Текст книги "Becoming a Jett Girl"
Автор книги: Meghan Quinn
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 21 страниц)
Chapter Nineteen
“Dark Horse”
Goldie/Lo
Rays of sun pierced through my closed lids as I tried to fight the morning light and sleep a little longer. I knew this was my last morning in the Lafayette Club and I wanted to soak in as much of it as possible.
I was still hurting from last night. Kace made it quite clear that he didn’t think I could make it as a Jett Girl and he didn’t think I belonged in the club, let alone his presence. What I didn’t get was, why? Why did he have such strong hateful feelings toward me?
My eyes finally opened and, as I scanned the room that gave me hope for once in the past nine years of my crap life, I felt a tear trickle down my face as I tried to figure out what I was going to do. I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have a place to live, although Lyla would most likely invite me back to the apartment, but I didn’t want to go back there.
I most likely didn’t have a job back at Kitten’s Castle. Who knew how Jett had ended my job there? I was worse off than when I came here and what was even worse was the fact that I had gotten used to the rich dwellings, the plentiful food in my stomach, and the feeling of someone watching over me and taking care of me.
Needing to get my day started, I threw the covers off my legs for the last time and dangled my feet off the high bed. I looked at the flowers I received from Jett and took in their scent. They were so beautiful…just like me he said. I was going to miss…
“What’s this?” I murmured to myself as I saw an envelope on my nightstand propped up with my name on it. It wasn’t there before, so someone must have put it in my room, either early this morning or last night.
I tore it open, showing absolutely zero grace, and read it.
Lo,
I send my deepest regrets and apology for what you had to go through last night. I want you to know the behavior of those two men was unacceptable and is not tolerated. Their memberships to the club have been revoked, effective immediately, and infinitely terminated.
Last night was an incident I never would have wished upon one of my girls and the way Kace reacted was out of line. He has been warned. You and the other girls are to be treated with the utmost respect because you deserve it. You hold the cards in this house, all of you do. We are all at your mercy, so next time another member, myself, or Kace treats you without respect, you are allowed to leave and remove yourself from that situation because you are better than that, you deserve better than that.
You deserve to be treated like a Queen.
I don’t want last night to deter you from moving forward. I have been watching you and the way you interacted with the girls and a couple of the members last night; you are the exact fit I was looking for. You bring light to this dark house. No wonder your parent’s named you Goldie, your golden rays fill this house with the kind of refreshing attitude we needed.
I look forward to seeing more of you and watching as you grow into a Jett Girl because I have never been more sure about anything in my life than you being here.
-Jett
The man had to know he was good at writing letters because in a matter of seconds, he stripped me down and bared my broken soul and sewed it back up with a couple of words.
A couple of seconds ago, I was ready to pack my pathetic pillow case and walk out the wrought iron gates of this beautiful house, but after reading Jett’s card, I felt invigorated and ready to work my ass off to prove Kace wrong and Jett right.
I went to my closet, put on my workout clothes, grabbed my phone and ear buds and went down to the little gym that we had access to. The girls wouldn’t be down there yet and, if I wanted to become a Jett Girl, I had a lot of catching up to do and that meant I had to put in the extra time.
Kace could go fuck his own dick for all I cared. I was going to show him what a giant ass he was and how far he shoved his foot in his mouth last night. He might be hot as hell and I might have wanted to straddle him and take what I wanted last night, but not now. Now all I wanted was to drive him crazy with proving him wrong, but also drive him crazy with the body he didn’t think was good enough.
I smiled to myself as I turned on my workout playlist and started the treadmill. Kace was going to get a rude awakening. Not only was he going to be told, but he was going to be in physical pain from dealing with my scantily-clad body.
Babs walked in the room and stopped instantly when she saw me already working up a sweat.
“Good morning,” she said, as she got on the treadmill next to me.
Pausing the treadmill, I turned toward her and straddled the conveyor belt.
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure,” she said, as she took a drink from her water bottle.
“Can you teach me everything there is to know about being a Jett Girl?”
A small smile crossed Babs’ face. “It’s about time, girl. You sticking it to Kace?”
“I want to do a lot more then stick it to him, but yes, I want to show him that I was born to do this. I want to prove him so wrong.”
