Tempted (The Dark Billionaire, #5) (5 page)

She still loved him but getting married with such a party-boy who still acted as if he was single was out of question. In other words, Bruce needed to “get his shit together” if he still wanted to be committed to her - for life. So far, he wasn’t showing much improvement and there was a lot of work to do. Jennifer wondered how long his financial recovery would last. A month? Two months? Six months? A year? Anything more than a week was unacceptable. Fancelli seemed to live the high-life and there was no reason Bruce couldn’t follow him;
that
was a big problem.

Jennifer wanted to believe in their future but this situation was like a huge roadblock on their way to happiness. It wasn’t too late but it was a very negative sign. Bruce needed to stop acting like that or their relationship would suffer from it.

When she arrived at the mansion, Bruce was sleeping. He was still dressed and had only removed his shoes. Jennifer could smell the room filled with sweat, cold tobacco and alcohol. His jacket was tossed on a chair, wrinkled and infused with his body odor.

Jennifer took a step toward it and hesitated; she wanted to check his pockets. She had never felt the need to do such a thing in the past. It was a sudden urge, hard to control and overwhelming. Doubt and jealousy were growing from the depth of her belly and slowly radiating throughout her whole body. However, she fought hard to stay away from his jacket and resisted the urge to satisfy her curiosity.

She decided it wasn’t healthy and kind of childish. If Bruce had done anything wrong, he would be the one paying the price. She would definitely suffer from it but he would carry the burden of guilt for the rest of his life; not her.

She gently sat down next to him and traced her finger along his cheek. Her fingertip scratched the rough skin covered with beard, giving Bruce a wild and raw look. She thought that it suited him, even though it wasn’t appropriate for business. He definitely enjoyed himself to allow his appearance - one of the most important things he cared about - to be less than impeccable. She had always known him very neat and meticulous. It was as if he needed to let go after the turmoil of his joint-venture with Kenichi and the trauma of the car explosion.

Bruce opened one sleepy eye, then the other. “Hey,” he said with a hoarse, but sexy voice.

“Hi sexy,” she said. “You had fun last night?”

“It was okay...”

“Just okay? You seem exhausted. You didn’t even take a shower; it must have been a crazy night...”

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“Maybe a little.”

“Why?”

“You should know why.”

“Hey, don’t do this again. I told you, this is how we do business. I need to go out and build relationships. There are only twenty-four hours in a day and we can’t do it during office hours.”

“I find you particularly zealous this time.”

“I’ve always done it this way, Jen. You know it.”

“You were single back then. Now, I’m here, remember? We’re engaged, we’re planning to get married. Do I really have to explain to you that I’m expecting you to change your habits?”

“It’s not a habit. It’s only for a while and then, I’ll stop.”

“I don’t know if you’ll be able to stop. Fancelli is a high-roller and I don’t like it. He’s dangerous.”

“What makes you think he’s a high-roller? How can you judge him? You don’t even know him. He’s a great guy. He’s smart and he’s fun.”

“Yeah... just like Kenichi.”

“No. Fancelli works for me, we’re not partners. He tries to screw me and he’s fired. What is this about?”

“I’ve talked to Victoria. She told me what kind of man he is.”

“You what?” Bruce frowned and straightened up in his bed. “You went to Doyle Brothers to talk to Victoria?”

“It wasn’t my plan originally. I just wanted to have a word with Fancelli but he wasn’t there. I ran into her and she asked me what I wanted.”

“And what did you say?”

“I said I wasn’t happy about their policy; that they shouldn’t take you out that often because it won’t change anything about their performance.”

Bruce stood up and took his hair in his hands. “Are you crazy? How does it make me look now? What were you thinking, Jen?”

“I tried to warn you but you wouldn’t listen to me. You’re not reasonable, Bruce. Why do you party so much? Do you know how it makes me feel?”

“Jesus, you can’t show up in an investment bank and spill your feelings with a trading floor manager, Jen! This is not professional at all. You should have asked me first. I didn’t bring you there to gossip with Victoria; I wanted to help you so you could learn for your own business!”

“She didn’t judge you, Bruce. She’s very nice. We had dinner together and she’s fine.”

