Billionaire Brothers 2 : Love Has A Name (27 page)

“That’s all very sweet, Trudy. And
boring.
Once again, you’ve dragged me through another boring business tale that I don’t give two cents about. What does all this have to do with Lovello screwing a sister?”

Trudy laughed out. “How can you be sleeping with a man high and mighty in the business world and
not
care to know what’s happening?”

God, was she going to tell me or not? “Trudy!”

“Okay, okay,” she said, laughing at my frustration. “It was after the meeting. Carla told me that the older sister had been all over Nelson in the meeting. Nodding in agreement to everything he said even when it was clear she had no idea what was being said. When the meeting ended, the older sister insisted that she had a word with Nelson. Of course, everybody knew what that ‘word’ would be. When everyone was filing out, Carla said she’d hurried off to the bathroom, hasting to finish so she could leave them to their ‘word having’. But it seemed the McKel sister hadn’t realized that Carla was in the bathroom, because as soon as the others were out the room, McKel attacked Nelson. Carla cracked the bathroom door to see what the hell was going on.

“Nelson had been in a shitty mood that day, she told me, and he was trying to get the girl to back off, tossing her aside and then making his way out. But the girl was shamelessly persistent, even taking out her own condom. So Nelson finally grabbed her and bent her over the conference table and began nailing her from behind like a wild ox. Carla said she’d never heard a woman scream that loud in all her life. Nelson was ruthless and the chick was all but shedding tears. On and on for around fifteen minutes without pause. Until Nelson gave a frustrated grunt and said, “
Damn girl, I can’t even come
“, then spun her around and pushed her head down on his cock and said, “Blow me. Maybe your mouth’s better?” Carla said —”

“Stop!” No more. I honestly couldn’t listen to any more. My head was spinning and my chest felt vacant. This was not a feeling I was familiar with. It wasn’t jealously, but something worse. It was also a feeling that I had no business feeling, because I wasn’t supposed to care whatever or whomever he did. I wasn’t supposed to care.
Axia Blacksille was not supposed to care!
Yet, I felt as if I’d been trampled on by an elephant.

Trudy was in a fit of laughter beside me, oblivious to the internal damage her little story had caused. “But I haven’t even got to the fun part —”

“I don’t wanna hear it, Trudy.”

“Okay, lemme just fast-forward to the end, then,” she hiccuped. “Carla said that after Nelson was done and McKel sat on her heels before him with his sperm all over her face, that she was wondering how the hell she was going to get out of the bathroom without them knowing that she’d seen everything. She said she nearly jumped out of her skin when Nelson called out, “
Carla, get out of the goddamn bathroom so the woman can clean herself up!
““ Trudy howled in another fit of laughter, then began sucking on her water bottle to quell her hiccups.

“Jesus, he’s horrible,” I whispered unconsciously.

“That’s Nelson for ya. It’s a good thing you’re just as much a bitch as he’s a dog.” Trudy carried on with her laughing, but when she realized that I sat inert, not a trace of humor on my face, her eyes widened. “Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!! No, Axia. No. Don’t tell me that you’re falling for him? No. Not
Lovello Nelson
.”

When I didn’t answer, she shot up to her feet, her eyes bulging from her head. “Axia, are you freakin’ insane? Nelson is not the kinda guy you fall for. He’s the kinda guy you screw and then piss off with! You fuck guys like him only because he’s hot and sexy and stinking rich. And what girl doesn’t want to be screwed by a hot billionaire? But falling for…” Trudy trailed off on a hefty sigh and began pacing the room. “Where’s my friend? Where’s Axia Victoria Blacksille? My strong, confident,
sensible
best friend? Where is she?!”

I’d never seen Trudy this worked up. It was also strange the way she was making a big deal out of nothing. Of course I wasn’t falling for the guy, I was just shocked … and disappointed … and hurt. I’d grown attached to him, yes. I’d grown used to having him around, yes. I was utterly and completely addicted to him, yes. But was I falling for him? No.

Stomaching the thought of him touching or having sex with someone else was something I couldn’t do, that’s all. When it was just a
thought
, I hadn’t a problem with it. He’d asked me repeatedly and I’d told him no. That I didn’t care. But now, hearing it, having a vivid picture painted before my eyes sent me into the depths of a dark, dry well. The feeling that was stabbing in my chest wasn’t one I could comprehend or name. It was awful. “Trudy, calm down. I’m not falling for anyone.”

“Like hell you’re not! Look at your face. You look as if you’ve just seen a ghost!”

Reaching for my true self, I stood up and pinned her with one of my no-nonsense glares. “Trudy, I said, calm.the.hell.down.”

She sighed and walked up to me, taking my hands in hers and bringing them to her cheeks, closing her eyes on another sigh. The woman was seriously overreacting. It was baffling. “Don’t fall in love with him, Axia. Don’t. I don’t want you to get hurt. I absolutely adore my boss, but I’d rather you go back to Zane and all his kinkiness than be with Nelson. He’s a complete dick with women.”

The man who Trudy had always been describing to me was nowhere near the man who resided in my home. Lovello was sweet with me. Tender, caring, and open about his feelings. Wasn’t closed off as if he had something to hide. Liked to cuddle, liked comfort,
loved
making me come. I was confounded. “Don’t worry, Trudy. I won’t.”

She dropped my hands and picked up her water bottle. “You better not. ‘Cause if you do, I guarantee I’m gonna be dragging your ass out of a shit-mire in the end.”

Even though I tried, I was unable to complete my day at work after hearing Trudy’s morbid tale. So I’d canceled my classes around three o’clock, left Tish in charge and fled the gym. I headed straight home and changed into my bikini, ran out to my backyard and dove off into the swimming pool. Swimming was one of my best ways to ease tension. Some people drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, I swim for hours. Ask me what the hell I was tense about, and I still wouldn’t have been able to explain. All I knew was that I wasn’t myself anymore. No longer a woman. I’d become a girl. A sappier girl than I’d been with Zane.

