Unbearable Passion - Exposed: Billionaire Erotica Romance (Unbearable Passion series Book 3) (8 page)

What great timing—I need the money and the distraction since Bryce is going to be busy for a few more weeks. I call Todd and confirm I’m free and once everything is confirmed, I immediately text Bryce, because I don’t want to make the same mistake I once made.

I’m off to Puerto Rico and then Uruguay tomorrow with the client who is gay. We’ll be gone for the next two weeks and I’ll be in touch when technology permits. I miss you so much and can’t wait to see you. I figured since I wasn’t sure how much longer you’d be dealing with this Derek saga, I’d keep myself busy.

I get a reply from Bryce almost instantly.

I’m very upset right now. I don’t want you to be with another man even if he’s gay and uninterested in having sex with you. When I get back, I want to talk to you about quitting the work you do for Todd. I have a few ideas in mind, but of course it’s your choice in the end. I don’t want to have to keep sharing you with other men.

I can’t believe his words. If I could have my business back and still have Bryce in my life, that would be the ultimate dream come true. Unfortunately, Brad Keller has made certain I’ll never be able to rebuild my business.

I’d love nothing more than to go back to my former life before working with Todd, but I lost my company and I’m a bit unsure of next steps.

He quickly replies to my lamenting text message.

Sofia, if you’re willing to open up, I’m sure I can help once I’ve dealt with my own company’s mess. I have to go, but know that I’ll miss you and I can help you get back at these people who’ve hurt you.

I know Bryce is invincible, but not even he can deal with the evil nature of a Brad Keller.

The bastard ruined my life.

* * *

I’m truly able to appreciate the epic proportion of Bryce’s scandal when Dennis brings the topic up on the flight down to Puerto Rico.

“Can you believe this poor chap Bryce Van Der Linden and this situation he’s dealing with?”

His words catch me off guard and I’m petrified by the idea that he knows I’m involved with Bryce. I quickly understand what’s prompted Dennis’s remark when he shows me the cover of the
New York Times
Business section on his iPad and I’m fully able to grasp how much of a nightmare this is for Bryce. When your crisis becomes small talk in people’s lives, it’s a big deal. I know firsthand how embarrassing it is to see your life on the front page of the New York Post or to hear CNN reporters who don’t know anything about you make callous remarks about your downfall. Some say any press is good press, but I have to disagree. Negative press is devastating.

“It must be difficult for Derek’s wife.” I attempt to sound as detached as humanly possible given how much I know.

“No doubt. That’s why I came out to my family before fully taking on the
lifestyle
. I never wanted anyone close to me to find out I was gay by accident. I’m sorry Derek didn’t take his family into consideration. His choices will traumatize his kids.”

* * *

The next two weeks with Dennis in South America are as grueling as the first two I spent with him. The only difference is that this time I’m in constant communication with Bryce.

The days are packed with meetings and heavy negotiations. Our saving grace is Dennis’ private jet. Traveling in such luxury makes a hectic trip like this one easier to handle. It doesn’t hurt either that his personal assistant had booked the best suites in five-star hotels.

By the time Dennis and I are back in his Puerto Rico office debriefing his team after two exhausting weeks of business negotiations, I’m spent and ready to go home.

To thank me for my hard work, Dennis has booked a full day of spa treatments at one of the top spots on the island. I’m sitting by the pool of one of the island’s most prestigious hotels after a massage, but I can only think of how much I wish Bryce were here with me.

I can’t wait to see him again.

My phone rings.

“You’re not going to believe this, Sofia!” I’m not sure what’s going on, but Bryce sounds elated. “You were right!” It sounds like he’s nearly jumping out of his skin with excitement.

“I’m always right,” I say, even though I’m still unsure what I was right about.

