Saving Jax
SAVING JAX
By Ramona Gray
Copyright 2015 Ramona Gray
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
Cover art by: Melody Simmons of eBookindiecovers
“I have to admit, Mr. Thomas, I didn’t believe you’d have my money.”
“I told you I was good for it, Mr. Golden.” Cal replied.
“So you did. But fifty thousand is a lot of money.” Jimmy Golden smiled at him.
Cal didn’t reply and Jimmy gave him a thoughtful look. “You’re a good looking guy. Isn’t he good looking, Jax?”
“Yes, sir.”
Cal’s eyes flickered to the man standing just to the left of Jimmy. He was shorter than Cal but he was at least six feet and his scarred face and dark suit made him appear dangerous.
“This is Jax Anderson. He works for me.” Jimmy waved his hand in the general direction of Jax and Cal nodded to the man.
“Do you have any restaurant experience, Mr. Thomas?”
Cal blinked in surprise at the odd question. “I’m sorry?”
“Restaurant experience. Do you have any? Most young men have worked in the service industry at some point or the other. Did you?”
Cal shook his head. “No.”
Jimmy leaned back in his chair and stroked the swell of his belly absentmindedly. “Do you enjoy being an escort, Mr. Thomas?”
Cal shrugged. “It pays the bills.”
“Of which you have many.”
Cal reddened. “How do you know that?”
“I know everything about you, Calvin Thomas.” Jimmy said. He leaned forward and opened a brown file folder sitting on his gleaming desk. He perused it carefully. “You’re 33 years old, you live in a rather dismal apartment in the west end, your parents are Darla and Bill Thomas, both retired. You have a twin brother named Courtney and a younger sister Melanie. You also owe thousands in personal credit card debt, a car loan and a personal loan. You’re terrible with your finances.”
Cal gritted his teeth and gave Jimmy a strained smile. “There are reasons for my debt that have nothing to do with poor financing.”
“I’m sure,” Jimmy said absently. “What do your parents think of your career choice? Are they ashamed that their son is paid to have sex with women?”
“They don’t know,” Cal said shortly.
“Interesting. What do they think you do for a living?” Jimmy steepled his fingers under his chin.
“They think I’m a limo driver.”
Jimmy snorted. “Very clever. I suppose it explains the odd hours and late nights.”
“It does.” Cal glanced at his watch. “I don’t mean to be rude, Mr. Golden, but I have another appointment.”
“Of course. So many lonely women, so little time,” Jimmy replied.
Cal gave him a tight smile and started to rise.
“I’d like to offer you a job, Mr. Thomas.”
Cal froze and then sank back into his chair. “I’m sorry?”
“I’m looking for someone to manage my restaurant. Well, it’s more of a night club, really. My manager recently relocated and I’d like you to take his place.”
“That’s very generous of you, Mr. Golden, but I’m afraid I’m not qualified for the job. I have no restaurant experience, remember?”
Jimmy shrugged. “Let me be honest with you, Mr. Thomas. What I’m really looking for is a young, good looking man to deal with my customers. I’m looking to grow my restaurant business and customer service is everything. If I have you there, greeting the customers and attending to their every need, I believe it would be beneficial.”
He stared thoughtfully at Cal. “As an escort, you’ve already proven that you’re excellent with people. You’re accustomed to providing top-notch service, and you’re good-looking and well-spoken. Do a good job and you’ll be rewarded appropriately. I believe in allowing my employees to rise up in the ranks, so to speak.”
He glanced behind him. “Jax started out as an errand boy for me. Didn’t you, Jax?”
“Yes, sir.”
“So, what do you say, Mr. Thomas? It won’t pay as much as your escort work – at least, not at first – but it’ll be a steady job, no waiting for a woman to pick your face from a website, and one that you can tell your parents about.” A small smile crossed Jimmy’s face.
Cal cleared his throat. “I appreciate the job offer, Mr. Golden. Could I have some time to think on it?”
“Of course.” Jimmy sat forward and closed the file folder in front of him. “Have a good day, Mr. Thomas. We’ll be in touch.”
* * *
One week later.
“Hold on, I’m coming.” Cal shouted as there was a second knock on the door. He dodged past the pile of boxes he’d never gotten around to unpacking and swung open the door. He blinked in surprise at the man standing in the doorway.
