Chapter 22 #2
“I haven’t been able to follow through on anything yet,” I admit with a frown.
“I’m conflicted, Jack. I know she broke my brother.
I know she’s the one responsible for me possibly losing my company, and yet I just can’t seem to be vindictive.
I know I have it in my nature, but I can’t shoot the shot.
And I have her in my crosshairs. All I have to do is take the shot. ”
“You care for her,” he says, surprise and wonder in his tone. His face looks as incredulous as I feel.
“Don’t say that.” I sneer in disgust. “I’m not that weak. I just feel sorry for her as all. She’s had a hard life. It’s probably why she fell into this life of crime. I understand it, but I don’t approve it.”
Jack smirks. “Can I meet her?”
“If you want. She’s not even talking to me. You’ve met her before, before I even knew who she was. Is there a reason you want to meet her again?”
“I’d like to see how she’s taking it.” He takes a sip of his whiskey. “Evaluate how I feel about her.”
“She’s not even talking to me, Jack. I doubt she’ll talk to you.”
“I’d still like to be officially introduced to your wife.”
Wife. Why does that title have satisfaction thrumming through my veins. She’s not a trophy to show off to my buddy, and yet that’s exactly what I want to do.
“Fine. Come on.” We stand and head down the corridor to Willow’s room. I knock and there’s no response. I’m not surprised. It would have surprised me more if she would have called me into the room. I open the door and step through.
Curled up on the loveseat, reading a book, she’s appears to be cozy and right at home.
This is the Willow that drew me in. The warmth that I feel upon seeing her pleases me more than I’d like to admit.
She darts her gaze my way, eyes flickering with surprise at first, and then drops them to her lap.
“Willow, Jack’s here. My best friend. He wanted to say hello.”
She looks up again, this time her eyes dragging over Jack, and frowns.
He steps forward, hand raised, and he offers her a small wave. “Hi, Willow. It’s good to see you.”
I think she’s going to ignore him too, but she offers him a wry smile. “I would lie and say it’s nice to see you as well, but I don’t much feel like it.”
There’s the fire that intrigues me so much. I’m not appreciative of the flirtatious glance she seems to be sending his way though. In fact, it burns something inside of me. And I’m not happy.
“Oh,” Jack says, amused. “Honest.”
“I do like to think I’m honest. Sure, I’ve told a couple of lies in my life, but who hasn’t told a couple of white lies?” She glances at me. “I don’t tell big lies, though. And I don’t use people.”
I grit my teeth together to keep from arguing her words. “Jack and I were just talking about how I’m about lose my company.” I cross my arms across my chest and issue her a challenging stare. “All because of Sergio spiraling. Because of his broken heart.”
The heart you broke, Willow.
“That sucks,” she says, closing her book, unfazed by my words.
“Is there something I can do to help? Oh, wait, even if there was, I wouldn’t.
” She glares at me. “When am I going to leave here? I don’t even understand what I’m doing.
What’s the point of this marriage?” She stands up and heads to the window.
Her hair hangs loose, her shirt clings to her body and it’s obvious she doesn’t have on a bra.
Her shorts emphasize her ass and long legs and I frown as I see Jack staring at her.
Also admiring her beauty. “And how many times do I have to ask you the same question?”
You’ll have to keep asking until I figure out the answer.
“You’re here because I love you so, dear wife,” I say with a wolfish grin, laying it on thick.
She laughs bitterly at my words and turns to me. “Well, I don’t love you.”
Her words are barbs and they cut deeper each time she speaks them.
I sneer at her. “So those were lies as well.”
“I did love you when I thought you were a good man. But you’re not.”
She looks over at Jack. “I suppose you know all about what’s going on since you’re his best friend.”
Jack nods slowly.
“And you think it’s right?” she demands. “What he’s doing to me?”
Jack bounces his eyes back and forth between us. “I actually don’t know what to think.”
Willow’s eyes narrow. “Right. Well, if that’s all, I’d like to go back to reading my book.”
Dismissed. It’s cute how she thinks she can make us run along with a wriggle of her fingers. Has she not learned anything about me yet?
“What are you reading?” I ask.
She holds up the book. A photo of a hot man without a shirt fills the cover.
“What is that?” I demand with a frown.
“It’s a steamy romance,” she says, grinning. “A very hot, filthy romance. I think I’m going to stick to fictional characters because they’re a lot better than real men.”
I press my lips together. “Is that meant to be an insult?”
“If you take it as one.”
“You do realize a real man can do things that a fictional man can’t, my dear?”
“Like what?”
Burning heat coils in my gut and electricity buzzes through my veins. I want her so badly. I want to slam her to the bed, but I need to remember that Jack is here, witnessing our conversation.
“He can kiss you and touch you and actually bring you to a real orgasm.” I drag my tongue over my bottom lip, taunting her. “Remember those? Remember when you were screaming out my name and—”
“Stop,” she hisses, blushing as she glances at Jack. “That’s really inappropriate.”
“What would be inappropriate is if I pushed you down on the bed and told you to ride me in front of my friend.”
