Bitter Heat

by Mia Knight

  Roth didn’t react at all to seeing the changes time had wrought in his mother. His expression was as impassive as ever.

  “I-I didn’t think you’d come,” Kaia said in a shaky voice.

  “If I couldn’t, I would have sent someone,” Roth replied coolly.

  Jasmine couldn’t help herself. “Sent someone?”

  When Roth looked at her, she dropped her gaze to his beard.

  “Some business can’t wait,” he said.

  He could be her father’s twin. Divorcing Roth was the best thing she ever did. She saved herself from a lifetime of being ignored and begging for scraps of affection.

  Kaia’s eyes filled with tears as she took in Roth’s outfit. “You’re wearing his clothes?” she asked in a quavering voice.

  Roth eyed his mother like she was a stock that wasn’t behaving the way he wanted it to. “I had no choice.”

  Kaia’s stunned gaze shifted to her. “You two talked?”

  “No,” she said shortly and leaned forward to kiss Kaia’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re all right. Now that he’s here, I’m going back to New York.”

  Kaia gave Roth a wary glance and gripped her hand. “Are you sure you can’t stay?”

  A doctor entered and shook Roth’s hand. This was her moment to get out of here.

  “No, I’m so sorry, but you can visit me once you’re recovered,” she said hastily. “You take care, okay?”

  “I don’t know how to repay you,” Kaia said, hanging onto her arm.

  “No need,” she said and patted Kaia’s hand. “Get well soon, okay?”

  “I will.”

  Jasmine eased around the medical staff and slipped out the door. She focused on the exit and didn’t take a breath until the double doors of the ICU closed behind her. As she power walked down the hall and pulled out her cell phone, she ducked into an empty waiting room and dialed Sunny.

  “Girl,” Sunny began.

  “Get me a plane,” she ordered.

  Sunny’s tone instantly became formal and no-nonsense. “Absolutely, Ms. Hennessy. Where are you?”

  “I’m—”

  The phone was yanked from her grasp. She whirled and saw Roth glance at the screen before he held it up to his ear.

  “That won’t be necessary,” he said and hung up.

  “What the hell are you doing? Give it back!”

  He tapped the screen, and his brows came together. “You spoke to Lyle Caruso this morning?”

  She was lightheaded with rage. “That’s none of your business! Stop going through my phone!”

  “Did you tell him about us?”

  She ground her teeth together. “There is no us. Now, give me my phone.”

  He stared at her for a full thirty seconds before he started tapping the screen. She lost it and launched herself at him. He grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back, forcing her to bend over to avoid having him snap it.

  He pressed his mouth against her ear. “Don’t push me, Jasmine.”

  “I’m not pushing you! I just want to get away from you.”

  He released her. She rubbed her throbbing shoulder and bared her teeth when she saw him still messing with her phone.

  “I swear to God, if you don’t—”

  He pocketed it, and said, “We’ll leave in thirty minutes.”

  “I don’t need a ride to the airport. I’ll call a cab.”

  “I already have a plane.”

  She stared at him. “You’re going to leave Kaia?”

  “She’s coming with us. I have a nurse ready to care for her until she recovers.”

  She shook her head to clear it. “Okay, good, but I’m going to New York.”

  “So am I.”

  Alarm bells went off in her mind. “You live in London.”

  “I moved my headquarters back to New York.”

  She had the sensation of falling. “I thought you were doing well in the UK.”

  “I am, but my intention was always to move back, and now I have.”

  What the fuck? The city wasn’t big enough for the two of them. Did her sisters know? Of course, they did. Why hadn’t they told her?

  “I’m surprised you’d want to return to New York,” she said faintly

  “Why? Because your father and his business partners ran me out of the city?”

  There was no use beating around the bush. “Yes.”

  “They can’t touch me now.”

  Her stomach churned. “Thanks for the offer, but I can get back to New York on my own.”

  “We’ll leave in thirty minutes,” he said again.

  His gaze went beyond her, and a moment later, the door opened. She turned, hoping it was a doctor or some form of law enforcement. The two men in the doorway definitely had some kind of training, but they weren’t cops. Dressed in matching suits, overcoats, and even sunglasses, they couldn’t look more different. One of the men had alabaster skin, a bald head, and blond brows. The other had slicked back hair, a full beard, and dark skin that made her think he was from the Middle East. The dark one held out a leather bag to Roth.

  “Change of clothes, sir,” the guard said with a hint of an accent she couldn’t place.

  Roth took the bag, and said, “Don’t let her leave.”

  She watched his progress through the glass as he walked down the hallway and disappeared from sight. She stared at the guards who had their hands folded over their middle. Their expressions were impossible to read with the sunglasses concealing their eyes.

  “Get out of my way,” she said.

  They glanced at one another and then back at her.

  She stepped up to them and put her hands on hips. “Do you know who I am?”

  “Jasmine Hennessy-Roth,” the fair one said, also with an accent she didn’t recognize.

  Her hands balled in fists. “Just Hennessy.”

  The guards shrugged as if it was all the same to them.

