Jaked, page 2
I'd like to say I'd be going back for the rest of my stuff. But the sad truth was, this was all I had. Even the furniture in my bedroom, as craptastic as it was, belonged to Maddie's former roommate, who'd left on the quick side a couple months earlier when she'd been busted for prostitution.
On a cheerier note, she'd be back in six to twelve months.
Behind us, Maddie was screaming obscenities loud enough to wake the dead. Down the long hallway, apartment doors were swinging open, with heads on all sides peeking out to look. Maddie had thrown on a loose, silky bathrobe but hadn't bothered to tie it. It flapped loose behind her as she stalked down the hall behind us.
"Nice bush!" called the guy from 211, some college student who'd once helped me carry in some groceries. Maddie was a stripper. Technically, she had no bush. Or maybe that was the guy's point?
"Fuck off," Maddie said.
The guy shrugged. "I'm just saying."
"Well don't!" she yelled.
I turned around just in time to see Maddie make yet another lunge for Jake's arm. Like he'd done the previous ten times, he shook her off and kept on going.
"Please, Jay," she begged. "Talk to me, okay?"
He stopped and turned around. "It's Jake," he said.
"Yeah, I know," she stammered. "But it's a pet name. Jay. For Jake. See?"
"I'm not your pet," he said.
Her voice rose. "Yeah? Well you weren't complaining last night."
"Yeah," he said. "Because I wasn't listening."
Even to me, the words felt like a slap. Poor Maddie. Sure, she hadn't been the best roommate. And sure, she was kicking me out when I hadn't done anything wrong. Still, the way Jake was treating her, it almost hurt to watch.
Maddie glared at him. "You asshole," she said.
Glancing in my direction, Jake flicked his head toward the stairway. "Keep going," he told me. "And if you stop one more time, I'm dropping the lamp."
Behind him, Maddie made another lunge. With a guttural scream, she ripped the lamp out of his hands and hurled it straight toward me. I leapt to the side, and it whizzed inches past my head. It bounced off the door of 204 and clattered to the floor in three pieces.
A split-second later, the door flew open, and Julian, the building's undisputed tough guy, stuck his head out. "What the fuck's going on out here?" he said.
"None of your damn business," Maddie said.
"Girl," he said, "you keep waking me up, and it's gonna be my business quick."
Her gaze narrowed. She turned toward me. She stuck out her arm and pointed a long finger in my direction. "She's stealing my stuff."
"Oh come on!" I said. "It's not your stuff. It's mine."
Again, Jake turned to face me. "Luna," he said through clenched teeth, "for the last time, keep moving."
"Or what?" I said. "You'll drop the lamp?" I glanced at the thing, lying in pieces just a few feet away. "You know what?" I dropped the overnight case. "I've had enough of you bossing me around."
"Hey!" Julian barked out toward us. "You stealing from my girl?"
Was he talking to me? Or Jake? Honestly, I had no idea. "We're not stealing anything," I called back. "And besides, she's only 'your girl' when she needs extra cash. You do know that, don't you?"
"Your ass," he said. "Julian Webster don't pay nobody for pussy."
Liar. According to Maddie, Julian paid for a whole bunch of stuff whenever he had the money, which granted, wasn't very often. As for Maddie, she bought condoms in bulk and went through them fast.
Maddie gave Julian a pleading look. "Baby," she said. "Stop her, will ya?"
Julian's gaze swiveled back to me. Between us stood Jake. His gaze was on me, and his back was to Julian. Embarrassingly, Jake was still shirtless, with one hand now empty, and the other hand still clutching that giant suitcase.
I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. If the situation weren't so pathetic, I might have laughed. The whole thing felt like an old Jerry Springer rerun, starring me as the slutty, boyfriend-stealing hoochie.
It was ironic really, considering Jake and I had never so much as kissed.
"Anna!" Julian barked. "Get your ass back here." His voice ground to a low menace. "Now."
Slowly, Jake turned around, facing off in Julian's direction. He set down the suitcase. "You got a problem?" Jake said.
