Darker (Alpha Billionaire Romance Erotica) (The Dark Billionaire #3) (3 page)

Jennifer was waiting for Bruce in the hall. She
had tried to call his room, but nobody had picked up. She knew she might wait like this for hours, and decided to leave a message for him at reception with her phone number.

Then, she took a taxi and went back to her hotel room.
She took a shower and lay down on her bed, trying to understand what she was feeling. During these three days away, she had missed Bruce but, at the same time she had had more fun than ever with that stranger, Enzo.

She wasn’t sure if she was attracted to him because of the situation – the excitement
of being in a new place, her argument with Bruce, the feeling of freedom she experienced to explore the city – or because there was really something in this man that she couldn’t resist. In either case, he was just a random guy that she’d met in a bar, and he wasn’t worth ruining everything with Bruce. That’s what she was trying to convince herself, that is; but another part of her was telling herself another story – maybe she was really falling for another man.

What’
s wrong with me? Why am I attracted to someone else?

She kept thinking about it. Bruce wasn’t perfect – very secretive, emotionally unbalanced, slightly arrogant with an enormous e
go, unable to appreciate the simple things in life – but she could accept it. After all, it was to be expected; Jennifer knew she wasn’t dating an average Joe.

E
verybody has flaws, after all!

But most of all, she reminded herself
, what she liked about Bruce was that he was a very unique individual with a strong personality, an alpha male who made her safe, very dominant and confident, charismatic, and smart. Surprisingly, Jennifer realized that she was also attracted to him because of his complex character – dark and mysterious, sometimes hard to understand, tough yet sensitive. He was like an enigma she desperately wanted to solve.

There’s no doubt… between the two of them, Bruce wins.
And the sex with him… Oh my God, he’s just amazing – such an incredible lover!

Jennifer was lost in her thoughts when her phone rang and made her jump. She looked at the number and didn’t recognize it.
Jen, why are you checking the number? You don’t know anybody here!

“He
llo?”

“Jen?
Is it you? Are you okay?”

The voice was
deep and familiar. “Bruce! Yes, I’m okay.”

His tone changed.
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Kenichi’s bodyguards are screening the entire city. We sent your description to the police; I called your grandmother to know if she had news from you, I even called Benny! Kenichi and I have been to nearly all the massage clubs looking for you in case you’ve been kidnapped; we’ve been to brothels asking girls if they’ve seen you – I didn’t know what else to do!”

Why did he assume
such terrible things?

Bruce
was understandably angry at Jennifer and his voice was trembling. Jennifer felt that he really cared for her, but at the same time, she had never imagined he could be so irrational.

“
Bruce, I don’t know what to say – I’m really sorry.”

“Thank God, you’re safe! I was so worried.
What the hell had you in mind?”

“Bruce, I didn’
t disappear. You saw me leaving; I was mad at you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done to find me but… wasn’t it a bit too much?”

“Too much what? I’m not kidding when it comes to you, Jen. I h
ave to be prepared for the worst. I always prepare for the worst. God, where are you?”

“I’m in a hotel in Khao San Road. It’s okay, baby, c
alm down. I’m leaving right now – I’ll take a taxi and…”

“No, you stay where you are.” Bruce interrupted her. “I’m coming to pick you up with June.”

Thirty minutes later, Bruce was running up the stairs to Jennifer’s room. He knocked at her door and she opened almost immediately. Before she could say anything, he rushed at her and kissed her passionately. Jennifer was completely caught by surprise and tried to break away from him.

“I can barely breathe, baby…”
Jennifer said, trying to catch her breath.

Bruce was
kissing her, caressing her face and her hair frenetically. “I was so worried. Are you okay?”

Jennifer kissed him back. “Yes, baby I’m totally fine,
so stop freaking out please.”

Her phone rang again - it was a text message. Jennifer’s heart skipped a beat. “
I hope I didn’t do anything wrong. I miss you. Enzo
.”

“Who is it?” Bruce asked.
Jennifer’s head was spinning, and she couldn’t say anything. “Who is it, Jen?”

She finally managed to stutter. “Err
, it’s… it’s nothing, just someone who helped me find my way.”

“Let’s get out of here. June is waiting downstairs.”

They got into the car and went back to Bruce’s hotel room. Jennifer kept thinking about Enzo’s message and wondered if she should tell Bruce about him or not.

I don’t think it’s necessary to tell him. He’s been so worried already
; it’s going to break his heart, and we’re going to fight again. This guy was just a little whim, nothing more. Right, Jen? Just a little crush during vacation… nothing serious. My God, what a mess!

“Bruce, I’m really sorry if I made you freak out. I really didn’t mean to. All I wanted you to understand is that my opinion
matters too. We’re a couple now. I’m not working for you anymore. We must make decisions together, don’t you think?”

Bruce sat down in the sofa and kicked off his shoes. “Yes, I had time to think on my own.”

“As I told you, I don’t understand why you want to work with Kenichi in Thailand. You guys already have an official and legit partnership. It’s none of my business, and I may not be qualified to tell you what to do, but honestly, it doesn’t make sense. Anybody would agree with me, seriously. It doesn’t matter if I’m your former secretary or your chief financial officer – it’s still an illegal and risky venture. Period. I shouldn’t try to convince you. It’s obvious!”

Jennifer looked at Bruce
, but he was expressionless. “You keep saying it’s personal but what does that mean? How many times did I hear you say that good business should not be driven by emotions?”

Bruce cleared his throat
and ignored her question. “I feel like you kind of blackmailed me…”

“What?
Blackmailed you? What are you talking about?”

“You disappear for three days,
you make me go crazy, and that’s how you get your answer. Smart.”

