Tainted (Oh Captain, My Captain 7)

I’m starting to think we need to stop going out. Apparently, I can’t take her out without pissing her off and her lying about it. It bothers me that she’s brushing off her anger and hurt.

“I shouldn’t have said it,” I repeat.

“No, you shouldn’t have, but you’re sorry, so everything is all fine now.”

I release my hold on her and step back. What the hell does she want me to do? I said I was sorry and I can promise shit like that won’t leave my mouth again. What more does she want?

Jade downs her drink before finally turning to face me. “I’m going to dance some more, and don’t worry, I’ll try not to think about how weird it is for me to keep my clothes on.” She brushes her shoulder against me as she slips by and disappears onto the dance floor.

I give up on this battle for now. I go back to our table and rejoin the conversation with my teammates. After a while, I return to the balcony to check on Jade. She’s dancing. There’s a girl in front of her and a guy behind her. They’re clearly dancing together. No big deal, right? People dance in groups all the time. The guy lays his hands on Jade’s hips and moves them in rhythm with his. Maybe she doesn’t realize how close she is to him at first because after a second, she moves away from him, glancing up at me without any clear emotions on her face.

Tonight has sucked any way you look at it, and I’m ready to get back home. I tilt my head and hope she’ll meet me at the stairs. I say goodbye to the guys before going down to find Jade. She’s waiting off to the side.

“C’mon, let’s go.” I start walking toward the door without waiting to see if she’s following me.

We don’t talk on the ride home or on the elevator up to the condo. She walks in first and Gus glances back at us.

“Were you able to find another sugar daddy, Jade?” he asks.

“Knock that shit off, Gus,” I snap, slamming the door behind me. I didn’t like that he said it earlier and I definitely don’t want to hear it now. Jade looks at me, surprised. She probably had a response ready for him, but I beat her to it. I guess she’s surprised his comment pissed me off.

I walk past her and to my room. Before I close the door, I can hear them talking, but I can’t make out what they are saying. I’m taking off my clothes when Jade enters, looking pissed again. Part of me wants to ask if he’s been saying shit like that to her, if he just did again, but I don’t feel like I can, considering my own comment earlier.

To hell with it.

“Has he been saying stuff like that to you?”

She shrugs, walking into the bathroom. “Does it matter? You can be an ass, but he can’t?” She kicks the door closed.

Exactly why I didn’t want to ask. I sigh and sit on the bed next to Honeybun. “Hey, girl,” I say, rubbing her head. She purrs, leaning into my hand. At least someone still likes me. Jade comes out a minute later, and I go in to finish getting ready for bed. She leaves my bedroom though. Maybe she rather hang out with Gus. I don’t care either way. I slip beneath the sheets, lie facing away from her side, and close my eyes.

Some time goes by, not much, when I hear Jade enter the room. I listen to the sounds as she changes her clothes and then crawls into bed. All we need is sleep.

Sleep makes everything better.

~

I wake up with Jade tucked into my side, my arm around her. In fact, I wake up because my arm is asleep, tingling, and half numb. Slowly, I pull it out from under her and quietly get out of bed. I need to get back into her good graces.

Gus must still be asleep because he’s not in the living room or the kitchen. I’m thankful because I know if I see him, I’m going to ask him the same thing I asked Jade, and I rather not get pissed off yet. Instead, I’m going to make Jade breakfast. I’m not sure what she likes, so I go for simple pancakes, sausage links, and eggs. Once I’m done, I plate it, fix her a glass of milk, and go back to the bedroom.

Honeybun perks up when I place the plate on the nightstand. “Don’t even think about it,” I whisper. Jade’s still sleeping, so I get back into bed and pull her to me again. She’s wearing her own pajamas this time, one of those shirts with thin straps and some shorts. I slip my hand underneath her shirt, kiss her shoulder, and whisper, “Jade, wake up.” She stirs, so I move my hand higher and move my lips to the crook of her neck.

“I’m sorry about last night.”

“It’s okay,” she groggily says.

My thumb glides over the underside of her breast. “I fixed you breakfast to make up for it.” I kiss her lips softly only once, noticing that her eyes are open now, and lay my head on my pillow.

Jade inhales deeply before looking over her shoulder to see the food. “You cooked, Finny?”

“Yep. Just because I rather order takeout doesn’t mean I can’t cook.”

“That’s very kind of you. Thank you, but what’s the real reason for it?” She eyes me suspiciously.

“I told you. It’s an addition to my apology.”

“That’s a first for me. Actually, I’d have to spend the night with a guy for him to cook me breakfast. I guess that’s two firsts.”