Darker (The Dark Billionaire, #3) (7 page)

“I don’t know what it means, Bruce! I’m surprised as much as you are! Maybe it’s from the hotel management?”

“Yeah, probably! Let me read you what’s on this little card. You must be very intimate with the hotel staff to receive such a note with flowers.” Bruce’s face was dark and threatening, a total and drastic shift from the relaxed look he had just a few minutes earlier. “
To Jennifer – So far, yet so close. I miss you. E.
”

Bruce threw the flowers and the card on the bed and approached Jennifer, his eyes filled with anger. “You owe me an explanation. I’m waiting.”

Jennifer was sweating, and her heart was racing. All kinds of thoughts were going through her mind, and she couldn’t control herself.
Damn, Enzo! Why do you have to bring me troubles?

She took Bruce’s hands and kissed them desperately. “It’s not what you think, baby. I promise you, it’s nothing.”

“Where have you been during these three days? What are all these messages you keep receiving? You think I don’t hear them? Don’t lie to me...” Bruce was shaking but his voice was calm yet threatening.

“You’re scaring me, Bruce.” Jennifer said, overwhelmed by anxiety and feeling her legs become jelly. She was nearly crying. “Promise me you won’t get mad at me.”

“I don’t have to promise you anything!” Bruce was shouting, forcing her to look down. “Now answer me! Where have you been? Who’s
E
?”

“It stands for Enzo...” Jennifer finally managed to say in a low voice. “I met him in a bar next to my hotel. I swear I wasn’t trying to flirt or anything, it just happened. He came to talk to me, he was nice and, to be honest, I didn’t have any reason to be rude to him so we spent the last three days together. He took me around the city. That’s it, Bruce, there’s nothing more between me and him.”

Bruce grabbed her by the arm. “Did you fuck him?”

Even though she expected Bruce to ask, Jennifer felt shocked by the brutality and rudeness of the question. “NO! Are you crazy! Who do you think I am? I didn’t sleep with him!”

Bruce chuckled nervously. “You know... I don’t expect you to tell me that you’re the kind of woman who sleeps with strangers – I mean, who would ever admit that? Of course, you will tell me that it’s not your style. My ex-wife, what do you think she told me when I confronted her? Tell me – what do you think she said?”

“I understand how you feel, but don’t compare me, please. There’s really nothing to...”

“WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE SAID?” Bruce was screaming at her.

Jennifer started to cry – she was really scared. “I... I don’t know, Bruce. I don’t know what she said to make you mad like this.”

“She said;
I would never do that to you. You’re the one and only. I’ve never looked at any other man since I was with you. I hate women who cheat and lie... I could never do that to you.
”

Bruce suddenly punched the wall with such force that all the windows shook, and it made Jennifer jump. “AND WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE DID TO ME?” His face was red, and Jennifer could see his veins popping out of his neck and his temples.

“Bruce, I’m begging you – calm down! I’m not like her. How can I prove it to you?” Jennifer was crying, her tears rolling on her cheeks and her lower lip trembling. “PLEASE, Bruce! PLEASE!”

“How do I know? You want me to believe you just like that? Don’t you think that I have enough experience to know when something’s wrong? Do you have any idea how it feels to be committed to someone for life and be betrayed? Do you?”

She fell down on her knees and hugged his legs. She couldn’t stop crying. “I’m not your ex-wife, Bruce. Stop living in the past, please! I’m begging you, Bruce... I’m not her...”

Jennifer felt desperate – she had never seen him lose control like that and she was afraid of losing him for good. She realized how sensitive he was about trust, jealousy and relationships in general. He appeared to be the kind of man who didn’t pay attention and didn’t care... but deep inside, behind the mask of the powerful and super confident man, he was extremely fragile and easily hurt. She deeply regretted what had happened with Enzo and wished she could turn back the hands of time.

I should have thought about it. Bruce has a difficult past, and he would go crazy for anything when it comes to trust in a relationship. My God, help me! I don’t want to lose him. I’m so sorry!

“You swear to me you didn’t sleep with that guy?”

“I swear to God, Bruce! He’s not my lover - he’s not even my friend! We just hung out together while I was away.”

“Do you keep in touch with him?”

