Page 55 of Bourbon Kingdom
“Then you should have stayed,” I stated, turning my back on her and gripping onto the edges of the window.
“What happened to having faith?” she whispered, throwing my words back at me. “What happened to having faith in the power we have, Jett? Did you just forget that?”
Gritting my teeth, I swung around, pulled my phone from my pocket, and opened up the picture Rex had sent me. I tossed the phone on my desk for her viewing, and said, “My faith went out the window the minute I realized you lied to my face. Not interested in him, Goldie? Then fucking explain that picture.”
I watched as she pulled the phone toward her eyes with shaky hands for better viewing. Her eyes widened as she studied the picture. She shook her head and then put the phone on my desk.
“Do you really think that’s me?”
“Are you going to deny it is? Don’t bullshit me, Goldie.”
Nodding her head and pressing her lips together, she started to back away from me, making her way toward the door.
“Are you going to deny it?” I repeated, needing to hear her answer.
“I don’t need to answer that question. You, out of everyone, should know better, Jett.”
“So, you’re going to deny the fact that is you in the picture . . . that Rex is fucking you from behind?”
Anger billowed up in her face as her hands clenched at her sides. She charged toward my desk and opened my phone back up, shoving the picture in my face.
“Look at it,” she yelled. “Look at the picture. Tell me what you see.”
“Don’t belittle me,” I said, looking away.
“Belittle you? Seriously? You’re the one who thinks that I have zero loyalty where you’re concerned, when all I’ve been is loyal to you ever since I walked into this house. You’ve been the only man I’ve thought of, that I’ve wanted to be with, even before I officially met you. You owned me the minute you ordered your drink at Kitten’s Castle, so how dare you fucking say I have no loyalty to you? You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted to be a part of my life.”
She took a breath and flashed me the picture again. “This, Jett, is Mercy, one of the girls at Masquerade.”
The stubborn me came out and said, “And how can I believe you?”
“Well, I would like to say you trust me, that you kept your faith in me while I was gone, but, apparently, that’s not enough. Look closely, Jett, is there a heart-shaped birthmark above this girl’s tailbone?”
Flashes of Goldie’s unique birthmark ran through my head as I studied the picture. All the color drained from my face as realization dawned on me.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she said, tossing the phone on my desk. “You know what really hurts, Jett? Is that you didn’t even give me a chance to prove to you how much I care for you, how much I love you. Yeah, love, that’s right, I used the scary L word. Oh no, commitment and opening up are coming at you,” she said, making scary fingers at me. “I sat by and waited for you to open up, to realize that, in fact, I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you. I waited while you tried to figure out this Lot 17 bullshit, and I waited as you took the kiwi out to events, events I should have been attending. I even stood by, trusted you, when there were compromising pictures in the tabloids of you two. I stood by your side and had faith in what you were doing for us, what you were trying to give us, but the minute I try to do the same, reciprocate the affection, you turn away from me, you drop me like a bad fucking habit and leave me to fend for myself.”
Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and pulled away. “I’ve dealt with enough bullshit in my life that I think it’s about time I figured out what’s best for me without an over-domineering man telling me what I can and cannot do. I gave you a chance, Jett; I gave you everything I had from my body, to my soul, and you lost it. You handled me with a hand full of razor blades and have cut me open. Well, you know what? I don’t need this club, I don’t need the Bourbon Room, and I don’t need you, Jett. I’m an amazing woman with a heart of gold and the determination to make something of myself. If I have to take the long route to make that happen, then I will. Don’t give yourself so much credit; you can’t save everyone.”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of my office and out of my life without a backward glance.
Chapter Nineteen
“Brand New Me”
GOLDIE
Arrogant, self-centered asshole!
I busted through my old bedroom door to see my art supplies packed up, my clothes in bags, and my makeup sitting in boxes. The man didn’t even give me a chance.
I hated him; I fucking hated him.
My heart sunk to the floor the moment I found out that he thought I would cheat on him, that he would think I turned to someone else when he was all I ever needed.
All I wanted was to be the one who took care of him, who made him happy, who made him come alive and shed the walls he’d put up years ago.
No matter how hard you try, how much passion and love you give someone else, they might never change. I thought I’d made it quite clear to Jett that I was the only one for him, that I wanted nothing more than to be the woman by his side, but, apparently, he couldn’t get that through his thick-headed skull.
