Mr. Billionaire, I'm Back!

Chapter 34: A Kiss Goodnight

After Joanna finished the two songs, there was thunderous applause. People began to stomp their feet, shouting, "One more song! One more song!" She looked to Mr. Adams, the bar manager. He nodded his head in approval, and she began an encore that would last for nearly an hour, turning into a mini-concert.

By the time the show was over, Joanna had no more energy in her, but she felt like a brand-new version of herself, strong and revitalized. She waved goodbye to the crowd, and as she walked backstage, she was stopped by a strange man. He looked her over, and her blood ran cold. He smiled wickedly and said, "That was quite the show. I wonder if you perform as well in bed!"

Almost immediately after the words left the stranger's mouth, Brian punched him in the back and threw him on the floor. He had been coming to congratulate Joanna, and he happened to arrived just in time to hear the nasty comment.

"What the f**k?" The stranger groaned as he scrambled to find his feet. "Do you have a death wish?" he asked.

Brian chuckled and said, "Get lost."

"You--" The man growled, and he was going to hit Brian, but one of the manager's bodyguards grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

Once the stranger was gone, Brian looked at Joanna, put his arm around her waist, and said, "Let's go. I'll drive you home."

Joanna felt safe, nuzzled against Brian, with her head on his broad chest. She smiled and said, "Okay."

***

By the time Brian and Joanna arrived at the Grace House, it was nearly midnight. Once the car was parked, she turned to him and said, "Thank you for today. I had fun."

Brian smiled. "So how are you going to thank me?" he asked.

Joanna's cheeks turned pink, and she said, "Oh, I thought what you did was for free. If I had known it wasn't, I wouldn't have gone with you."

Brian smiled lightly and said, "I guess you were wrong, and it's too late. Now you owe me."

Joanna frowned. "What do you want from me?" she asked.

Brian leaned over, gently pinched her chin, and gave her a deep kiss that left her breathless. Then he said, "My dear little fool, a goodnight kiss is all I ever wanted." He pinched her cheek and grinned.

Because Joanna was shy, she pushed him away, opened the door, and ran out. Brian chased after her, though, and he caught her as she reached the house. He pressed her against the front door and asked, "Do you miss me at night?"

Instead of answering, Joanna turned around and opened the door. Then she pushed him away, slipped inside, and closed and locked the door behind her.

Brian took a few steps backward so that he could watch the house. The light in the living room turned on, then the light in the stairway. Then the lights turned off, the light in the living room first, and then the one in the stairwell. He waited until the light in Joanna's bedroom to turn on, and then he walked back to his car.

As Brian started his car, he looked up at Joanna's bedroom window, and he wasn't surprised to see her there. She had a soft sweet smile on her face, and she was watching him.

***

The next day was Saturday, and summer was just around the corner. Olivia wanted to buy some sundresses, and she asked Joanna to go shopping with her. They met in a coffee shop, and it wasn't long before Olivia noticed that Joanna seemed preoccupied. "Joanna," she said. "Are you okay?"

Joanna thought about Brian, and she said, "I'm good."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked. "If you're not feeling well, we could just go home."

Joanna sighed and said, "Relax. Today is a day for shopping."

Olivia looked at her friend suspiciously and touched her forehead. Joanna didn't seem to have a fever, so she nodded and said, "Okay. You seem well, but if you start to feel sick, let me know. Promise me!"

Joanna promised, and once they were done drinking their coffees, they went into one of the clothing stores in the mall. Olivia found an ethnically styled dress, and she held it up. "Joanna," she said, "What do you think of this?"

Joanna looked at it and nodded. She said, "It looks nice. Try it on."

Olivia laughed and said, "Sure. Why not?"

Olivia went to try the dress on, and while Joanna looked around, a salesperson followed her around. Then, when she picked up a light blue dress, the salesperson smiled and said, "Miss, you have excellent taste in clothes. This dress is from our new exclusive line. Do you want to try it on?"

Joanna nodded, but just as the salesperson reached for the dress, Sarah stepped forward and snatched it away from her. Then she smirked and said, "Sis, what a beautiful dress! Don't you think it would be a waste for you to wear it?"

Joanna glared at Sarah. "Why is your mouth always so dirty and smelly?" she asked. "Has it been ten years since you last brushed your teeth?"

"You--" Sarah gasped. She was silent for a moment, but then she began to laugh. "At first, I felt this was not the right dress for you," she said. "But now I can see that blue perfectly matches your mood. After all, my brother-in-law cheated on you, right? What's the name of his mistress again? Jane? How does she look? Is she more beautiful than you are? I bet she is!"

Joanna was not irritated by Sarah's words, but she was disgusted by her behavior. She sneered and said, "Sarah, do you want to know what Jane looks like? Fine. I'll tell you!" Suddenly, she clenched Sarah's chin. "When I saw Jane, I wanted to slap her, but when I saw you, I felt sick to my stomach. And that was from having to share the same space as you and breathe the same air that you breathe. So, can you get lost?"