“He got my phone number, but I didn’t contact him. He’s the only one sending me messages. I didn’t reply. Now that I’m with you, there’s no need to keep in touch with him anyway. He was just like... a guide to me, okay? Just consider him as a guide if you want. He probably had a crush on me. He saw me getting in our hotel, probably asked for my name, and sent me flowers. Voilà! The guy thinks that I will let him get closer, but he’s wrong. He has no idea who I already have in my life...” Jennifer leaned her head against his thighs and caressed him.

Bruce seemed to calm down; his face became more relaxed, the veins on his neck disappeared, and he breathed normally. “Get rid of that number. You don’t need it anymore. We’ll get you a new one tomorrow.”

“Sure. I can get rid of the flowers as well. I don’t care. I don’t want you to feel bad.”

“Do as you want...” Bruce gently pulled away from Jennifer and went to the bathroom, leaving her on the floor.

He’s still mad at me. I just disarmed the bomb inside of him... but the bomb is still there, ready to explode at any moment if I’m not careful. It’s my fault... I wasn’t supposed to have fun with a complete stranger while Bruce was working. I got carried away because we had a different point of view, and I acted like an immature teen. I ruined the whole evening... it was so perfect, what a shame!

Jennifer got up and sat down on the bed, looking at the flowers and the card. She couldn’t help but think that Enzo was definitely a very nice and romantic man. He had been very thoughtful during the three days they’d spent together, and Jennifer felt guilty to ignore him like she did.

He doesn’t deserve to be ignored and left in the dark, but it’s better like this. It was just a whim, and he will probably forget me in a week or so. I don’t want to have secrets between me and Bruce - it’s not the way I want our relationship to be. Oh my God... I didn’t tell him about the kiss. Talk about being honest – I’m hiding the truth right now!

Her thoughts were interrupted when Bruce got out of the bathroom and dressed to go out.

“Baby, where are you going? You’re not going to sleep?”

“I need to go out. I’ll meet Kenichi somewhere. I can’t stay here right now. I’ll take another room for tonight. Don’t wait for me.”

“What? Where?”

“I’ll stay here in the same hotel, but I’ll see if they have another room available.” Bruce put on his shoes, walked towards the door, and turned around. “I need time. I’m not saying that you’re lying – but I can’t tell for sure if you’re telling the truth.”

“Bruce, believe me, I...”

Bruce slammed the door behind him. “Good night.”

T
he next morning, Jennifer woke up alone – Bruce hadn’t given any news since he’d left in the middle of the night. Although the situation had been tensed and less than ideal, Jennifer had fallen asleep almost immediately after taking a shower. The hot spring water, the champagne, her three orgasms, the full body massage, and the stress provoked by Bruce’s fury had completely exhausted her.

That night, she slept like a baby – a deep and regenerating sleep that fully recharged her empty batteries. The first thing she did upon waking up was take her cell phone to check if Bruce had sent her a message; but, not surprisingly, he hadn’t. 

She called the reception and asked if Bruce Wilson was in any room in the hotel. After checking, the clerk told her that Bruce was still in the hotel, two floors below her. She hung up and immediately called his room.

“Yes, what is it?” Bruce answered with a sleepy voice. He sounded drunk.

“Baby, it’s me. Are you okay?” Jennifer asked with a genuinely concerned voice. “What did you do last night? Nothing crazy I hope?”

She heard him yawning and exhaling loudly. He really sounded tired. “No, nothing crazy. I called a taxi and met Kenichi in a club. It was really fun...”

“A club? What kind of club? Were there girls over there?” Jennifer asked, slightly worried.

“Of course there were girls! You think I went to a gay club or what?”

Jennifer sounded irritated. “That’s not what I mean, Bruce. I’m not talking about customers. I’m talking about professionals – escort girls, if you like.”

“Yes, probably. There were a dozen very charming ladies at our table but I didn’t ask what they did for a living.”

“No need to be sarcastic, Bruce. I don’t need to ask you if you’re alone right now, do I?”

“What?”

“Bruce, are you still drunk? Is there anyone in bed with you right now?”

She heard the bed sheets rustling as Bruce probably moved to look around. “Yes, there is.”

Jennifer’s heart was racing.
You bastard! How dare you do this to me?

“You’ve got some nerves, Bruce! I’m coming right now! Don’t even try to make her leave before I arrive! I hate you!”