“Good evening, Mr. Thomas.”
“Hey. Jax, right?”
“Yes. May I come in?”
“Sure.” Cal led Jax down the crowded hallway to the small kitchen. “Can I get you a coffee? Beer?”
“No thank you.” Jax stared at the dishes piled in the sink and the laundry and flyers on the small wooden table.
“Sorry about the mess.” Cal cleared a spot on one of the chairs and Jax unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down.
“Mr. Golden would like to know if you’re accepting his job offer.”
Cal sat down and took a drink of beer. “He didn’t come himself?”
“Mr. Golden is a very busy man,” Jax replied.
Cal drummed his fingers on the top of the table. “What exactly do you do for Mr. Golden?”
Jax straightened the sleeves of his jacket before folding his hands in his lap. “Personal protection.”
Cal raised his eyebrows. “What would Mr. Golden need protection from?”
He knew the rumours as well as everyone else. Jimmy Golden might have appeared to be nothing more than a successful entrepreneur but there were suggestions that he was involved with smuggling and dealing drugs in large quantities.
Jax shrugged. “A man in Mr. Golden’s position can have many enemies.”
“Do you enjoy working for him?”
“I do. Mr. Golden can be a very generous man to his employees.”
Cal ran a hand through his short hair. “I’ll be honest, Jax. I don’t understand why Mr. Golden is offering this job to me. I have zero experience.”
Jax crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in the chair. “Mr. Golden has the ability to see potential in people. He believes in your abilities to do the job.”
When Cal didn’t reply, he sighed lightly. “This is a fantastic opportunity for you, Cal. Do an excellent job, show your loyalty to Mr. Golden, and he’ll give you the chance to do very well for yourself.”
“How did you start working for him?” Cal asked curiously. His eyes travelled over the thin scar that ran from Jax’s temple to the middle of his throat.
“I was a troubled kid and teenager. At the time, Mr. Golden owned a chain of convenience stores. I was caught stealing from one of them. I was brought to Mr. Golden and he saw my potential and offered me a job working for him. I could accept the job or go to juvie. Naturally, I accepted the job.”
“No regrets?” Cal asked curiously.
Jax hesitated and a strange look flickered across his face for a brief moment. “No regrets.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes,” Jax said impatiently. “Listen, all you need to remember is that Mr. Golden values loyalty above all else. Do a good job, show your loyalty, and there won’t be a problem.”
“And if I don’t?” Cal asked.
“Then Mr. Golden will have me break your kneecaps,” Jax replied calmly.
Cal’s mouth dropped open and he stared silently at the man. He jerked in surprise when Jax suddenly grinned at him, revealing even white teeth. “Just kidding.”
Cal snorted lightly. “Nice.”
“Are you taking the job, Mr. Thomas?”
Cal rubbed at his forehead for a moment. He had spent a great deal of time during the last two weeks mulling over Mr. Golden’s job offer. With Court refusing to talk to him and an uncharacteristically slow time at the escort agency, he’d had plenty of time to consider it.
He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. Tell Mr. Golden I’ll take the job.”
“Excellent, Mr. Thomas.” Jax grinned again at him.
“Call me Cal.”
Jax stood. “Mr. Golden would like you to start Monday. Be at the restaurant at four,” he pulled a card from his pocket, “and wear a nice suit. This is the address for the club.” He took a pen from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and jotted down a phone number on the back of it. “This is my cell number. You can call me anytime if you have – “
“Cal, it worked!”
His front door slammed shut and his sister’s voice drifted down the hall. She wandered into the kitchen, pulling off her jacket. “I got Court and Julie back together.”
Cal stared at her. “You’re kidding me!”
She grinned smugly at him. “Nope! I just finished dropping Julie off at Court’s place, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re having sex right this very min – “
She broke off and turned a soft shade of pink as she noticed the man standing in Cal’s kitchen.
Cal cleared his throat. “Mel, this is Jax Anderson. Jax, this is my sister, Melanie Thomas.”
Melanie gave the man standing in front of her a quick once over. He was tall and lean with dark hair and bright blue eyes. His dark suit fit him perfectly, she suspected it was tailored, and there was a hardness to him that made her nervous. The scar running from his temple to his throat, didn’t help.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Thomas.”
