He stepped back like he knew I needed the space or maybe he knew Jax did because all of a sudden, Jax appeared in back of him, moving toward me with purpose.
Without addressing anyone else, he grabbed my arm. The shock from his touch jolted with pain this time. Not lust, not want, not desire.
“We need to talk,” he stated.
The magnetism between us had flipped and my body wanted to repel him. I didn’t protest though. I walked along beside him without looking back at anyone else.
This moment, this downfall was ours alone. Anger and betrayal pumped through my blood, building my body up to attack him.
I was so coiled, so pushed to the brink, so teetering on the edge that every camera could have been flashing lights on me, and it wouldn’t have mattered.
When we rounded a corner to a small seating area somewhat closed off from the room, he spun me so I faced him. “What the fuck happened today?”
I lifted my chin. “A lot. Where would you like me to start?”
His eyes widened like he couldn’t believe I snapped back at him. “From the beginning, apparently. Since I was under the impression that after we slept together last night, you weren’t going to do anything without me.”
“I don’t know where you got that impression,” I countered.
“Oh, I don’t know. When I was buried inside you and there weren’t any fucking protests about not going without me.”
I stuttered at his callousness. “When you were ... I’m sorry ... excuse me?” I barely kept my voice from rising. “I don’t have to protest or confirm anything with you, Jax.”
“No, I guess you don’t. I guess that’s not the type of relationship we have, is it, Whitfield?”
“The type of relationship we have? You want to talk about relationships? You want to talk about how deceitful you have been this whole time?” I took a step toward him, so sick of the lies hanging over our heads. “You couldn’t tell me after all these years that you’d been investing for him. Or that you knew I was investing your parents’ money into the reservation?”
A small jerk escaped his body as he blinked with the words I spoke. He hadn’t known I knew. That was my first sure sign of that. He recovered quickly though, as if a little jab of a knife could slow him down.
His counterattack was faster and it slashed at my heart. “So what? You went to see him without me and found out things you didn’t want to learn. Surprise, surprise.” He slowly clapped.
“You are so disrespectful.”
“I could have told you that was going to happen, Whitfield.”
Maybe it was the callousness or lack of feeling in his voice that got to me. Maybe it was the sheer lack of remorse. I couldn't say for sure. All I knew was the thin thread holding me together didn't just unravel. It snapped.
"You're a real fucking asshole, you know that, Jax?"
"Me? I'm the asshole even though I took you the day before to go see him? I took you, wanted to be there for you, Peaches. I needed this to be something we did together."
“You needed? This wasn’t about you.” I pushed my finger into his chest. “This was about me. Me facing my father.”
“I should have been there with you.”
"Why? So, you could control what was said? So, I wouldn't find out?"
"You can't be serious with that accusation."
"What if I am? What’s the point in investing in his company? You’ve basically been helping him stay afloat all these years. Helping him! Not hurting. Not leaving him alone. Not considering how that would make anyone feel. How that would make me feel. What’s wrong with you?" I emphasized the question, so sick with the idea of them in business together.
"Whitfield, there’s a lot you don’t know …”
“Because you’ve never told me!” I screamed as I threw my hands up. “And I can’t help but wonder why.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Is this all a game to you or are you so selfish that investing in his company actually helped you, made you richer and that’s all you care about?”