My Boss's Husband

Chapter 8: Rage

Nalo arrives at the hotel, holding a bottle of wine, and doing a little awkward dance as he holds the bottle by its neck, and shows it to me.

"You are the worst dancer." I can't help but laugh.

He beams and puts the bottle on the table.

"How are you feeling?" he holds his arms out for a hug. I close my eyes while we hold each other, taking it all in. Nalo has always been like a big brother I never had.

"Don't worry, I'm here to offer you distraction." He says while putting his hands on my shoulders and looking at my face.

"I’m grateful for the distraction," I smile. "Us working people should stick together. Right?"

He breaks eye contact, but he nods.

The staff delivers the burgers and snacks to our room a few minutes after we order them. He asks if I have any movies or series I would like to watch, and I shake my head. We end up deciding to spend the entire day watching a new and addictive series about vampires while we snack.

"Do you know what happened to his parents?" He asks when we take a break after five episodes.

"Whose parents?" I glance at him.

"Mr Henderson's parents." He rolls his eyes, as if saying 'duh'.

I shake my head.

“Someone killed them and stole their money.”

My eyes widen, and I feel guilty, but I don't want to show Nalo. He is my best friend, but he will always be more loyal to Inaya than to Wyatt.

"So, please ensure that he never finds out why you seduced him. If he suspects, that's okay, just don't confirm his suspicions."

I nod in response. “Do you know how they settled their divorce?”

"If I did, I would've told you a long time ago. Do you know something?" He gives me a mischievous grin.

"I don’t know. I think Inaya took something from him, but he doesn’t say what."

"It probably involves money and some assets. I heard Ina...I mean, she is Miss Pearson now. I overheard her talking about the assets."

I tell him about Taylor, and how she might make my new job as a maid unbearable. He gives me a sympathetic look, and tells me to just complete the period on the contact and I'll be okay.

"Anyway, enough about our bosses. Tell me why no man has snatched you up yet." He beams.

"The same reason anyone has not snatched you up," I retort.

He frowns at me playfully. Then, we discuss the episodes we watched, and then we laugh while talking about our favourite funny characters.

I feel comfortable with Nalo, it’s just us. Two workers, trapped in the world of the rich, while we watch them live their lives and use us like chess pieces to get what they want.

We continue watching the series. My phone vibrates during our ninth episode, and a text from Wyatt Henderson appears.

“Oh, no! Mr Henderson is on his way.” I look up from my phone.

“What? He can’t find me in here!" He gets up from the mat and takes his jacket.

"Are you leaving already?” I get up as well.

“He just can’t find me in here. Don’t even mention my visit to you.” He holds the door handle while still facing the room.

“Why?”

“Just don’t. He hates me. I will tell you why another time.” He opens the door and walks out.

“I’m going to go to him, and to pretend to welcome him and then you can get away.”

He smiles and squeezes my hand. “Thank you, I will use the other entrance."

Nalo walks out of the room, and I go downstairs to distract Wyatt.

I go to the main entrance, and the doors are closed because of a problem with the electrical doors. I call Wyatt's number, and he tells me that he used the other entrance. I call Nalo to warn him, but he doesn't pick up.

I rush to the other entrance, hoping to find Nalo to warn him or to distract Wyatt.

“Nalo! What the f**k are you doing here?” I hear the voice in a corridor, and I don't have to look to see who it is.

I run to the source of the voice, and I find Nalo and Wyatt glaring at each other.

The anger in Wyatt's eyes makes me fear for our lives.

Oh, no! Poor Nalo...

“I came to the hotel to run errands. Hi Zara, I didn’t see you there.” He smiles at me.

"Hi Nalo, it's good to see you." I wave sheepishly. Realizing that Nalo is trying to act as if we haven't seen each other.

“Nalo! What are you doing here?” He growls.

“Fine, you got me. You know that Zara is my friend, and she called me.” Nalo says calmly.

“Don’t you dare even think of crossing the line with this one. I swear. This time, I would make you pay!” He says to Nalo.

“That's it? You are going to blame me for your faults?” He grins.

I get surprised at this. Nalo speaks like someone with authority instead of an employee. This makes me like him even more. All Inaya's or Wyatt's employees are always humble when they speak to Wyatt.

Nalo is calm, but still, his eyes and the way he speaks show that he doesn't see Wyatt as a superior in any way. Is it because he is not Inaya's husband anymore?

They speak to each other as if I don’t exist, and as if people who are staring at us don’t exist.

“What’s going on?” I scream, looking from Wyatt to Nalo.

“Zara, stay away from this i***t. Just stay away from him.” Wyatt speaks to me, but he keeps his gaze on Nalo, his jaw clenching.

“He is my friend.” I murmur. My mousy self still refusing to let me be brave and step up for my friend. Wyatt has no right to act this way. I have every right to be friends with anyone I want to be friends with. Still, I don’t tell him that.

“I don’t care if he is your friend. I tell you to stay the hell away from him. I swear...”

“You swear what?” Nalo gives him a murderous look.

“Are you testing me? Nalo.”

“Can we talk about this in the room? Please?” I plead.

“No, I’ll leave. Take care Zara, I'll call you.”

I nod and give Nalo a hug, when I turn, I find Wyatt glaring at us.

When Nalo leaves, I walk away from the staring eyes of staff members, and I practically run to the room, listening to Wyatt's footsteps as he follows behind.

When I get to the room, I slam the door in Wyatt’s face, and regret it immediately. He knocks gently. I open the door, and he looks at me in a way he has never looked at me before. The rage in his eyes makes me want to leave the country forever.

His intense stares last night during our contract negotiation are nothing compared to the anger on his face at this moment. He walks towards me, and I take steps back, still looking up at him.

I bump into a wall and take deep breaths. He places his palms on the wall, on both sides of my shoulders. I blink to try to get rid of the tears stinging my eyes.

“Are you hell-bent on challenging me?” He asks quietly.

I shake my head.

“Then what the hell was that? You invite him to your room! Him?” He screams, pointing toward the door as if Nalo is there.

“He is my friend.” My back is still against the wall, and my heart beats as if it wants to escape my chest.

“He is my ex wife’s..." He trails off. "He is my ex wife's chauffeur.”

“But your ex wife is not your enemy.”

He chuckles as if my words are unbelievable, his eyes show that he is still furious, and then he takes a few steps back.

I get relieved that I’m not against the wall anymore.

“Zara, you can cry all you want, but you should know that you broke my heart.” His voice breaks. He walks towards me again, and I find my back against the wall for the second time.

“You really broke my heart this time. You know how to break my heart, Zara.” His face is close to mine. He is not screaming anymore, but each word is so intense that the tears that I have been holding in fall like rain.

He storms out of the room, leaving me feeling guilty without further explanation.