The Casino Billionaire

Chapter 16

We get inside my apartment and it is quiet. Shawna is normally up by now. She never sleeps past seven. It makes me crazy. The weekends are meant to sleep in. She will be up making all kinds of noise disrupting my weekend slumber. I look at Jason a bit of fear on my face He has no idea why. He hasn't been around enough to know Shawna's routine. We head to her bedroom. Outside the door, we hear Shawna make a sound like pain. Jason doesn't knock or anything, he just opens the door. I try to grab his arm before he busts in on her and whomever she has in there with her.

"Rex?" Jason's voice cracks. It is really cute.

"What the hell!"Shawna yells out covering herself.

"I am so sorry! I couldn't stop him. You sounded like you were in pain." I can't help but laugh.

"GET OUT!" Shawna screams.

I grabbed Jason's arm laughing harder and drag him out of her room. "Maybe let them get dressed?" 

Taking Jason to the living room, I sit him on the couch. He is in awe. His face looks disturbed and amused at the same time. We sit there for a good half hour before Rex emerges from Shawna's room. I can't help but chuckle at the look on his face. Rex looks like a teenager who just got busted with his girlfriend. He is waiting for Jason to punish him. Shawna finally comes into the living room. Her face red. She moves next to Rex and they await their fate.

"Why did you not tell me, Rex? She is a beautiful woman. I thought we were better friends than this." Jason seems to be hurt by the fact that Rex never told him about his feelings for Shawna.

"I noticed it last night when he came to pick me up. The look he at Shawna on our way out the door was, well, needing." I place my hand upon Jason's.

"It just happened. It wasn't expected. I've had the chance to get to know her and she is amazing."Rex puts his arm around Shawna and her face turns tomato red.

"You're pretty awesome too big guy." Shawna smacks his ass making me laugh and both Rex and Jason's eye grow wide.

"That is so wonderful sweetie!" I get up and hug Shawna. 

She smiles at me, "I couldn't help myself." We both laugh while the guys just stare at us.

"You are alright with this?" Jason asks me.

"Of course I am. Rex is a great guy. He helped take care of her at her worst, now he has seen her at her best." Shawna about falls over laughing at that comment. Jasons jaw drops and Rex blushes a bit. I walk over and place my hand under Jason's chin and close his mouth.

"Then what can I say? You two go for it and see what happens. You do understand Shawna, that he and I are busy men and there will be times that he will be gone for weeks. He is my bodyguard, driver, and friend." Jason looks to Shawna hoping she understands.  

"Wait a minute." I halt the conversation. "Weeks? You will leave me for weeks?" I almost went crazy having him away from me for that month. He cannot leave me for long like that again.

"Yeah, that is something I wanted to discuss with you today. Then this happened." Jason takes my hand pulling me back onto the couch with him. "I was called this morning about one of my casinos. It will be opening next weekend. Rex and I need to go and take care of all the finishing touches before the doors can open. I was hoping that you would go with me, be there for the opening, give me your opinion on the setup, and what else might need to be done." He looks deep into my eyes waiting for a response.

"I have to work. Remember my job here at the foundry? I can't just walk away." Jason has to understand that this is all new. What if we don't work out? What if he gets bored with me? What if we are seen together and the paparazzi use our relationship to hurt his reputation? Too many questions that I have no answers for.

"You do not need to work there any longer. Come work for me. Help me take care of the casinos, make them better. You are so incredible. I want you to be there with me  every moment of every day." He is so sincere, which makes it difficult to tell him no.

I turn to Jason, "I can't leave my job. I love working at the foundry. It's the first job I've ever had where they accept me for who I am and help to make me better at the job, myself, and the way I feel about the world. It is important to me. To just give that up to run off with the man that I hope to have a long, successful, wonderful, friendship, love with seems crazy, like giving up something I love for another thing that may not be forever. I'm so not explaining this well. That job defines me. I worked hard to get to this place and it feels like if I just up and leave it, I am leaving me behind to become your back up, another person in your shadow." My head goes into my hands. I so screwed this up.

"No, Jennifer, I understand. It would be like you asking me to stop what I do and sit here waiting for you to get home every day." He takes my hands from my face placing his on my cheeks so that I am looking straight into his eyes, "Your happiness is so important to me. Yes, I want to be where you are at all times but, I have to understand that we had two very different lives when we met and it is wrong of me to ask you to just drop your life to come and live mine." He kisses me so gently, so sweetly. I turn into putty in his hands.

"Oh my God! Just get married already! Do you not see how perfect you two are for each other?" Shawna blurts out. Rex pulls her tight to him making her shut up.

Jason and I can't help but laugh at her. Though I do like the thought of being his wife. "One day, Shawna. One day she will be." He smiles with a seriousness that scares me a little. "Will you at least fly out on Saturday and come to the opening? You will need to go shopping. There is no way you can wear the dress you did last night to my opening. No one will see anything but you." His eyes sparkle with the thought of seeing me in that gorgeous dress last night.

"Hell yeah, we can!" Shawna blurts out. I jump at her outburst and we all laugh.

"I think that can be arranged, Mr. Joens." That dazzling smile remains on his face and he kisses me once again.

We make a big breakfast and talk about everything and anything. It feels so wonderful to have Jason and Rex at our table. They bring an ambiance to the apartment that Shawna and I have been missing for far too long.