Coming Home

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Her heart pounded inside her chest. Her breathing labored as she stared far longer than she should have. A feminine hand slid around his hand; nails freshly manicured; long and red. Those blue eyes never wavered from hers as those female arms surrounded him like a snake. Every fiber in her body screamed at him to move away from that woman. To maintain a safe distance so she could go up there and steer him away from those prying fingers. But she remained in her seat, captivated by the steel of his stare.

"What are you looking at?" Jill asked staring at her.

Venice tore her gaze away from her husband and tried to show too much emotions in her face. She didn't want hurt to reflect back at her. There was no room for that unwanted emotion in her life. "Nothing. Let's go and dance."

She led her friend to the dance floor and squeezed through the throng of sweaty bodies. The loud music boomed through the wall; vibrating and shaking with every rhythm making her hips sway as she turned Jill around and around. She forgot about Max and his mistress. She wanted to show him that he didn't rule her. She had a mind of her own; she could do anything she wanted.

When another song came on, an unfamiliar man approached Jill and asked her to dance. Disappointment settled over her as she watched her friend go. She didn't want to hold her back; Jill had as much right to have fun as she did. Tonight, the club was all about the ladies. She'd come here with her friend hoping they could talk, bring back the old "them" before things changed. But she couldn't bring herself to keep Jill with her, she didn't want to be selfish.

She went back to her stool and didn't bother looking back at the VIP section. Max might not even be there. She asked for another martini and hunched over her drink. She was still nursing her second martini when someone took the vacated seat beside her. She ignored the intruder, fighting back tears as she downed the last drop of her drink.

"You alone?" an unfamiliar man asked.

She turned her head and found a man with chestnut-brown mane with green eyes staring at her. The corner of his mouth turned up into a smile. She smiled back and nodded. "I came with a friend but she left already."

"Aw, that sucks." His voice was deep, but not as masculine as Max's.

She shrugged. "You came here alone?"

The man nodded his affirmation. "Same as you." He gestured to the bartender and ordered another bottle of beer before glancing at her empty glass. "And give the lady whatever she's having."

The bartender came back few moments later with their drinks and handed hers with a nod. Venice thanked both men and took another sip. She almost coughed when the liquid shot down her throat, burning her. The crowd grew thicker and the beat of the music changed again. She glanced back at the dance floor, longing to go back there and forget about the rush of thoughts invading her mind.

She didn't want to think about Max and his mistress. It hurt her pride to see him with another woman, and luckily for her, their marriage didn't make it in the tabloids. Otherwise, they'd have a lot of explaining to do. She glanced down at the wedding band wrapped around her finger, glinting clearly against the light as the gold caught her eyes. Suddenly, she had the strong urge to slip it off and tuck it in her purse. So she did without looking at anybody.

"You've gone quiet," the man after the silence lengthened.

She looked at him and smiled. "Just a lot to think about."

"I saw your wedding ring," he glanced at her purse. "Trouble in paradise?"

Surprise showed in her face and didn't bother hiding it. So what if she was married? Max was having his own affair so why shouldn't she? This was the reason why she'd gone to the club in the first place: to get laid and get rid of her virginity.

"You can call it that," she said in a small voice.

Pity stared back at her and she wished she hadn't said anything at all. She didn't want his pity. Not now and not ever. "Would you like to dance?" she faked a cheerful voice and slid off her stool, bravely tugging at his arm before heading to the dance floor again without looking back to see if he was following her.

Strong arm slid around her waist and pulled her to a hard chest. She gasped, whirling around and finding the stranger grinning down at her. He'd followed her here knowing he wanted to. She threw her head back and laughed at the idea of spending a night with this man.

They let the music surround them and they began a slow pace. They found a rhythm and matched it with their arms, bodies and hips as she slowly unwind. Her hair cascaded down her back in long curls; her arms locked around his shoulders, his hands spanning her hips, waist then back to the small of her back. She'd missed physical contact and wished she'd met this man before Max had made his proposal. He seemed interested in her--something she fed off of from.

Their bodies moved together and she bravely glided her own against his. She earned a satisfying groan from him before she was jerked back by a strong hand clamping around her arm. She staggered, finding her position by the time Max had rounded on the stranger.

The two men dueled and fell on the floor, causing a great havoc among the horde. Her husband's arm was pulled back into a fist, driving it continously into the green-eyed man in fury. She yelped in shock, paralyzed by the violent scenario playing before her eyes. She'd never seen him so angry. He'd always been reserved; cool, calm and collected as she'd once put it.

