A/N: I don't know what happened-I published this chapter, but then it disappeared. Well, here it is again, sorry if you've already read it. I'm finishing up the last chapters now and it's taken a turn I didn't expect when I started writing it. I love it when the stories you write surprise you!
Anyway, here's Jake:
"Fuck Emmett, I can't take anymore!" I yelled as he pushed the treadmill up another notch.
"Don't be such a pussy, Jake. If you want to get better, you have to go harder each time. This is where we were two days ago."
"FUUUUUUK!" I yelled again. Sweat dripped down my arms as they pumped back and forth. He was pushing me for a five minute mile. I'd just run a seven minute mile and I'd taunted him. This was my reward. Or punishment.
"Okay, I'm upping it one more time and you have to go for another three minutes," Emmett commanded.
"Fuck you, asshole!" I growled, and concentrated on moving my feet to the new pace he set. I was not in control of the speed, but I was in control of how my body reacted. I knew I could do it. I'd never done this pace before, but I knew I could.
Because I had to.
"Such a filthy mouth. You kiss that mother with that mouth?" Emmett teased.
"My mother's dead. You wanna ask me about how I fucked up my love life when I was seventeen, too?" I huffed in between breaths. Emmett knew all about it. He wasn't my best friend, but exercise was my therapy. And while I stressed and built my body, I released all the shit in my head that kept me from doing what I needed to do.
I'd used martial arts to channel the anger. And I still kept that up. But building my speed and stamina was my new goal. I was going to run a two hour marathon. No one had done it yet. But that didn't mean I couldn't.
"One minute left at this pace," Emmett said. "Keep it up, pussy!" I didn't respond I just kept up the pace. Thump, thump, thump, thump. I concentrated on the sound of my feet hitting the treadmill. The only thing that got me through anything tough was changing my thought process. Instead of thinking I couldn't go on, I had to find the will to do it. I had to find anything in the tank to change gears.
"Faster," I ordered. "Make it go faster. I can do it."
"You got it," Emmett said, and he did as I asked. I huffed at the new pace, but focused on the things I could control. My stride, my breathing, where I landed on my feet.
"It's time," Emmett said.
"Keep going," I grunted. My lungs burned, my thighs were screaming, and all we could hear for the next two minutes were the thump, thump, thump, thump of my feet hitting the treadmill. When I couldn't take anymore, I placed my hands on the rails hopped off the belt that was going faster than it ever had before.
"Fuck man! I'm never going to be able to call you a pussy again!" Emmett bellowed with some awe. He slowed the belt so I could hop back on and began my cool down.
"You only do it to piss me off," I said as I inhaled deeply. I grabbed a bottle of water out of the holder on the treadmill and downed the rest of it. Emmett had slowed the treadmill to a walking pace and I walked until I could breathe normally. It didn't take long. "I gotta stretch."
"You're a fuckin' beast, man!" he said as he clapped me on the back as I stepped down and moved to the mat I had on the floor. "Why do you need me?"
"I need you to push me when I don't think I can. Once I know I can, you're just an extra body in the room," I said breathing deeply and bending over the stretch my hamstrings.
"Where you off to next, brother?" Emmett asked me. I was only in Tunica for a few days a month. Once Emmett helped me get past a barrier I was usually good for a few weeks.
"I've got to go up to Davenport and over to Biloxi for a few days," I answered. I sat down and lay back with my legs bent and my feet together.
"Gonna visit your normal ladies or add to the harem?" he asked.
"Meh. Neither. I'm getting sick of that whole scene," I answered, twisting my torso so my legs pointed one direction and my face the other. My back thanked me and I groaned in relief. "The truth is, it's more trouble than it's worth." He looked at me doubtfully with a raised eyebrow. "Sure I like sex, but the women my age, and even the younger ones, want to sink their claws in and hang on to me. I'm not interested in any of them that way. All they see are dollar signs. This being rich thing does not an easy love-life make."
"So the big-time businessman can't take all the benefits of his hard work? Come on, man. Being one of the wealthiest men in the country can't be all bad."
"It's not all bad. Most of it is pretty good. I can get laid anytime I want. I just don't want all the bull shit that comes with it. I'm not looking for love." I'd already found it and thrown it away. I didn't need that shit again.
"Jacob Black! I'm not talking about a love life. I'm talking about a sex life," Emmett returned.
"But that's just it. They want to turn the sex into love. I either break their hearts inadvertently—which makes me feel like shit—or I have to be outright mean to them because they can't take a hint. I can have a little control over my dick and not let my dick control me," I added. I got up and went to the mini-fridge to get another bottle of water. I was parched.
