Total pages in book: 212
Estimated words: 207966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1040(@200wpm)___ 832(@250wpm)___ 693(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 207966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1040(@200wpm)___ 832(@250wpm)___ 693(@300wpm)
“Only there was something but said you never fucked. Wouldn’t break your confidence by sharing details.”
He nodded. “She’s a good girl.”
I was losing patience. “Not interested in chewing the fat about my girlfriend, brother, especially not over the fact you two had a thing.”
“We used to…” he winced. “Used to give one another a little therapy in a way. I gave her something. She gave me something.”
“Clearly those days are done,” I stated. “She’s mine. If you don’t have closure, deal with it. On your own.”
“I know she can’t give me what she gave anymore because she’s with you and you never struck me as a brother who shares.”
My expression soured in a way he wouldn’t miss.
“Not that I’d ever ask. I wouldn’t do that. This’d make sense if you knew what we shared, but she wouldn’t break my confidence, I also won’t break hers without permission, but she told me she’s worried she’s messing up shit with you because of some of her issues, so I’m thinkin’ maybe if I share about the thing we had, maybe you can…” He shrugged. “Benefit from that.”
“Not gonna lie, brother, this is beginnin’ to piss me off,” I stated, getting to my feet and wiping my forehead with my towel. I took a swig of my water, grabbed my phone from the wall ledge where it sat with my keys and called my girl. “One sec, Edge.”
Edge watched me do it with worry on his face. “Didn’t mean to-”
I raised a finger to halt him when my girl answered the phone.
“Gigi. Edge is playin’ word games here. Not sure what the fuck it’s about. Said Scott saw you two in an embrace, and it was just a hug.”
“It was just that. Nothing else,” she stated. “I swear it.”
“You cool with him talking to me about what you and him shared? Not that I need to fuckin’ know but he wants to say something to me.”
“He can say whatever he wants to you, Jesse,” she said softly.
I put the phone on speaker. “Repeat that. You’re on speaker.”
“Edge, Hi. You can say anything about me to Jesse.”
“Hey,” he said softly. And I bit my tongue at the warmth not only in his greeting but in his eyes as he talked to my girl. “Thanks, Gia. Just tryin’ to lend a hand. You’re not pissed if I give him some of our history?” he asked.
“I don’t wanna keep anything from Jesse.”
“Thinkin’ it might help if I share some insight.”
“Um, okay. Not sure it would, but… that’s fine.”
“See you in a bit,” I said and ended the call.
“Can we take this somewhere else?” he asked.
It was only Bront with us, earbuds still in and so into his workout I’m not sure he even clocked Edge coming in. I grabbed my shit and followed him outside. He walked to the far end of the compound and sat on a concrete block. He gestured to another one.
“Not feelin’ like sittin’,” I said.
Edge lit a cigarette. I felt that niggling of a craving but avoided the temptation and shook my head when he offered the pack.
After he took a drag, then another he said, “She’d probably be too shy about explaining what I gave her and she might benefit if you give her the same. Never put my hands on her other than in one certain way, never had hers on me in a sexual way. I got somethin’ from her, and it gave her somethin’ back so we kept it up to help one another. We let the rumor mill churn believing we had a relationship going, that she was doing me exclusively. I did that so she’d be welcome at the club without gettin’ unwanted attention. When she found out I was part of that shit on video with Kailey, she wanted to call it off. I told her how it really was that night.”
I didn’t know where this was going but couldn’t stop my lip from curling. “Do I really need to know this?”
“What I did for her, it gave her a bunch of confidence, got her out of her head,” he stated. “Saw her bloomin’ like a flower under it so although you don’t need to know this – ”
“Give it to me.”
“Direction. Affirmations. She’s got self-confidence issues. And she emotionally beats herself up. She benefited from my direction.”
“What way did you use your hands?”
“She got a couple spankings when she wasn’t treating herself right, when she’d get into a state of self-loathing. That release would snap her out of a bad headspace like…” He snapped his fingers.
I flexed my jaw muscles and cracked my neck.
“I’d get her to touch herself. I’d talk her through it. She wouldn’t get to come until I let her. I’d get her to say things. Positive things about herself. Got her to go back to school so she could get a better job. Got her to get into her own place, a place not big enough for Kailey to stay permanently. Not keep lettin’ Kailey mooch. If not for that, Gia might’ve gotten sucked in with the Jackals.”