“He’s in the back with Mrs. Bellerose,” Ronald said, leaning against the wall outside the office.
“Oh...” I sighed.
Ronald knew that it bothered me when Lorena and Roberto were alone together, and I think that he enjoyed seeing me get upset. I didn’t show much emotion in front of other people, but I couldn’t help but let the irritating thought of Lorena being with someone else shown all over my face.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Everything’s dandy,” Ronald chuckled. “Roberto’s just saying his goodbyes to his honey.”
I flared my nose and walked away… right in the direction of the garden where I could see Lorena and Roberto kissing outside the glass doors. I stopped walking and held my breath for a moment, and then I let it all out in one big blow. It still makes my stomach turn when I see them kiss, and now I actually thought that I would be sick because of the way he was tonguing her down.
A tall Caucasian man with black hair and light green eyes stood next to me. He was built like a body builder, but was more ripped than bulk. I could tell through his shirt that his favorite workout was bench pressing.
“I love their relationship,” the man said. He had a bit of a French accent, but nothing too noticeable. “They have a beautiful marriage.”
I just sighed. If only he knew.
“You a friend of Roberto’s?” I asked.
“Yes,” the man answered. He looked down at me and gave a gentle smile and reminded me of a gentle giant. I couldn’t imagine this guy working for Roberto, “We are very close friends.”
I nodded.
“And you?” The man asked.
“Oh, I work for him.”
“Ah,” He nodded. “Then you must be Sarah?”
“That’s me,” I put my hand out to shake his, “and you?”
The tall man turned to me and gently held mine, “My name is Bruce.”
My eyes widened for a second, but then when he began to laugh I relaxed my face.
“Why is it that I always get that reaction when I tell people my name?” Bruce asked.
“Oh, well, I just heard a lot about you. I had no idea that you were Bruce.”
“Oh, and what have you heard?”
I started to panic. I didn’t want to tell him that everyone thinks he’s a power hungry, short tempered bitch.
“She probably has heard about how ruthless you are,” Roberto said walking in. “My friend!” He opened his arms for a hug as he approached Bruce.
Bruce opened his giant arms as well and greeted Roberto with a hug, then asked, “How are you brother?”
“I’m well, but I could be better,” Roberto said. “My visits with my father are never pleasurable.”
“Well, at least you get to go back to France for a while. Take a break from this terrible country.”
Roberto nodded.
“Lorena!” Bruce saw Lorena enter the house over Roberto’s shoulder.
“Honey, come and say hello to Bruce,” Roberto said with a bright smile. He seemed really happy to see Bruce. I guess there’s no one else that he could really bond with. They were just two fucked up friends.
Lorena gave a fake smile and walked over to Bruce who had excitedly given her a tight hug, “I’ve missed you Lorena.”
Lorena gently pulled away, “I’ve missed you as well.” She turned from him and looked to Roberto, “Love, how long will you be gone?”
“Only for a week or two. It depends on what needs to be taken care of back at home,” Roberto responded. “Until then, you’ll have Bruce and Sarah to watch over the house to keep you and Alex safe.”
“What about Ronald?” Lorena looked a little worried, but I didn’t believe it was because the head of the house was leaving.
“Ronald will be at home enjoying his time off,” Roberto answered. He cupped Lorena’s face and kissed her on her forehead. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon,” he pulled away and turned to me. “So, you two have introduced yourselves?”
“Yes. We both seem to enjoy watching you two be together,” Bruce answered. “Great, I’m glad you two have something in common. Now, you guys follow me to the door, I will be taking my leave.”
Bruce and I followed Roberto back down the hall where I noticed Mark taking the rest of Roberto’s bags to the truck. When we finally made it to the front door Roberto stopped and gave us our short list of rules.
“Rose, you don’t leave Lorena and Alex out of your sight. If they want to go anywhere you may take them, but they can’t leave this house without you. I also will need for you to stay here when I’m gone. You’re welcome to do as you please as long as you stay out of my office and my bedroom, and if there is some sort of emergency you can call for Bruce.”
“Don’t call me every time though,” Bruce laughed. “I have to take care of things while Roberto is away. That’s a hell of a lot more work than running the club.”
“Yes, it is.” Roberto laughed with him. “Alright brother,” they hugged again, “I’ll see you when I get back.”
“Of course my friend,” Bruce nodded.
“Sarah,” Roberto gave me a nod and then walked out of the mansion. The rest of the men in the house also cleared out and got into their cars.
I stood there feeling like I could actually breathe now that Roberto was gone, but when I looked up to Bruce and saw him staring at me with a grin, I knew that this feeling wouldn’t last long.
***
“So, I will be in here most of the time, but if you ever need me, like Roberto said, you can call for me. This place has very high security though, and it’s hard for anyone to break in without setting off the alarm, but just in case, I’m here to help,” Bruce said sitting back in Roberto’s chair behind the desk. “But I will be working, so try your best not to,” he gave a slight smile that would melt away a woman’s heart.
“Alright,” I nodded as I backed out of the office. I didn’t want to be in there with him any longer. It was like his happy mood changed as soon as Roberto was gone, and he was all business.
