Committed to You

Chapter 23 Truth

Jet was emotionally wrecked by the time he arrived at the Double Tree. He became impatient, waiting for the elevator, and took the stairs in leaps to Room 518. He was relieved to see Justin answer the door. If Alana had answered, he was angry enough to strangle her.

"Keep your voice low. She's asleep."

"Justin, what happened to Renatta? Dad said that she left the store upset. I hope my life hasn't collided with yours."

"It has, but I told you I'd help you. I will smooth things out with Marcella. She hates me now, but I know I will make her understand when this hurricane passes."

Jet put his hands over his face and groaned. "I'm so sorry, man. What happened?"

"That woman over there," Justin said, pointing to the closed bedroom door, "kissed the living hell out of me, and Marcella happened to be standing in the window of the diner and saw it. Not only did she kiss me once, she kissed me a second time. To drive off, I had to pass the diner window with my wife standing there in abject horror."

"Oh, God, Justin. I feel awful, terribly awful."

"Don't—it was a case of mistaken identity. I can understand how you got tied in with that one. She's a siren."

"Tell me about it—luring me in and setting me up for doom and disaster. It was a miracle that I was finally able to break away from her. You wouldn't believe how many times I broke up with her and then found myself right back at her feet."

"Oh, I know all about it. She was very forthcoming with your relationship," Justin said with a smirk. "I hadn't known of anything that sensual since Cleopatra and Mark Anthony."

Jet could feel the blood rushing up into his cheeks. He didn't want to imagine what she could have possibly told him. He lifted his hand and began to undo the top button of his shirt as he felt his throat constrict. "I told you, we were friends with benefits. At this point in my life I would highly recommend that no one follow that deadly path."

Justin chuckled. "It's apparent that she knew how to use those benefits to get you back every time. Most of her conversation was about how she's still in shock that you had the power to really walk away. Good Lord, Jet, you could have had any woman."

"You're forgetting that she was my attorney and my social equal."

"Good for bed, good for business and extremely beautiful. I get it now—the ultimate triple threat."

"That sounds carnal, brother, but I suppose it's undeniably true. I needed something to take my mind off Sloan, and she had the magnetism to do it in ways that worked for me."

"She admitted that she felt the same way. Nothing was supposed to stick. In her own words, 'Love blindsided me.' I'm sorry as hell that she's pregnant, Jet. After all you and Sloan have been through, I damn sure didn't want it to end, especially this way."

Jet crumpled into the chair in the corner of the room. Hearing Justin say that what he and Sloan had was over made him feel sick. In flashes his life with Sloan raced through his mind. Everything that they'd ever meant to each other came bubbling to the surface. He loved that woman. "It can't be the end, Justin. I wouldn't survive without her. I'd rather someone toss me out of a plane over the middle of an ocean than to live without her."

"Well, you might as well get used to it. She's done with you, and I made sure of that. You will be ... " When the door to the bedroom was fully open, Alana's mouth dropped open. Her eyes spread wide, looking like ice on a winter pond. There were two Jets standing in front of her. She shook her head and then rubbed her eyes to see if she was dreaming. Maybe she was still asleep? Maybe she didn't just get out of bed and walk into the living area of the suite?