The Billionaire's Forgotten Wife

4 Uninvited guest.

Larissa startled awake as her phone went off right next to her. She sat up and with her eyes still closed she searched for her phone on the bed. She groaned as she usually took forever to wake up. She was one of those people that needed a minute or so in bed to get her body to wake up. She never ever wakes up in a hurry, because her body doesn’t respond very well. And since she woke up in a start, her body was literally useless. She could barely open her eyes, her limps felt heavy, and her breathing was a little laboured. She touched her chest as her heart trembled from the fright.

She moaned as the phone continued to ring.

What the f**k…where was the emergency?

Who the hell was calling her? She asked herself as she finally found her phone.

“What?” she asked not bothering to look at who was calling her.

“Do you know what time it is?” the deep voice of Bruce Tak came through the speaker. Why did he sound so close? Larissa asked herself frowning at the damn phone. She blinked her eyes open and brought the phone to her face. It was past nine in the morning.

Fuck…. the phone dropped to the bed. She overslept.

This was not happening. She closed her eyes and groaned.

“You have nothing to say for your tardiness,” Bruce Tak’s voice came again. But she hadn’t placed her phone to her ear.

So how was she able to hear him….

Larissa looked around the room. And there he was stand at her open bedroom door, staring at her.

Was she dreaming or something? She asked herself. But then Teresa pushed Bruce out of the way and walked into the room.

“He budged in. I tried to stop him but he has like twenty bodyguards,” she placed her hand to the side of her mouth. “That’s thee Bruce Tak.”

Larissa rolled her eyes.

“I thought you hated him. Did you lie? He told me that you guys have a date,” Teresa said looking at her with laser eyes.

“Not now,” Larissa groaned out dismissing her. Teresa stared at her looking a little hurt.

Shit, Larissa thought but she couldn’t bring herself to comfort her. She didn’t have any sympathy in her. God, she was barely awake. And they were people in her room, that shouldn’t be there.

She made to get out of bed, but then she remembered that she had a ratty t-shirt on that was so old it was practically see through. And Bruce Tak hasn’t looked away from her ever since she realised that he was standing only a few feet from her bed. She knew she looked a sight with her natural hair at all angles, but it didn’t mean he should stare. She resisted the urge to smooth her hand over her hair to make it look presentable. She wasn’t a silk bonnet at night type of girl, it was a bad habit but she never got used to it. And now she wished that she did. She must look like a character from star trek or something. And as always Bruce Tak looked like he just stepped off some glossy magazine shoot – with his long coat and I-don’t-give-a-s**t look that he wore so well. His gold eyes were focused on her.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before he looked away. But he didn’t make any move to get out of her room.

What was wrong with him? He was getting on her last nerve.

“Please get out of my room,” she said through clenched teeth.  

“Larissa?” Teresa said awkwardly.

“Teresa please, and take my uninvited guest with you,” she said. Bruce gave her a look and then walked out. The door closed behind him. Larissa dropped down on the bed, and groaned.

What the hell did she get herself into?

One thing was clear though. Bruce Tak was crazy. What kind of behaviour was this walking into a strange woman’s room?

Crazy or not, she was going to get married to him soon. She clenched her jaw wishing that this was someone else’s nightmare and not hers.

Larissa shook her head and got out of bed. And quickly changed in her sweats and t-shirt. She tied her hair, and tried to make herself presentable. She walked out of her room, and came to a stop when Teresa ran to her from the couch she had been sitting. Bruce was standing at the window staring at the view below. Her apartment suddenly looked small with him in it.

Larissa wanted him out. She looked at the door, but there were two bodyguards standing there.

“How much beer did I drink last night?” Teresa asked still tripping. She looked from her to Bruce. Larissa thought she would be a little down from her not explaining to her while they were in the room but she was back to her hyper self.

“Two,” she said.

“So I am not dreaming,” Teresa said and then screamed dancing in one place as she stared at Bruce. “Do you guys really have a date with him? Do you? Do you?” Teresa asked her over and over.

Larissa cringed.

Fuck…it was too early in the morning to be going through this.

Bruce turned and stared at her. He was still angry with her. Larissa tried not to fidget under his stare. But she couldn’t help it. Heat bloomed on her cheeks, and her heart accelerated a little in her chest. 

God, this felt like they were married already. And she was staring at her very pissed off husband.

Something in her lower body warmed, and she felt the need to bring her thighs together.

Shit, Larissa thought hating her body. She hated Bruce Tak. He wasn’t supposed to turn her on. Not with a mere stare at that.  

He pushed away from window and walked towards her. He looked like he was gliding on air, when he walked.

Larissa shook her head. She was not a groupie.

Bruce came to a stop next to Teresa. “Give us a minute,” he said. Teresa literally shivered, and fanned herself before she made her way to the bedroom. Bruce turned to the bodyguards standing at the front door. They filed out of the room leaving them alone.