“Cody Wheeler was a fraud! We caught him red-handed in his clever scam. We almost missed the obvious, but after weeks of investigation and undercover investigators, we were finally able to prove all the photos were Photoshopped and fake. Derek was gay and living a lie, but he was not interested in underage boys. We were able to establish without any shadow of a doubt that Cody didn’t know and has never met Derek. We also removed any doubts that Derek might have leaked any private information to Jayden Whitfield, his gay lover. The big win for us was to establish Cody’s age. He’s actually a twenty-three-year-old man and not a seventeen-year-old boy. He just happens to look very young and he’s been deceiving people for years and defrauding them. One of the investigators spotted a few discrepancies when we hacked his computer and then the floodgate of lies opened up,” Bryce says, triumphant.

“Wow! Bryce, that’s incredible news. I’m so happy I was able to help in some small way.”

“I thought you had lost your marbles when you suggested the fake photo thing, but I woke up suddenly that night and it hit me that some of those photos didn’t look right. Something about them was too perfect. It took us weeks to tail Cody, but we finally figured him out. He looks extraordinarily young and he has a slim physique, but we tailed him for weeks and noticed he had a tendency to frequent hardcore gay bars in the city. These underground places are way too lucrative to the owners and they’d never take a chance on allowing underage boys under their roof. The security in some of those places is tighter than at JFK.”

“What a story, Bryce.”

“You can’t even imagine, Sofia. Once we caught him visiting several of these bars we knew he had to be operating with two identities and we just had to figure out his adult alter ego. We also found six other married men who were being blackmailed by Cody. With all this digging, we finally discovered his real name. Cody really is András
Mihály
Király, an illegal Hungarian living in the good ol’ U.S.A. We got a judge to seize András’ computers and six external hard drives.”

“Why does anyone need six external hard drives?”

“We found tons of footage of his victims and tens of thousands of photos. This creep knew exactly what he was doing.”

“I’m always amazed at what people choose to specialize at in life. Cody was obviously a master crook.”

“He was, but that’s not it, Sofia. The same judge who allowed us to take possession of his computer also issued a warrant for his arrest. He was escorted by a group of unfriendly cops who took him into custody earlier today for the entire country to see. Once he’s been tried, fined and forced to pay back all the people he’s been blackmailing, he’ll go to jail and most likely he’ll be sent back to Hungary.”

“I don’t know what to say. That’s amazing. This guy was cheating everyone.”

“He was, but the buck stopped with me. I wasn’t going to take it lying down,” Bryce proudly admits.

“I wouldn’t have expected anything less of you.”

“It’s over, baby. It’s freaking over!” I can hear him laughing uncontrollably on the other end of the phone. “I want to come to New York tonight to be with you,” he announces joyfully.

“You can’t, Bryce.”

“What do you mean I can’t? Did you take on a new client?” His voice quickly changes to a more serious tone.

“Do you remember I told you I’d be away with Dennis? We just got back to Puerto Rico and we’ll be here for another few days before flying back home.”

“When you get to New York, buy a ticket to Vegas and I’ll pick you up myself at the airport. Don’t worry about the price of the ticket. Get a first-class ticket and I’ll pay for it when you get here,” he orders.

“You mean that I immediately get back on a plane to Vegas when I arrive in New York in two days?”

“I know you’ll be tired, but come down to Vegas for a few days and we can catch up and we can be together,” he pleads.

He’s so hard to resist. I thought I was going to be able to unwind at home, but instead I’ll have to get back on another flight. I guess it’s a small price to pay to be with Bryce again.

“Okay, you win. I’ll see you in Vegas in two days.”

“Great. I’ll book a suite at the Bellagio.”

I sit there basking under the Puerto Rican sun looking at my phone, still taken aback from my conversation with Bryce.

The Bellagio is quite the luxury stay in Vegas, but Bryce makes it sound as if it’s no big deal to book a last-minute room in one of the Strip’s most prestigious hotels. It’s good to have money.

Chapter 7

I nearly choke when the flight attendant tells me the price for a last-minute first-class ticket from New York to Vegas. There really isn’t anything Bryce can’t buy.

