Jesse was still blushing when she stepped out of the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom she had been sleeping in, tugging her clothes self-consciously in place. Just to make sure that everything was covering what it was supposed to.
Or at least most of what it was supposed to considering there was so little of what she was wearing to begin with.
Fuck, she couldn’t believe she had just let that happen! Jesse thought covering her face with her hands as her face lit up in embarrassment.
After she had woken up and told herself, quite firmly in fact, that she was going to treat them like they were supposed to be treated.
Like her bosses.
The ones who made sure she was paid at the end of every month.
And she was going to stick to it but as soon as Jax had pressed himself against her, all her thoughts of acting professional fled her mind, her common sense following not too far behind that.
Her mind had stopped working and her body had melted under his clever hands and when Devon had added his commanding voice to Jax’s play, Jesse had stood no chance. Especially when both of them had had their hands on her. Everything had faded away except for the amazing way they had made her feel.
She loved how they touched her. How they treated her like she was something special and how her body tingled and shivered whenever they even slightly touched her.
Like it had been waiting for that one touch.
She didn’t like that either.
They had too much control over her.
And if they had too much control it meant that they could hurt her. Maybe even worse than what Luke had hurt her.
God, she was so confused.
She jerked in surprise when her ‘phone started ringing. With everything that had been happening in the last 24 hours she had completely forgotten that she even had one.
Unwrapping her arms, she had unconsciously wrapped around herself in comfort, Jesse walked to the dresser where her handbag was. Reaching inside, she scratched around quickly to find it. She grabbed it and flipped it open before the person could put it down.
“Hello, Jesse speaking.” She answered in her best professional voice.
“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!” Someone shouted on the other side and Jesse quickly jerked the ‘phone away from her ear.
“Sasha?” She asked as she cautiously placed it against her ear again.
“Yes, it’s Sasha! Who else would be so worried about her friend that she’d called her non-stop since yesterday morning, leaving thousands of voice messages and SMSes? NONE OF WHICH HAD BEEN ANSWERED, just so by the way!” Sasha shouted once again and Jesse cringed.
“Well this ‘friend’ wouldn’t have been so worried had she not left her in the hands of two men that she knew nothing about,” Jesse replied calmly as she walked over to the bed and sat down.
“Pfft, don’t be so dramatic. It’s not like I didn’t know who they were or where they work.”
Jesse frowned at the wall in front of her.
“That’s not the point, Sash.”
“What is then? That I left-handed you over to two very sexy, VERY interested men? Or that I, as well as Lou, could see that these men would never do anything to hurt you. That they could be trusted?”
“And how would you know that?”
“It was in their eyes. The way they had looked at you.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“Don’t use that tone with me! If you would just quit being so stubborn you would see it too!” Sasha insisted stubbornly.
“You’re crazy. Both of you and Lou are completely and utterly crazy.”
“Crazy enough to see that those two are what is needed to get you out of that horrible little box you’ve stuffed yourself into.”
“I like my box, thank you very much,” Jesse stated automatically since she and Sasha have had this same argument too many times to count.
“Well, we don’t. It makes you unhappy and we don’t like to see our friends unhappy.”
“Hell no!!” Someone shouted from Sasha’s side and Jesse knew that both her friends were together.
“I’m not unhappy.” Jesse lied with a sigh, falling backward onto the bed.
“Shut the fuck up. You and I both know that that’s the biggest lie ever.”
“What do you want from me Sash?” Jesse asked warily, tired of everything. Especially fighting herself.
“I want you to stop hiding from yourself and live.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Why the hell not?! Because one asshole couldn’t see what an amazing, gorgeous person you are? Well, let me tell you Ms. My-Dark-And-Dreary-Box-Is-Just-Awesome, those two men I know you are with now? They see that and more. God, Jesse if you just open your eyes and stop trying to make them out to be like Luke, you would see just how much they think so.”
“And you can get some cute ass while you’re at it!” Lou shouted in the background again, making Jesse smile slightly as Sasha hissed at her to shut up.
“Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted-“
“It’s okay Sash. I get what you’re saying and I agree that they think so-“
“You do?”
“-but at one point they’re going to find out that I’m not.”
“What?” In that what-the-fuck tone she so often used.
“One of these days they’re going to see that I’m not this amazing person that they think I am. That I’m just plain old Jesse and I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want to be get hurt again.”
There was absolute silence on the other side of the line until –
“I would smack you over the head if I was there!” Sasha shrieked.