Her jaw drops and she gapes at me, cheeks turning impossibly redder.
“Don’t worry,” I assure her. “I’m not going to do that.”
“I wouldn’t ride you if you paid me a million dollars.”
“I know,” I bite back. “It would have to be ten, right?”
She stares at me for a moment, then shakes her head. “Get out.”
“If you say so. Have a nice day reading about your fictional character.”
She rolls her eyes and heads back to the loveseat. I stalk out, Jack following and closing the door behind me. He looks at me, silent.
“What?” I bark out. “I can see the judgment in your eyes.”
“Are you sure that—”
“Am I sure what?”
He shrugs, shaking his head. “She’s a spitfire.”
“She is.”
“She’s gorgeous, it’s too bad that she hates you.”
“Yeah. I think that’s why I was drawn to her. I was immediately captivated by her beauty.”
“She likes you.”
“What?”
“She likes you,” he repeats. “Crazy as it sounds, whatever she felt for you—those feelings were genuine.”
Sometimes my friend thinks he knows everything. This time, he’s wrong.
“What are you talking about?”
“Look,” he says in a patient tone, “the opposite of love isn’t hate. It’s indifference. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t even bother throwing insults at you.”
“She doesn’t love me. She said it was a lie.”
“Well, can you blame her? But she’s not completely over you.” His eyes narrow as he studies my face. “And I think you’re not over her.”
“I was never into her,” I say. I don’t know if those words are true.
“Maybe that’s why you’re conflicted,” Jack says. “Because the Sebastian I know can be cruel and vindictive as they come, and from what I can tell, that girl’s just been sitting in her room reading a book while you figure out what to do next.”
“I’ve been busy thinking about work and how I’m going to make sure I don’t lose my company,” I snap.
“Yeah, sure. But that wouldn’t have stopped you before, if this was all about revenge.”
“It is all about revenge.” I sigh, realizing he’s right in a way.
“Okay. I admit it. I do feel something real for her. And I don’t understand it.
I feel like a fucking fool, Jack. Do you know what it’s like to fall for the woman who broke your brother’s heart?
What’s wrong with me? Do I have defective genes? ”
Jack shakes his head. “No. But maybe you need to speak to Sergio. Maybe you need to figure out what exactly happened and how it all went down.”
“I guess I can try and see what else he has to say.”
“Sebastian, you’re your brother’s keeper.
You love him. You’d do anything for him.
And I know, after what happened to David, you’ve carried that sense of responsibility toward him.
But you have to acknowledge, he doesn’t make good decisions.
He’s always been a little all over the place.
Maybe this story isn’t as black and white as you think. ”
I stare at him as we walk back into my office. Then, on impulse, I grab my phone.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“I’m calling Sergio.”
He answers on the second ring, laughing. “Hey, bro! What’s up?”
“What’s going on, Sergio?” I demand with a frown.
“I’m just here, smoking that good hash.”
“Sergio.”
“What?” He laughs harder. “I’m puffing the dragon, lighting up, bro. I’m about to—”
I cannot believe my brother is smoking weed. I’m so fucking annoyed that it takes everything in me not to completely lose my gasket. “Sergio, are you high?” I say through gritted teeth.
“High? No, I’m not in the sky. Nooo.”
The guy is stoned, dammit. I’m so fed up of Sergio constantly making the wrong decision.
“Where are you?”
“On the loo.” He starts laughing again. “Oh my gosh. Am I funny? Should I be a comedian? Should I be the next Matt Rife?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Love, life, liberty for all. You ever thought about what it means to be human? Are we human? Or are the aliens human? And if the aliens are human, are we aliens?”
“I’m going to call you back later.” I hang up, frustrated and annoyed.
Jack’s eyebrows are both hiked up. “He was high as hell. What are you going to do, Sebastian?”
“He’s fucked up right now. I don’t know what I can do. Is this something I should also blame Willow for?”
Jack tilts his head to the side, boring his gaze into me. “You’re not responsible for your brother and she’s not responsible for your brother.”
“What about the millions she stole?”
He gives me a one-shouldered shrug. “Maybe figure out why she got those millions. Maybe figure out what she’s done with them.
Because I’m telling you, Sebastian, something here isn’t right.
And I’d hate for you to go even further down this path of revenge and retribution only to figure out maybe the love between them was never that deep. ”
“What?” I ask as he pauses.
He shakes his head. “I’m just saying…you feel it, and I feel it. That woman isn’t all bad.” He holds his hands up. “I have no skin in this game. I don’t want her. She’s beautiful, yes, but I have no connection to her. She may be a great actress, but her emotions feel real to me.”
“I know,” I say as I sink back into my seat. “But I hate her for how she makes me feel. I hate her for making me weak. I hate her for putting me in this position where I have to make hard decisions.”
“Maybe it’s not her that you hate,” Jack says, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe it’s yourself.” He looks me dead in the eye. “Maybe you need to figure out exactly what you want from all of this Seb, before it goes too far.”