job as your dominant, as your boyfriend, if I wasn’t doing those things. Let me love you and care for you; it’s what I strive for, what I need to do. It’s a part of me.”
Damn it, damn it!
“Think about it,” Jett kissed my forehead. “I’ll understand if you say no, but please, just consider it.”
How could I not when he’d asked me so sweetly? When he looked at me with those deep blue eyes, begging me to let him take care of me?
“Thank you,” I whispered, curling into the man who controlled my heart. “Thank you for wanting to take care of me. I haven’t felt this safe in a very long time.”
“I would do anything for you, little one. I hope you know that.”
“I do, without a doubt in my mind, Jett.”
We sat in silence and just held each other. Jett ran his hands through my hair as I brushed my fingers along his chest, memorizing every sculpted line.
Life was changing quickly. What I once thought was normal, what I relied on, was now turning into something completely different. The Lafayette Club was shutting down, it was still hard to believe.
“How did the girls take the news?” I asked, worried about their futures.
“They took it well and have been working together to try to figure out what classes they want to offer. Babs will be in and out, now that she is about to start her own make-up line, but she is still very much dedicated to the effort. Francy and Tootse would like to head up a daycare, so parents can drop their kids off to gain a better education. Pepper will be offering dance classes to keep our youth active and cultured. They all have a place at the center.”
“What about Lyla?” I asked, worried about my best friend.
Jett quirked his lips and shook his head. “She wasn’t so quick to jump on board. I have a meeting with her and Kace tomorrow to go over some things. I don’t know why she is so stubborn when it comes to changing her life.”
“You can’t fix everyone,” I told Jett. “Some people just don’t want to change.”
“But her life could be so much better.”
“Maybe she’s happy with the way things are going for her. Believe me, I’ve tried; you can’t force her to do anything. She’s more stubborn than me.”
“That’s hard to believe,” Jett said with laughter in his voice.
“Watch it,” I warned, as my fingers hovered over his nipple.
“Don’t you fucking dare.”
“I’m not afraid,” I said with a smile.
“You should be.”
With that, Jett was on top of me, straddling my body and taking off his briefs.
Insatiable man.