“Thank God. I have been waiting for you to finally crack. Kace has been a total dick to you. Don’t worry. I’ll rally the girls and we’ll get you in prime Jett Girl shape. We’ll have you on stage doing a solo in no time. You’ve already got the looks and the body; you just need to learn the attitude.”
Excitement coursed through my body at the thought of being totally made over…not physically, but mentally and emotionally. This was it for me. I was going to be a Jett Girl if it was the last thing I did and I was going to be the best Jett Girl in the club because I had the four best girls with all different traits to teach me.
I put my ear buds back in my ears, turned up my new favorite Katy Perry song and ran to the beat of her latest hit, Dark Horse. I was coming after Kace and there was no going back.
Chapter Twenty
“Hysteria”
Jett
There was a definite change in Goldie and I noticed it after the morning I left her a note on her night stand. It was risky, dropping off the letter myself, but I wanted to be near her. I wanted her to be able to feel my heat and know that I was there for her, even though I had yet to truly meet her. It just wasn’t time yet. I wanted her to build herself first, become her own person. I wanted her to want to be a Jett Girl and not because she could be invited up to the Bourbon Room. I wanted her to want to change and it seemed like she did.
She was spunkier, sassier and sexier. Watching her practice with the girls was sweet torture. At first, she looked like she had two left feet as she tried to learn the steps to some of Pepper’s most complicated presentations, but she started to get it and when she did, fuck, I was sweating just watching her.
She wasn’t tall like the other girls, but she was curvy and in all the right places and she knew exactly how to show off all her assets. She was going to be trouble with the members and I was prepared to throw out every member of the club who even tried to touch her. She was only there for them to look at and, if I were honest, I didn’t even want that.
“I thought this meeting was at one,” Kace said as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat next to me. He was wearing a suit and tie and was basically with me for intimidation factor. Two strong, tall and powerful men against one always carried the advantage, and that was what I needed, an advantage.
“Patience, Kace.”
“Fuck patience. I have shit to do today.”
“Like what?”
“I have practices to watch. I don’t spend my days watching over people on security cameras. I actually have to interact with them.”
I leaned back in my chair and swished the bourbon around in my glass as I studied my friend for too many years. He was always a moody little bitch, but even more now than before and I knew the reason why.
“Interesting little spat you had with Goldie in the hallway.”
“Lo,” Kace corrected me.
I leaned forward and looked him directly in the eyes. “I can call her whatever the fuck I want, so correct me one more time and you won’t like what happens.” I took a sip of my drink and continued, “It seemed like you and Goldie were getting intimate.”
I never brought up the other night to Kace because I thought he handled it well, besides what he said to her. That was why I wrote that note to Goldie; I didn’t want her taking off because of Kace taking his anger out on her.
“She’s horny as hell and persistent. You’re going to have to do something about that.”
“She’s fine. What I’m worried about is you and the way you look at her.”
“Nothing is going on.”
“I know nothing is going on, but that doesn’t mean nothing is going on in your head.”
Kace was about to answer when we were interrupted by the clearing of a man’s throat. I looked up and made eye contact with the same color eyes as mine.
I stood up and held out my hand, “Dad. Please have a seat.”
“I didn’t expect to be invited to lunch by you Jett. I was rather shocked when I saw the appointment on my calendar.”
He looked over at Kace and nodded his head. “I see you are still choosing to hang out with the bottom dwellers.”
My dad was never a fan of the Haywoods; he always thought they were below us, since they were a blue collar family, making it through life paycheck to paycheck. I knew better than to judge people by the amount of money in their wallets, but to judge them by the convictions they hold in their hearts.
“Nice to see you too, Leo,” Kace responded while taking a longer sip of his beer than normal.
The waitress brought over a scotch for my dad and I watched as he routinely stirred the drink three times before putting it up to his lips and taking a sip. Anger rolled through my body as my dad admired his beloved scotch. The man would choose his scotch over his own flesh and blood any day.
“So, tell me what the hell I’m doing here,” Leo said, while leaning back in his chair with his leg crossed over his knee, eying me with that “no bullshit” look.
“I wanted to talk to you in person about the Lot 17 property we both seem to be going after.”
A small glimpse of surprise spread across Leo’s face, but he quickly tamped it down.
“I was unaware you knew of my interest.”
