All the Wrong Places

by Jerilee Kaye

  And somehow, even though she wanted it to be that way anyway, Julianne still couldn’t help feeling sad for her son.

  The truth deserves to come out. Jared deserves that.

  Someday… when I’m ready… when Jared is ready…

  “Well, if he wasn’t interested in Jared, then he didn’t deserve him. And Jared deserves better,” Adrienne said.

  “Jared deserves the best,” Julianne murmured. “That’s why I’m working very hard. I will give him a bright future. I don’t need his father to help.”

  “I admire your strength, Ian. And I’m still hoping that someday, you will find a man worthy of your heart… a man worthy to be Jared’s father.”

  “Thanks, Yen,” Julianne said. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t need a man to make me or Jared happy. We’ll be just fine.”

  “I’m sure about that.”

  “Anyway, take care of Jared, while I’m not there, okay? Please make sure he doesn’t ingest any nut and have his EpiPen ready with him always,” Julianne said. “I will be home as soon as I can.”

  After hanging up, Julianne heard a knock on the door. She swallowed hard. Who could it be? She wasn’t expecting any visitor. Could it be the hotel staff?

  Shit! I hope it’s not Jin Starck!

  There was no peeping hole on the door, so she couldn’t tell who it was. She heard another knock, this time louder.

  “Who is it?” she asked.

  There was no response and she wondered if the person on the other side of the door heard her.

  Is this room soundproof?

  She took one deep breath and decided to open the door slowly. Once the door was slightly opened, she took a peek, but the person on the other side, gave it a push, opening it completely and causing her to step backward.

  She looked at the intruder and realized that it was Patrick McAllister.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked him angrily.

  “You were difficult to find, Julie Anne. I had my people check every room in this hotel. This was the last one we checked and I knew you’d be here,” he said. “I was hoping we can have lunch together.”

  “Who told you I would have lunch with you?”

  “You’ve always been rude to me, even before. I’ve been quite tolerant,” Patrick said, but it was obvious that he’s not going to be tolerant of her anytime soon.

  “Please, Mister McAllister,” she said firmly. “This is my hotel room. You are not supposed to be here.”

  Patrick looked around her huge luxurious room and smirked.

  “Wow. Your room is a lot bigger than mine. And I told the hotel staff I will pay for the best,” Patrick remarked. “Are you sleeping with Jin Starck? Maybe that’s why you got the only suite in the property.”

  “I am warning you, Mister McAllister! Get out!”

  “Warning me and then what?” He raised a brow at her. “It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve invited a man in your hotel room, right? That’s how you got that bastard of yours!”

  Julianne’s blood immediately boiled. She can take any insult for herself. But she would not tolerate any for her son!

  “You son of a bitch!” Julianne took a step forward and launched a powerful slap at him.

  Patrick staggered backward at the force of her slap. When he stared back at her in fury, Julianne realized that it was a mistake to slap him. Patrick walked towards her and without giving her a chance to run, he hit her across the face and she fell to the floor. Julianne tasted blood on her lips. She felt like the world was swirling. But Patrick was not finished with her yet. He pulled her by the arm and held her face in one of his hands. He was almost squeezing her jaw but Julianne refused to whimper and give him the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.

  “You don’t know the embarrassment that you caused me and my family!” he growled. “I was really looking forward to marrying you! I was going to change my ways for you. I thought that you were it. The woman who could stop me from womanizing! I thought you were the real deal.

  “But you really had me fooled! You’re just like the rest of them! You’re no different from my own mother! You enjoy men’s attention! You pretend to be demure… virtuous! But deep inside… you’re just like the rest of the dirty sluts out there… hungry for sex and attention!”

  He pushed her to the bed with a force that made her lose her balance. She was bruised and bleeding. Patrick McAllister really was the monster she thought he was when they were still engaged.

  She thought about Jared. She cannot lose this fight.

  God! Please! Jared cannot lose me!

  She struggled to her feet and ran for the door. She shouted for help but she realized that the room was probably soundproof. No one could hear her.

  Patrick was quick to wrap his arm around her waist and carry her back to bed. She kicked and punched him. She managed to hit him a few times with some self-defense techniques she knew. But he was too strong for her and obviously trained in martial arts. She had some training too but he was much stronger than her.

  “You’re good!” he said as he twisted her arm behind her, trapping her. “I would have enjoyed our time together. I’ve always wanted a woman who could fight.”

  Obviously, Patrick was not a stranger to domestic violence.

  “What do you want from me, Patrick? An apology?” she asked. She was getting desperate now. She cannot win fighting him fist by fist. He was too strong. But she needed to get out of this alive. For Jared.

  “I want to see you suffer like I’ve suffered! I want to taste what should have been mine! I want what that guy, who gave you your bastard son, took away from me! I want…”

  He didn’t finish that sentence. He was pulled back and suddenly, his grip on her twisted arm loosened, giving her enough chance to escape. She heard a loud, booming voice behind her.

  “You son of a bitch!”

  When she looked back, she saw Jin Starck holding Patrick McAllister by the neck. Then he punched him with a full force on the face.

