Justice For Juniper (Tatienne Richard) novel Chapter 45

Crazy Ideas – Part I

Adil was spinning both Juniper and Suki on the dance floor while Phineas and Beni were both watching from the bar.

“You’re late.”

Beni leaned closer to him, “I stopped for gas on the way. I told her I’d be the DD tonight.”

“You’re going to drive? Maybe Adil and I are crashing at your place tonight.” Phineas grinned at his best friend. He looked to the dance floor and felt a squeezing in his chest he’d not quite felt in a very long. “Remember our first day of college and I saw Lindsay for the first time?”

“You pretty much popped a boner, declared she was yours for the rest of college and made it happen. You liked her, a lot.”

“I did until she wanted to get married and I wasn’t ready and knew then it wasn’t really love.” He stared at Juniper. “The day in the office when I was a cock to her?”

“Yeah?”

“I was pissed off she was married to that fucker instead of me.”

The quiet words from Phineas, barely audible over the noise of the people, the music and the thrum of energy, were the loudest admission he ever made.

“Phineas.” Beni seemed shocked by the words.

“I’m angry. I’m angry he had something so pure, sweet, whole as her, and he hurt her the way he did. She deserves to be worshipped day and night and he fucked Denise of all people, in their home, on the bed she sleeps in, as if changing the sheets was enough.”

“We saw her tonight,” Beni said quietly. “At the gas station. Sunshine smacked her in the face.”

“What? Why?” he looked at his best friend in confusion. He could not picture Juniper reacting violently to anything.

“I’ve been a bit touchy feely with her. Denise was trying to cause a scene with me demanding I make you talk to her. She said she recognized Juniper, and she identified herself with panache. Denise accused us of sleeping together. Juniper smacked her in the face for being a hypocritical bitch. I discretely already sent a text to Adil to get the video surveillance in case Denise tries to use the slap to go after Juniper.”

“Go, Sweetheart,” he whistled through his teeth.

“She told Denise unlike her and Kyst, she’d never violate her marital vows, but she’s separated now and if she wanted to have sex with me, or Adil or you, she would and there was no law against it. Denise nearly combusted on the spot at the idea of her being in your bed.”

“I was in her kitchen while she and Suki were fighting over whether or not she needed to wear panties under the thing. I crossed every crossable bone in my body for no, but the Gods did not favor me today.”

Phineas laughed his ass off at Beni’s comment. “I don’t know. I think it’s best for now. She doesn’t need us pawing at her and having sex with her, Beni. She needs coddling, attention, patience and a man who isn’t going to go looking for the next best thing because she can’t or even won’t put out. We need to reassure her kisses and touching is enough.”

“You’re sharing insider secrets with me?” Beni asked with a laugh.

“When I win her, it’s not going to be because I played dirty,” he said with a wide grin which earned him a punch from his best friend. He couldn’t take his eyes off Juniper, who was laughing at something Adil whispered in her ear. Her head thrown back, her mouth pulled wide, and her body relaxed as she happily allowed Adil to hug her to his chest. “There she is.”

Beni frowned, “what?”

“That,” he nodded at her, “that’s what I remember the first time Adil pointed her out to me. The laughing, smiling, happy woman who had the world at her feet. We took it from her, and I was worried we’d done too much mage but she’s still in there Come back out.”

going to bounce back fast, neas.” Beni said quietly. “She’s far more resilient than we initially gave her credit for.”

“She lost everything in a day. It wasn’t I didn’t think she would be resilient. It was I couldn’t fathom how anyone could recover after such devastation and come out the same.” He was pensive, looking at Juniper curiously and then he took her drink and Suki’s drink and motioned to the other two, “grab those. One is mine and one is Adil’s. Let’s go woo our girl.”