"Dude, you gotta get over this Bella, thing," he said, tentatively. He was treading on some very thin ice, but that's kinda what I paid him for. He was a good trainer turned friend. I mean, he wasn't Quil or Embry, but sometimes it could be weeks before I saw the guys in person and Emmett fit right in. I downed a half a bottle of water before I responded to him.
"Okay," I responded, "and I'll just go out and run that pace for twenty six miles tomorrow." I was being sarcastic, but he obviously didn't hear it. I turned around to look out the window over the city of Tunica, Mississippi. I hated the weather here.
"That's what I'm talking about. You're working up to it. Just like getting into Harvard, man. You would have failed out if you didn't go to that community college for two years first, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, but Rice only took me because I could play football," I grunted. I squeezed the empty water bottle and chucked it to the trash can.
"But you still graduated with a degree, right? Rice University is like the Ivy League of Texas, man. Come on. And where did that lead you?" he asked. I didn't answer him.
"I only graduated because they got me all kinds of tutors so I could keep my grades up," I added. It was fucking hard. Port Angeles Community College was not on the same level and I would have failed out if it wasn't for those tutors.
"But you did it. You put the information in your brain. You processed it. You earned that degree. And what did that get you?" he asked again. I knew what he was doing. It's why he was the best trainer. He pushed me to the limit and then when I pushed past it he gave me all the credit.
"Harvard. I got into Harvard," I admitted.
"Fuck yeah you got into Harvard!" he bellowed. "And graduated and built an amazing business."
"So what does this have to do with getting over Bella?" I asked dryly, chugging the rest of my water and grabbing another. I turned back around to face him. "I know my fucking resume."
"So you've been in the sack with different women, but you won't let any of them in. Why don't try with one of the women you feel like shit about breaking their hearts. There has to be one of them who is worth spending time with more than three or four times. Work up your stamina," he explained.
"You're pushing again," I said, "but this isn't the area of your expertise." I threw a new bottle of water at him and he caught it deftly.
"Yeah, but man, you've become my friend. And I hate to see you pining like this. You deserve more." He screwed the cap off his bottle and took a few swigs.
"You know, I think stopping all the casual sex is a step in the right direction," I said. I'd been thinking about this for a while. "If I'm milking all the cows, I'll never buy one."
"Don't let women hear you call them cows," he snorted.
"I didn't mean it in a demeaning way. The problem is me, not them. And until I'm ready to make some sort of commitment to someone, maybe I shouldn't be fucking anyone. Maybe my unsated libido will motivate my heart."
"Fucking A," he said. I didn't know what that meant. I walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to get my post work out snack. I loved my peanut butter and banana sandwiches and Ruby had made me a huge stack.
"What about you, man? Did you even ask that blonde out you've been drooling over?" I asked really wanting to shift the focus from me. I unwrapped my sandwich and took a huge bite. It was on homemade bread. I loved Ruby's homemade bread. I offered Emmett one. He shook his head.
"Who, Rose? No, man. I turn into a complete idiot whenever I'm around her. She runs the gym I train a couple of guys at. She just thinks I'm a muscle head with no brains." He tried to laugh it off, but I could tell it was bugging him.
"Okay, I'll do you a deal. I'll open up to someone if you ask this Rose out." I grinned at him and took another bite and groaned in pleasure.
"Like I'll fuckin' know if you even try. You could say anything and you could be lying to my face." He looked at the stack of sandwiches on my counter. "Yeah, I'll take one of those." He pointed. I shoved one over to him.
"Dude, if you don't trust me by now, you a'int ever gonna," I said, smiling as he bit into the combination he'd declared disgusting the first time I ate it in front of him. He stood there, chewing. He took another bite. I'm pretty sure he was considering.
"Damn, that's good!" he said looking at his sandwich disbelievingly.
"I know. Best bread in Tunica. But you're changing the subject. What do you say?" I asked. "What the fuck are you afraid of?"
"Well, right now, there's the possibility. It's always there, waiting. If I ask and she says no, well, the possibility is gone," he answered and took another bite.
"You can't bone a possibility," I responded. I opened another sandwich.
"But I don't just want to bone her. I like her. She's funny and smart and doesn't take any bullshit. If I ask her out and she says no, then I lose the possibility of all of that."
"So, you'd give up after only one refusal? I wouldn't date you either. You have no stamina," I shot a smirk at him. "Sounds like you're a pussy here." I let that hang in the air. I'll use his logic against him. He smiled back at me.
"Fine. But only because I don't want you to be able to call me a pussy," he finally said.
"Now get the fuck outta here, 'cause I got some work to get done. This lawyer/casino owner has to actually do some business so I don't lose the money I've earned," I said. It was true. It was nearly 8:00 a.m. and I needed to do my conference call with Quil and Embry.
"I hear you. I have a nine o'clock anyway and I need to prepare his tracking forms," he replied before shoving the rest of the sandwich in his mouth as he headed towards his bag.
