Page 15 of All Jacked Up

This time, she was the one who smirked. And there was that familiar glint in her eyes. Who the hell did she remind me of?

Stepping forward, she snatched the coat from me, and I let it go.

“That’s something only my friends are privy to,” she replied. Then, without putting the coat on, she headed for the exit.

I grinned as I admired the sway of her hips. Damn, she was fun.

Four

Ransom

When I slid into the Bentley that my father had provided to drive Opal around, I settled in, then turned to my sister. “You were lied to about her.”

Opal sighed. “No shit.”

“I don’t like him,” I added.

She crossed her legs and her arms as she leaned back in the seat. “Yeah, well, he is one of the best editors in New York. I don’t understand why he was so adamant she was a bitch. Even after you left, he continued to try and convince me that she was difficult to deal with.”

“He wanted to fuck her, and she turned him down. He’s probably not used to that. So, he’s bitter about it. Typical small-dick behavior.”

She turned her head and looked at me. “What does this have to do with the size of his dick?”

“He’s got all the signs,” I replied. “Starting with his insecurity that he masks with that fucking annoying smile of his.”

Opal gave me a scathing look, then shook her head. “That makes no sense.”

I shrugged. “Guy logic rarely makes sense to women.”

“Ugh, I hate the way I treated her. I feel like the mean girl.”

I cut my eyes at her. “When have you not been the mean girl?”

Reaching out, she slapped my arm. “Shut up.”

I chuckled. “We were both assholes. I should have waited that out before assuming the protective big-brother role and ruining my chances of taking her home.”

Opal’s eyebrows shot up. “Taking home Juliette Romeo?”

“Yep.”

She laughed then. “Good luck with that. Even if you hadn’t been a dick to her, she’s not some floozy from Mississippi. You’re used to women being easy. They all throw themselves at you. That woman has class.”

I grinned. “Hey, Mike!” I called out to the “family friend” who had taken the job to be Opal’s driver and bodyguard and moved out to DC when Opal came here. He hadn’t been born into the family, but his grandfather had been married to our grandmother’s sister. So, they were related, and he’d done work for the family over the years. He was around our father’s age, I’d guess, but a few inches taller with an intimidating build.

“Don’t drag me into this,” he replied gruffly.

“Just tell my sister that a Southern man doesn’t need luck in getting off a woman’s panties.”

“I do not want to listen to this conversation,” Opal said. “Don’t answer him, Mike.”

Grinning, I pulled out my phone.

“Are you texting Than to back you up on this now?” she asked me.

I shook my head. “No. I’m shutting up, like you wanted me to.”And sending Noa a text.

I hadn’t gotten one from her in a couple of days. We’d go through spells where it was back and forth for several days straight, then nothing for a week. I was curious if she knew Juliette Romeo. I’d assume so since she worked in the industry. The small publishing house she edited for wasn’t big enough for someone like Juliette, but she’d have heard something about her. Maybe her real name.

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