Jennifer hung up the phone and grabbed a bathrobe. She slammed the door behind her and rushed to the elevator, feet bare. She pressed the button frenetically hoping the elevator would come faster. Frustrated to wait, she finally turned around and raced down the stairs, two floors below.

When she found Bruce’s room, she banged at the door, short of breath and screaming. “Bruce! Open the door! Bruce, open immediately!”

She heard someone walking towards the door and opening it. Bruce was in underwear, looking sleepy and his hair was messy. “Jen, stop screaming you...”

Jennifer pushed him aside and rushed inside the bedroom. “Out of the way! Where is she? Where is that whore?”

To her surprise, she didn’t see any sex worker – actually, she didn’t see any woman at all. Instead, June – still in uniform – was lying on the bed, apparently half-asleep, as well.

He looked at Jennifer with surprise. “Are you calling me a whore, khun Jennifer? I know a lot of Thai men are gay, but hey! I’m not, okay? I didn’t sleep with your husband – I swear!”

Jennifer heaved a sigh of relief as her hands covered her face. “Oh my God, it’s you June! I’m so confused!”

She turned to look at Bruce. “What the hell? There are no girls with you. Why did you scare me like that? What’s wrong with you?”

Bruce put his finger on his lips to tell Jennifer to lower her voice. “Ssshh... easy princess!”

Then, he simply shrugged. “You asked me if there was anybody with me. Yes, there is! YOU concluded it was a woman...”

Jennifer rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Fine... so tell me what happened – how did you guys end up in the same bed?”

“I was too drunk last night, and Kenichi told June to drive me back. Taxi drivers can be tricky sometimes, especially when they see a drunken foreigner.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about that, definitely. That’s very thoughtful of him.” Jennifer looked at June. “Thank you, June. I really appreciate. It was probably safer for Bruce to be with you.”

Bruce continued, “June is actually on vacation and will go back to see his family this afternoon. I knew the poor guy was tired as hell, plus the bus station to go to his province is very close to the hotel. So I told him to come up and sleep here.”

“Exactly. Thank you again, khun Bruce.” June said, bending his head out of gratitude.

Bruce shook his head. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. It’s nothing, really.”

“Alright guys, I’m sorry.” Jennifer said, calming down and taking a deep breath. “It’s still early, let’s go have breakfast. June, you still have time, right? I’m starving.”

Jennifer went back to her room and got dressed, while the boys were doing the same. Fifteen minutes later, the three of them met around a table with continental breakfast.

Jennifer tried to get to know June a bit better, and asked him all sorts of questions about his background, his life, and his plans for the future. Bruce could barely keep his eyes opened and simply listened.

June was 28, just like Jennifer, and had a little 2-year-old girl waiting for him in his province and living with his parents. The mother of the girl had died when the baby was born, and June couldn’t take care of her due to his irregular schedule as a personal chauffeur. Money wasn’t a problem – Kenichi paid him well – but it was about lack of time, so June preferred to see his daughter being raised by her grandparents.

June didn’t seem very comfortable talking about his private life and quickly changed the topic. He asked Bruce, “Are you sure you can drive with the steering wheel on the right? I know it can be quite confusing for Americans. You must be careful.”

Jennifer opened her eyes wide open. “What? Are you going to drive? Why?”

Bruce made an effort to find his words. “Well, it’s... yes, I mean... June will go to visit his family today, right? But the car is still here, parked I don’t know where, but it’s there. We can’t just leave it like that, so I said I would drive it back to Kenichi. It’s the least I can do after all he’s done for me.”

“You know how to get to his place?”

“Yes, I remember the way. Plus, there’s a GPS. I mean, it’s about being courteous. I don’t want Kenichi to send another of his men just to pick up the car, when I’m able to do it.”

Jennifer seemed a bit concerned. “I totally agree, but look at yourself, Bruce; you’re still drunk, it’s obvious. I mean, I can see it so clearly, the way you stand, the way you talk, everything.”

Bruce looked at her, with the only eye he could open. “Stop babysitting me. I’m fine. I can do it, okay?”

Jennifer stopped talking, unwilling to make Bruce upset. They all finished their breakfast in silence and went near the elevators.

“So what’s the plan now?” Jennifer asked.

“I need to take the car key upstairs.” Bruce said. “June’s bags are in my room too.”