Chapter Five
Cole chuckled under his breath when he remembered the night before. His little fighter packed a punch. Literally. He glanced at his watch and saw it was time. He left a message with her manager at the club for her to meet him in the room next to the pool.
It looked like it was for conferences or parties. All he cared about was that it was private.
The door opened, and Jade timidly walked in, looked around, and relaxed when she saw him.
“Come here and sit with me, baby.” She was still in her bathing suit with a white towel wrapped around her waist. Although too thin, she had rounded hips and nice breasts that would fill his hand.
She walked around the table and then gasped when he lifted her onto the edge of it.
“Stay there.” He pulled up and set her legs on the seat of his wheelchair on either side of his hips. “Hi.”
She gripped her hands in her lap. “Hi.”
“I wanted to talk to you in private.”
She nodded.
“I want you to tell me why you didn’t call me back,” he said.
“I…”
He waited for a moment for her to continue. When she didn’t, he continued. “Do you just not want to talk to me?”
She shook her head. “No. I want to talk to you very much, but I don’t understand why you’d waste your time.”
“Are we back to me being out of your league?”
She bit her lip.
“Baby, I want you to stop thinking that because it’s bullshit.”
“But—”
“No buts. Listen to me. I grew up with an alcoholic mother. My father split before I was born, so I’ve never met him. My mother and I barely made ends meet enough for food. I got a job at ten working for a farm to help, but my mom would just drink it away. I took off when I graduated from school and joined the Navy. How did you grow up?”
“Oh, well, I had two parents, and they had money from an aunt they lived off of, so I never had to do without, but they never worked.”
A spark of anger lit in his gut. “Where are they now?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’m guessing the house I grew up in, but I haven’t seen them for four years.”
“Why?”
“When I turned eighteen, they made me leave. They said it was because they thought being on my own would make me less retarded. I tried calling them the first year a few times, but they never answered or got back to me, so I stopped trying.”
“We’ve talked about that word, baby.” The spark had turned to flames.
“I know. It’s just what they called me. I’ve heard it my whole life, not just from them but also from other people.”
The flames turned into an inferno, and it took all his strength not to show his anger. He set his hands on her upper thighs. “Well, you’re not, so from here on out, that word is forbidden. Got it?”
She nodded.
“So, what did you do when you left home?”
“I packed a bag of clothes and other personal things and walked out of the house. I took an Uber to the center, and they let me stay on the sofa until I found a place. I found the apartment I’m in, and it’s only three blocks from here.”