I felt something slam into me and I stumbled a little. When I regained my balance I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw Lorena standing in front of me with orange paint splashed all over her shirt and neck.
“Lorena, what are you doing?” I laughed.
“About to go to the art room. I haven’t been there in a while,” Lorena answered. She seemed anxious and reminded me of a junky that needed another fix.
I scratched my head, “You haven’t, have you?”
“No. I was never in the mood, but now I am,” Lorena smiled. She was happy that she finally had the chance to paint and enjoy herself at the same time. I still remembered the first time that I walked into her apartment seven years ago and saw her beautiful paintings up on the wall.
“Lorena,” Bruce called from the office.
Lorena’s face went pale and her smile dropped from her lips. She only turned her head to look at him and didn’t bother faking that she liked him any longer.
“Come inside, I haven’t spoken with you in a while,” Bruce said with a grin. It made me wonder what their relationship was, because it was obviously deeper than them just knowing each other through Roberto, but I didn’t ask.
“Sorry, I’m busy,” Lorena said in a low voice.
Bruce sighed and flashed his white teeth, “Alright. I’ll just come and talk to you later.”
It looked as if Lorena wanted to tell him not to, but instead she just walked passed me and headed to her art room. I glanced over to Bruce and then followed behind her.
“Shut the door please,” Lorena said as she sat her paint down next to two more cans of paint.
“OK,” I said, shutting the door behind me, “What was that about?”
Lorena looked back at me and opened her mouth to speak, but she didn’t say anything. She just turned back around, pulled off her shirt, and dipped her hands into the paint.
“Lock the door please?” Lorena asked.
> I locked the door and then turned back around. “What are you about to paint?” I asked.
“Nothing…I don’t really know yet I guess,” Lorena shrugged as she turned around.
My eyes went from her sports bra, down to her flat stomach, and then back up to her face.
When I looked around I saw that there was paint splattered all over the roses that she had originally painted on the walls. It looked as if she was having an angry fit when she last painted.
“Well, whatever you do, let’s make it look a little more you. This just looks..angry.”
Lorena laughed, “Let’s?” She cocked her head to the side. “You’re going to help?”
“Oh, well, I’m not very good at that sort of thing.”
“That’s OK,” Lorena slowly approached me, almost seductively, and ran her orange finger down my cheek, then laughed, “it’s just for fun. Come on.” She grabbed the bottom of my white T-shirt, forever staining it, and pulled it up over my head.
“I would say that was to avoid you getting paint on your shirt, but ummm,” she held it up to see the orange fingerprints, “that went out the window.”
I shook my head and laughed, “You’re ridiculous.”
I walked over to the blue, red, and orange cans of paint, and then dipped my hands in the blue and red, “So, now what exactly do you want me to do with this?”
“Just run your hands across the wall. Make a design, or a pattern. Something beautiful,” Lorena said running her finger across the wall and leaving a trail of paint.
“OK,” I sighed, “here goes nothing.” I walked over to the wall and ran my hand across it. I wasn’t a very creative person unless it came to hurting people, so I had no idea what to do right now. “How was that?”
“Rose? What the hell is that?”
I raised my hands, “My artwork. Don’t judge!”
Lorena walked over and stood behind me. After resting her chin on my shoulder, she ran her orange hands down my arms, smearing them in paint, and then raised my hand and placed it against the wall.
“Now, all you have to do is just slide...” Lorena moved my hand across the wall, “and then make a design,” she moved my hand up and down to form a squiggly line with the paint, “and then you can swirl,” she moved my hand in swirl motion, “and then when you run out of pain, you just get some more, and repeat the process until you create something beautiful.”
My heart fluttered, and I blushed. Lorena was being bold again, which was something that I could get used to.
“I can do that,” I said through shaky breaths. I believe this is why she said shut the door.
“Great!” Lorena pulled away and dipped her hands in the paint again. Then she started on the design that she walked me through creating.
I grabbed some blue paint and smiled, then I stepped up behind her and painted the same design on her back.
“Really?” Lorena laughed. She turned around and ran her fingers across my forehead. “You look gorgeous.”
I did the same thing, but made her a uni-brow and added on a mustache. I burst out laughing when I observed my masterpiece, but stopped when Lorena ran her palm down the side of my face.
“Who’s laughing now!?” Lorena laughed.
“Me?” I continued to laugh, “That mustache makes you look stupid.”
Lorena tried to run passed me to get to the paint but I grabbed her by her waist and whirled her back around to face me. In milliseconds her mouth was against mine. This kiss was much sweeter than the last, and I didn’t feel the need to grip her any tighter than I already was.
I lifted Lorena by her waist and she jumped to wrap her legs around me. I thought that I was prepared to hold her up, but my legs were saying that they couldn’t and I ended up losing my balance. Luckily the wall was right behind her and we fell against that.
A laugh escaped from Lorena’s lips, “Real smooth.”
“Shut it,” I said before kissing her again. I grabbed her by her wrists and held them against the wall. At this point her orange mustache was just a smear on her face, and the paint from my cheek rubbed all over hers.
I wanted to take this further, but the fear of getting caught kept me from doing so, and I knew that it kept her from making any moves as well. This was as good as it was going to get so far, and it burned my insides knowing that I couldn’t do what I really wanted.