  One. Two. Three.

  “Jin!” Julianne called. “Stop!”

  Patrick was on the floor, catching his breath. He may know self-defense, but Jin Starck was obviously the better fighter.

  Jin looked back at her, his eyes blazing with anger.

  “I told you not to open the door for anyone!” he told her angrily.

  “I know! I’m sorry!” she sobbed.

  Jin started for Patrick again, who was staggering to his feet.

  “Jin, stop!” Julianne ran towards Jin to push him back, away from Patrick.

  “You’re defending him?” Jin asked angrily. “Do you see your face right now?”

  Julianne shook her head. “You could seriously injure him. But he’s still Patrick McAllister. He could sue you, hunt you, have you killed. This will not stop here! You’re going to start a family feud, even a war!” Her voice was low. She put her hands against Jin’s chest to push him back. “Please! Think about your family, your reputation. Stop while you still can. I know you’re only defending me.” Julianne shook her head. “But I am not worth it!”

  Jin looked down at her with narrowed eyes. He looked like he was unable to believe what he was hearing from her right now.

  “She’s right!” Patrick laughed behind them. “Listen to her. She drives men crazy like a nymph created to tempt us and drive us insane. Then later you realize she wasn’t worth the fight. She wasn’t worth the respect, the honor… the high regard. She sold herself for a cheap price and got a bastard son in return!”

  This time Julianne wasn’t able to stop Jin. He set her aside before she could even blink and before she knew it, Patrick was sprawling on the floor again.

  “Jin!” Julianne ran. She put herself between Jin and Patrick again.

  “Get out of the way, Arabella!” Jin thundered. “That son of a bitch deserves it! He doesn’t have the right to speak about you like that! And he cannot call Jared a bastard and get away with it! Get out of the way!”r />
  Julianne saw wrath on Jin’s face. For the first time, she believed what the others were saying about Jin. That he was the devil himself. His face was flushed with anger and his eyes were dark with the desire to hurt Patrick McAllister. And all because of her.

  Tears ran down Julianne’s face. She didn’t know what to do. She knew that if this got worse than it already was, Patrick McAllister and his family would retaliate. And everything she held dear could be in danger.

  Jin would be in danger.

  Because of her. And she cannot allow that!

  She didn’t know what else to do but beg Jin to stop. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. She hugged him, and at the same time, pushing him back and away from Patrick.

  “Jas… please stop!” she pleaded desperately, calling him by the name she knew him best. She had to stop this bloodshed. She buried her face against his chest and cried. “He can say whatever the hell he wants. But he has no right to take you away from us. We can’t lose you. Adrienne can’t lose you. Jared can’t… I can’t… please…”

  She must be babbling nonsense. She didn’t know if Jin actually understood her. But she hoped he calms down enough to think about what’s at stake.

  “Please… think about who stands to lose you and what it will do to them… please… I’m not worth it! Don’t do this for me. I’m not…”

  Suddenly, she felt both his arms around her, caging her in a tight embrace.

  “Ssshhh...” he whispered against her ear. She felt him caress her head gently.

  Just then the door opened and Julianne heard people come into the room.

  Without releasing her, she heard Jin say in a more controlled voice, “Take him to the police for unauthorized entry and assault of a hotel guest. I will give a statement to them later.”

  “Seriously, Starck?” Patrick asked angrily. “You really think you can have me arrested?”

  Julianne pulled away from Jin and turned to Patrick. “I can go to the police and the media with bruises on my face if that does not convince you!” She doesn’t care what happens to her. But she will not drag Jin Starck into this. He doesn’t deserve that.

  “I would have done more if your new boyfriend didn’t interfere, you know!”

  “He’s not my…” she started saying that Jin was not her boyfriend.

  “And I would have killed you with my bare hands!” Jin said angrily, cutting her off.

  “You’re going to kill for her? Seriously? I mean… do you even know what she’s worth? She’s worthless now! She’s only good for one shag but after that, she’s no longer the trophy wife material she once was!”

  “If you do not shut your mouth, McAllister, I swear, I will kill you just for being annoyingly talkative!”

  For a while, Patrick kept quiet. They all knew Jin Starck could make good of that promise.

  The security officers started to hold Patrick.

  “Don’t you dare touch me!” he said angrily. “I will go with you, but don’t touch me!”

  With a nod from Jin they didn’t take Patrick by force but they still led him out of the room. When he was at the door, Patrick said to Jin, “Have your fun with her, Starck! Let me know when I can have a go!”

  “You son of a bitch…” Jin started to go after Patrick again but Julianne pulled him back.

  “Let it go!” she told him firmly. “Please take him out quickly!” she pleaded to the security officers. The two guys pushed Patrick out of the room despite of his protests and then they closed the door behind them.

  Jin stared back at Julianne. His brows were drawn together as he studied her face.

  “I told you not to open the door for anyone.” There was a trace of anger in his voice.

  “I already apologized for that,” she said.

  He stared at her face for a while and then he pulled her towards the bed.

  “Sit down,” he commanded her.

  “Why?”

