The Billionaire's Forgotten Wife

7 "You have your job back."

Larissa must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes again Bruce was sitting on a chair that was next to the bed. And he was staring down at her. She sat up, clutching her chest as her heart beat so fast in fright.

“Damn…you scared me,” she said staring back at him. “What is it about you and budging into rooms where people are asleep? Its creepy.”

“I didn’t think I would find you asleep considering,” he said and then got to his feet. Larissa stared at him not sure what he was getting at.

Considering what?

Oh, did he want her to beg him as she had intended when she went to the club. Larissa closed her eyes for a seconds, and then got out of bed. She walked to him and dropped to her knees right there in front of him. She clenched her jaw, as her pride screamed inside for her to get to her feet. She shouldn’t be begging him. He wanted her help, not the other way around. But she knew better. He might not know it, but she needed him. And so she swallowed her pride.

“I am sorry for what happened this morning, and what happened at the club. I swear that will never happen again. I promise I will do anything you say from now on.”

Bruce stared down at her for a few seconds. As if in slow motion he went to his knees right there in front her. He was close, closer than was appropriate. Larissa’s eyes went wide as he closed the gap between them, and they shared the air that swirled around them. Time seemed to stop as he stared at her. And she couldn’t seem to able to look away. She could feel herself being pulled into the vortex that was Bruce Tak. He was a playboy. Women couldn’t resist him. And Larissa could feel that she was no different. If she let herself, she would fall into the well that many women have drowned in.

She lifted her hands to push him away.

“You said you will do anything I say,” he said softly, his voice deep and hypnotic. His breath puffed over her lips. And she felt them tingle as if he kissed her.

Shit…Larissa gritted her teeth. She hated that she reacted to him this way. It was one thing to hate him from afar, and another to hold on to that hate when he was this close, and she could feel his warm and hard body against hers.

“Yes, I said that but I didn’t mean that I would kiss you,” she said pulling back a little. Bruce came closer, leaving a few inches between them. Larissa lifter her hands to push him away, but he got up swiftly causing her to fall forward. She braced with her hands so she wouldn’t hit the floor face first.

“That’s good, I was worried when you showed up at the club dressed the way you were. I thought maybe you…” he trailed off staring at her sweat pants as if he could still see the tiny dress she had on.

Embarrassment coated her skin, and she pushed to her feet. She couldn’t believe she almost let him kiss her.

Larissa internally groaned. He was testing her, and she almost failed.

“You thought I wanted you. On the contrary. My boss forced me to come and beg you to not fire me, because he…” Larissa stopped speaking immediately when she realised what she was about to say. She couldn’t tell him that he was under investigation for his involvement with Alexei Malkovich. s**t…she almost let that cat out of the bag. She tried to think of something to say. But her mind went blank as Bruce’s eyes narrowed on her. His eyes made her feel like he could see right through her. She cleared her throat. “My boss is serious about every case. And he didn’t like the fact that I am not giving a 100% on this one. He kind of threatened me, if I don’t make you take me back…” her eyes went wide when she realized what she just said. “I mean hire me back.”

Bruce said nothing. He just stared at her making her shiver. Larissa wondered what he was thinking. She couldn’t figure him out. At the club he said that she was his wife to be. And now…?

“Hire me back. You will be safe with me in the house, I promise,” she said. Bruce nodded. He walked back to the chair and sat down.

“Where is the contract?” he asked.

“Here,” Larissa said picking it up from the bed, where she left it. She handed it to him. He took it and pulled it out of the envelope. He went to the last page and checked that she signed it. He checked the NDA too.

“Okay. You have your job back,” he said his voice serious. “From now on you do as I say. Surprisingly, the stunt you pulled at the club has worked in our favour. Everyone is curious about you. And I have given Harry a reason not to be suspicious about your sudden appearance.”

“I am blackmailing you into marrying me, that’s a reason?” Larissa asked incredulously.

“Yes, he believed it, didn’t he?”

He looked like he believed him.

“Harry is not going to believe that I am suddenly in love with some woman. Its better this way. If he thinks there is some secret he doesn’t know he will make a mistake in trying to find out what it is,” Bruce said.

“You suspect Harry, don’t you? You think he’s trying to kill you,” Larissa said. She sat on the bed, and faced Bruce. “What makes you think that its him?”

“It’s not just him I suspect. But he’s one of the closest ones,” Bruce said, but Larissa could tell that he didn’t want to talk about it.

 What was going on here? she asked herself. She wanted to ask if he suspected Alexei Malkovich too. But then she felt like she will be revealing herself. And beside Malkovich was a guns blazing kind of guy. He wouldn’t kill Bruce Tak silently.

There was more to this.

 Bruce got to his feet and walked to the door. “Get some rest. We have to start working on making you my wife.”

 “Right,” Larissa said without enthusiasm.

“You should sound a little happy. You are getting what you want.”

“Marrying you is not what I want,” she said. Bruce stopped at the door and stared at her.

“A lot of women would kill to marry me,” he said sounding as if he couldn’t believe there was a woman who dint want him.

“I am not that woman,” she said.

“I know. That’s why I am marrying you, because I know that this thing between us will never get complicated,” he said and walked out of the room. He closed the door behind him.

Larissa slumped back on the bed in relief.