Julian's eyebrows furrowed. "Hey, aren't you–"
"Holy shit," the guy from 211 said. "It is him." He turned to call into his apartment. "Wayne! Get your ass out here! Quick! You gotta see this!"
My gaze drifted from Jake to Julian, and finally to the guy in 211, who was gazing at Jake, star-struck, like he'd just seen his favorite movie star in the men's room.
This was getting way too weird. "Oh for crying out loud," I muttered. I picked up my overnight case and called out, "Forget it. Let's just go." I'd barely turned around when I heard a door slam. I whirled back just in time to see Julian lunge for Jake.
Well, this was just great.
Chapter 4
Like lightning, Jake dodged to the side. He blocked Julian's fist with a raised forearm. Faster than I might've thought possible, Jake dropped the suitcase and hit Julian with a wicked right hook that sent Julian sprawling backward.
Catching his balance, Julian lowered his head and charged again. Jake turned sideways and gave Julian an elbow to the neck, followed by kick to the stomach.
Julian flew backward and crashed into the opposite wall. His ass hit the floor, and he gave a low groan.
Maddie glared at him. "Julian, you pussy!" she screeched. "Get your ass up!"
"Fuck you," he groaned. "No amount of pussy's worth this."
Jake turned toward me. "Luna," he said. "If you're not in the car in exactly one minute, I'm carrying you." His voice hardened. "And leaving your crap."
"It's not crap," I lied.
"Move it," he said.
Grumbling, I grabbed my overnight case and started walking toward the stairway. Behind me, Maddie was still chewing out Julian, who could barely get a word in edgewise. And the words he did get in? Well, those were mostly of the four-letter variety.
Carrying the case down the steps, I heard Jake following behind me. He was still bringing my other suitcase, right?
I turned to look over my shoulder. When I did, the overnight case slipped from my grip. I whirled in time to see it tumble down the grubby stairway, bouncing end over end. Just before it reached the bottom, it flew open, leaving a scattered trail of socks, bras, panties and – as if it couldn't get any worse – my pink packet of birth control pills.
With a muttered curse, I plunged toward the mess, taking the stairs two at a time until I reached the path of destruction. Desperately, I started scooping up undergarments, wincing as I considered the grimy floor and what sort of unmentionable stuff might be sticking to my unmentionables.
I wanted to scream, but somewhere up the hall, Maddie and Julian were doing more than enough for everyone. When I glanced up to see if they were killing each other yet, all I saw was Jake, along with my giant suitcase, towering over me.
In his free hand, he held my packet of birth control pills, along with a black leather bra that dangled loose from his index finger. His gaze drifted to a pair of lacy red panties lying a few feet away.
I reached up and snatched the pills from his outstretched hand. I shoved them into my purse. "Now turn around," I said.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want you looking at my underpants. That's why."
He held out the bra by that same outstretched finger. "I have seen them before," he said.
Ignoring the bra, I dove for the red panties. "Not mine, you haven't. And, just so you know, that bra's not mine."
The bra hit the stairs a split-second later. I ignored it. I hadn't been kidding.
Frantically, I snatched up the red panties and reached out for the rest. With frantic scooping motions, I gathered up what remained, along with – as disgusting as it was – bits of random floor trash.
When my hands were overflowing, I looked down at the silky mess. Oh God. How many times would I have to wash this stuff before I'd ever considering wearing it again?
If only I had more money, I'd probably leave it all right here and be done with it. But I was dead-broke and now, apparently homeless. With a sigh, I dumped everything into my overnight case, slammed it shut, and stumbled to my feet.
Glancing up the staircase, I saw Maddie emerge from the hallway. With clenched fists, she started heading down the stairs toward us. Jake flicked his head toward the exit. "You first," he told me.
Hoisting my case upward, I bolted for the double-doors that led to the parking lot. With Jake behind me, I plunged outside and headed toward the place the sports car had been parked last night.
It was gone.
I whirled on Jake. "Where's your car?" I demanded.
"It'll be here," he said.
"It will be here?" I said. "Please tell me you're joking."
"I already told you," he said. "I don't joke."
