Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
HUNTER
I’m a trapped animal and can’t get out of this conversation with Dorothy. Any direction I go, I’ll lose this fight.
I rub the back of my neck and scowl at the bed. “When you stomp off or leave, I don’t like it.”
“I’m aware of that. There’s a reason you don’t like it. What’s that reason?” She takes my hand in hers. “Sit down and let’s talk.”
My hand in hers feels like it was snapped in a hidden trap and is now bloody and broken. I can’t escape.
My skin heats to the point I rip my arm away from her tight grip and tear off my sweatshirt. She sits back on the mattress and analyzes me as I strip off half my clothes.
“Hunter, what are you doing?”
“It’s hot in here, so I took off a layer.”
“Yeah, and now you’re standing in a T-shirt and your boxer briefs. This isn’t going to lead to sex, so if that’s what you’re trying to do, don’t.” She half teases.
I see the detour and take it. “When are you going to let me back into your bed? Your infection is gone, so what are we waiting for?”
She blinks a few times and shakes off my question. “No. We’re not talking about sex until you tell me what happened to you that makes you freak out when I try to leave.”
Memories of that day, way back in the past when I was ten, flash in broken pictures. Fractured and ripped, not showing the entirety of it all.
While one side of my brain pulls it forward to make amends with Dorothy, the other side stomps on it and slashes my face with broken glass, forever showing the hurt and pain to everyone.
I fucking hate thinking about this. It’s got my blood boiling.
“When you walk away from me, I feel like you aren’t listening.” I trudge to my suitcase and flip it over.
The contents lie on my bed in a pile. I slam the suitcase closed and take it into the storage closet.
When I come back into the room, Dorothy is chewing on her thumbnail with her brows drawn, gawking at me like she’s watching the lead-up to a murder scene.
“What? I answered your question. Now, let’s talk about something else.” I glance around the room, searching for something to drink.
I really need to have my assistant set up a beverage station in here.
“Well, I see I’ve hit on something you’re not ready to share. Let’s take a step back.”
“I did share. I told you it feels like you’re not listening to me. Kind of like right now. You aren’t paying attention or you would’ve heard me say what I said.” I sift through the pile of crap on my mattress, trying to rein in my anger.
“Hunter, I heard you loud and clear. I’m just not buying it. But before you go off the deep end, I don’t need the answer right now. You need time to get used to the idea. When you’re ready, we can talk about it then.”
“Fine. Whatever you need.” I try to fold a pair of pants, but they end up in a ball, so I hastily throw them into the dirty clothes pile like they’re an alligator trying to bite my hand .
She eyes the mound of clothes. “Would you like some help?”
“No. What I’d like is for you to answer my question.” I grab my toiletry bag and storm off into the bathroom.
She jumps off the bed and follows me. “What question is that?”
I shove the bag in its spot in the medicine closet. “The question about who you were with last night. You diverted the question and took me down some fucked-up, twisted path to distract me.”
Her lips roll between her teeth, and I lose my fucking mind. “Just say it. He was there with you, wasn’t he?”
She doesn’t say a thing. Her face doesn’t twitch or flinch. She just stands there frozen.
“Go ahead. I’m waiting.” I step closer to her. I want to see her face when she tries to lie to me again.
“Hunter, you have that look about you again.” She steps back. “You escalated quickly, and I’m scared you’re going to go after him again. The last time this happened, I thought you were going to kill him.”
And those last few words do me in.
“The last time this happened? Meaning you two were together?” My eyebrows rise in question and I instantly see red. “You need to get out of my house right the fuck now.”
Every muscle in my body stiffens. She swallows and storms away from me.
She gets to the edge of the bedroom and then turns, about to say something. Apparently thinking better of it, she huffs and leaves while shaking her head and mumbling curse words under her breath.
I don’t know whether to go to his place and murder him or jump out of my window. Either way, I lose.
They did it to me again.
I trudge back and forth from my bathroom to my Juliet balcony and get bombarded with image after image of the two of them together. I run my fingers through my hair and think.
All I see are visions that end in devastation all around. I thought we were past this, but whatever they share isn’t something that can be severed that easily.
The front door closes, alerting me she’s gone, so I stomp to my bar area and make myself a drink. I stumble onto a stool and shake my head that I didn’t see this coming. I’m so in love with her that I’m blinded to everything.
That does it. I take a cold shower and get dressed in my nicest Brioni suit. If she’s going to fuck him, I’ll be doing whatever I damn well please. It’s been way too long.
Even the smell in this high-end club screams wealthy masculine power made up of leather and cigars. Just what I need.
