I narrowed my eyes. “I hope the chef responsible was fired,” I snapped. “And make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Yes, of course,” Alicia replied quickly. She flushed. “It’s all been taken care of.”
I walked inside the doors and headed straight for my office.
“Oh, Mr. Steele!”
I stopped and turned around, brows furrowing in barely disguised fury.
“Yes?”
Alicia hurried over and leaned into my ear.
“The private investigator you had asked for two months ago said he’d be coming in today.”
I paused as my heart raced. I couldn’t believe it.
A month after being away from Rosy, I had hired a Swedish private investigator, Elmer.
He was one of the best, and he promised the best results.
I requested for him to follow Rosy for a couple of months. I wanted to be sure that she was settling in and doing well. Elmer had told me it wouldn’t be an overnight thing, and I’d have to be patient. I was fine with that though.
Being in Brazil had made me forget all of this, but now that I was back I could hardly contain my excitement. It was pathetic: here I was, a grown man, acting like a love-struck kid just because I was going to hear details about Rosy.
“Did he give a specific time?” I asked anxiously.
Alicia shook her head.
“He said he doesn’t make appointments? I tried to reason with him, but he wasn’t buying it.”
I chuckled.
“That’s Elmer alright. It’s fine. Just let me know when he comes in.”
I walked towards my office and shut the doors. I was relieved to finally have peace and quiet again. I’d forgotten all about the hustle and bustle of The Grand but it was time to immerse myself once more, if only for a while.
I took off my jacket and started to pour my energy into work when the phone rang.
I picked it up cautiously. Hardly anyone called me, preferring to use email instead.
“Yes?”
“Steele.”
It was Elmer.
“Hello. I was informed that you’d be coming in today?” My lips curled into a predatory smile.
“Yes, I’ll be meeting with you to discuss what I’ve found, but not in The Grand.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. My office is very private.”
“It’s too open. Let’s just say, you’re not my only client.”
Whatever that meant. Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “You’re a pain in the ass,” I said. “And remember, I’m the one paying you.”
But Elmer wouldn’t listen. “Please be at my office in thirty minutes. It’s much more private, Sir.”
I started to say something, but Elmer immediately hung up the phone. What the fuck? I was the one paying him, but he was ordering me around? I was just about to fire him, but checked myself. Elmer was one of the most sought -after private investigators, and had gotten dirt on some big politicians.
Obviously there were tons of important people that wanted him gone, so his identity had to be concealed. Still, it was a goddamned pain. I was giving this man thousands and thousands of dollars to trail Rosy and he couldn’t even be bothered to meet me properly?
I waited thirty minutes before I heard a knock on my door.
“Come in.”
Alicia poked her head through.
“There’s a car here for you, Mr. Steele.”
I got up abruptly and hurried outside. There was a driver with black sunglasses on and he opened the door for me. As soon as I was inside, he slammed the door shut. I couldn’t believe it, but I was a little nervous. Not because I was meeting with a notorious sleuth, but because I would be finding out about Rosy.
Today was a day where I’d have no choice but to think about my girl: what she’d been doing and what she was up to. My heart pounded with anticipation.
The driver sped through Vegas, down the Strip and out of the city. The journey reminded me of traveling to the cabin with Rosy, months ago, and my heart caught in my throat as the car pulled to a stop outside of a small, private office. Totally non-descript, located at a strip mall where no one would looked twice.
The driver opened my door, letting me out. As soon as I was out of the car, he sped off. I took a deep breath and headed to the building. I started to knock on the door, but a small window slit opened.
“Password.”
I froze. Elmer hadn’t given me a password.
“Don’t be absurd. I’m here for Elmer. Let me inside!”
The slit closed immediately, and the door opened quickly.
I stepped inside, still bothered that the doorman hadn’t recognized me, and the door slammed shut behind me.
I was in a strange room that resembled a club, with dark walls and lurid red lighting. There were several large seats filled with people speaking quietly to one another.
They didn’t even look up as I passed.
A hand clapped down on my shoulder and I knew it was Elmer.
