Page 37 of The Prices We Pay
“I’m coming,” Dante adds, already standing up from the couch.
“So am I,” Luca states.
“Great. The more, the merrier. Could you guys pick up some Pho on your way? I’m going to need lunch and a full stomach for whatever is happening.”
Enzo laughs as he asks, “Seb, you know the address?” I scoff in offense. “Right. See you guys soon.”
He hangs up, and the three of us look at one another in equal parts shock, panic, and confusion. Dante is the first to speak. “Let’s move. We’ll figure it out when we get there.”
And just like that, the three of us are moving through the motions as we grab the necessary gear. We climb into my Mercedes C63 and fly across town, getting to our girl as fast as possible.
Looking at Luca and Dante as I drive, I see the fear of the unknown in their eyes—the same that’s in mine—and I know that statement rings true.
We might not know how, why, or exactly what is about to happen between the five of us—I don’t even know exactly what I feel for her yet, but I do know she isjust that.
Josephine Jenkins is our girl.
The day I met her in the conference room, I saw something in her I don’t usually see, especially around the four of us.
A challenge.
She razzed Enzo with little to no effort. She didn’t flinch at Luca’s beyond-obvious avoidance of showing any emotion. And, though she is significantly smaller than Dante, she seems to measure up to him in more ways than one.
I didn’t say more than a couple dozen words to her that day, and I hardly knew anything about her, yet every time we looked at one another, it was as if part of me knew there was more to her than met the eye.
And I was right.
Joe and her brother have been dealt a shit hand and then some. However, despite the lives that the two of them were destined to lead, they got out. They made something of themselves, and when I look at her, I see how much pride she takes in that.
The morning I sat with her in her office, I couldn’t help but make the occasional flirtatiousremark. Regardless of the fact, I knew about Luca’s entangled developing feelings toward her or Lorenzo’s very loud and obvious ones. Because the woman who sat next to me on the couch, the woman who we are racing toward at this very moment, is sexy and alluring; she’s smart and witty; she’s confident and bold. Yet, there’s a part of her that’s withdrawn and doubtful. Scared and timid. Stubborn and argumentative.
Joe is a woman who will hold nothing back; she will tell you exactly what’s on her mind while simultaneously keeping a vault of secrets locked away. She is an independent woman who has made it this far in life on sheer will, hard work, and determination. However, when she looks at each of us, I can tell she wants a partner in life, whether she wants to admit it or not. But most of all, she’s a compassionate, courageous, and empathetic woman who takes no shit from anyone. Josephine Jenkins does not break. She will bend to the ends of the earth in order to get what she wants out of this life.
She will let nothing and no one get in her way. Not even those who were supposed to love her most.
She’s truly a woman who can take on this world all on her own.
But that doesn’t mean she should have to. So when I saw her at Kings last night on a date with that woman, all I could think was, “That should be one of us.”
She shouldn’t have been there with anyone but the people that were at our table.
All of us could tell she was miserable. Just as Luca, Dante, and I were ready to storm over to her table like a group of cavemen, Enzo so kindly informed us that probably wouldn’t have been very well received.
My lips curl up slightly at the image of her scolding the three of us in the middle of a nightclub.
Thankfully, Enz came up with a much better plan. Joe got to meet our friends, who are now family, and all of us had a fun night. However, some people’s definition of fun is different than others. Namely, Dante sitting at the table silently piningover her, and Luca doing the same while also grappling with the fact that he’s her boss and he has… well, me.
I’m not going to make this decision for him, though. I’ve made it abundantly clear that I want to give him whatever he wants out of life. If that’s just me—which I find highly unlikely—then fine. If that’s a life with the four of us guys, perfect. If that’s a life with just Josephine, I’ll be upset, but okay. But if that’s a life withallof us… I don’t think I could have come up with something more perfect if I tried.
I may have come from the most sheltered Upstate New York town you could possibly imagine, but I knew from a young age that I was never going to be a person who conforms to a traditional relationship. My sexual desires aren’t something many people can handle or want. Not to mention, I’m a man who has a lot of love to give.
I’m like Enzo in that regard. I’ve always admired him for being so open about his love for others.
We’re a couple of blocks from Joe’s apartment when I see the Vietnamese restaurant. I quickly cutacross two lanes of busy traffic, ignoring the honks and Dante’s grumbling in the backseat about my driving, and park along the curb out front.
“Are you serious right now? You’re actually stopping for food? We don’t have time for this,” Luca complains from the passenger seat. He’s usually not so testy, but ever since Josephine came around, he’s wound tighter than a rubber band. Even our extra sessions don’t seem to be doing much.
“The woman said she wanted food, so we got her food. I had D punch in an order before we even left the apartment.”