  “Do you always not do what you’re told?”

  “Yeah, I have a thick skull,” she muttered under breath.

  He shook his head and then he pushed her down gently on the bed. “Sit down. And stay there. Wait for me.”

  Julianne didn’t protest. She watched as Jin went to the mini bar and then came back with an ice pack. He sat beside her and tilted her chin up. He gently applied the ice on the side of her lip where it was bruised.

  For a long moment, they didn’t say anything to each other. But she could feel the tension around them. It felt like the air they breathed had been emotionally charged. And they were bad emotions too. Anger. Sadness. Pain.

  Finally, she dared look up at him. He was staring down at her face while applying ice on her lip. It seemed like he had been studying her features for a while.

  “I’m… sorry, you had to be dragged into this,” she said in a low voice.

  “I told you I would keep you safe here. I failed,” he said. She could honestly hear the frustration in his voice.

  “It’s not your job.”

  “It is,” he insisted. “You’re in my property.”

  “How did you know he was here in the first place?”

  “I have been watching the CCTVs in my office. I left to make some coffee. I reviewed the footages on your floor for the minutes I missed when I came back and saw him come in.”

  “How did you know I didn’t let him in? That he was here uninvited?” she asked evenly.

  He took a deep breath but did not say anything.

  “For all you know, I asked him to come here. And you could have interrupted us having…”

  She didn’t finish her sentence. The next thing she knew was that he had replaced the ice pack with his lips. He was thoroughly kissing her. She closed her eyes and savored that kiss. She lost her breath and she thought her heart stopped beating altogether.

  He had this effect on me before. I can’t believe he still has this effect on me now. Like it was only yesterday…

  His lips were warm and soft against hers. Electricity flowed from his skin to hers, charging her… emotionally… sexually. She couldn’t help but kiss him back. She felt a small smile on his lips as soon as she kissed him back. She felt both of his hands on her neck as he gently but firmly pulled her towards him.

  “Jin…” she whispered against his lips.

  He released her lips and made a trail of kisses from her chin towards her jaw and then her neck.

  “Jin…” she moaned. She could barely recognize her own voice.

  Oh my God! I can’t fall for this again…

  With the little strength she could muster, she managed to push him away from her.

  “Jin…” she breathed.

  Jin’s expression was much softer and the look on his face was much gentler than before.

  “You wouldn’t kiss me like that and then invite another man to come to your bed.” There was a smug look on his face that brought Julianne back to her senses.

  She stood up from the bed, putting distance between them.

  “You are full of yourself, Mister Starck. Didn’t you hear him say? I’m a nymph that attracts men and drives them insane?”

  He frowned. “Yes. That’s true. You do drive men insane. I know that by first-hand experience,” he said. He gave her a deep meaningful look that was meant to throw her emotions off-balance once again. “But it’s not your fault you’re too damn beautiful.”

  Julianne looked away. She knew she was blushing.

  “You really broke McAllister’s heart, didn’t you? It seemed he would do anything to punish you,” he remarked.

  “Right now, I’m glad we broke our engagement,” Julianne said. “He’s violent. I’m sure he would not hesitate to hit his wife.”

  “I can tell,” Jin agreed. “I don’t think he’s done with you yet. You shouldn’t have stopped me from beating him!”

  “And what? They will not forget this. They will hunt you down like a dog and he will make sure you pay for what you did to him—dearly.
I know him well!”

  “Then why were you engaged to him if you knew what a monster he was?” Jin asked. His voice was even, but his eyes were demanding for answers.

  Julianne closed her eyes for a moment to calm herself down. “You wouldn’t understand,” she said softly.

  “Really? Try me,” he said. “What is it? I know he’s a good-looking man. But I’m sure you’re used to getting attention from more attractive guys. But why him? Why did you choose to marry him? Even after you’ve met me, you still chose to go back to him. What is it about him that you couldn’t just leave him then? Even after the magical night we shared together, you still chose him. Why didn’t you stay with me?

  “Is it because you thought I was a poor guy who had nothing to show for? That I couldn’t stand against Patrick McAllister? That I could not keep up with your family or your status in life? That I wouldn’t be able to give you a comfortable life?”

  Anger flared in Julianne’s eyes.

  How could he accuse me of those things?

  He didn’t know what I went through! He had no right to accuse me of choosing Patrick over him because he had no money!

  Without thinking, she hit him across the face. Then she hit him again. And again! And again!

  “Yes!” she shouted at him. “I left because I thought you didn’t have any money… that you didn’t stand a chance against Patrick McAllister… or my father! I just couldn’t choose to stay with you!”

  Tears ran down her cheeks but she refused to back down. Jin got ahold of both her hands, preventing her from hitting him further.

  She closed her eyes and cried silently.

  Because I know that if I stayed with you… they would come for me. And they would make you pay for taking me away. I left because I was afraid of what they would do to you!

  But she didn’t say those words out loud. She thought that even if she did, it wouldn’t make a difference to him. Nothing she would say to him now could change the past… or affect the future.

  “You were wrong,” he said in a low, sober voice. “You should have stayed with me.”