  “I’ll pay you one thousand dollars if you let me borrow your phone,” she said.

  No reaction.

  “Two thousand.”

  No reaction.

  “Ten.”

  “Roth said to keep you here. You aren’t going anywhere, ma’am.”

  “I could have you arrested for kidnapping.”

  They shrugged, unfazed by the threat of legal troubles, and why would they be? Roth would bail them out. Fuck. She sank into a chair as a tension headache threatened. She was physically battered, tired, and trapped. She just wanted out. She buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath.

  “Can I get you something, ma’am?”

  She didn’t need to look up to know it was the Middle Eastern one.

  “Aspirin and water,” she murmured.

  She heard the door open and close and fought the urge to scream. She was going back to New York. That was all that mattered, right? A few more hours with Roth and she wouldn’t even have to speak to him. These guards would be there and Kaia as well. She could do this.

  “Here.”

  She looked up and took the chilled water and aspirin from the guard. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She swallowed the pills and half the bottle before she set it on the empty seat beside her. “What’s your name?”

  “You can call me Mo.”

  “And where are you from?”

  “Turkey.”

  She nodded and looked at the pale one by the door. “And you?”

  “Johan.”

  “And you’re from?”

  “Denmark.”

  Interesting. “How long have you been with Roth?”

  “Going on four years.”

  She nodded and watched the faces of the people passing the waiting room. Their faces were pinched with stress and worry. After spending a week in a hospital watching over her father, she wasn’t happy to be back. The dour mood was the same in every hospital.

  “I’m sorry about your father.”

  Her gaze went back to th
e guards who were watching her closely. She inclined her head. “Thank you.”

  She didn’t remain sitting long. Not when her ass, thighs, and pussy were swollen and aching. She paced, fingers itching for a pen. Writing was her yoga. It kept her sane, organized her thoughts, and helped escape reality when it was too much for her to handle. She wanted to get lost in a story where the character’s world made sense, and she was in control. After spending most of her life following everyone’s rules, writing was the one place she was free.

  A woman wearing a white parka with a fur-lined hood caught her eye. She was sure the woman wasn’t a local, and it had more to do with her exotic looks than the designer bag on her shoulder. She had beautiful dark skin with a scarlet lip and dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. The woman looked through the glass, stopped in her tracks, and then beamed. Jasmine looked behind herself to make sure the woman was looking at her. The woman opened the door, pushed the guards aside, and strode up to her with her hand outstretched and wearing a megawatt smile. Good manners forced her to shake the woman’s hand without knowing who the hell she was.

  “I’m Sarai, a huge fan,” the woman said, dark brown eyes sparkling.

  She glanced at the guards and then back at Sarai. “Uh, okay.”

  Sarai leaned forward and winked. “Thalia.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “You’re his assistant?” she guessed.

  “Yes.”

  She didn’t know how to react. This woman was a fan of her work and had given her books to Roth so he could discover that his ex-wife wrote an erotic series based on their relationship. This woman knew more about her than her own family. She withdrew her hand and nodded.

  “Can I borrow your phone?” she asked.

  Sarai reached into her pocket. “Of course. Is there anything else I can do for you? We should be leaving in about fifteen minutes.”

  She gave her a tight smile. “See, that’s the problem. I don’t want to leave in fifteen minutes. I want to make my own way back to New York.”

  Sarai paused in the middle of handing the phone over and hid it behind her back. “Roth gave explicit instructions.”

  “His instructions don’t affect me.” She held out her hand. “I want to make my own arrangements.”

  Sarai gave her a blinding, professional smile. “He should be available shortly to speak to you about your concerns.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t want to disturb him.”

  “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” Sarai said smoothly.

  Sarai’s phone rang. She held up a finger and gave Jasmine an apologetic smile as she turned away and answered in a foreign language. Johan muttered something under his breath, and Mo shook his head.

  This was absolute bullshit. She walked up to the guards who looked down their noses at her. When she pressed against them experimentally, they tensed.

  “I don’t think you should be—” Mo began in an offended tone.

  Still talking on the phone, Sarai hooked an arm through hers and led her away from the exit. She finished the call and smiled at her.

  “So how far along are you on the fifth book? Everyone’s talking about it.”

  She opened and then closed her mouth. She had never spoken to a reader face to face, and it was disconcerting on multiple levels. Her work was private and sacred to her. It was the one thing that was hers alone, yet this woman was talking about it so casually as if they were discussing the weather and not something that came from her soul. She didn’t know how to feel about this woman at all.

  “I love your young adult fantasy novels as Minnie Hess too. Do you think you’ll complete that series as well?” Sarai asked.

  “I… don’t know.”

  “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done to give Roth those books and wait for him to figure it out for himself. Gah! I waited over six months. I never thought he’d read them and then he did, thank God.”

  “Why did you do that?” she asked bluntly.

  Sarai blinked. “They’re about him. He should know, right?”

  “If I had wanted him to know, I would have told him myself.”

  Sarai searched her eyes for a moment, and then hers widened. “You didn’t want him to know?”