Suddenly, I heard the squeal of tires and the roar of an engine. An exotic-looking sports car – the same one I'd seen earlier – roared into the turnaround and skidded to a stop.
"See?" Jake said.
In front of us, twenty-something guy with sandy-colored hair jumped out of the driver's seat. He used the keyless remote to pop the trunk. Jake strode toward the trunk and tossed the giant suitcase into it. I followed suit, tossing in my smaller case and stepping out of the way. Jake slammed the trunk shut and strode around to the driver's side.
As I watched, the other guy dove past Jake and crawled into the tiny backseat, leaving Jake to claim the driver's spot. Not knowing what else to do, I dashed to the passenger's side door, flung it open, and dove inside. I slammed the door just in time to see Maddie bolt out of the building, still mostly naked, with Julian on her heels.
Frantically, I looked to Jake. He held out his hand toward the guy in the back seat. "Keys," Jake said.
No keys appeared. My heart racing, I turned toward the back. The guy was digging around in his front pants pocket. I glanced out my car window, only to get a full-frontal of Maddie as she launched her nearly naked body against the passenger side window.
Hurling a stream of obscenities, Maddie reached up to smack the window with both palms.
Desperately, I whirled again toward the back seat. The stranger was staring, dumbstruck, at Maddie's naked breasts, squashed up against the glass.
"Keys!" I yelled.
The guy jerked back and gave a quick shake of his head. Finally, he yanked the keys from his pants pocket and tossed them to Jake, who caught them with one hand and turned to start the engine. With a soft chuckle, Jake shifted the car into gear and squealed out of the lot.
Looking out the back window, I saw Maddie and Julian, standing in the pitted parking lot, each flipping us the double-bird. Other tenants were streaming from the front doors – some looking at our car, and more looking at Maddie, who still hadn't tied the sash of her robe.
Modesty aside, wasn't she freezing? An unwelcome image snapped into my brain. Yes. She had been freezing, if her nipples had been any kind of indicator. Groaning, I turned around and sank back in my seat.
The guy in the back spoke. "Oh man, that was just gross."
What a liar. I'd seen the look on his face. He hadn't been grossed out. He'd been mesmerized. "Yup," I said. "Utterly disgusting."
"You got that right," he said. "Total loogie."
"What?" I glanced at the passenger's side window. Sure enough, something wet and slimy was dripping down the glass.
Somehow, that was the final straw. I whirled toward Jake, who was still shirtless in the driver's seat. He was navigating city traffic with one eye on the road, and the other eye on the rearview mirror.
"What the hell!" I yelled.
"Hey, she was your roommate."
"Oh come on," I said. "That wasn't Maddie's fault. It was yours."
His eyebrows rose. "So, you're saying there's a problem?"
"You could say that." There were so many problems, I didn't know where to begin. I had no job. I had no place to live. I had no money. I gave Jake a withering look. And once I killed him, I had no place to bury the body.
"Some day," Jake said, "you'll thank me."
"Yeah, right." More likely, I'd be digging a Jake-sized hole in someone's cellar. I glanced out the car window and counted to ten. And then, I counted again. Finally, taking a long, deep breath, I made myself ask, "So where are we going, exactly?"
"My place."
Sports car or not, visions of a slumlord's dream skittered across my brain. I turned to the stranger in the back. "Do you know where he lives?"
"Sure," the guy said. "Everyone knows where Jake lives."
"Well, I don't."
"No shit?" the guy said. "You been living under a rock or something?"
I turned to Jake. "Why am I supposed to know where you live?"
Still driving, Jake shrugged. Again, I turned toward the guy in the back. "And who are you?" I asked.
The guy grinned. "I'm Trey. His assistant."
I turned to Jake. "You have an assistant?"
"Apparently," Jake said.
Apparently? What did that mean? I turned to Trey. "What do you do, exactly?"
The guy slid a wary look in Jake's direction. "Whatever he wants."
"Well that's a pretty broad job description," I said.
Trey's grin widened. "Don't you know it."