“What? Why?” Jesse asked completely confused.
“Have you not heard anything I’ve been saying? Those men would never hurt you! I’ve seen how the big man looks at you when he thinks no one can see him. He’s been doing it for years!! And his brother has that same look in his eyes when he looked at you Jess, and he’d only been here a few hours at that point. They both want you. And not just in a quick romp kind of way but one of those nasty long-term kind of ways.” Sasha said and Jesse smiled at the disgust she heard in her friend’s voice.
Sasha never was one lasting relationship.
Said it just wasn’t her style.
“With lots of sex involved!” Lou shouted again.
“Oh my God! Will you just shut up!” Sasha shouted making Jesse bite her lip as she tried not to laugh.
“I’m just saying, jeesh!” Lou said huffily, crossing her arms under her chest as she pouted.
“Well, you’re not helping any!” Sasha hissed before turning back to the ‘phone to convince her stubborn friend to take a leap that she really needed in her life right now.
“Besides, you and I both know that you are an amazing, sweet, and utterly sexy woman. And if I ever hear you say otherwise I swear to God I will beat the living shit out of you.” Sasha warned firmly, trying to convey to Jesse over the ‘phone how serious she was.
Sasha blinked in surprise when a soft chuckle came over the line. Not used to hearing that sound coming from Jesse, at all!
“Thanks, Sash.”
“No problem, sweetie.”
There was a moment of silence before Jesse spoke again.
“I’ll think about what you’ve said and maybe, if I’m feeling brave, I’ll try and let go.”
“That’s all I’m asking. For now. And I think you’ll find that you’re braver than you realize.”
“If you think so.”
“I know so.”
Jesse chuckled again and Sasha smiled.
Though it was something small, it proved that Devon and Jax were definitely the two men that could help Jesse become who she was meant to be.
“So . . . They treating you all right?” Sasha asked, leaning back into the chair she was sitting in and crossing her feet over one another on top of Lou’s desk, ignoring her friend's glare.
“Like a gold,” Jesse said and Sasha nodded,
“Good, I’ll rip them a new one if they didn’t.”
“Or we’ll tie them up and castrate them. One small, tiny cut at a time.” Lou shouted loud enough so that Jesse could hear her. Sasha looked at her friend, completely horrified.
Lou just shrugged and went back to what she had been doing.
“What did she just say?’
“Nothing. Ignore her. She’s been watching way too many of those serial killer movies and stuff. Listen, I got to go.”
“Okay.”
“Think about what we just spoke about, ‘kay?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Good. Bye swe-Hold on. Lou wants to speak to you real quick.” Sasha said handing the ‘phone to a much too eager-looking Lou.
“Hey, Jess! I was just wondering if they’re packages are as big as they l-OW!!” Lou shouted as Sasha jumped up and smacked her over the head. Rubbing the sore spot as Sasha grabbed the ‘phone, said goodbye, and put it down.
“You are absolutely unbelievable!” Sasha said with a frown as she swatted Lou over the head one more time.
“What? You can’t say you weren’t wondering the same thing!”
“Be that as it may, I at least have enough decency not to ask about it.”
“Well, don’t make your problem mine,” Lou said with a glare as she resumed her spot behind her desk.
Silence fell between them as Lou started working on reducing the stack of paperwork on her desk while Sasha mulled over things in her head.
“We need to think of a way to get Jesse closer to Devon and his brother.” Sasha finally said and Lou raised her head to look at her friend, feeling a smile stretch across her mouth at the familiar mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"And why should we do that?" Lou asked tilting her head to the side curiously,
"Oh, my f- Have you even realized what is happening? Our friend got jiggy with her boss's brother, something she would never have done if she wasn't intensely interested, especially because she's had the hots for the big man for an unbelievably long time."
"So now you want to hook them up?"
"Well, that's what I'm trying to do but I need your help," Sasha said, giving her friend her best puppy-dog eyes.
“You want to get them together emotionally or physically?” Lou asked, leaning back in her chair and tapping her pen absent-mindedly against the palm of her hand.
“Both but I’m thinking the former will come after the latter,” Sasha said with a shrug.
Lou nodded slowly as she remembered something that she had seen on the television the other night. Something that would get Jesse out of her apartment and, if the two hunks with her were smart enough, into Jax and Devon's home.
“What? Did you think of something?” Sasha asked when she saw Lou’s grin widen even further.
“I think I may have a plan.” She said and the two friends quietly started discussing and fine-tuning Lou’s outrageous idea.