It was only when one of the bodyguards rushed to the two men that he managed to pull Max off. He was spitting fury and she immediately rushed to his side to hold him off, but was quickly pushed aside by another bodyguard. The man with green-eyes had blood drooling down his mouth, right eye already swelling from the punch.

"Get out both of you!" the bodyguard yelled and all heads turned to the burly man. "Or else, I'll be forced to call the police!"

Everyone rushed to the exit as the green-eyed man got to his feet. She immediately rushed toward him but was stopped by that familiar steel-hold. She turned her head and found Max's lip busted, his left eye also swelling from the punch he received. She wanted to tell him to let go so she could apologize on the man on her behalf. But she was already dragged out by her husband, away from the stranger whom had overlooked the wedding band on her finger.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he roared as soon as they reached the parking lot.

She yanked her arm from his, rubbing the sore spot where his fingers had clutched. "You didn't have to drag me out like that!"

"What am I supposed to do?" he roared as the familiar black car came to view. His driver had arrived and she'd be forced to come home with him. "Did you think I'd stick around watching my wife pratically seduce another man?"

"But I'm not really your wife!" she yelled back, holding back tears to keep them from spilling down her cheeks.

Max yanked the door open and pushed her gently toward the car. "Get inside," he gritted out when a bunch of papparazzi came, cameras already flashing. She rushed inside without a word, not wanting to cause another scene.

"Bring us home, Edward." Max bit out before turning his back to her. She shouldn't have been affected by his reaction, but damn it if Max didn't make it hard on her part. They weren't supposed to act like a real married couple! He paid her for her services and continued to do so! So why was he acting like he owned her or something?

As soon as they arrived, she headed straight to the penthouse with Max hot on her heels. She knew he wouldn't give up the fight so easily. Not when she'd destroyed his image and caused a scene back in the club.

"Don't you dare walk away from me again," Max roared when she'd tried to go to her room again.

"I'm tired, Max. I don't want to argue with you any longer."

"I want you to explain your behavior back in the club, Venice."

"Are you drunk?" she exclaimed, hoping he was so he could go to bed. She didn't want to talk to him. She had her own wound to lick.

"Stop changing the topic," he roared.

"Stop intimidating me!" she complained before flopping down on the sofa.

He was still bleeding badly and her hands itched to patch him up. She was mad, yes, but that didn't mean she wanted him hurt. She'd gone too far tonight. She'd been driven by envy and hurt and pride that she couldn't help her actions. She had no excuse but she no longer wanted to argue with him. Ever since they'd agreed to get married, they'd been nothing but uncivil.

She got up from the couch and headed directly to the main bathroom, where she bent down to the cabinet and retrieved the first aid kit. She clutched her chest when she stood up, surprised to find Max standing by the doorway, watching her intently. Still mad but he'd managed to calm down at least.

"Come over here for a second so I can fix you up," she said as she gestured to the sink.

"Why would you fix me up?" he asked defensively.

She almost sighed in annoyance. "I don't know if you've noticed but you're bleeding, Max. It's not a good look on you."

When she'd thought he wouldn't cooperate, he continued to surprise her by placing himself right in front of her, inches apart as she remembered what he'd done to her last night. She flushed. She didn't want to think about how he'd strummed her body into oblivion, only to force her back down.

She carefully retrieved the antiseptic from the kit and dabbed at the corner of his lip, gently cleaning the cut on his eye and mouth. She didn't manage to get the man's name and wished she had. She'd like to personally apologize for causing him pain. He did seem like a great man.

"You still haven't explained yourself," Max said after she put a band-aid on his lip. She began to dab at the cut at his brow, pressing down hard in accident. He grimaced in pain. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that."

"I don't know what you mean to do anymore, Mrs. Smith."

She stopped; unsure how to react to her new name, she merely continued dabbing at the cut before choosing her words carefully. "She was just a guy I met at the club, Max. You didn't have to overreact when you saw us dancing."

"He was all over you," he answered through gritted teeth.

"Can't I have fun? You seemed to be having fun yourself when I saw you at the VIP section."

"I already told you, Venice. Things can be different between us if you just let it be."

"But I don't want to do that!" Because I know you will just break my heart like your past mistresses. "I don't want to make things complicated anymore than it is. We've agreed to stay married for a year or two, Max. But I never said I'd stay forever. But I did promise to be loyal and meant my vows. You don't seem to mean yours when you said them at the altar."

He opened his mouth to speak when a suddenly, the earth rocked and she fell forward.