Jake, with his left hand still draped over the steering wheel, reached toward the back with his right. He opened his hand, palm up. "Shirt," he said.
Trey reached down into a thick black satchel. He pulled out a cream-colored dress shirt with the tags still attached. Pulling a small pair of scissors from his pocket, Trey snipped off the tags and draped the shirt over Jake's open palm.
I glanced down at the fallen tags and caught my breath. If that shirt was the real deal, it cost nearly as much as my rent. I gave Jake a sideways glance and instantly regretted it.
Still shirtless, he leaned back in his seat. He looked like sin and sex and something a girl like me would be smart to avoid. I hadn't always been smart. I straightened in the seat. Well I was smart now. I felt myself nod. Yup. Utterly reformed.
Next to me, Jake was shrugging into his shirt. His ab muscles contracted, making the washboard shadows twist and shift in the morning light. My tongue brushed my upper lip. I sucked it back in and clamped my lips shut.
Annoyed – half with him and half with myself – I opened my mouth to ask, "Aren't you gonna pull over to do that?"
"Nah," he said. "I do this all the time. No big deal."
I glanced back at Trey, who gave me a solemn nod. "It's true," he said.
I leaned back and closed my eyes.
"If you're planning to sleep," Jake said, "forget it."
I didn't bother to open my eyes. "Why's that?" I said.
"Because," he said, "you've got some explaining to do."
My eyes flew open, and I whirled to face him. "Me?" I said. "I have some explaining to do? Well, that's rich."
"You can start any time," he said.
Chapter 5
Inside the car, I gave Jake a murderous glare. "Let me get this straight. You barge into my place—"
"Technically," he said, "I was invited."
"Not by me," I told him. "And what about Maddie? She really liked you, you know."
Jake's jaw tightened. "Did it sound like she was complaining?"
Did he mean last night? God, what a bastard. I stared over at him. "In case you forgot, she did complain," I said. "Remember? On the way out?"
Jake gave something like a shrug. "Eh, I’m used to that."
I made a sound of disgust. "So what'd you do this morning? Did you wake up and say to yourself, 'Hey, I think I'll ruin someone's life today.'"
"Whose life are we talking about?" he asked.
As if he didn't know. "Mine," I said. "Obviously." True, Maddie wasn't happy right now either, but at least she still had a job and a place to live.
"I had to get you out of there," he said.
"Is that so," I said. "Why?"
"You know why."
"Actually, I don't." Aside from that strange text on his phone, he'd offered up no good reason for what he'd done this morning. "You're the one who has some explaining to do." I turned toward the guy in the back. "Don't you think?"
"Me?" Trey said, glancing toward Jake. "I think whatever he thinks."
God, what a butt-kisser. Maybe Jake was his employer.
"Trey," Jake said. "Headphones."
Without missing a beat, Trey reached into that same black satchel. He pulled out a thick set of headphones and slipped them on over his ears. From somewhere on the floor, he pulled out a sleek-looking notebook computer and opened it up onto his lap. He looked down at the screen and started tapping away.
I turned toward Jake. I mimicked him talking to his so-called assistant. "Trey. Headphones," I barked in an overly deep voice. Then, in my normal voice, I said, "You know, that was really rude, don't you?"
"To who?"
"Trey. Obviously."
"He doesn't mind," Jake said.
"How do you know?"
"Because it's in job description."
"Seriously?" I glanced toward the back seat. "Uh, Trey?" I said.
He ignored me.
"Don't worry," Jake said. "I’m paying him plenty. So go on. Spill it."
This was beyond strange. Jake had come from a poor family, and that was putting it mildly. I glanced around, taking in the exotic car, the designer clothes, and the professional butt-kisser in the back seat. Since when did Jake Bishop have employees? As far as I knew, he'd never even been an employee, much less an employer.
Stalling, I snuck another glance at Trey before returning my attention to Jake. I lowered my voice. "Exactly how much are you paying him?" I asked.
"If you want, you can ask him," Jake said. "Otherwise, none of your business."
"Oh, so now you're being rude to me?" My gaze narrowed. "In case you forgot, I don't work for you. Remember?"