"We need to set a time frame for this, man. Goals don't mean jack shit unless we have measurable results in a reasonable amount of time," I grinned at him.
"I'm the one who told you that shit!" he laughed. "Okay, I'll ask her out by the end of the week. And when are you going to have measurable evidence of your goal?"
I hadn't thought about that. I travel so much. I have apartments near my Casinos in several cities, so I always have places bring ladies. But I couldn't even think of anyone I'd want to ask. I didn't want to pick up anyone in my Casino. The people there were either there on vacation or parties. Those who were regulars and local were typically people with deep seated problems and the casino was their escape. There was that one manager in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She was smart and I implemented some of the suggestions she made and they were a huge success. She wasn't my normal type, but that didn't matter to me much if I was looking for more than a roll in the hay.
"You got someone in mind?" Emmett asked. He must've seen me thinking.
"Yeah, I do, actually. But I won't get back to Louisiana for a few weeks, so you gotta give me a little leeway." I wasn't feeling too bad about my decision. I knew that Maggie was single and she'd flirted with me a few times. And she didn't get all fake and smiley like most women who knew who I was. That was in her favor. Yeah, I was even a little excited.
"Sure thing, man. Now get to work and I'll see you in a few weeks?" he asked. I walked with him to the front door of the little apartment I rented. None of the places we had in the cities we had business were very big, but they suited our needs.
"Yep, I'll text you when I know."
"See ya, Jake," he called and I closed the door.
I went to the little bathroom to take a shower. I was grateful that we paid a hotel staffer to come over here and clean up and keep the place stocked. I opened the drawer and found a note on a post-it stuck to my containers of razors.
"Hey, sweetie. Don't you forget to take care of that big heart of yours. We don't want you to be Sleepless in Seattle. Love, Ruby" I smiled.
Ruby was the older lady in charge of housekeeping here in Tunica. When I'd gone to her office to ask her to offer some extra cash for anyone willing to clean up our apartment, she offered to do it herself for free.
"Baby, you remind me of my grandchile, God rest his soul. He was killed over in Iraq. I want to do this because you look like you need some lookin' afta." I still don't know if she noticed the pay raise I gave her. Her smile was always at the ready, her white teeth shining brightly against her deep chocolate skin and I liked her instantly.
I ran a razor over the two patches of skin that actually grew hair so I didn't look scruffy then took a shower. I ran a comb through my short hair. I don't know why I bothered. It didn't really do anything. I'd cut it short when I got to law school. I'd gotten into Rice by playing football. I learned to invest my extra money by listening to my friends' fathers when they took me home on weekends. When I got to Harvard, I didn't want to be the token minority. I'd gotten in with my grades and LSAT scores and I didn't want anyone to question that.
I dressed in a pair of holey jeans and my old football t-shirt from Port Angeles Community College. I'd change before I went into the office. I opened my laptop and opened the conference app. Embry was in Lake Charles and Quil was in Biloxi. We did these conference meetings every morning just to make sure we were all on the same page.
Embry's face was the first to pop up. "Hey dick head! How's it going in Mississippi?"
"Same as yesterday twatwaffle," I replied. "No new news here." Quil's head popped up and he was still in bed.
"Hey guys!" Quil whispered. His girlfriend Claire was asleep in the bed beside him. I hated when he did that.
"Dude! You're back in Seattle?" Embry said.
"No, I flew Claire out here. Settle down. I left her asleep because I know how much Jake hates that." I shook my head while Embry laughed.
"Hey," Quil quit whispering and looked a little intense, "Jay Jenks called me yesterday said some big property eating corporation who likes to build resorts all over the place is sniffing around the third beach properties. Should we be worried?"
"What did Jay say?" I asked.
"Not much. Just that sniffing around Third Beach would be silly because it's Rez land and there's no way Billy or Sue or the rest of the council would consent to sell it. Plus access to Third Beach is limited and no one would want to invest in making it accessible for the number of visitors it would take to maintain a property," Quil reported.
"Hey, baby!" Claire stirred next to him.
"Shhh, go back to sleep and let me finish my meeting," Quil said but is face left the screen and left Embry and me staring at his headboard.
"Okay," she said, not putting up a fight. There was the smacking of kisses in the background and I was about tell him to knock it off when he reappeared.
"But," Quil said, his face appearing back on the screen, "Jenks said they were probably putting out feelers to see what kind of reaction they'd get. That they're probably interested in the properties along Second Beach. You know the ones ceded to your grandfather back in the forties?"
"Yeah, I remember. We've had quite a few offers on those since then. Second Beach would be a perfect spot to build a resort, especially an exclusive one, but my dad always turned them down. He said he didn't want the kind of social vampires it would attract to the area." I knew what he meant. Working in the industry had put me in contact with some really shady people.
