“Come on, Jason. Let’s go experience the nightlife of this wonderful city. When I was getting my spa treatment earlier, the masseuse recommended this club called Tryst. It’s an upscale club on Vegas Boulevard. It doesn’t officially open until 10 p.m. but the bar is always open and we can go in for drinks,” Emma begged.
“It sounds like a cool happening place. We should give my brother a call and see what they are up to. Maybe he and Serenity will want to join us.”
“Why do we have to invite them? I was thinking more along the lines of it just being the two of us tonight. I am not in the sharing mood of you dividing your attention,” she pouted.
“What do you mean by that, Emma? You must not like my brother or something?” I questioned her, knowing all along that my twin brother wasn’t the problem.
“Jason, you know that isn’t the problem. I like your brother a lot. I’m talking about Serenity. I mean, I see the way you look at her. What does your brother see in her, anyway? She doesn’t seem like your brother’s type and she’s definitely not your type. Serenity looks like a fat cow,” she said snidely, not biting her words.
My eyes narrowed on her. Emma was truly beautiful but when vicious, ugly malicious words spewed from her mouth, she wasn’t so beautiful in my eyes after all.
“Emma, I have asked you once to not call her names. I can’t make you like her but I definitely won’t stand for you to continue to belittle her in that fashion, either. I could give you a twelve-foot list on what my brother sees in Serenity, or what any other warm-blooded male would see in her. But I’m not going there with you tonight or any other night. I don’t want to have this conversation with you again. Is that understood?” My voice was controlled but my anger was visibly palpable.
“It’s understood but I don’t like it one bit. But do you mind if I ask you one more question?”
“You can ask me anything that’s within reason, of course.”
“Do you love Serenity? When you look at her, you look at her with an awestruck look. I so want you to look at me in that way, Jason. Just once I would like to receive that look from you.”
“Emma, you don’t have to be jealous of Serenity. Who am I with at this very moment? Besides, she belongs to my brother and I would never intentionally hurt my brother by falling in love with his woman.” I never answered her question directly but this was the only answer that she was getting from me. If she knew the truth her feelings would be hurt. The truth would be better left unsaid for all the parties involved, I thought to myself.
“Well since you didn’t really answer my question, let me ask you another one,” she said looking at me doubtfully.
“You said one question, but go right ahead,” I said crossing my arms in front of me. She didn’t want to play this game with me or she might be in for a rude awakening.
“Do you love me Jason because I love you? My heart is invested in us. Please don’t break my heart, Jason,” she said in a pleading tone.
“I care about you a lot, Emma,” I was being truthful in my answer to her. “Give me some time to work some things out in my head. I promise that I won’t intentionally break your heart, but I also can’t or won’t promise you forever after. Let’s take us slow and if you decide to see other people while we take things slow, then I am cool with that, too. It may be best for us to have an open relationship. That way there will be no great expectations from either of us if we later decided to part ways.”
“Damn you to hell, Jason! I knew that you were trailing me along and playing with my emotions!”
“Calm down, babe, I have never led you on. You knew the type of man I was when we became involved. I’ve never made you any promises that I can’t keep and I never will.” I was as honest with her as I could get and if she couldn’t read the writing on the wall, that was on her.
Tears seeped from the corner of Emma’s clear blue eyes. My conscience got the best of me. I wasn’t a total brute out to hurt or break a woman’s heart. “Come here,” I said pulling her body into my arms. I could feel her trembling with fury. I smoothed my hand down her fiery red hair. “Your temper is fiery just like your beautiful hair, do you know that?”
She looked up at me. She was beautiful and didn’t deserve not being loved wholeheartedly. “If you still want to go to club Tryst, I want to go, too. It will be just the two of us,” I relented to her earlier proposal.
Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “I have the perfect outfit I bought in the boutique downstairs to wear out tonight.”
“Great.” I kissed her on the lips, turned her towards the bathroom, and swatted her on her backside. “Go get dressed and I will take you to dinner before we head over to the club.”
“I would love that Jason,” she said, bouncing her way out of the room.
I was trying hard to atone for my sins. I would begin with Emma and work my way up. “God, please help me be strong and stay away from my brother’s woman,” I whispered in the empty room. “If Emma-Jay is the woman for me, please open my heart to love her in the way she’s meant to be loved by a man,” I added.
I heard the shower come on and Emma called out for me to join her. I dispensed of my clothes and gave her what she wished. Tonight, she would have my undivided attention. I would give it to her or die trying, I vowed.
---
The club was loud and popping by the time Emma and I arrived. She was a little firecracker on the dance floor. Her black jumpsuit clung to her in all the right spots, so I couldn’t help but to see how sexy and desirable she looked.
The good loving that she put on me before leaving the hotel was enough to keep a smile on my face for the rest of the night. That was until I saw my brother and Serenity walk through the door of the same club.
What were the odds of that? I thought to myself, as I twirled Emma around on the dance floor to the beat vibrating from the surround sound system in the club. Emma felt my body tense up and immediately knew that something was wrong. She looked over her shoulder and spotted my brother and Serenity as well.
“I am damned,” she muttered vehemently. “I can’t seem to win for losing, can I?” she questioned loudly to be heard over the music.
“Baby, don’t worry about them. This club is big enough for all of us. Besides, they haven’t even spotted us yet.” Looks like I spoke a little too soon. Serenity’s eyes clashed with mine. It looked like her eyes were drawn to mine by some invisible force in the crowded club.
Serenity quickly looked away and led my brother in the opposite direction. I was thankful that she wanted to avoid us. I didn’t want any more trouble with Emma’s jealous tirade. But damn, Serenity was looking hot in her designer black jeans and clingy top. Those jeans were molded to her voluptuous curves like a glove. I could even see it from across the room from where I was standing.
Emma breathed a sigh of relief, when she saw them go the other way. “I was going to catch a case if Serenity had brought her ass over here,” she admitted.
“You have my undivided attention, babe, like I promised. Let’s just enjoy the rest of tonight and each other’s company,” I suggested. The music slowed to a slow number. Emma plastered herself against my body like she wanted to crawl inside me. I looked over the top of her head, searching for just a glimpse of Serenity. I was like an addict searching for his drug of choice. Sweet Serenity was that drug.