Thrill Me, page 41
part #3 of Billionaire's Secrets Series
“Do you want me to drop you at your apartment, or will you drive back home with your car?” I asked her sternly. Heidi’s brows knotted, and her expression looked confused. She had every right to be.
“Do you want me to go back home?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Yes,” I said sternly and turning from her, I walked back to the car.
Once inside, I said nothing to her. I started the car in silence, she still hadn’t given me her response. Heidi was sitting quietly by my side.
“What was in that note, Rhett? What changed?” she asked, and I kept my eyes on the road.
“It was a stupid prank,” I said to her, through clenched jaws.
We both knew I was lying.
“I’ll pick up the car from your house,” she said, in a voice that she had purposely hardened. I could sense the catch at the back of her throat. She was trying to suppress a cry. I wanted to reach out to her and drag her into my arms. I wanted to tell her the truth. I wanted to beg for an apology and explain to her why I was pushing her away. This was all for her sake, and for mine of course, because I never wanted Heidi to find out about the things I had done.
But it was all lost now. Heidi would never trust me again.
Chapter Twenty-five
Heidi
I was awake but I hadn’t gotten out of bed yet because I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not only had the previous night been a long one, but I felt miserable. I lay tucked in under the covers, having pulled them up to my ears, and was blinking at the sun pouring in through the curtains in my room. I had no interest in the day.
At nine, I reached for my cellphone and called Lucia.
“Hey, I’m not feeling well. Do you think you and Sophia can cover for me today? I’ll pay for the extra hours of course,” I told her when she answered the phone. I couldn’t think about the café. Sophia would just have to make do with a small batch of bakes for the day. It would just take a bit longer with the lack of my help, but it was much better for me to stay at home rather than turn up at the café feeling like this.
I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t believe that I had allowed myself to be manipulated by Rhett. By another man. This is exactly what he wanted, to sleep with me again with no strings attached and he had managed to pull it off smoothly.
What could a note from someone say that would change his mood that drastically? If he really wanted to spend time with me, a mysterious note wouldn’t make that much of a difference, would it? What could have possibly changed so quickly?
I tossed around in the bed and tried to make myself fall asleep again, just so that I wouldn’t think of Rhett anymore. But that was far from possible. I could still feel his touch on my skin, the force of his kisses, and how amazing he had made me feel. When I was with him, when Rhett had his arms encircled around me, I felt safe and happy…like I belonged there. But every time we had sex, Rhett changed his mind about me immediately after.
Why did he even bother to take me to his mother’s house in the first place? I couldn’t understand it. Nothing that Rhett did made sense to me and it was all just messing with my head.
After Jake and I broke up, I had made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t allow another man to control my life. I would spend the rest of my life alone if I had to, but I wouldn’t allow someone to have control over my emotions or my happiness. And yet, I had fallen hard for Rhett. I should have followed my instincts to stay away from that man.
From the first moment we met, I knew that Rhett was dangerous. That he was going to be a threat to my sanity. Besides, my first impression of him was that of him being a guy who knew how women reacted to him. He believed that he could have anyone he wanted, and I had foolishly affirmed that belief. I had barely even put up a fight. I was like a puppet in his hands, and he was probably now sitting in his lavish home laughing at me.
Was it all made up? Was it all a plan from the beginning? Was he the kind of guy who got a thrill from the chase but after he got what he wanted, the other person’s feelings didn’t matter to him? The only thing that I couldn’t fit into all that was why he took me to his mother’s house. Why he introduced Martha to me. Was he throwing me a bone? Did he feel sorry for me?
I pressed my eyes close and tried not to think about him. I’d barely slept all night, and the hours were just passing by and I was going to end up wasting a day.
I was wasting a full day over one man! I was beginning to despise myself now. Where had all my courage and strength gone? Had I learnt nothing after Jake and how he had treated me? How could I have been that foolish?!
As I gritted my teeth, I felt the trickle of tears rolling down my cheeks. I wasn’t supposed to be crying over a guy. That was completely against my rules. I hadn’t even cried when Jake and I broke up! Why was I crying over Rhett? A guy I barely even knew…someone who clearly didn’t care about me enough to even offer me an explanation. What was I doing to myself?
I was tempted to call him, in one moment of desperation. I didn’t have his personal phone number, but I thought of calling his office. His receptionist seemed friendly enough, maybe she would connect me. I had to do something! If nothing else, at least I could give him a piece of my mind! Scream at him. Tell him that I hated him. Something!
I was able to stop myself from dialing the number just in time. I had to remind myself to breathe. To think calmly. To watch my every step. Even though these feelings of desperation for a stranger were unbearable, I knew that in time they would fade away. I would forget about him. I had managed to get over Rhett once already, or at least come close to getting over him. So, I could do it again.
I should never have fallen for his lies. For his excuses. Why did he want to trick me anyway? Didn’t he already have a whole queue of women waiting for him? I wouldn’t have been surprised if he already had plans of sleeping with someone else tonight.