I’ve been being a pussy and I’m embarrassed by it now. It’s time to step back into who I was before Dorothy came along.
The last time I was here was about a week before I met her. The memory ripples like a pebble that falls into a lake. The woman I met that night was tiny and ferocious, sending sweet little waves reverberating around me for days.
Is she here?
I find a place at the bar and scan the crowd. There’s no one here who hasn’t been invited.
It’s the most exclusive gentlemen’s club. Not in the sense of hookers or strippers. It was made for high-powered men to make enormous business deals and then release the stress with discreet, beautiful women.
“Hunter Efron, it’s been a while.” A slap hits my shoulder, and I turn around .
“Mateo Beckett. Damn, it’s been too long. How the fuck are you?” I shake his hand and move aside so Mateo can join me at the bar.
“Great. We’ve acquired a few more top-level clubs and restaurants, so all is well on the business front.” He slides one hand into the pocket of his Givenchy suit and drinks his beer.
“What are you doing in town?”
“I’m here on business and met up with Jamison.”
“When was this?”
“We got together during his off hours, so don’t get all territorial and think I’m trying to get him back to Miami. Not that I wouldn’t bring him back in a second. That man is a genius.” Mateo eyes an exotic beauty strutting by, but brings his gaze back to me.
Jamison’s name grinds on my every bone. I slam my cognac and turn to get another.
As I wait, I address Mateo. “So you met with Jamison and didn’t think to contact me?”
Yes, I see how I’m projecting my feelings about Dorothy onto Mateo. Right now, I’m completely fine with it. I’m sick of Jamison getting everything that’s mine.
What is so great about that guy that he gets first place every time?
“Hunter, you’re never in town. I’m shocked to see you. It was an oversight, so try to forget about it. You know how these business trips go. We fill our schedules, get laid, and leave.” Mateo shifts away from more eye candy and orders another drink.
I glance at the bartender while I wait for my well-overdue cognac to arrive. “I’m curious. Did Jamison have a woman he dated during his time in Miami?”
“Nothing serious, but he saw a couple of women from time to time. He’s particular, so those options don’t always show themselves.” Mateo leans against the counter and looks me over to figure out where I’m going with this .
My interest zones in on that comment. “What do you mean, he’s particular?”
“Hunter, I can’t divulge those details. My business would lose all credibility if I did. You wouldn’t want me sharing details I know about you, so leave it alone.”
“Point taken.” I twist in that thought while he gets approached by a tall blonde.
Not only does Mateo own the best A-list clubs and fancy restaurants on earth, but he also owns high-end sex clubs worldwide, so my mind is spinning.
I’ve had my fair share of fun exploring that side of myself at his clubs. Knowing Jamison has too, gives me some ammunition. At the same time, it guts me because he’s taken that to bed with Dorothy.
The worst part is Mateo said Jamison was only with a couple of women. He was there for two years, so his particular kink isn’t something he’s open to sharing with just anyone.
He’s not into the typical threesome or swapping. It’s something way more intimate. That thought has me turning back to the bartender and making my next drink a double.
Here I thought I came out to escape her. Instead, I’m fucking doused with her. She’s gasoline, filling any man's gas tank. A flammable liquid that fuels passion on every level and flows through my veins as blood.
Mateo returns to face me after taking the woman’s number he’ll never call. “What’s on your mind, Hunter? Let’s see if I can help.”
“Nothing a little more alcohol can’t erase.” I glance his way as the bartender slides us two drinks.
We pick them up, clink our glasses, and down them in one shot. The rest of our conversation is about how to take over every opposing business we’ve come upon.
Somewhere between our conversation and bathroom breaks, we separate. I’m way past my limit, and under the haze of the alcohol, every woman here is a duplicate of Dorothy.
It's a good thing I have some self-control. Otherwise, I’d be taking every one of these women home with me.
“Could it be? Yes, I believe you’re Hunter Efron.” A gorgeous brunette sways up to me.
“That would be me, and who might you be?” My eyes drag down and back up her body.
Damn, she’s sexy.
“I’m Isabella Carter.” She bats her hazel eyes. “Would you enjoy some company?”
“That would be wonderful. What’s your poison? I’ll order you a drink.” I pull out the barstool next to me and gesture for her to sit.
Her bare legs come into view because the slit in her red dress opens as she slides onto the chair.
“Thank you. I’d love a glass of sauvignon blanc.”
Of course she would.
“Sauvignon blanc, coming up.” I tip my head at the bartender, who signals one minute. “What brought you here tonight, Isabella?”
“I’m in town on business. My colleague wanted to come here, so I tagged along. Meeting you proves it was a good choice.” She crosses her legs, causing her dress to fall open at the slit again.
