“What does her name matter?” Tina asked as she looked through her wallet. “Jay, I’m missing a hundred-dollar bill!”
Tina hurried over to Jay’s side, shoving the wallet into her hand. This broke the rockstar out of her foggy thoughts. She forced herself to look away from Octavia.
No longer able to hold her tongue, Jay glared at Tina, anger starting to manifest. “What are you trying to imply?” She asked her girlfriend, lifting an eyebrow as her face contorted into a warning scowl.
“I think your little maid has sticky fingers.”
Heat rose in Jay’s pale cheeks. She rarely allowed her anger to get out of control when it came to her girlfriends, but Tina was testing her limits. Of course, this raised the question of why Jay cared so much. Why was she getting so angry? After all, Tina treated all the help the same, and Jay never so much as raised an eyebrow.
“Ms. Firefly, I can assure you I didn’t take--”
Jay took a step toward Octavia. “I’m so sorry--”
“What the fuck are you apologizing to her for. She’s the bitch that stole from me.”
“You probably lost it snorting coke through the bloody thing last night, Tina. So, back the fuck off!”
This sudden spike of rage in Jay forced everyone to freeze.
“Are you fucking--her?” Tina’s voice held so much disgust.
“I’m sorry, I have to go,” Octavia said and moved past them toward the door.
Seeing Octavia leave brought on a whole new bundle of emotions up for Jay, but the most potent came as fear. Not sure what she was doing, Jay hurried after Octavia, catching her by the arm before the front door opened.
“Whoa… I’m sorry.”
Jay wasn’t sure what she would see, but it came as a shock to see that Octavia didn’t seem fazed at all.
She shrugged and pursed her lips. “As I said before, I expect nothing less from you people. Don’t lose sleep over it because I won’t. Anyways, I really must go; otherwise, I’ll be late for my date. Have a good day, Ms. Firefly.”
As Jay watched the door shut in her face, she reflected on everything her maid said. What stood out most, “my date.”
Jay never felt human emotions like jealousy, so she didn’t understand the sinking sensation in her gut from hearing this new information.
Octavia has a date...
Still in shock, Jay turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin. Wracked with so many different emotions, she forgot that Tina was still there and staring daggers into her.
“You never answered my question.”
Tina was easy on the eyes, but Jay couldn’t even stand to look at her anymore. After how she treated Octavia, she finally understood what her maid meant by “you people.”
“Tina, I’m not fucking Octavia,” Jay said as she pulled out her phone and opened up an app. “Listen, this has been fun and all, but I don’t like how you treated my help and--”
“Are you fucking kidding me. Look me in the eyes and tell me you haven’t said worse to that woman.”
A mental calculation of every interaction Jay had with Octavia crossed her mind. Granted, the times when she was inebriated were harder to account for. Still, Jay was pretty sure that she was never that nasty toward the woman.
“Listen, I sent you twenty-grand, your rent is paid for the next six months. However, you and I are finished. So, get your shit and get the fuck out.”
Tina flew off the handle, rushed toward the rockstar, and slapped her so hard across the face that Jay tasted blood flood her mouth. It took her all, but she refused to allow a reaction to surface. Instead, she pushed Tina away and ran upstairs, locking herself in the master suite.
∞
Octavia felt like she was walking on water. After a fantastic date with Lily, plus a few glasses of champagne, she made her way into the penthouse. It was well past eleven, but she wasn’t tired. With a pep to her step, and earphones playing “I’m Still in Love With You,” she used her key to open the front door, then froze.
All the blood in Octavia’s body seemed to drain as she looked around the home that was perfect hours ago. Now couch cushions were thrown here and there. The dresser in the foyer was turned over, and all the wallets were nowhere in sight. In the kitchen, bottles of liquor were smashed, and broken glass littered the floor.
Even though it was not the first time Octavia walked into the house in disarray, she knew that this time was different. Fearing that someone had broken in, she ran upstairs to Jay’s, hoping that she was okay.
Knock Knock Knock...
Octavia pounded on the door, yelling, “Jay--Jay open up!” With no answer, she raised her hand to knock again and nearly toppled over into the room.
Caught in a firm grasp, Octavia looked up to be met with black dilated eyes. “Jay--”
“What's the matter? Is everything okay?” Jay asked, moving outside into the hall but not fast enough before Octavia could miss the random woman in her bed.
Annoyance consumed the fear that was there previously.
Another, really?
“Yes,” Octavia said as she straightened her stance and pulled her walls back up. “It appeared that someone had broken in downstairs, but--I see that was not the case.”
Jay crossed her arms and leaned against the door. “Broke up with Tina. She went a little bonkers. Sorry. I can get it up.”
“Don’t be silly--”
“How was your date?” Jay asked, seeming to catch them both off-guard.
Octavia smiled something between vindictive and annoyance lit in her eyes. “It was great.”
“You were gone long. Thought you might have stayed over.”
A smirk pulled at Octavia’s lips. She’d caught on to the tone of Jay’s voice.
“No. I just met Lily. I like to form bonds with a person before jumping into bed with them. Perhaps after a few more dates, we will take it to the next level. But I cherish myself and don’t give away my energy that freely. Anyways, have a great night, Ms. Firefly.”
Octavia didn’t bother waiting around to see the scowl that appeared on Jay’s face.
Chapter Nine
Shade was in the air. Jay smelt it as soon as Octavia caught sight of the one-night stand in her bed. If she would have known that Octavia would’ve come home rather than seek shelter with her random date, then she wouldn’t have gone on the prowl for a fling.
Jay watched as her maid turned her back and walked away. A feeling of something completely different came from watching her leave. Jay wasn’t a crier, but after the day she had, and the innuendo Octavia just threw at her, she felt like breaking down right here.
The last thing Jay wanted to do was get back into bed with the random woman. Octavia was right, she didn’t even know her name. Years of doing the same thing had made Jay numb to the process. It didn’t excite her anymore, nor did she find it challenging.
Ugh. I hate that she knows me so well.
And what was worse, Octavia judged Jay and was no longer shy about doing it. Jay’s ego and higher consciousness were battling over this woman. Part of Jay loved the fact that Octavia challenged her view on the world, had boundaries in their relationship, and held Jay to a higher standard. The other part of the rockstar questioned who Octavia was to come into her house and make her feel out of place. How dare she raise an eyebrow to the way Jay lived her life, the way she expressed herself.