I sat up in bed and threw the covers off me. The tears were still streaming down my cheeks. They were not about to dry any time soon, but the least I could do was pretend I was fine. I was going to go to the café and carry on as usual.
Chapter Twenty-six
Rhett
“I have something to tell you both,” I said.
I had invited Hunter and Owen to my office, and was now pacing around the room with my hands behind my back. After what had happened the previous night, I knew I needed to tell them the truth because chances were that the truth was going to come out eventually. It could be the next day or it could be the next year or even fifteen years later. At some point, I wasn’t going to be able to keep my end of the bargain and Massimo was going to find a way to hurt me, by telling my friends or my family. The least I could do was allow Hunter and Owen to hear it from me first.
They were staring at me wide-eyed, with serious expressions on their faces…unsure of what to expect. I trusted these two men with my life.
“I have a past that neither of you know about, and which I’m ashamed of,” I said, without meeting their eyes. I could sense them exchanging looks.
“What are you talking about Rhett? What could possibly be so bad?” Hunter was the one to speak up, in his deep, raspy voice. I met his eye briefly and then looked away.
“I’ve told you guys about how mom was struggling to make ends meet. We were going to lose the house and we were going to be taken away by social services,” I said and Owen stood up from his chair and walked towards me.
“You know you can tell us anything, Rhett. We know what you’ve gone through and we know you,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I raised my face to look at him and then clenched my jaw.
“I joined a gang when I was a teenager,” I said it bluntly.
“What kind of gang?” Hunter asked. He had stood up too.
“The kind that every kid should stay away from,” I said in a dejected voice.
“What were they involved in?” Owen asked and I stepped away from them to walk over to the window in my office. I couldn’t continue looking at them.
“Drugs, extortion, robbery…” I said and allowed my voice to drift. The shame that was running through my veins was painful. I had kept this hidden from my friends for so many years. Would they regret getting in business with a guy like me?
“What were you involved in?” Hunter asked and I recognized the worry in his voice.
“Pickpocketing, stealing stuff from grocery stores…” I replied.
“How old were you, Rhett?” Owen asked and I shook my head.
“Old enough to know that I shouldn’t have dropped out of school,” I replied and hung my head in shame.
It was Hunter who had walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“We’re glad you told us, Rhett…but we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” he said. I whipped around to face him. I was panicking again.
“I robbed a bank. My first heist with the gang. I stole diamonds and jewelry,” I said and felt my heart racing.
“Did anyone get hurt?” Owen asked and I shook my head.
“You were a juvenile,” Hunter added but I was still shaking my head.
“It’s come back to haunt me. My past,” I said in a hoarse voice.
“What do you mean, Rhett? Tell us everything,” Hunter said.
“The guy who was training me…one of the leaders of the gang. He’s out of prison and traced me here. He wants money to keep his mouth shut,” I said and stepped away from them again. I felt dirty and disgusted with myself. I wanted to keep my distance from my friends.
“He’s threatening you?” Owen asked in an enraged voice and I nodded my head.
“He’s in town, and he’s trying to get me to pay up. Now that I’m successful and he knows I have the money and a lot to lose…he’s not going anywhere,” I said and I saw that Hunter had already started rolling up his sleeves.
“Where is the fucker? Do you know where he is?” he growled and I took in a deep breath.
“I’ve done that already. Massimo is a hardened ex-con. A few violent threats isn’t going to stop him from getting what he wants,” I said and clenched my fists beside me. Even saying his name was enough to get me mad. I wanted to smash something. Break something.
“We could give him more money than he’s asking for and make sure he never comes back to Brunswick?” Owen suggested and I grinned nastily at him, even though I knew that he was only trying to help.
“He’s not just going to go away. He expects continuous payment…till the day he dies. That’s his plan. And he can hurt me even if never steps into Brunswick again. All he has to do is pick up the phone and call a newspaper or a magazine somewhere,” I explained and started pacing the floor again.
“Before we do anything, I say we beat the shit out of him first,” Hunter was still seething with temper, and I could understand because that had been my first reaction as well. I hadn’t even told them about how Massimo had broken into mom’s house or threatened Heidi.
“There’s no point, Hunter. He’s not going to care,” I mumbled.
“So what are you going to do?” Owen asked and I shook my head.
“I don’t know. I just wanted to let you guys know what was going on. I owed you the truth,” I said and Hunter came over and patted me on my back.
“I’m glad you told us man. We can put our heads together and come up with a plan,” Hunter said and I nodded my head. But I knew that the truth was that I was going to have to deal with it alone. I wanted nobody else involved.
***
“So I’m not good enough for your fancy office?” those were Massimo’s first words when he took a seat beside me at the bar. I’d sent him a text to meet me there after I spoke to Hunter and Owen.
With one gulp I emptied the whisky in the glass and indicated to the bartender to pour me some more.