“Well, I do and I know how you’re trying to grab the property, so I suggest you let it go or I have no problem turning in you and your friends from city planning to the officials.”
A sardonic laugh escaped Leo’s mouth. “You have no clue who I know. Go ahead, try to turn me in.”
I leaned forward and said, “You have no fucking clue who I know and you can bet your sorry ass, they’re a lot higher than your people.”
Leo set his glass down and said, “You think you own this city, don’t you? I taught you everything you know.”
“Yeah, and instead of trying to put all my knowledge to financial gain, I try to put it to good use, to help people.”
“You really think you’re helping people?” He laughed again, “People are only using you. Don’t you get that? They are all using you. You have money and money is what they want; they don’t care about you, no one ever has. Not even your whore of a mother, who used you too.”
I slammed my fist on the table, silencing all conversations around us. I leaned forward, ignoring the onlookers and said, “Don’t you dare talk about my mother.”
Leo just laughed again and looked at Kace. “What is a little fuck like you doing here?”
The look on Kace’s face spoke murder. He knew of the shitty family past I had, so it was understandable that he was on the verge of taking my dad out with one swift uppercut.
“Trying not to beat you to a bloody pulp,” Kace said, while placing his fists on the table.
Visibly, my dad recoiled, knowing the true potential Kace had of hurting a man and my ability to cover it up.
“What do you want from me?”
“I want you to back off. That property is supposed to be earmarked for the Boys and Girls Clubs. Be a decent human for once in your life and back off.”
Leo shook his head and stood up while buttoning his suit jacket.
“Not going to happen. That’s prime property and I have plans for it. Sorry, son.” The way he said son made my skin crawl. “Go play games with someone else because I am way out of your league. Don’t fuck with what I want because, if you do, I’ll make sure to ruin everything and everyone in your life, even your precious new girl, Goldie.”
He smiled and turned on his heels right out the door. I sat there in shock as I tried to wrap my head around what he said. How did he know about Goldie? I did everything in my power to protect my girls and keep them completely anonymous.
“Fuck,” I said into my hands, as I placed my elbows on the table.
“How does…?”
“I don’t even know,” I said, before Kace could finish his question. “But we need to make sure my dad never goes near Goldie, because he is ruthless. You know what he did to my mom. Make sure you know where she is at all times when she leaves the house, even if you need to have Reggie follow her.”
“Not sure how much longer she’s going to stay.”
“She’s fucking staying, so you need to get over your playground crush and move the fuck along.”
I wasn’t very eloquent when I was angry, but I didn’t care. What I did care about was keeping my girls safe and if that meant I had to be a controlling prick, then that was what I was going to be.
Anger was seething through my veins, sending me into a dark place and there was only one way to get out of it.
I got out of my chair, leaving plenty of money on the table for the poor waitress who had to serve us and walked toward the exit with Kace closely behind me. When we got in my car, I looked out of the window and said, “Make sure Pepper is in the Bourbon Room when I get back.”
***
Pepper was hanging over the upholstered table that stood in the middle of the room, completely naked and ready for me. God, she was so good at being ready for me. It was so easy with Pepper, especially when I was in one of my moods. I could be rough and she didn’t mind and that was exactly what I needed.
I walked over to her delightfully naked body and placed my hand on the small of her back and leaned over so she could see me.
“Are you ready for me?”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly.
“How long have you been waiting for me?”
“Too long.”
“Are you complaining?”
“No. I just can’t wait for you to be inside of me.”
“Good answer. What do you need to say to me, Pepper?” I asked, as I slowly took off my clothes, allowing her to watch.
“I am here to submit to you.”
“Music to my ears.”
I took off my socks and shoes as I sat in one of the chairs. I always undressed myself and occasionally let the girls watch, if I was in the mood. I like to be in control at all times and that even meant I wanted to be in control of the pace my clothes were shed.
Pepper licked her lips as she took in my entire naked body.
“Is this what you want?” I asked, while grabbing my erect cock.
She nodded her head as I walked up behind her.
“I didn’t have a very good meeting. I need to take my mind off of it.”
“You know that’s what I’m here for.”
I didn’t like her comment. I wanted her to be here for pleasure, not for my own personal use, even though I did call upon her when I wanted her. Still, I wanted her to want to be here.
I pulled back and said, “Do you want to be here, Pepper? Do you want to be pleasured?”