“You had dinner with her? Wonderful!”

“What were you going to do anyway? You were probably too busy shaking your butt with Fancelli in a club. What difference does it make?”

“Oh no, Jen, I can’t accept it. Why do you interfere with my business? You have no idea the kind of damage it could create.”

“Maybe you’re the one causing more damage than you think.”

“What damage? You think I don’t know what I’m doing?”

“You certainly know what you’re doing for your company. But you clearly don’t realize how it affects our relationship.”

“You always need to overreact and exaggerate everything when it comes to us. You’re the one creating problems where they don’t exist.”

“How do you know you’re not losing me?”

“Am I?”

Jennifer kept silent, glaring at Bruce with burning eyes. She was mad at him, furious to see him so neglecting and confident. He had no idea the kind of dilemma she was struggling with. He had no idea there was another man threatening his dominance over her heart.

“You might be,” she said with defying eyes. She thought Bruce would try to know more and expected him to be shaken up. Instead, she unleashed his fury and instinctively stepped back to protect herself.

“What the fuck does that mean?” he yelled. “First you interfere with my business and now, you’re telling me there’s someone else? What the hell do you do with your time? I thought you were supposed to work on your business, but apparently you’re busy looking for someone else!”

“I’m not!”

“Get out of here, Jen. I’m serious, get out!”

“Bruce, wait...”

“There’s no ‘Bruce wait’ anymore. I don’t want to see you in here. Out! Out!”

Jennifer was about to ask him to calm down but the look in his eyes convinced her otherwise. He wasn’t going to listen to her. He had reached a point where nothing would change his mind.

She turned around and walked out of his bedroom, feeling a knot in her throat and her stomach twisting. She felt sick and disgusted. It wasn’t fair but it wasn’t her problem anymore: she was done trying to be the perfect girlfriend. If Bruce wanted to be stupid, she wasn’t going to cope with it.

She left without a word and felt the anger burning her cheeks and her ears. She was boiling deep inside and could feel little beads of sweat accumulating on her forehead, her nose and her temples.

Fine. If he wants to party and stop taking care of me, I won’t force him. But if anything wrong happens, I know I’ve tried everything to prevent it. I’m done.

Jennifer checked her cell-phone. It was almost noon and she had received a text message; it was Enzo. She hadn’t heard or felt anything, probably due to her argument with Bruce. Enzo told her where to meet and when. Her heart was pounding, pumping the adrenaline throughout her body. What should I do? She thought.

Despite her fight with Bruce, she didn’t want to be too emotional and reckless. Yes, she was mad at him but she still had a tiny bit of self-control. She was furious but she also knew how weak she was. Deciding to meet with Enzo had been risky since the beginning, but now, things were even worse. Her emotions were completely messed up and her mind was fighting with her heart. Bruce was lucky and he didn’t even realize it. He deserved to suffer, just a little to wake him up.

However, it was a very dangerous game she was willing to play. She wasn’t sure she could keep everything under control and keep enough distance with Enzo. It was a scary thing to plan. She wanted to teach Bruce a lesson and make him jealous, just to make him stop acting like a silly boy; and at the same time, she was worried about her own intentions. Did she really want to make Bruce jealous? Or did she simply want to release the unspeakable attraction she still felt for Enzo? Was she trying to find an excuse to let go and fall between Enzo’s arms?

Damn it!

Jennifer shook her head and closed her eyes. Why was it so difficult? She suddenly felt extremely lonely. Indeed, her social life had been pretty poor and limited since she had quit her job, and she felt the need to talk to someone. She needed help and guidance. She needed a friend to advise her and help her make a decision. She thought about Vicky but she couldn’t consider her as a friend yet. They weren’t that close and it was too personal. Victoria worked with Bruce and she didn’t want to involve her too much.

She couldn’t tell her grandmother either. It was way too embarrassing and Jennifer wasn’t particularly proud of her situation. She didn’t want Margareta to judge her or be disappointed.

At the end of the day, Jennifer had nobody to share her concerns with. It was a very personal decision and nobody could decide for her; she had to make her own choice and live with the consequences. She took a deep breath and forced herself to choose.