A light knock on the door stopped the both of us. I pulled away from the wall and Lorena dropped onto her feet and moved long strands of hair away from her face.
“Who is it?” Lorena asked. We were both terrified that it would be Bruce, and even though he couldn’t say we were doing anything, we didn’t want him to suspect us.
“It’s Alex.”
We both sighed with relief and Lorena went to unlock and open the door. When she did though, she froze in her spot and I noticed how her shoulders dropped in disappointment.
“Alex here came to me looking for you two,” Bruce said. He stood behind Alex and looked us both up and down. “Looks like you’ve been having a bit of fun without him?”
I slowly walked over to them and forced a smile, “Just a little. But Alex is welcome to join. We’re repainting the walls.”
Alex looked up at me, “Looks like you’re painting yourselves.”
Lorena shrugged, “Sorta, kinda. Sarah got mad because she’s just…not so creative. You think you can give us a hand?”
Alex shrugged and walked into the room, “Sure.”
Lorena looked back up to Bruce who only grinned at her with a dark look in his eyes. She nodded and shut the door, then locked it.
“So, you ready to get started?” Lorena asked.
“Yup,” Alex dipped his hands in paint and started on the walls. Lorena and I just smiled at each other as if to have a mutual agreement that we’ll get what we want another time.
Chapter 27
Getting in Roberto’s office still proved to be a difficult task. Bruce stayed in there almost as much as Roberto did, only sometimes he went to take a bathroom break. I never noticed Roberto leaving to use the bathroom or even eat, so he was literally in there 24/7 if he wasn’t training Alex, or sleeping.
I watched Bruce’s movements closely, but he never did anything different, or that would pull him out of the office. I asked Lorena if she could distract him for me, but she was quick to say no, and wouldn’t explain why.
Lorena clearly didn’t like Bruce, and he could tell, but he still spoke to her from time to time, or smiled at her. Each and every time he even said her name she lost the little color she had on her face, and her entire mood would change. I don’t know what he did to her to make her so afraid of him, but when I get the chance I’m going to make him pay for it. Until then, I would be working in the same house with him.
I woke up in the guest room, only a few doors down from Lorena’s, and debated whether to go to her or not. I knew that it was a bad idea, but I really wanted to see her. I guess it was because I didn’t wake up with her next to me that it bothered me so much, or it could have been because Roberto said that his room was off limits, which only made me want to go in there more.
“Are you ready for our run?” Alex said from the doorway.
“Alex? We aren’t running today,” I sighed and threw my arm over my eyes.
“Why not? You’re still supposed to train me.”
“Roberto didn’t say that in his list of rules.”
“So what?”
“Alex,” I frowned over at him, “go be normal, and watch TV.”
“What am I supposed to watch?”
“I don’t know. Cartoons!”
“Can you come watch them with me?”
“At this t-” It dawned on me that he was only being so annoying because he wanted to spend time with me. “Yeah,” I sighed, “I’ll meet you in your room.”
Alex gave a satisfied smile and then walked away. I groaned as I got up and out of bed so that I could watch cartoons with him.
I
walked over to Alex’s room and sat down on the floor with him while he watched the TV sitting across from us. After about thirty minutes I was wide awake and laughing as the show went on.
“What’s going on in here?” Lorena asked, peeking into the room.
“Nothing, just watching some cartoons,” Alex laughed.
“Can I join? I heard you guys laughing from my room and wanted to join in,” Lorena asked while rubbing her eyes.
“Yeah, come on,” Alex said, and then he turned his attention back to the TV.
Lorena came in and sat down right next to me. She rested her back against the bed and then rested her head on my shoulder. It always felt good when she would touch me, and it didn’t matter in what kind of way. She could probably slap me and I think that I would like it.
Alex glanced over at us, but then just shrugged it off and laughed at something else that happened on the TV. His laugh made me feel right at home. I could still remember how Alex would look at me before, and now he looks up to me with happiness and hope. I want him to keep that look.
***
“Ladies?”
I jumped back awake at the sound of Bruce’s soft voice. When I looked down I saw Alex asleep on my lap and Lorena knocked out on my shoulder.
“What’s going on?” I asked, looking up to Bruce’s bright green eyes.
“I had lunch made for you. I’d like you all to come and join me,” Bruce said. “It’s been a few days since Roberto left, and we haven’t spent any time together. I mean, we are all in the same house, working or not, it’s kind of weird to not get to know each other better.”
Lorena lifted her head and wiped her eyes. “Oh, crap. I fell back asleep,” she yawned.
Bruce laughed, “You’re always sleeping as if you have a job or something.”
Lorena snapped her head to him. If she would have turned it any harder I’m sure her neck would’ve broken.
“Oh, sorry,” Bruce chuckled. “I didn’t mean to startle you beautiful. I just came up here to let you all know that lunch is ready, and I would like for you three to join me.”
I could almost feel the tension between the two of them, and I wanted to just blurt out ‘what the hell happened’, but I didn’t. I’d just have to wait until the time is right to ask.
Caged 2 (Caged Series) Page 18