As promised, he’s waiting for me at the airport and when I see his beautiful face, I have to force myself to keep my composure in order to avoid making a fool out of myself. I want to run towards him and tell him how much I’ve missed him and how much I love him, but since I’m still uncertain where his affection for me ends and where the thrill and power of being able to afford to hire an escort starts, I decide to play it cool.

“Look at you,” he says, as he picks me up in his arms in front of thousands of preying eyes. “I’ve missed you so much,” he confesses after putting me back on the ground.

“I’ve missed you too, Bryce.”

There’s no point in lying to myself. I have completely fallen for him.

“Dean, can you grab her luggage and put it in the car?” he orders the chauffeur. “Let’s get the hell out of here and let’s go have some fun in Vegas.”

Bryce sounds like a schoolboy looking forward to summer vacations. It’s a side of him I’ve not seen yet.

“It must have been hot and sunny in South America. You’re so dark and tanned.”

He’s asking all these questions and I’m still too mesmerized by this man to answer them intelligently.

“Yeah, it was pretty hot and I did spend time in the sun when we got to Puerto Rico,” I finally manage to answer.

“I hope you’re ready for the next few days.”

“I’m so happy to be here with you.” I’m unable to take my eyes off of him.

“So am I, baby. I’m happy Derek can finally rest in peace and I can move on with my business and life.” Bryce grabs the back of my head, lifts my chin and kisses my lips softly. “Are you tired?”

“Traveling first class helps because those seats are so huge. I was able to lean back and I slept the entire trip.”

“Good. I’ve got a lot planned and I want to make sure you can keep up the pace,” he says, as he punctuates his sentence with a naughty wink.

When we get to the Bellagio and enter our suite, I realize we’re not only staying in one of the most expensive hotels, but Bryce has booked one of the penthouse suites overlooking the fountains.

“Is the bed actually in front of the window overlooking the fountains where everyone can see us at night?”

“Well, we’re a bit too high for anyone to see us, but I think the idea is to fuck you as if the whole of Vegas could see us,” he says with a huge grin on his face.

“This is a spectacular view, Bryce,” I reply, pretending not to know what he has in mind.

“Wait until you see it at night. That’s when you’ll seriously be impressed. The flow of fountains against the Vegas light is pretty cool.”

We spend the day by the pool. I should really say that I fall asleep by the pool while Bryce spends the day working on his laptop besides me. I wake up famished from my nap in the late afternoon.

“Have you been working the whole time we’ve been down here?”

“What else was I going to do? Sleeping Beauty here obviously needed her rest,” he says, as he winks at me.

“I’m starving,” I complain.

“Let’s go back to our room, take a shower and head out for an early dinner. We should get back to the room by eight. I have a big surprise for you,” he says with lust in his eyes.

“What kind of surprise are we talking about?”

“Something that will make me very happy and bring you a lot of pleasure,” he replies with fake detachment in his voice. 

“Should I be worried? You sound so mysterious.”

“Well, let’s just say it’s something different, but I know you’ll enjoy it as much as I’ll enjoy watching you.” He gives me a cocky look as if to justify his ambiguous answer. “Don’t worry. It will all be fine and you’ll thank me later.”

He’s so self-assured and I’m positive he’s holding back on what he has planned for me. After grabbing a bite to eat at the restaurant overlooking the fountain, we return to our room. I’m a bit confused by the fact that Bryce hasn’t made any attempt to touch me in the elevator or when he closes the door behind us. I’m getting slightly worried and I wonder what’s on his mind.

“Get out of this dress, put on a robe and go wait for me in the other room,” he orders.

I guess I was worried for nothing.

There’s no point in asking questions because it’s clear from the way he’s looking at me that he’s going to have his way with me. I obey him and after slipping my naked body inside the robe, I sit patiently in the other room, wondering what to expect. All of a sudden, I hear a knock at the door in the other room and soon after I hear a female voice talking to Bryce.

What’s going on? Who’s that woman?

I wait, worried to open the door and ruin the mood. A few minutes later, Bryce opens the door and enters the room.

“I have a surprise for you. My friend Ruby has agreed to come over and give you a special massage,” he announces.