“I take it you got my note,” Massimo said and when I turned to him, I saw that he was smiling widely with a toothy grin. His greying hair was oily and slicked back and there were folds in his neck which settled over his chest. Some faint tattoos were visible over the neck of his shirt.
“You shouldn’t have gone to my mother’s house,” I said in a deep and low voice, holding Massimo’s eyes. But he just continued to smile at me.
“I didn’t think you were taking me seriously. I had to do something to make you see that I’m willing to take extreme measures to get what I want,” he said, just as the bartender placed a bottle of beer in front of him.
“My mother is out of reach. If you ever go near her or my brother again, I will rip your face off,” I threatened through gritted teeth, and Massimo turned away from me. His smile had dropped and changed into a sour look.
“And what about the girl? Isn’t she the one from the café? You were quick. I’ve taught you well,” he said and added a laugh and I jumped off my stool, close to grabbing him by his collar again.
“Don’t even think about talking about her!” I growled, in a voice louder than I intended and some people had turned to look at us. Massimo was grinning again. He was enjoying agitating me.
“What is it Rhett? Are you in love with her or something?” he asked and I clenched my jaw, and narrowed my eyes on him, trying to control my rage. The purpose of this meeting was not to punch him.
“You have nothing on me,” I said in a lower voice, trying to change the subject.
“You mean the photographs of the gang together? Even if I don’t have actual evidence that you were involved in the robberies, the media and your little community here are going to love it when they find out what kind of friends you had as a little boy in Brooklyn,” Massimo said and drank some of his beer.
I sat back down on the stool beside him and took a few gulps of my whisky.
“I was a teenager. You brainwashed me,” I said gratingly and Massimo laughed again.
“Brainwashed you? You practically begged me to teach you how to steal cigarettes,” he said and I noticed how his belly jiggled when he laughed. I was even more disgusted. I couldn’t believe that at one point I had actually looked up to this man.
“I’m not going to be blackmailed by a man like you,” I said through clenched jaws and Massimo shrugged his shoulders.
“It doesn’t matter to me what you think of me, boy,” he said and plonked his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. I flinched and as much as I wanted to yank myself away from him, I stayed put. I had to convince him that he was breaking me. That he’d got me. “You have to do as I say, or this cute little life that you’ve built for yourself here is going to come crashing down. I’ve seen your house. It’s huge!” Massimo said and went back to drinking his beer again.
I sucked in my gut and breathed deeply.
“I’ll give you the money,” I said and Massimo whipped his head around to me. He wasn’t expecting me to give in easily, but now he was beginning to believe that his plan was working.
“And keep it coming,” he added and I turned to look at him, squinting my eyes at him.
“Whatever you say, Massimo. Just stay away from my family, and from Heidi. If you ever even go close to any of them again, I’ll turn myself in to the cops if I have to. After I kill you first,” I said and I held his gaze. Massimo glared back at me for a few moments and then held up his hands.
“Whatever you say, Rhett,” he said, grinning again.
“Give me a few days to arrange the money. I’ll contact you again about where to collect it,” I said and Massimo was fully smiling now.
“We need to set up a system, and remember, boy, that missing payments is not an option here. Releasing your story is one phone call away,” he said and I nodded my head.
“I won’t miss a payment,” I said and then stood up from my stool. It was done. I had no intention of sticking around and chatting with him. The more distance I could put between Massimo and myself, the better it would be for me.
As I buttoned up the jacket of my suit, Massimo stuck his hand out to me. He wanted to shake on it. My face twisted in a half smile as I looked down at his hand and then back up at his face.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me. Asshole,” I said and turned from him and walked towards the swinging doors of the bar. He could think he was going to get his way, but that didn’t mean I was going to shake his hand.
And he should have known better. He should have figured out that I didn’t make deals with criminals anymore. Not now when I had everything to lose, especially Heidi.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Heidi
One week later
I tucked some loose curls back behind my ears as I carefully placed a slice of toffee cake on a bone china plate.
“This is for table three,” I told Lucia when I handed it to her. She nodded and took the plate away and I sighed. I was keeping up appearances well. The past seven days had been a miserable experience for me. My mood swung constantly, from blaming myself for how I was feeling to wondering what Rhett was doing, to being angry with him for treating me the way he had. My emotions were jumbled up and I was beginning to feel like I would never be able to get over him.
I felt like I had lost a little something of me by being with Rhett. That he would always be in the back of my mind and I would remember him with fondness and sadness. I couldn’t deny it, that whenever I was with him, I had felt nothing other than excitement and joy. He was able to make me forget about everything else. That dinner on his balcony had been magical. I had opened myself up to him and despite what had happened after that, I didn’t regret it. Even if I had been made a fool of, I couldn’t stop myself from believing that the connection had been real. That for a few hours, we had truly felt a spark. I had just misjudged him by thinking that he was a different kind of guy when the truth was that he was like everyone else. Like every other guy I had trained myself to not trust.
“You’ve been complimented on your baking,” Lucia came back over to tell me, and I looked past her at the tourist couple sitting at table three and I smiled at them.
