“Young, weak, and not Luke.”
“He plays football. I’d hardly call that weak.”
“You know what I mean.”
She sighed, lips pursed.
“This is about AJ. You’re trying to piss him off by going out with his son. Or are you trying to make him jealous?”
“I think we both know Sarge isn’t going to be jealous.”
Jackson nodded. “Pissed. He’s going to be really pissed. But why?”
“We had another moment this morning.” She leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Was this before or after you got caught in the rain wearing only your bra and underwear?” He mirrored her stance against the opposite wall, a single brow peaked.
She bit her lip to hide her smile. “Somewhere in the middle.”
“Uh huh … I don’t know why you’re going down this road. It can’t end well.”
“Because he wears a uniform?”
“Because you’ve already lost control … reverted back to old habits.”
She stared at the floor. “I didn’t today. I didn’t even want to.”
“And?”
Jillian looked up, nose wrinkled. “And he has a date tonight.”
Jackson stood erect with a puffed chest. “You had sex with him this morning and he has a date tonight?”
“No! We didn’t have sex. I told you that earlier. We … ugh! It’s complicated.”
“Want my advice?”
She pouted. “No.”
“Un-complicate it.”
*
It may have been obsession, compulsion, or just flat-out insanity, but for whatever reason Jillian wanted to make a statement. A tube top with a spaghetti strap tie around the neck, a good two inches of exposed abs, and a short flowing skirt said a lot. What? She wasn’t sure, but she’d know when AJ saw her.
“Hi, Sarge. Is my date ready?” Jillian threw down the gauntlet while batting her eyelashes when AJ opened the door.
“Excuse me?”
“My date … Cage. Is he ready to go?”
“He’s your date?” Each word fought for air between AJ’s clenched teeth.
She beamed with delight that Cage hadn’t told his dad yet, and she was getting to see his initial reaction firsthand.
“Every young, firm inch of him.”
AJ stepped outside, closing the front door behind him. “What the hell is going on? Is this some joke?”
“It’s dinner, a private tour of Omaha, maybe a thank you kiss good night … second base tops.”
“Is this about this morning?” AJ leaned in closer, his voice low, the dam of control cracking. “Because I didn’t ask you to do anything for me—”
“Wow! Aren’t you the self-centered bastard. The world doesn’t revolve around you. I’m going out with Cage tonight because I want an evening out and he’s fun. Clearly something that is completely foreign to you.” Jillian stepped closer, not willing to back down for a second. “And as far as this morning goes, fuck you. Fuck you for being too stupid and stubborn to ask for help and fuck you for not having the decency to just say ‘Thank you.’”
Cage opened the door. “Is … everything okay?”
Jillian flipped in a single breath, finding her happy face for Cage. “Everything is perfect.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him out the door. “Remember what I said about you not getting lucky tonight?”
Cage took a nervous glance back at his dad as they walked toward his truck. “Uh yeah.”
“Well, I might just change my mind.”
*
Jillian liked Cage too much to risk taking him to clubs or bars since he wasn’t twenty-one yet. After he gave her an hour tour of Omaha’s hotspots, they settled for casual dining on pizza.
“So starting quarterback, that’s pretty awesome.”
Cage had the most endearing blush. “Yeah, last year was my first season to start.”
“Are you hoping to go Pro or are you going to settle for a low-key respectable job where all the women aren’t stalking you.”
He laughed. “I’m not sure yet. I’m studying for a degree in elementary education, so one life would be polar opposite of the other.”
“Oh, that’s unexpected. I rescind my earlier comment. You’re going to have girls stalking you no matter what. Women dig strong, sexy guys with a soft side.” She chuckled. “And nothing says soft quite like the male elementary school teacher. Especially kindergarten or first grade.”
Cage nodded, face still rosy with embarrassment. “So what about you? What do you do?”
“Well as you know I help Dodge with Lilith two days a week and the perfectly trimmed yards in the development, which I’m sure you’ve noticed…” she winked “…are the fine work of yours truly. And I’ve also been doing some home parties.”
“Home parties?”
Jillian smirked. She knew Cage was about to go from rosy face to inferno red. “Have you heard of Lascivio?”
Cage choked on his pizza as he pressed his napkin to his mouth.
“So you have.” She smiled.
Cage nodded while he cleared his throat. “Sex toys?” he whispered.
“I like to think of them as PPDs: personal pleasure devices.”
“Uh, how did you get into that job?”
She twisted her lips. “Just by chance … luck of the draw, you could say.”