  “No!”

  She covered her mouth with her hand. “But… hasn’t anyone else figured it out?”

  “No!”

  Sarai looked horrified, but that didn’t mollify her. She untangled her arm from his assistant and paced away.

  “I thought… I thought the series was a love note to him,” Sarai said faintly. “I thought it was romantic.”

  She whirled. “It wasn’t for him; it was for me. And how could it be for him when I divorced him?”

  “But Roth’s character is still in the series, a supporting character. I thought…”

  She wanted to throw something. “That’s just fiction!”

  “But… but the books follow your life so closely. The fourth book ended with you and your father repairing your relationship after all these years…” Sarai pressed a hand against her chest as her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry to hear he passed. That’s so tragic. You two have become so close, traveling and even living together. I can’t imagine how you must feel about losing him so suddenly.”

  Jasmine stared at her. “Are you stalking me?”

  Sarai gave her a guilty smile. “Is that bad?”

  “Yes! What the hell?”

  “I can’t help it. Romance is my guilty pleasure, and you wrote one of my favorites. I re-read your series at least once a month, and I see you post on social media every now and then. If I follow your personal life, it enhances the reading experience because I know where you’re getting your inspiration from.”

  She had never been struck speechless until this moment. She was still trying to cope with the shock of meeting a super fan who knew her real identity and the details of her personal life when Roth walked into the room. He was dressed in a fancy overcoat with a high collar and a black scarf. He was back to looking like what he was, the big bad businessman with no heart. When he looked at her, she averted her gaze.

  “We’re ready. Let’s go,” he said.

  Everyone waited for her to move first. She passed Roth who then took the lead and headed to the elevator. Sarai’s eyes flicked back and forth between her and Roth as if she were watching a tennis match. When she noticed Jasmine’s glare, she looked up at the ceiling.

  When they exited the hospital, two SUVs were waiting for them. She waited for him to climb into the back of one before she went to the other. She was pleased to find Kaia already seated with her nurse.

  “I’m glad you’re coming with us,” Kaia said.

  She tried to give Kaia a reassuring smile but was sure it was more of a grimace as she climbed into the very back and prayed this was the longest nightmare ever and that she would wake up soon. Johan climbed into the driver’s seat and adjusted the mirror until he could see her. Did he think she was going to bail?

  Kaia and the nurse chatted all the way to the airport while she closed her eyes and tried to relax before she was locked in a confined space with Roth for several hours. Lack of sleep, the unrelenting cold, and her soreness, in general, intensified her tension headache. She felt ill and achy. All she wanted was a bed and to get away from all these people.

  They pulled up to a private airstrip. She wasn’t pleased when it began to snow because she refused to get stuck here. Fuck that. She boarded the plane and immediately begged the flight attendant for more aspirin, which she procured before she found an empty seat. She chugged the ginger ale and pain pills and gave the jet a cursory glance. It was plush and warm and done in soothing neutral shades. She didn’t care. She had been on dozens of jets. All she cared about was snatching the farthest seat from Roth. Unfortunately, the plane wasn’t a 747, so the only eight seats available were divided into sets of four that faced one another. The guards and Kaia and the nurse had taken the back seats, which only left the front fo
ur, two on each side of the plane with tables between. Roth and Sarai were sitting across from one another with their laptops out. Sarai had an iPad in hand and was going over his schedule. She had no choice but to take the chair across the aisle from them. She accepted the blanket the flight attendant offered with a shaky smile and huddled against the window. She pulled down the shade, draped the blanket over her head, and tried to block out the world.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She didn’t have to open her eyes to know who was bothering her. He was the bane of her existence, the dude who made a career out of torturing her. She gave him the middle finger from beneath the blanket and silently told him to go to hell. When the blanket disappeared, she moaned and covered her head.

  “Go away!”

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “You. You’re what’s wrong with me. Leave me alone,” she muttered.

  Two weeks ago, she buried her father. Yesterday, she rushed his mother to the hospital during a heart attack and then spent the night doing the dirty with an ex she hadn’t laid eyes on in five years. Two hours ago, he roused a past she thought she had come to terms with and then forced her on a plane with him and his entourage. The more apt question was, what was right with her? Absolutely nothing.

  “Are you sick?” he persisted.

  “Yeah, I’m sick of your bullshit.”

  She heard a choking sound and realized her chair was back to back with Kaia’s. She swallowed the filth she wanted to spew at him and kept her face averted.

  “She asked for aspirin earlier,” Johan piped up.

  “You have a headache?” Roth asked.

  Why the fuck did he act like he cared? “Yes, I have the migraine from hell. Leave me alone.”

  The blanket came back over her. She huddled beneath it like a kid in a tent. She didn’t care what she looked like, not when her head was threatening to split open. As the engines revved, she covered her ears with her hands, but it did nothing at all. Once they were in the air, she propped up the leg rest and stretched out, turning her body away from Sarai and Roth. Thankfully, she couldn’t hear them anymore over the deafening hum of the plane. Good.