“God, yes. All of us wait for the minute you call us up here. We like to please you Jett, and we love to be pleased. I think Lo is going out of her mind from not being called up.” The minute she said the words, I knew she regretted them and I wished she hadn’t said them either. I didn’t want to think about Goldie. It was one of the reasons I was about to pound the fuck out of Pepper.
“Does she talk about me?” Why did I just ask that? I was about to tell Pepper not to answer when she interrupted me.
“No.” For some reason, her answer shot a dagger through me, cutting my libido in half. “But you can see it in her eyes that she wants to be with you every time one of us is called up to the Bourbon Room. She is ready for you Jett and I think she’s going to blow all your rules out of the water.”
I had the same fear about Goldie. Maybe that was why I was holding off on inviting her up to the Bourbon Room, because I knew the moment she submitted herself to me, I was going to lose all control.
I didn’t respond to Pepper. Instead, I spread her legs and ran my dick along her already-slick folds.
“You’re so wet. Does thinking about me taking Lo turn you on?”
“She’s hot…so, I don’t know, maybe.”
“You’ll never be able to watch.”
“I know. Maybe a threesome?” she asked with a chuckle.
“Nice try.” It would be hot, I thought, but I was a one woman in the Bourbon Room kind of guy. Even when Francy and Tootse were up here, I let them do what they wanted and I just watched. I never took two women at once, it wasn’t my style. I believed that when I invited a woman up to my room, she was to have my full attention; she deserved it for pleasing me.”
I slipped inside of her, letting her walls adjust to my size. I gripped her right hip with my right hand and pushed down on the small of her back with my left hand and started moving around her round ass.
“Tell me how I feel inside of you.”
“So fucking good.”
“How do you want me? Slow?” I asked, while I very slowly drew myself out of her and then repeated the process as I plunged back in with the utmost carefulness.
“You know that’s not how we both want it. I want it raw.”
Her words sent me into a frenzy as I drove myself into her perfect body. I spread her legs even further and gripped her hips as I fucked her into oblivion. I lost all control and hammered into her, letting go of all the worries my dad put into me and all the pent-up angst I had over Goldie. I needed her, but I knew it wasn’t time yet, so I just fucked out my frustration.
“Oh God, Jett I need you harder. Fuck me harder.”
I gripped her hair and twisted it around my knuckles, pulling her head back as I pounded into the back of her. My other hand snaked around her front and gripped her tight nipples as they sung from my brash movements. I wasn’t sweet, I wasn’t kind, I was a rabid beast seeking one thing and one thing only, my own release.
Sweat dipped off my brow as I exerted myself, pumping my dick into her until I couldn’t feel my fucking toes anymore. She screamed my name as her pussy clenched around my cock and, at that moment, I was gone too. My whole body went rigid as I blew my passion into her with all my force and all my pent up energy.
Fuck, I felt like passing out as silence fell between us. I pulled her off the table and sat her up so I could look into her eyes. She looked like she had just been sedated by my cock. Pride surged through my bones from knowing I was able to turn a woman into mush with my passion.
“She’s going to give you a run for you money,” Pepper said, while she ran a finger over my jaw.
“I know.”
“You are so screwed.”
Pepper knew me too well, because I was…royally screwed when it came to Goldie.
Chapter Twenty One
“Nasty Naughty Boy”
Goldie/Lo
“Yes, just like that!” Pepper praised me as I practiced sliding up and down one of the poles that lined the back of the Toulouse Room. “Fuck, you are really hot up there. You’re going to drive the members crazy.”
I wanted to drive more than the members crazy. It had been two weeks since Kace told me how he really felt about me and, every day since then, I have been busting my ass night and day, learning the choreography for each presentation, perfecting my waitressing and working out to the point where my body was numb most days. I did have to admit, I felt stronger, especially while holding myself up on the pole.
“Okay, now wrap your legs around the pole and…”
“Like this?” I asked as I clenched the pole with my thighs and slid down head first. I stopped my descent with my arms, flipped over so I was right side up, and did the splits.
The look of surprise on all the girls’ faces was priceless, but out of everyone, I think I was the most shocked.
“Holy shit, did I just do that?”
The girls laughed as they applauded and bowed to me.
“I think I have a lady boner,” Francy said as she leaned back in her chair with Tootse on the floor between her legs.