Do I really want to see Enzo right now? Especially after such a fight with Bruce? Am I willing to risk everything? Should I test Enzo to see if I’m making a mistake by staying with Bruce? Can I really stand Bruce’s lifestyle or do I want something else?

She opened her eyes, looked at Enzo’s message again and finally replied. She had made her mind. The situation was too difficult for her and she had to put an end to it; she accepted his invitation and decided to let destiny take care of the rest.

J
ennifer was waiting outside, arms crossed, tapping her foot on the ground. She was nervous and excited, like a child doing something forbidden. She wasn’t supposed to be here, waiting for Enzo. She wasn’t completely sure of her decision. She raised her wrist and checked her watch; it wasn’t too late. She could still go back home and find a silly excuse for not showing up. The anticipation was consuming her and the uncertainty was killing her.

What am I doing? Does Bruce really deserve it?

She thought about him again, for the hundredth time of the day. She had tried to understand and forgive him; tried to put herself in his shoes and tried to guess how she would have done things differently. But every time, Bruce came first and business came second in her mind. She knew she couldn’t ignore him, neglect him and let their relationship slip away into coldness. Bruce didn’t think like her; his business was his priority. It was his life. He could probably live without her but he would never be able to survive without his company.

Jennifer pursed her lips and shook her head. Getting married wasn’t a light decision to make and maybe, she was lucky. Maybe Bruce wasn’t totally dedicated to her and it was better to realize it now rather than later. Later would be too late. And maybe, Jennifer wasn’t meant to live the high-life. It didn’t bother her, actually. She was simple and didn’t need much. She had never been really attracted to luxury; just intrigued and curious. But she had never dreamed or craved for shiny things.

The current situation made her realize that she and Bruce lived in two very different worlds. It wasn’t new, of course, but this time in particular, she could feel it deep inside. Important decisions had to be made and they didn’t seem to look in the same direction. How confident could she be about their future together?

Jennifer sighed. Maybe I should just be alone for a while and let everything cool down, she thought. Suddenly, she felt her arm being pulled from behind and turned around.

“Hey look who’s here! Mamma Mia, you’re beautiful,” Enzo said with a large and warm smile on his face. “I’m so happy to see you again!”

He seemed sincere and genuinely excited.

“Enzo, how are you?” she said, sticking her hand out. Enzo ignored her polite gesture and took her in his arms, hugging her tight against him. Jennifer was usually shy and didn’t like people invading her private space, but Enzo’s hug felt extremely soft and comforting.

As soon as he wrapped his arms around her, time seemed to slow down and the world stopped to exist. She didn’t see anything, didn’t hear anything and didn’t taste anything. All she could feel were the firm pressure of his body and the intoxicating scent of his cologne. He smelled fresh, clean and masculine, and Jennifer instantly felt butterflies dancing in her stomach.

When she opened her eyes, Enzo was standing in front of her, holding a bunch of roses in his hands. Her heart stopped and then pounded in her chest.

“Oh my God... They’re beautiful,” she said, blushing. She wasn’t pretending. The flowers were large, red and radiant, absolutely gorgeous. “You shouldn’t have...”

“It’s the biggest bunch I could find,” he said, apologizing. “They were out of stock.”

“Jesus, no it’s perfect,” she said, diving her nose into the roses. “Mmm... Thank you, Enzo. That’s very sweet. How was your flight?”

“Very long but I knew I would see you again, so it made everything more bearable.”

“How did you know you would see me again? What if I wasn’t in New York, or just busy?”

“I would have waited.”

“What if I didn’t want to see you?”

Enzo waved his hand in the air, as if he was pushing that silly idea out of the way. “Well, you’re here so I was right.”

You don’t know how lucky you’ve been that I had a fight with Bruce, my dear, she thought. Enzo’s cockiness was both annoying and amusing. He talked as if things were for certain, as if Jennifer would have come anyway.

Funny.

He was almost like a child, focused on what he wanted and ignoring all other factors. Jennifer looked at him for a while and their eyes locked. At least, Enzo had made it clear that she was his priority and was doing everything to please her - something she was dying to experience again with Bruce.