“Good to see you, Steele. Right this way.”
I nodded and took a deep breath as I followed him to a table in the corner. There was a single flickering light above the table.
I sat down uncomfortably.
“Nice to see you as well, Elmer.”
Elmer grinned and shrugged out of his jacket.
“Sorry I couldn’t pick another place. This is the only place that allows for people like me to go unnoticed.”
“Okay fine,” I said quickly. By now, I was too excited to think about anything other than Rosy.
Elmer nodded and slid a yellow envelope onto the table. My heart raced in my chest.
“You ready?” He asked.
I nodded with my hands folded in front of me.
Elmer untied the envelope and slid the contents onto the table.
There were several pictures tied together and also several paper documents.
“Where would you like to start? The pictures, or documents?”
“Documents.” Seeing her right away would be too much.
“Alright.”
Elmer pulled the papers from the pile and spread them out.
“This is an unofficial transcript with her grades so far. Looks like she’s doing fairly well, and it also lists that she’s joined the biology club.”
I clenched my jaw to keep from smiling. I was beyond elated that Rosy was doing well in school.
“That’s good,” I murmured. Elmer shrugged.
“Yeah, I suppose. But the pictures tell a different story.”
I looked up quickly, blood rushing to my face.
“What do you mean?”
Elmer sat back with a sly look on his face.
“Let’s just say she’s been getting rather acquainted with the men of Hudson.”
Elmer’s words were like a knife to me. They cut into me deep. I tried to keep my cool, but I was seconds away from snapping.
“Let me see the pictures.”
Elmer flipped the pictures over and I felt my breath get caught my throat. There were several pictures of Rosy with some tall, blond kid. He was mildly attractive and well built, but obviously not me. Nothing like me, in fact, with that goofy grin and sloping shoulders.
“Who the hell is this kid?” I growled.
Elmer cleared his throat and pulled out another document.
“Cris Lovington the Third. He father’s got some business managing cocktail clubs back in Miami, but they reside here to keep a watchful eye on Cris. He’s got a lot of professional rugby teams looking at him.”
I gritted my teeth. I knew that name sounded familiar.
“Cris Lovington as in Lovington’s Loveseat? I’ve heard of that asshole.”
His father was a piece of shit who overworked his employees and blew his money on pointless things. It was no wonder that his piece of shit son went after my Rosy.
“Yeah, his father is quite the bull. But he’s a big donor to Hudson, so Cris is quite t
he catch, if you get what I mean. They don’t hesitate to flash their money. The Lovington name is splashed on a couple buildings, if you get my drift.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Okay. Well, it doesn’t take that much these days to put your name on a building,” I growled. I knew because the university had approached me several times, and I’d turned them down in favor of other charities. But I was growing more and more angry by the second. “What else?”
Elmer’s expression remained mild. “Well, Rosy also seems to post a lot about Cris on her social media sites,” Elmer continued. He flipped more pictures over, revealing Facebook posts of Rosy and this boy.
In one picture they were kissing, and in another he was holding onto her breast, and she was looking up at him with adoration on her face. He was grinning like he’d just won the big lottery prize and I felt a strong urge to rip the photo into shreds.
Rosy, on the other hand, looked perfect. Her eyes looked happy and full of life. She was blushing and gnawing on her lower lip, just like she’d done back at the cabin. When she was with me. What the fuck?
“I want this fucker far away from her,” I growled.
Elmer chuckled.
“That’s not my area of expertise. But look, she’s in college. It was bound to happen. Girls meet guys on campus, it’s not exactly a monastery.”
I shook my head.
“No, Rosy isn’t like those other bimbos. She has substance.”
“She’s eighteen years old. What type of substance could she possibly have?”
I paused as rage flooded through me. This fucker had no idea. She was supposed to be loyal to me. She was mine. I had given her so much and she was throwing that all away for some mediocre rugby player? I didn’t know the kid, but I knew he was nothing compared to me.
“She’s…” I trailed off, the words crumbling to dust in my mouth before I could even start to explain. How could I? Rosy was beyond perfect. Her sweet innocence, those big trusting eyes. She wasn’t a normal eighteen-year-old girl.
