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As the cars left the parking lot, Eden was still sulking. She was well aware she had probably managed to piss Dante off for real, but she didn’t really care. She was tired of playing his game, and if jealousy could help her take a stance this time, she would. He was suggesting things about the two of them, but then he was giving in to Rose’s eyelashes and her attitude? Eden was new to these feelings, but she could recognize her own jealousy.
At least now that they were separated and riding in different cars, she felt like she could take a breather, with only Jack and George sharing the space. Eden hadn’t realized how on edge she was from being in the same room as Dante... or even the same building. It felt almost like there was an alarm ringing inside, telling her to resist the pull, resist, resist... and making it harder just by trying. She sighed, about to brush her hair back as usual when she remembered her hairstyle shouldn’t be messed with.
“You are all riled up, aren’t you, hun?” said Jack next to her.
“Just... He gets on my nerves, and Rose is not helping.”
“Oh, honey, you should know Rose by now. She’ll jump on anythin’ that’s got some cash, and everyone knows the Zodiacs are loaded... Moreover, he already refused her once, and in Rose’s book, that puts the guy higher on her hit list.”
“It’s not Rose I care about,” pouted Eden. “It’s about Dante playing along...”
“Oh... So it really is jealousy, then.”
Eden rolled her eyes. Sure, it was, but she just hated to be reminded of it. She shrugged and decided not to pursue the matter anymore. She should enjoy these few minutes of quiet before they dive into trouble again.
“Babe... Did he really not give ya any money?”
“No.”
“But... you kinda need it, hun. I thought that was why you are... I mean, you were still with him.”
“He didn’t give me much of a choice,” said Eden.
“Well, then Rose is bloody right! You should be sucking the guy dry, honey! You know the drill!”
Eden bit her lower lip. She knew Jack was right... about some of it. She could have asked Dante for money; he obviously had tons of it and didn’t want for anything. Perhaps he would have cleared her debt in a blink... except that Eden hated the idea of being indebted to him of all people. Moreover, she knew he would have asked why she needed the money and looked into it if she refused to talk. She wasn’t scared of him revealing her lies; what was much more terrifying was the idea of letting the Tiger get an even tighter grasp on her. Eden didn’t like the idea of finally clearing her debt by adding another chain around her neck. She wasn’t sure of the consequences that would come of it... She couldn’t figure out what would have been the logical choice either way.
Her eyes caught George staring at them in the rearview mirror but, as soon as he noticed she was staring back, his eyes went back to the road. They ought to be careful with what was said here...
“I just... I’m not sure I want to be indebted to a Zodiac, Jack. This is almost like asking him to buy me outright.”
“Oh, looks to me like his fine piece of ass got plenty of you already!”
Eden rolled her eyes again. Thanks to Rose, everybody knew or had confirmed that she and Dante had sex already... She didn’t care about Jack knowing who she slept with, but she was annoyed about being reminded who that “with” was...
“It’s... different.”
“Honey, if you’re not sleeping with him for the cash... I mean, I get that you two obviously have something going on, but...”
“We don’t. Jack, don’t–”
“Oh, spare me the cold-hearted crap, Eden. I know ya. I know your business expressions, and that back there ain’t your business face; it was the real Eden that gets pissed and sulky and all that… and I don’t know that guy, but he’s devouring all of ya with his eyes, like, for real. He’d even suck the damn crumbs!”
To her surprise, hearing Jack say that made Eden blush… Was Dante really looking at her in such a way that others could see his desire for her? It had always felt like she was the one who was trapped in his golden eyes, but at least now she knew it was blatant to others...
“Eden... You’re runnin’ out of time, honey.”
She turned to him, suddenly worried.
“...What?”
Jack glanced toward George, but the young man seemed to be focused on the road as they passed another building block. He sighed and spoke a little bit quieter.
“...They called me, honey. Since they couldn’t reach you... You have to clear it soon. Or else...”
“You can’t be serious,” muttered Eden, in shock. “I paid enough for at least one more month!”
“I know, I know, babe, but they said... there’s a lot of demand, and they need to look at... profiles with a better pay rate. I’m sorry, honey. Those people are sharks.”
