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With that, Jackson slammed the rest of his drink and went back downstairs. Fuming, I leaned over the balcony and watched him go. Breathe, I told myself, considering for a second that I’d overreacted.
But then I saw Audra spot Jackson. Breaking away from Piper and a couple others, she sauntered over and hugged him under his suit jacket, pressing her enormous chest against him and whispering something in his ear. My heart pounded when Jackson glanced up at me, meeting my eye before whispering something in Audra’s ear and removing her arms from his waist.
Chapter Twenty
Downstairs, at the end of a quiet hallway, I found a powder room to hide in as I let my tears fall. I was heated, in no mood to cry, but my body was forcing me to do it and I opted to take that as a sign. Something was wrong. Jackson could deny it all he wanted but I had definitely seen something unusual between him and his stepsister. And it was infuriating me. What more was I going to find out about him? I would’ve never imagined that after Gabrielle Winter, he’d give me more to worry about. He had given me his word that he’d never mess up again. Yet here we were: one missing mistress now joined by an inappropriately sexual stepsister.
Pushing my way out the bathroom door, I wondered what the hell to expect next. And instantly, I got my answer.
Leaning against the wall in front of me was Jake, tugging on the end of his tie until he saw me. “Lara. I’m sorry,” he said right away.
“Jackson’s the one who should be sorry,” I corrected bitterly. “Not you.”
“I know, but I’m pretty fucking pissed at him too. I thought when I came here that things would be different but he’s just been…” Jake trailed off. The other half of his sentence was gone before I could ask him to finish. Sucking in a sharp breath, he leaned his head back against the wall. It was silent for a second. Gazing down at me, I could see Jake’s fiery eyes begin to calm. I bit my lip as they began wandering about my body again. He shook his head, a faint grin touching the corner of his lips. “This a cruel outfit to be wearing to my party,” he finally said. I smiled despite my mood.
“Why?”
“You know why.”
“Spell it out for me.”
He laughed. “You look naked and it’s making every man in this building fantasize about seeing you with just those boots on.”
A wicked excitement crawled through me. “And that includes you, right?”
“Oh, I’m fantasizing far beyond that.”
Mm. I was heated a second ago, now I was hot. I liked that feeling much better. Wrestling the glass of scotch from Jake’s hand, I brought it to my lips and sipped. “You’ve seen me completely naked before. What’s the thrill in seeing me naked in boots?”
“I have no idea, Lara. I just know that I want it.”
With a smirk, I nodded, all the while thinking about how Jackson had demanded that I finish our deal – that I sleep with my own fling twice more before calling it a wrap. Maybe I’d do that after all. Handing the empty glass back to Jake, I removed the pins from my topknot. I could feel his stare as lock by lock, it tumbled down, my hair even wavier, wilder than usual. “Well. I can give you what you want if you give me something in exchange,” I murmured, lifting my gaze from my hairpins to his face of surprise.
“You – what?”
“If you answer a question for me, I’ll find us a private little spot where you can see me wearing these boots. And only these boots.”
Jake stared in surprise. He wet his lower lip, feasting his eyes on the body I’d just promised him. But he quickly shook himself out of his lusty haze. “Lara – as much as I fucking hate a lot of my brother’s decisions, I know we really shouldn’t be – ”
“He told me to.”
Jake blinked. “What?”
“He told me to sleep with someone to make it even. Three times because he slept with Gabrielle three times,” I explained in a hush. “That was why I was at that bar in Brooklyn that night. That night I found you.” I bit my lip, watching Jake, waiting for him to be swayed. When it took longer than I expected, I widened my stance, crossing my arms and standing with my legs apart. Jake’s eyes followed my dress as it rode slowly up my thighs. He wiped at his lips, muffling a groan as his gaze traveled up the front of my dress and to my cleavage, which I pushed out as I crossed my arms.
“Fuck.” His jaw tightened as he looked into my eyes. “What’s your question?”
“I want you to tell me everything you know about Audra.”
Jake closed his eyes. “Lara. It’s not my place to tell you this. It’s up to Jack – ”
“It’s been four years and he hasn’t said a word. I deserve to know so please, Jake, tell me what happened between you two.”
He squinted. “Between me and Audra?”
“Jackson said you two had a bad relationship from the start and he always implied that something happened between you two that was the last straw.”
Jake’s expression turned to stone. “It was the last straw but it happened between Audra and Jackson. Not Audra and myself.”