To think I’d reconstructed myself, post-Zane, as a firm bastion, with high impenetrable walls. Never needing anyone. Never feeling for anyone. Never caring two cents about anyone but myself. But then came Mr. Lovello Nelson like a giant Wrecking Ball, breaking down my walls. Crash. Crash. Crash. Each day a piece of my wall crumbles. And I was allowing it. Unbelievably so, I was allowing it. I never objected to his gradual move in. I never objected to his taking his own key. I never objected to his browsing through my cellphone and emails. I never objected to anything he did because it felt too natural to object. Nothing about it felt wrong. Nothing about him felt wrong. Everything felt right.

But reality was starting to kick in and I needed to put a cap on the lid before everything crashed in, leaving a thick cloud of dust behind that would take a while to dissipate for one to see clearly again. Feelings were not supposed to be involved in our fun. Yet they were.

Night had fallen and I was sitting in my jacuzzi, eyes closed and head back, feeling tons better than I did a few hours ago. That’s just what I needed, a few hours of slowing down. I’d been going too fast. Speeding straight ahead, disregarding all the road rules with music on high blast to drown out all rational thoughts. And now I was braking to a screeching halt.

Enough peace and placidity had seeped through my pores by then, so I was pretty sure I could face Lovello without remembering Trudy’s tale. I was back to being a woman again. A woman who didn’t care what or who her … fuck mate did. No longer a girl. Yes, that’s it,
I didn’t care
.

“What did I do?”

At the voice, my eyes snapped open. Lovello was standing over me at the edge of the jacuzzi, hands in pockets and looking as beautiful as always. His suit jacket and tie were missing and the cuffs of his shirt were loosened. His face was expressionless, apart from a slight frown line between his brow.

“I don’t know. What did you do?” I replied with a fake smile. The peace and tranquility I’d soaked up over the hours just leaked right back out through a huge gap that I hadn’t realized was there.

Lovello stooped down to level his eyes with mine as he dipped an idle finger in the bubbling water. “This morning I saw lamb chops in the fridge that you pre-seasoned for dinner. Been anticipating it all day. I get here, and nothing’s cooked. You
always
cook. Every single day. So, Axia,
what
did I do?”

On a scoff, I grabbed my towel and stepped out of the jacuzzi. “Dinner’s been on your mind all day and yet you’re here a heck of a lot later than usual.”

I attempted to walk by him but he grabbed my arm and kept me in front of him.

“I texted you and told you I was going be late this evening.”

Yeah, but
why
are you late? Some other office fuck?

Woman, Axia. Remember. You’re a woman, not a girl. No whining.

I slapped a smile on my face again. “Love, you didn’t do anything. I’m just tired, that’s all. Sorry. Never saw the message.”

“Axia,” he began in a patient tone. “Your smile is fake. Your eyes are distant. Your calm demeanor is strained. And your left pinky-finger is twitching, just like it always does when you’re trying to restrain your anger.”

Holy hell, I needed to get away from this man. He was beginning to read me like a book. This was dangerous. This was trouble. This had to end. Immediately.

When I wrung my hand away from his grasp, he didn’t fight me. I flounced off into the house leaving him staring after me. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t. We’d barely been together a month and already we were sounding like a jaded married couple. What the hell? No way. This had to stop.

Tightening my towel around my waist, I busied myself, pouring food into Timo’s already full bowl, and fixing what wasn’t messy in his lair. I went into the kitchen to find Lovello sitting at the breakfast bar with his head in his hands. Sensing my presence, he raised his head and looked at me with impassivity. “Axia, will you please tell me what you’re upset with me about?”

Avoiding him, I went to the fridge to fetch a
Snapple.
I downed it all in one drink and then turned to face him, my mouth speaking of its own volition. “After you touched me.”

Lovello’s face twisted in confusion. “Huh?”

“I let you seduce me in L.A. I let you touch me, kiss me, have your way with me.” Jesus, I sounded like a stupid, whiny bitch. “And just days later, you’re bending someone else over a table.”
Shut up, Axia! You sound like a blasted idiot.
“After you
touched
me.”

Lovello’s eyes drifted to the ceiling in thought, and I could see him connecting the dots: Carla to Trudy, Trudy to me, me to Vexation. “Axia, that was —”

“You don’t need to explain. I don’t care. Really, I don’t. I was just —”

“Will you just shut up?! Just shut the hell up and stop saying that!” he yelled. “It’s goddamn obvious you
care
!”

I reared back my hand with the empty
Snapple
bottle and pelted it at him, but he timely ducked and the bottle went smashing into splinters against the wall. “Don’t you dare raise your voice at me, you promiscuous piece of shit!!”

“Christ, Axia. I’m sorry,” he said in a placatory voice. “I didn’t mean to. I just wish you’d stop saying stuff like that.”

That he didn’t try to touch me in any way was appreciated. Because if he did, it would be my undoing, angry as I was. And I didn’t need to be distracted from reality right now.

“Listen, Axia. That Sunday in L.A., you pissed me off. When I left, I’d left you for good. I didn’t plan on seeing or pursuing you again. I was monumentally
pissed off
. I thought you’d realized that. That’s why I was surprised when you showed up in my office. I thought you were done with me, too. My mood had been in the bitters for the entire time after that Sunday … until you came to me.” He got up and came around the counter to stand in front of me. Thankfully, he kept his hands to himself. “That girl … she was a damn plague. Hard to shake. But I promise you, Axia, I haven’t been with anyone but you since you appeared in my office. I swear.”