She has beautiful legs, but even that doesn’t entice me. Who am I kidding? I don’t want anyone but Dorothy.
I give my attention to Isabella, hoping to forget my troubles. “This colleague you’re with. Where is she or he?”
“ He’s spending his time getting to know a woman in the other room.”
“I see. Does that bother you?”
“No. Why would it?”
I shrug. “You came here with him, but he’s leaving you all alone. ”
She reaches over and touches my chest. “I’m perfectly fine without him. I found you, so I say I’m the one winning in this situation.”
“If you say so.”
We make small talk while we wait for the bartender to take our orders and then deliver our drinks. This Isabella woman is well-spoken, so I decide to stick around.
She’s good for my ego. Too bad I can’t stop thinking about Dorothy.
After way too many drinks, I’m ready to get out of here. “Isabella, it was nice meeting…you. It’s best I go…now.”
“Are you going home to your girlfriend?”
I’m stuck because, as far as I know, nobody knows about Dorothy. And technically, we aren’t dating. We’re seeing where things go as we learn more about each other, so I’m not sure how to answer Isabella’s question.
I finish my drink as I try to stay focused. I’m well beyond drunk and don’t want to mess up. “Who might this person…girl…woman be?”
“Ava Aldridge.” Isabella gives me a look like she’s busted me.
My laugh comes out fast and loud. “Wrong. Ava and I are not together. She uses me for…whatever she feels like.”
“In that case, stay.” Isabella finishes her wine.
I shrug and decide another drink can’t hurt. It’s helping to keep me from focusing on Dorothy and Jamison. Once I’ve had so much that the bartender cuts me off, I decide it’s time to leave.
I can barely walk, so Isabella helps me out. My brain’s a fuzzy mess.
My driver lets us in the back of my car. She climbs in, straddles me, and tries to kiss me. She’s one assertive woman, but I only see Dorothy’s face when I close my eyes.
“Beauty, I’m way too drunk for this.” My haze sucks me away as I push Isabella off me .
The next thing I know, we’re in front of my complex. My driver helps get me out of the car as Isabella rambles something about taking care of me. I stumble to the front doors.
Once we enter the lobby, she takes my arm and lets me lean on her as we go to the elevators. We get to the waiting area and she presses the call button.
The door opens. As I’m getting in, I trip over my feet and slam into the back of the lift. I reach to hit the button to my floor right when Jamison slides in.
If Isabella wasn’t here, Jamison and I would be going rounds right now. Instead, he gets the satisfaction of seeing me with someone other than Dorothy. I groan and prop myself against the wall.
Isabella presses against me and tries to get me to kiss her, but Jamison and I are locked in an evil stare-down.
“Jamison, how are you this evening?” I bite out.
“Not as good as you.” He glances at Isabella and raises his eyebrows.
“Well, you had your fun last night. You can’t have it all.” I shrug and move my gaze to Isabella.
When I glance back at Jamison, his expression is one of confusion. He shakes his head at whatever thought he was having and turns to face the doors. The doors open on his floor and he steps out without looking back.
At this point, I’m so far past my alcohol limit the rest of the night is a blur. My visions mix with Isabella and Dorothy. Most of the time, I think I’m with her. At one point, I say I love you, but Isabella plays along.
Since I’m so wasted, she helps get me into bed. My vision twists and distorts. I feel her trying to tug off my clothes but pass out before she’s done.
The weight of a woman on my chest wakes me up. I have a pounding headache and my mouth is as dry as a desert.
I try to piece things together. When I dip my head to kiss Dorothy’s forehead, an unfamiliar perfume drifts into my nose. Last night comes rushing back.
It takes me two seconds to realize all the ways I went wrong. The mattress dips as I roll to my side and pick up my phone.
The first order of business is to meet with Jamison. We need to come up with new terms for our agreement or I’ll lose Dorothy forever.
There’s a string of messages from her. One by one, I skim them to see what the hell I ignored all night. About halfway through the messages, there’s one that catches my attention.
Beauty: Hunter, you overreacted. Like I said in the previous message. Jami and I aren’t on speaking terms. He wasn’t even there until later. When he got there, he spent the entire night talking with some guy he brought with him. Get your jealousy under control.
My heart slams into my throat. I can’t believe what I’ve done.
Goddamn, I’m so fucked.
Isabella stirs awake and I try to hurry her out the door. The morning only gets worse when I’m saying goodbye to her.
We’re in my foyer and she steps up for a kiss. I step away before she can and open the door.
She waves goodbye. “Have a nice Sunday, Hunter. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?
What the hell am I doing with her tomorrow?