She realized with embarrassment that Jax was holding his hand out and she took a step toward him and took his hand. His deep and raspy voice was doing weird things to her insides, and when his hard hand swallowed hers in a tight grip she felt a tingle of lust sweep through her.
What the hell?
“Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Anderson.” She gave him a faint smile and tried to drop his hand. He held it for a moment longer and she wasn’t sure what was heating her up more, the touch of his hand or the look in his eyes.
He released her hand and the spell was broken. She stared at the floor as Jax turned to Cal.
“Call me if you have any questions, Cal. Otherwise, we’ll see you on Monday.”
“Thanks, Jax.” Cal walked him to the front door and Melanie collapsed in one of the kitchen chairs. She was trembling and there were butterflies in her stomach and she took a shaky breath.
Get it together, Thomas. He’s just a man.
“Who was that?” She asked, the moment Cal returned to the kitchen.
“I told you, Jax Anderson.”
She rolled her eyes. “Does he, uh, work at the agency with you?”
Cal snorted. “God, no.”
She hadn’t thought so. She didn’t think there was a woman alive who would take one look at him and purposely decide she wanted him in her bed. He was handsome enough, downright fucking gorgeous in fact, but there was something about him that practically screamed danger.
He was the kind of man who would look perfectly at ease with a gun in his hand. The kind of man who had rough sex with a barely-willing woman and didn’t think twice about it. The kind of man who –
“Are Court and Julie really back together?” Cal’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Yeah, I think so. I talked with Julie and she asked me to take her to Court’s. They looked like they were going to kiss and make up.”
“Thank God,” Cal muttered as Mel opened the fridge and grabbed herself a bottle of water.
She surveyed the nearly-empty fridge. “Do you have any money for food, Cal?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “Did you tell Julie I said thank you?”
Mel nodded and dropped into the chair across from his. She took a drink of water and eyed him thoughtfully. “Who was that guy?”
“I already told you, Jax Anderson.”
She snorted in frustration and took another swig of water. “Why are you avoiding the question?”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
Cal cracked his knuckles nervously. “Fine. When I paid Mr. Golden back the money I owed him, he offered me a job.”
Mel set her water bottle down with a thump. “Tell me you didn’t take the job, Cal.”
“You don’t even know what it is.”
“I know that Golden’s a – a friggin’ crime lord and you don’t need to be involved with him!” She nearly shouted.
He rolled his eyes. “He’s not a crime lord, Mel. Jesus, where do you come up with this shit? Just because a guy is a successful business owner doesn’t make him the head of some crime syndicate.”
“Don’t start with me, Cal. You’ve heard the rumours like I have. Besides, the guy would have broken your legs if Julie hadn’t saved your ass and given you the fifty grand you owed him, and you know it. You couldn’t possibly think working for a guy like him is a smart move.”
“I took the job.”
“You what?” This time she did shout and Cal winced before holding his hands up.
“Calm down, Mel!”
“Cal, you can’t work for this man. Listen, I know you’re desperate for money but –“
“It’s not just about the money!” He interrupted her with a sharp bang of his fist on the table. “Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, I’m tired of being an escort? I know you and Court think it’s a big joke that I fuck women for money but it isn’t, okay? Do you know what it’s like to have to fuck a different woman nearly every night? I know I’m not great at relationships but even I get tired of sleeping around. And I’m tired of lying to mom and dad about what I do. I worry every day that they’ll find out and if they think I’m a disappointment now, what will they think when they find out I’m a damn escort?”
He stopped, breathing heavily and glaring angrily at her, and she reached out and squeezed his fist. “You’re not a disappointment to mom and dad, Cal.”
“Of course I’m not,” he muttered before looking down at the table.
She sighed softly and squeezed his hand again. “What will you be doing for Golden?”
“I’ll be managing his night club.”
She blinked in surprise. “Really? You don’t have any restaurant experience.”
“I told him that but he has faith in me. Is that so hard to believe?” There was a note of bitterness in his voice and she shook her head quickly.
“No, of course not. I just – I would have thought he’d look for someone with experience, that’s all.”