“It’s ridiculous, Bruce. I would never do that.
”

“Should I remind you that YOU wanted to teach me a lesson when I was looking for a bride? You are the one who set me up, remember?
Aren’t you trying to teach me something again?”

Jennifer sighed.
“Oh no, Bruce, this is completely different. I just wanted to leave. I wanted to be away from YOU.” Jennifer paused, shook her head, and crossed her arms. “I’m sorry to say that, but I didn’t ask you to come after me. I intended to come back when I was ready, and it had nothing to do with teaching you anything. It has nothing to do with you at all. It was just about me.”

Bruce raised his eyebrows. “Wow… it
hurts. I guess I deserved it this time…”

“I’m not naïve, Bruce – when it co
mes to business, there’s nothing I can teach you. I just wanted to give you my honest opinion as your life partner. The decisions you make affect both of us now, and you can’t expect me to be a passive spectator.”

He stood up and went to the bar.
He kept silent for a while, apparently thinking. “Fine, you win.”

He poured himself a glass of whisky and continued. “When I was a kid, my dad used to be an accountant for
a rich guy – Cliff Hansen – who owned a factory. The man made a fortune, but one day, he got caught by the IRS for undeclared revenue. For years, he had manipulated his results and was hiding huge amounts of profits.”

Bruce paused and
looked through the window for several seconds. Jennifer invited him to continue. “Okay? Then what happened?”

“Do you remember when my ex-wife showed up with the kid? I told you I grew up without my father…” Bruce took a sip. “When Hansen was caught, he didn’t want to fall alone – he dragged my father with him. Mom told me that my dad lost everything
, and he couldn’t handle it. He committed suicide – he hung himself – and left me alone with mom. We were broke. It’s been very tough for my mom.”

“Oh
, baby, that’s horrible. I’m so sorry…”

“
It’s been my motivation, my fire, and my drive. I’ve seen my mother working two, sometimes three jobs, to feed me. I could see how tired and worried she was, but she never complained. She never – not even once – showed me she was struggling. I never asked her for anything, but I’ve always had everything I needed. She never remarried and dedicated her life to raise me as a good person. It was a very stressful period. I’ll never forget.”

Bruce’s eyes were wet with tears
, and he shook his head vigorously. “Anyway; Hansen got out of prison after five years. Somehow, he got back on his feet and opened a new business. I’ll admit the man is impressive – he rebuilt his entire fortune from there. A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon him at a fundraising event. He didn’t recognize me, but I knew who he was. The old man happens to be a gambling junkie now – he loves to bet and feel the adrenaline from making quick profits. That kind of person is also very sensitive to the appeal of investing and trading for
easy money
- especially in a country where he can avoid paying taxes on capital gains.”

It all made sense for Jennifer. “So
you want to attract him as a client and…”

“Rip him off, yes.
That’s my story. That’s why I’m here. Yes, it’s friggin’ personal, but I can’t let it go. I’ve achieved everything I wanted to achieve in my life but I’m not at peace. Since I’ve met him again, I have nightmares. The guy is haunting me. That night when I met him…”

Bruce was shaking and his fists were clenched. “
God, I wanted to strangle him right away with my own hands. I wanted him to look me in the eyes. I wanted his face to turn purple just like my dad when he hung himself. I wanted him to suffer like I did when they showed me my father’s dead body at the morgue. Instead, I got drunk to death… and that’s how I crashed my Lamborghini – the one my insurance won’t cover.”

Oh yeah, I remember… Mike, the guy from the insurance, assured me Bruce was drunk
, but he always denied it. I didn’t understand. Now I know why…

“You’re looking for
vengeance, Bruce. Do you know that it clouds your judgment? Oops, sorry.”

Bip bip!
Jennifer received another text message.
“I can’t stop thinking about you. Please don’t ignore me like that. Tell me what’s going on. Enzo.”

Bruce frowned. “Again?
What is it this time?”

Jennifer
deleted the message right away. “No, nothing. This time it’s just advertising. I have no idea what they say. I can’t read it.”

Jennifer’s heart was beating like a drum.
She didn’t want Bruce to keep asking questions and quickly resumed their conversation. “So what was I saying? Yes, it’s all about vengeance, and I don’t think it’s worth it. It won’t bring back your father. I really think you should try to let go and find peace in your mind. That’s the true answer to your problem.”

“I know
, but that’s my plan. Listen, I don’t want to argue with you, Jen. Let’s stop talking about it. It brings back memories, and I don’t need that right now. The last three days have been hard enough for me, looking for you everywhere, and I... Oh, damn I have to call Kenichi to tell him you’re back! His men are still looking for you.”

“Tell him I’m extremely sorry
, and I appreciate all his efforts. We should try to relax, Bruce. It’s been tough for both of us. We haven’t even spent a moment together since we came here.”

“You’re damn right. I have an idea
, but I have to ask Kenichi for his help. I’m not sure if it’s possible…”

***

It was 8:00 PM, and the car parked in front of a large building, all covered with light brown wooden slats.

“Wow, Bruce
, that’s beautiful. What is it?”

“I saw that place when I was looking for you. It’s called an Onsen – it means
spring water
in Japanese. Basically it’s a bathing facility but they also have all kinds of massages. We can’t stay in Thailand without having a massage, right? So we’ll start by having a very hot bath, and then we’ll get a great massage – sweet, isn’t it?”

“Oh my God, that’s awesome!
It’s exactly what I need. The place doesn’t look very busy though. I don’t see any car parked outside. Are you sure it’s safe?”

“
Kenichi knows the owner and they agreed to close down to the public for the last three hours of the day - just for us.”