Chapter 30
Tricks and Deception – Jack
I ’ve left Bryant at the bar, and with Jenkins gone to god knows where, I have nothing to do but hang out in the apartment.
After calling down to reception and asking for someone to come and spot clean the couch, I feel comfortable sitting on it. Before that, I didn’t want to see or smell any remnants of Jenkins’ naked ass on it.
Ugh. Fucking bastard. I can’t get over how stupid he could be to throw his family and career away for sex with a relative stranger.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sex just as much as the next guy. But I wouldn’t jeopardize anything for it. I mean, for christ’s sake. There are other ways we can handle ourselves when we’re away on long trips like this.
Not that I’d have to worry about that… or at least, I hope I won’t have to. The latest kiss with Kayla reminded me how badly I wanted her—and even a little peck was enough to send me off the chart. I can’t begin to imagine what sex with her would be like. Well, I can. And I have, often. I just mean what it would actually be like in the act.
However, a knocking on the door distracts me from those fantasies.
“Oh.” Part of me wished it was her on the other side, but it’s Harper. “What’s up?” I was angry when she first showed up, but I appreciated everything she’d done to help me prepare for my meeting with Yannis.
“Jenkins is whining to everyone about how you fired him.”
Oh. “Well, good. Hopefully the others will learn from his transgressions.”
She walks in and puts her small purse on a nearby chair.
I didn’t exactly invite you in, but okay.
“It was all so pathetic. The blubbering and crying. I had to get out of there.”
Compassionate as ever. “So, you came here?”
She shrugs. “I figured you might be lonely with everyone else partying.”
“Oh, no. I’m okay.” I’m standing with my arms crossed, and she plops down on the couch before crossing her legs. Unlike the sweats she was in when I saw her at the bar, she’s wearing a long, cocktail gown.
“Well, aren’t you going to offer me a drink?”
“Ah. Um, okay.” I look in the mini bar and see a small bottle of rum. “Rum and Coke?”
She tilts her head to the side. “That works for me.”
“I don’t have any ice…”
She raises to her feet and accepts the bucket. “I’ll go get some.”
“Great. Thanks.”
In her absence, I do my best to concoct her cocktail.
“None for you?” she asks after returning.
“Nah.” I flick my wrist at her. “I want to be awake and fresh tomorrow morning.”
“That’s right.” She pouts. “I can’t believe you’re leaving so soon.” Then, she traces the rim of the glass before seductively licking her finger.
I have to say, I’m not a huge fan of her behavior, but I’m also extremely grateful for my sobriety in this moment.
“Yeah, well. We can’t stay forever. Right?”
“I guess not.”
We just sit there in silence for a few moments before she heads over and rummages through the mini bar for herself.
“Harper, your drink is still full.”
She looks up at me, and her beautiful, soulful brown eyes peer up at me. “No, it’s for you, silly.”
I sigh. “I already said I’m not drinking tonight.”
“You should at least have some soda.”
Then, I watch as she pours some in a glass and then gets some ice, with her back turned to me.
“Wait a minute. I’ll be right back.”
She disappears for a few minutes before coming back with a little tray of cherries. I assume she got them from the bar.
“That’s better.” She pops a few stems off before putting the fruit in my beverage. Then, I watch as she ties one with her tongue. When she’s finished, she sets it in my hand and chuckles.
I resist rolling my eyes and throw it in the trash.
She hands me the actual drink, and I thank her for it. But although I accept it, I don’t necessarily plan on drinking any of it. I’m not the biggest fan of soda if it isn’t mixed with alcohol.
When she sits back down on the couch, I sit on the other side. “So, where are you off to next, Harper?”
After taking a sip, she answers, “I’m not sure.”
“Well, are you going to get a job on another yacht?”
She gasps. “Speaking of that, Jenkins let it slip that you’re afraid of flying, and that’s why you sail everywhere.”
I feel a pit in my stomach. “He did?”
She nods.
Fuck. I hope to god Kayla doesn’t see me any differently after that. “What—what was everyone’s reaction?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone was surprised. Why else would a billionaire who travels as much as you do have a yacht instead of your own plane. It doesn’t really make sense without knowing about your phobia. What’s it called again?”
“Aerophobia.” I know because my mother tried her best to get me treated through therapy when I was a kid, but nothing stuck. Everything from being in an airport, boarding the plane, and being up in the air made me panic to the point where I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“That’s right. Poor Jacky.” She’s pouting her red lips again, and I’m not a fan.
“Yeah, well. I found a way around it.”
She spins to face me, sitting on one of her legs. This causes the slit in her dress to open wide between her legs, and I make a conscious effort not to look down. She’s already acting oddly enough. I don’t need her getting the wrong idea.
“So, are you seeing anyone?” I think to ask.
She grimaces. “No. Why are you?”
“Actually, yeah. It’s new. But I have a good feeling about it.”
“Oh.” Her face falls even more. She sniffles before tipping the glass in the air again. “Who is she?”
Oh, hell no. I feel safe telling you about her, but I’m not going to reveal her to you. Lord knows what Harper is capable of.
“It doesn’t matter.” And it doesn’t. Not to her, at least.
“Come on, Jack Jack.”
She hasn’t called me that since we broke up.
“If we’re going to be friends, we have to be able to talk about stuff like this.”
I lean down and rest my elbows on my knees. “Sorry. Some things are just too weird for exes to talk about.” Sure, I asked her about her romantic life first, but I was just curious if she was seeing someone. If she was, I wouldn’t care to hear all about the guy.
A sharp exhale is released from her nose. “Fine. But you’re no fun.”
I click my tongue. “Sorry. But that’s one of the reasons we didn’t work out. Remember?”
“What?”
She’s playing dumb. “You told me one of the reasons you sought out someone else was because you didn’t think I was fun enough.”
After remembering that, I’m even more grateful for the fun and “boring” day with Kayla as we walked around and investigated cactuses. Harper probably would rather die than do that. God forbid she’d engage in something so pointless as giving camels fake names and speculating about their personalities.
“Jack?”
“Huh?”
“Are you listening to me?”
No. But I lie, “Yes.”
“Okay, so you will ‘cheers’ with me.”
“Um, alright.” I lift my glass up—I have to keep up with the lie that I was, in fact, listening to her, after all.
“Cheers to your latest adventure and to your time in Greece.”
“Cheers.” I clink it against hers.
She lifts it to her mouth but pauses. “Jack?”
“What?”
“You have to take a sip.”
Ugh. Reluctantly, I take a drink, and she smiles widely.
“Good. Good. Very good.”
We continue to make small talk until I start feeling really funny.
“Harper?” My vision is tunneling, and I feel faint.
“Yeah?”
“Harper!” I stand up and hope walking around will help. But it doesn’t.
There’s a grin on her face even though I’m clearly starting to freak out.
“I think I need to see a doctor. I think…” Then, I was out like a light.