“You know Lo, you can always come on over to our side. We always enjoy recruiting some hot lesbians,” Tootse said with a smile.
“Sorry girls, even though I could totally envision tapping that, I kind of like a giant cock.”
“Then you’ll like Jett,” Babs said absentmindedly, as she fiddled around with a new makeup shipment that had come in.
All our heads shot to Babs as she stood there. She shrugged her head and smiled. “Oops, sorry, just slipped out.”
“Jett has a tree trunk?” I asked.
Pepper laughed, then leaned forward and said, “We’re not supposed to talk about our encounters with him, but I will tell you this, he’s big….big.”
“Thank fuck,” I responded, as I got off the ground and started stretching. I was getting tight from all the workouts I’d been putting my body through. “For all I knew, the guy could have a small dick and I would have to fake it for years.”
“You won’t have to fake it, that’s for damn sure.”
Interesting, I thought. My celibacy was bordering on a month now and I was about to combust. Every night when I was watching the girls dance and I was serving drinks, I got hornier and hornier. I started to think that maybe I was turning into a lesbian if I was getting so damn turned on just watching, but after learning the moves from Pepper, I understood that each move was geared toward enticing the members and fuck were they enticed.
When serving drinks, I always liked taking a look down at their crotches to see where their arousal state was at. Two nights ago, there was a man there that was actually pretty attractive, I had no clue who the hell he was, but he had one impressive erection.
Francy got up and tossed me a bottle of water. “What do you think girls? I think she’s ready.”
“You’re just saying that because you want off the stage,” I countered, as I took a sip of the cold water. Even though I was wearing next to nothing, I was hot as hell.
“No, I think she’s right,” Pepper added. “You’re nailing all the dances and I can’t lie, I think you’re looking better than me. You’re more than ready. I say we get her into the rotation, at least a couple of nights.”
“I completely agree,” Babs added. “Plus, it will be nice not to have to give a lap dance for one night. Lord knows, when you step in, I won’t have to do one for a while.”
“But don’t you want the income?” I asked.
The girls all looked at each other and laughed, as if I was missing something. “What? I don’t get it.”
“Lo, you have been here for what? Almost a month?” Pepper asked. I nodded. “Then you probably have more money in your bank account right now then you earned the last several months.”
“Wait, what?” I felt like I needed to clean my ears out because Pepper was talking like a crazy person.
“That’s a conversation you need to have with Kace. First things first, we need to get you into the rotation.”
“Well, you would have to talk to Kace about that one,” I said while playing with my water bottle. “He’s such a dick; he’ll never let me do anything other than serve drinks. For some godforsaken reason, the creepy piece of foreskin he is, he has some idea that I’m…” all the girls stiffened in front of me as my voice trailed off. I turned around and came face to face with a not-so-happy-looking Kace.
“Please, don’t let me stop your rant,” he said with his arms crossed his chest.
Speechless.
Mortified.
Red as a fucking beet.
“That’s what I thought. Girls, go get fitted for Saturday’s presentation. Lo, stay here. You have something you have to tell me?”
All the girls filed out, so much for all for one, one for all. They left me like a dangling piece of meat in front of a very ornery alligator ready to pounce.
Once they left, I turned and faced Kace who was wearing a pair of workout pants and a tight fitted T-shirt. He looked too damn good to be such an asshole.
“Now, what did you want to say to me?”
Mustering up enough courage, I crossed my arms, mimicking his posture and said, “I’m ready to be put in the rotation. I’m pretty sure I’ve proved myself enough; I know all the moves and I even have some of my own.”
Kace looked me up and down and said, “You’re not ready.”
Infuriated, I pushed his chest in anger and said, “Fuck you, I’m not ready. What do I need to do to prove it?”
Shock registered across his face from my push. Granted, he didn’t move, since he was a damn brick wall, but he was still shocked.
“There is nothing…”
“Sit,” I demanded. “Sit in one of these damn chairs and I will prove it.”
“Lo…”
“Sit! Damn it!” I might have lost it slightly, but I was sick of hiding on the floor and not being able to be up on stage where I belonged. I felt it in my bones; I was more than ready and I was going to show this dick on a stick that I belonged there.
