Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Yeah, right.
“Mike said that none of you would cut any of my boyfriends again. Let me go, Viv!”
“What are you going to do?” Viv grinned. “Beat Troy up?”
“That’s a start!”
She pushed me a few feet back. “Calm down. Your man has lived to pimp another day. It’s a minor cut. He’ll be fine.”
“Oh, shut up. All of you.” I stared at Chase’s neck again. An old woman I’d never seen before dabbed at the cut with a white cloth and applied some clear gel on it as she spoke in Italian. “What is she saying?”
“To not get in fights with big guys like Troy.” Chase chuckled.
“That’s not funny.” I pushed out of Vivian’s arms. “None of this is a joke. Troy, you don’t hurt my boyfriends.”
“Boyfriend,” Chase corrected.
“Whatever. That’s not the point.”
“It is the point.” He started his gaze at my face and decorated my whole body from head to toe.
“Really?” I frowned. “You’re just going to ogle my breasts as someone fixes your wounds.”
“It’s one cut. I’m fine.” Chase waved the woman away as she bandaged it up. That incited several fast Italian words to shoot from her mouth. He stopped trying to stand up and instead took the freaking bandage like he should have the first time.
I twisted Troy’s way. “Have you apologized?”
“I just gave him a beer from upstairs.”
“What the hell does that have anything to do with an apology?” I asked Troy.
Chase responded instead, “It’s how men apologize.”
“No, it’s how jackasses apologize, and stop standing up for Troy. It will get you no points with my brothers. We can’t let them—”
“We’re fine.” Chase sipped his beer. “Apparently, from our heated dialogue, I gathered that this is the typical thing one must deal with when courting their sister.”
“Pretty much.” Troy put the ice back on his eye. “I’ve just been all busy making sure Jazz didn’t get killed, but once Benny showed up, I had time to—”
“Be a degenerate,” I finished for him.
“To make sure Chase understands that you’re not just some poor chick from the hood who can be treated any way. That if he thinks you’re going to be in a relationship with him, he needs to treat you right or die trying.”
“That’s stupid,” I said.
“It’s pretty brilliant. If you ask me.” Chase took another swig. “How many of her boyfriends have you cut, Troy?”
“Are we talking before or after they broke up?”
“Interesting.” Chase handed him an unopened bottle of beer. “Count them all.”
“She only had two main ones, college boys. Mike cut one after he played her. I got the other one at his wedding.”
“What?” I almost fainted. “You better not be talking about when you escorted me to Hugo and Lisa’s wedding. You cut my best friend’s husband at their wedding?”
“He was your boyfriend first. Come on, Jazz. You should’ve known that if the guy cheats on you, blood is going to leave that cat’s body either now or later. I cut him under his tux and even helped him clean it up. The smart ones take their punishment.”
“Or call the cops,” I argued. “That’s something you should consider.”
“Too bad none of your brothers are afraid of jail.” Vivian patted my shoulder. “I happen to think that it’s sweet that your brothers do their best to protect you.”
“I think they watched the damn Scarface movie too much and skipped over the tragic ending.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Meanwhile, we’re all in the kitchen while three crazy divas are upstairs plotting my demise.”
“You’re safe. Benny is here. I don’t like the man, but I trust him to protect you,” Chase said.
“Speaking of my father.” Vivian walked around me and grabbed her own beer from the cooler next to Troy’s legs. “Where is he?”
I didn’t like how silence came. “I’m going upstairs to check on him.”
“No,” Troy and Chase said in unison. It was funny how their fight had somehow brought them closer together rather than more distant. I didn’t relish in this new connection between them at all. It would only be positive reinforcement for Troy to further be a jackass.
“I’m just going to see if he is okay. There are cameras everywhere. No one is going to bother me.”
I wish one of them would try to approach me. It’s daylight now and we’re not in an alley, heifers!
“Wait until I’m done being fixed up.” Chase finished his beer.
“Troy must have hit you pretty hard. Did you just order me to stay?” I asked.
“I suggested an alternative.”
I looked at Vivian.
“Sounded like a macho order to me.” Vivian shrugged.
“Let the record show that Vivian doesn’t like me and will say almost anything to get me in trouble.” Chase held his hand to his heart. “I’m just a victim here.”
Troy spat out his beer as he giggled. “He’s really growing on me, Jazz.”
“Oh, stop it.” I headed up the stairs. “Come on, Vivian. Let’s go see your dad.”