"Are we going to do anything about it?" Embry asked. "Jake you're the one with the fancy law degree. And you know the particulars of the land cession. You still have the paperwork, right?"
"Yeah, I do," I answered. I was worried about this. "That was when the Federal Government ceded land back to tribes as a kind of 'we're sorry for centuries of war and forced assimilation' and my grandad was trying to be all magnanimous when a private citizen who held that land ceded it back. He didn't have the legal background and the contract is weak."
"Why don't you do some digging?" Embry said in his down to business voice. "Try to shore up anything legal that can be done. Tunica is a well-oiled machine and they'll be fine without your help for a few days."
"Yeah, I'll do that," I said, my mind was already running over what I could recall off the top of my head. "You guys keep doing what you do and I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Quil out!" he said and his computer went blank. That was best because Embry and I knew what was going to happen next and we didn't need that kind of internet porn.
"Hey Jake," Embry called before I could hit the end button.
"Yeah, man?" I said, looking up at his image again.
"Maggie says hi and she can't wait for your next rotation here." He waggled his eyebrows. "Did you hit that?"
"No!" I said a little too defensively. But a smile crept onto my face because of my conversation with Emmitt.
"But you've been thinking about it?" he asked, actually curious now because of my reaction.
"I haven't been thinking about 'hitting that' but maybe," I cleared my throat, "dating her." I couldn't hide anything from Embry. I'd tried since we were kids, but I was just useless.
"JAAAAAAAKY! WOOOOOOO!" Embry called. "Right on, man! I'm proud of you."
"I date women all the time!" I said defensively again.
"No you don't. You fuck women. To hear you talk about something more is…well…it's refreshing," he said sincerely.
"Look, I'm just thinking about it. Don't say anything to her, okay? I have to do this in my own time," I said. "Got it? Not a word!"
"Sure, sure. I won't say anything. But man, she's a spitfire and I don't think she'd put up with your shit. That's why I'm excited about this."
"Okay, man. Let me get going on this land cession thing. I have to call into the office and tell them I'm not going to be in until the afternoon. They'll probably be glad to hear it. They always seem a little nervous when we're there. I don't know why." I really didn't. We treated everyone here well.
"Maybe because we basically did a hostile takeover of their casino and their scared shitless we're going to fire them all," Embry tried.
"We did not do a hostile takeover. We bought out a failing casino with corrupt managers. We fired the people stealing from the company and we treat the loyal ones well. Ruby left you a love note, by the way." I smirked at him.
"Oh, no! That's for you. If she wasn't close to seventy I'd tell you to go for her. But it's you she fancies, not me. I'm the hard ass who changed all her procedures when we went in there. Even though she likes them now, she still gives me the stink eye." He wasn't wrong.
"Look, I gotta go before these thoughts leave my head. I'll talk with you when I figure something out or tomorrow morning, kay?"
"Alright. Keep it up." And his face was gone.
I called the office and they assured me that everything was under control and not to worry about anything. I was right, they didn't really want me there. But all the work we'd put in the past couple of years was really paying off now. We had managers in place that we could trust, they called us when there was a problem instead of hiding it. Now our rotations were really just out of routine. I did have more time and energy to give the non-profits that my sisters helped run, for which they were grateful. And I was living off the interest of my investments so I didn't really need to make any more money.
Maybe it was time to slow down a bit.
I turned my mind towards the Second Beach land contract. I poured over the document, both the image I had on my laptop and the actual text file. I called and emailed a few friends I had in federal agencies for clarifications on Indian statutes and treaties and took careful notes. Around one o'clock my stomach growled so loud I scared myself. I hadn't realized how long I'd been engrossed in this issue.
I stretched my muscles as I walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the dish of fried chicken that Ruby had left for me. I popped the mashed potatoes and mac and cheese she'd also left into the microwave and inhaled seven pieces before I slowed down. That woman could fry a bird. The microwave dinged and I took the dishes to the table and sent Ruby an email on my phone to thank her for the delicious food while I shoveled it down my throat.
I was reading her reply when my phone rang and it was my dad.
"Hey, pops. What's up?" I asked through a mouthful of cheesy carbs.
"Son," he started and immediately I knew something was wrong. I swallowed hard to clear my mouth.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's Charlie. He's had a heart attack. It's bad, son. Can ya come home?"
"Yeah, I'll be there later tonight."
"I knew you'd say that. Thanks, son. It's like Harry all over again," he said, his voice sounding croaky.
"I'll get there as soon as I can even if I have to fly commercial. I love you, dad. I'll get there."
A/N: Thoughts? Surprises? Predictions?
A special thanks to my beta, MarinaNamaste.