He sat in the chair I pointed at and eyed me suspiciously. I grabbed the remote to the stereo and shifted to my favorite song. Christina Aguilera started to play through the speakers and I instantly felt like I was in my element.
“What are you doing?”
“Proving to you I belong where the members can see me. I belong in the spotlight.”
He was about to protest when I started unbuttoning my shirt. Today I wore a black one with black stilettos, which I am grateful for now because I could see Kace starting to squirm in his chair.
Christina’s voice rang through the room as I dropped the shirt to the floor and slowly started walking toward Kace to the beat of the music. The song was seductive and sexy, the perfect combination to show Kace what I was made of.
I stood in front of him and presented my body to him. His arms were to his sides, like the members were required, and he looked my body up and down, nodding in appreciation. Getting the go ahead from his nod, which was required for a lap dance, I continued to move forward. I took my index finger and ran the length of his collar bone as I walked around him, making sure to run my finger lightly across his back when I reached it and back around to his collar bone.
Once I got back in front of him, I turned my back toward him, giving him a great view of my thong-clad ass and bent down, running my hands down my legs and then slowly back up to the beat of the music. Once I got back up I twisted back around, bent over so my hands were on his knees and spread them, giving me the perfect triangle support to work on.
The music was incredibly slow, so it gave me time to gradually move my body, giving him an amazing show. I looked up and squeezed my arms against my breasts so he had a great shot of my cleavage, which he easily took advantage of while licking his lips. He was intrigued.
Working my head down, I did a body wave like motion, starting with my head at his crotch and then worked my way up his body so my breasts pressed against his chest and my hair brushed against his face. I felt him suck in a giant wave of air as my breasts barely skimmed his cheek. I had him.
I turned back around and lowered my butt onto his lap with my hands bracing myself on his thighs…his upper thighs. The minute I made contact with his lap, I knew I was winning because he was sporting a massive erection. I couldn’t lie, sitting on his lap was just as much as a turn on for me as it was for him. I hovered on his lap and worked my pelvis to the song. Slow rotations of my hips caressed his probing arousal, sending my nerve endings into high gear. I felt my breath start to hitch. I leaned back against his chest as my head rested on his shoulder and my hips continued to move. We were both breathing heavily as I continued to work him.
Desperately, I wanted him to move his hands across my stomach, pinch my nipples, and move his hands under my thong, but he wasn’t moving an inch. I grabbed the back of his neck and used that as support as I pulled myself off of him and then turned around, quickly settling back on his lap. I thrust my breasts into his face, letting him bury his head in them for just a second before I pulled away.
I used his shoulders as support as I started to rock back and forth on his erection. A slight moan escaped my throat, as I felt his dick press against my slick folds. Fuck, I was going to come from a lap dance, but I didn’t care. I was past the stage of horny and at the brink of my pussy turning into dust if I didn’t get any soon.
“Fuck…” Kace said under his breath as I picked up my pace.
His jaw was locked tightly as he studied my body moving up and down. His dick continued to press against me and seemed like it wouldn’t stop growing. Did all the men have massive dicks around here? I thought, as I continued to work him.
His chest heaved as he continued to look at me as the song took over my body. There was no stopping me.
Finally, as if my body couldn’t take it anymore, he moved his hands so they caressed my sides. I could see it in his glazed-over eyes that he had lost his tightly-wound control and the fact that I was able to take down such a strong man like Kace, drove me to push him even further. I started lifting my ass, imitating the act of sex; now if only there weren’t two strips of fabric between us.
His hands caressed the underside of my bra-clad breasts and then fell underneath the string on my thong and gripped my ass. One more fucking squeeze from his hands and I was done. I felt my legs start to tingle as my center started to constrict. Another moan escaped my mouth as my head fell back in pleasure.
“Fucking Christ,” Kace murmured as his pelvis thrust in the air and he bit down on his bottom lip.
Just as I was about to scream bloody murder from an all-consuming dry humping, Kace’s phone went off and just like an ice cold bucket of water poured over us, Kace shot up and out of the chair and grabbed for his phone in his pocket…erection still poking through his pants. There was a little wet spot on his pants and I didn’t know who it was from, but fuck it was hot.
He looked down at his phone while he ran his hand through his hair. As if he read the president had been murdered, he brought the phone closer to his eyes for a better read and then looked at me with surprise in his eyes.