Larissa waited until the door was closed to turn on him.

“What the hell do you think you doing budging into my apartment like this? I am not one of your women,” she said shouting at him. “You don’t come into my life like you have a right to do so. This is a job, and I am not employed by you.”

He stared at her, his golden eyes going dark.

“You’re right. It’s a job and you have failed spectacularly. You were supposed to be on duty at eight on the dot. But you didn’t show up you where you were supposed to. And if the stalker was there at the café, I would be dead by now,” Bruce said his voice low and soft. The only thing that gave away his anger was the flaring of his nostrils, other than that he looked calm and still. Larissa felt chills run up her spine as he leaned closer to her and whispered the words she dreaded to hear, because she knew what they meant for her. “You are fired. There are two things that I hate the most in the world. One – people who don’t respect time, two – caviar.”

He stepped back from her, and gave her a lethal look and then walked to the door. Larissa was starting to hate his eyes, because he could reduce her to nothing with one stare. And in that moment she felt so small, and she knew she was going to feel smaller when she spoke with her commander. Where was the coldest place in the world? Larissa asked herself shivering.

She wrapped her arms around her chest.

“What about the stalker?” she asked him before he walked out of the door.

“Didn’t you hear the part about me being dead? You failed your assignment agent,” he said with a snarl and then walked out of her apartment.

Fuck…. Larissa silently shouted. She slumped down on the couch. Teresa came out of the bedroom. She had her ringing phone in her hand. Larissa groaned, because she knew who it was before she even took her phone from her. She took the phone from Teresa and got to her feet. She walked to the window, and stared down.

Bruce Tak was driving off the kerbside. Three black cars formed a line as they drove off. She saw the flashing light of cameras even from her floor.

Damn they followed him here.

“Hello,” Larissa said as she answered the phone.

“You messed it up in less than twenty-four hours,” her commander shouted down the line. Larissa cringed.

“I didn’t mess up,” she said.

“Oh, you didn’t? Then he called me to fire you because he’s an actor who likes to act, right?”

“Uhh…” s**t Larissa groaned.

Why the f**k was Bruce Tak so sensitive?

 “You can’t even answer me, can you?”

No. She didn’t have an excuse for this. And she couldn’t say that she didn’t know about the appointment, because he reminded her via text, and he told her about the damn schedule that he gave her.

Fuck…Larissa groaned.

“Listen up,” her commander said. His voice taking on a commanding tone that broached no argument. Larissa swallowed hard as she waited for him to let the axe fall. She was definitely being sent to Oymyakon, Russia the coldest place on earth. Larissa closed her eyes, and waited for him to say it. And he said the worst this ever. “You are going to beg, grovel and plead with him. I don’t care what you do. But you will marry him and get me Alexei Malkovich. Do you understand me?”

“Yes sir,” Larissa heard herself say.

The phone went dead in her ear. She opened her eyes to find Teresa staring at her. How in the world was she going to beg a man like Bruce Tak. She hated him.

“Right, I was a little surprised when he knocked on the door and claimed that he was your date,” Teresa said answering her. Larissa slapped a hand on her mouth surprised that she spoke that out loud.

She sighed and went to sit on the couch. “It’s for a job,” she explained.

“You dating him?”

“Yes, don’t tell anyone but I was supposed to marry him to bring in a big fish for the CIA. But now I blew it. I might as well kiss that promotion goodbye. I wouldn’t know the first thing on how to beg a man like Bruce Tak.” Larissa covered her face with her hand in defeat. She was averse to men like Bruce Tak. He was too confident and knew that he looked good, and that every woman wants him. He was definitely not her type.

She felt Teresa’s eyes in her. She lifted her hand, and stared at her.

“What?” she asked.

“Oh my God. You are so clueless. He is a man. Stop hating him for a second and think of him as any other man out there,” Teresa said with a laugh.

“If you say I must sleep with him. I am going to throw you out of my apartment.”

“Well, that would have been the easiest way, but I have a feeling that will be difficult for you.”

“What?” Larissa sat up offended. “I could totally sleep with him.”

Teresa laughed. She actually laughed in her face. “Yeah, right. Miss I don’t have meaningless sex.”

“Well that has nothing to do with this.”

“What kind of s*x do you think you will have with Bruce Tak. He is a playboy. Of course, it’s going to be meaningless…good… but meaningless. Do you think you can do that?”

Even if she didn’t hate him. Larissa knew she wouldn’t do it. She’s had one s****l partner in her life. And he had been a long term boyfriend. Everything ended between them because she didn’t want to get married.

And now she might be getting married to the biggest playboy on the planet. Well, if she can beg, grovel and plead that he marry her.

How ironic.