She was a goddess, and there was nothing I could say to make Elmer understand. In fact, I was starting to look like a fool given my obvious jealousy over a teenage boy. Fuck. I had to check myself.
Taking a deep breath, I reached into my pocket and slid an envelope of money to Elmer.
“Thank you for your services,” came my calm and controlled voice.
Elmer nodded and quickly collected the money. He cast a thoughtful glance my way before sliding out of the chair. “Bye now, Mr. Steele. You let me know if you need more.”
I didn’t even look his way, instead turning back to my vengeful thoughts. I wasn’t sure if it was my fault for abandoning her, or if Elmer was right. Rosy was very young. She was bound to find another guy.
Besides, it had been nearly three months since I last saw her. She looked so different. Her hair was longer and her hips seemed even more curvaceous. I was glad to see that she’d kept her healthy appetite. Suddenly, an image of Rosy bustling around her new kitchen filled my head.
I wondered if she cooked for that little shit, Cris Lovington.
I sighed and got up, heading back outside. Now that I’d met with Elmer, there was no mystery left. The air of secrecy was gone and I was left alone with my miserable thoughts.
The driver took me back to The Grand, and when I got out of the car, I felt incredibly empty.
I had been so sure that leaving Rosy behind was the only way.
But I was enraged when I saw her with someone else. And I hadn’t been prepared for exactly how that would feel.
Rosy was a catch, all right. She was beautiful and young. It was natural that men would want her. Including me.
But I had claimed her first. I taught her everything.
My dark thoughts were interrupted. “Hello, Mr. Steele. Would you like to head out for lunch? Or should I order something for you?” Alicia said cheerily.
I shook my head and hobbled back into my office.
“No. I’m not hungry. Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day. Tell them I’m unavailable.”
I shut the door before I could hear Alicia reply. My chest felt so hollow and I had to close my eyes and breathe forcefully through my nose, just so I wouldn’t vomit.
Why was this happening, and why did I care?
I could have any woman I wanted, yet Rosy was the only one that made me feel alive.
Red hot anger was boiling through me. I wanted to give Rosy a piece of my mind. I wanted to know why she cheated on me.
That alone was a ridiculous thought. When I’d left, I’d made sure that Rosy knew we were over. She couldn’t cheat on me if we weren’t together…and yet I cared so much that I was sick to my stomach.
Hudson University was near and yet so far. It would be ridiculous if I showed up to see Rosy. Imagine it. A forty five year old man on a campus where eighteen year olds roamed. Looking for my particular eighteen year old, no less. It was a fucking joke. A sad and pathetic joke.
Or would it that sad? After all, she was there, and that’s what made it all worthwhile.
I sat up and took a bottle of mineral water from my desk, uncapping it and taking a long swallow as I contemplated the possibilities. I was determined to find out what was going on with Rosy. We had something special. I knew that the day I laid eyes on her. We’d shared things that I hadn’t even thought possible. Rosy had turned me from a cold man into a man with feelings, a man with a heart.
I quickly got up and grabbed my phone. I was going to have to pull some strings.
“Alicia,” I said after dialing. “Get Hudson University’s Dean on the phone. I have business to discuss with him.”
I walked back to my chair and sat in it swiftly. Rosy was the light of my life and I’d do anything and everything for her.
Even if it meant going to drastic measures.
She drove me wild, but I loved every second of it. And the girl had no idea what was going to hit her next.
Chapter 19
Steele
Finding out about Rosy's private life was infuriating.
I knew we technically weren’t official or ever a couple, but she still was mine. I felt so possessive about her, and finding out that some hot-headed jock was fucking her was almost too much to handle. I’d taken her and I’d shown her curvy body just what she needed.
She was mine, and she’d always be mine.
I decided that the only way to settle my worries and doubts was to get the truth from Rosy herself.
It was risky but I had no choice. I needed clarity and room to figure things out. Maybe it would give me enough closure to finally forget about Rosy once and for all.
The Dirty Hotel King Page 20
