Page 102 of A Dark Duet

I give Janine a glare, not answering her question regarding Brie. “I don’t think that is any of your business, Janine,” I snap.

“I didn’t mean to…”

I interrupt her as I sit on the chair, not bothering with the massage table in the back of the gym. “You didn’t mean to what?”

“I just thought that when you told me to come here and help you by giving you massage therapy sessions, that it was more. You took me out to lunch that day, ending it with her. Then you let me move in the apartment when she left.”

Moving out of her grasp I give her a murderous glare. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? There has never been anything going on between you and me, Janine. We were never anything. We had sex but that was it. My intention here was to give you a job that you needed and an apartment you were looking to rent. It had nothing to do with me trying to be with you. I told you the last time you tried to kiss me that this is strictly work and nothing more. I’m not trying to be an asshole, but I don’t know how clear I need to be.”

She looks down at her sneakers with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I was hoping that maybe you would change your mind and in time, you would consider giving us a chance.”

I snort. “I have never given you any reason to think there would be. I’m not interested in a relationship with you.”

“How about sex?”

“No, Janine.”

“Is it because of her?”

I know she is referring to Brie and I need to make this clear to her. Maybe having her here was never a good idea to begin with. My head was in the wrong place. Rising from the chair and looking down at a woman I have no feelings for and never had any feelings for, I tell her what needs to be said so she doesn’t think I’m leading her on in any way.

“Janine, I don’t want any type of a personal relationship with you at all. The only person that I want in my bed, and I would do anything for, just walked out that door thinking the worst of me.”

She nods with an expression of a woman with a dent to their ego from a guy they desperately want. She takes a deep breath and asks, “What does she have that I don’t, huh? She strips and dances for money. Everyone knows that.”

My lip curls in a snarl at the mention of Brie dancing for money. Brie’s words come back in my head, when she said people think of her as a whore that dances for money. A shameful thing for a woman. To me, a woman that has to do whatever she has to do to survive is fearless. It takes guts and balls to not care what people think and do it anyway. Even if it kills you as a woman inside. A double standard in my book because men have no issues entertaining that type of dance from a woman. Hell, a billionaire fell for my girl because of it.

Snatching my shirt and pulling it over my head, I look down into her face and give her a piece of my mind. “Brie is beautiful inside and out. Even in darkness, her beauty shines and every man that looks at her can see it. She dances for money but not by choice. I will tell you that when she does strip all her clothes off, it’s when she is getting ready to slide next to me in my bed. If it were up to me, preferably on my cock.” I move around her to walk out but I turn around as she watches me by the door with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. “Oh, and by the way, her dancing is what caught my attention besides the fact that she is amazing. She doesn’t beg me to fuck her, it’s more like I’m the one begging. If you can’t accept that she is the one I want to be with, then I want nothing to do with you. I think it’s best you resign in writing and leave it with Nate. If you decide to stay on, it would be for the other fighter’s benefit because this is the last time I’ll let you give me a massage. If you make Brie feel uncomfortable for any reason, then you’re gone,” I warn.

When I walk out to the main floor of the gym, Brian and Nick give me a nod, lifting their chins. “Set her straight yet?” Nick asks, talking about Janine.

“Yeah, if she gives any of you guys any trouble just say the word and she is gone. I don’t need drama in the gym.”

“For sure, brother,” Brian says, rubbing the back of his neck with his gloves still on from sparring in the cage with Nick.

“Spit it out,” I snap, getting annoyed.

He drops his hand and sighs. “None of my business but Brie didn’t look happy when she left to the dance studio. I wouldn’t blame her. Who would want to see one of the reasons their relationship went up in flames still next to her man with her hand on him after three years? Especially if that someone had sex with her man before her.”

“Yeah, that was fucked up. It was bad timing. We all know there is nothing going on between you and Janine. It was just… messed up. I felt bad for Brie.” Nick chimes in.

My nostrils flare, mad at myself. My fists clench at my sides, knowing I keep fucking up with Brie. I turn to the guys. “Then what should I have done? I already set Janine straight.”

Nick scoffs, “Doesn’t matter now. You let her go. Again. You never went after her and you pushed her away. If you don’t want her, then let someone else take care of her.”

Giving them both a cold glare. “Anyone touches her, and I’ll gouge their fucking eyes out and stuff them down their throat,” I growl.

“That is what I thought. I figured you let her go because you were just being a selfish, conceited asshole that is used to women throwing their panties at you, begging for your cock. Except Brie. I hope you realize that any man would give their left nut to be with her and here you are acting like a fucking idiot. Let’s just hope you are lucky, and she gives you a second chance because, brother, you are definitely going to need luck, God, the devil and a holy prayer for her to even fall for you again,” Brian says.

“When did you get so good at giving advice?” I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest. He watches behind me as Janine walks out of the gym and I don’t acknowledge her, relieved she doesn’t look my way. Thank God.

“When I see a beautiful girl like that, I would die to have her attention but then I see this asshole billionaire MMA fighter making mistake after mistake when it comes to her.” Pinching my eyes together because I hate it when he is right. “You are really bad at this, aren’t you? Have you asked her out on a date? The movies? Theme Park? Give her something she wanted on her birthday that she never had? I hear she didn’t have the best life from the wrong side of the tracks and has a dark past. Has anyone ever done anything like that for her? It’s not always Bentleys and Porsches you know,” Brian says.

My eyes snap to meet his, giving him a hard stare and he shrugs his shoulders. “Just saying,” Brian says defensively.

“I have to agree with Brian on this one, Jaden,” Nick says.

“I asked her out the other day and she turned me down,” I answer them.

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