Bedroom Rodeo: A Billionaire Romance

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “Hey, it doesn’t matter,” Hal cut her off. “We’ll call it even if you let me give you a ride home, alright?”

  Jesse looked up at him and saw sincerity shining in his green eyes. She smiled and gave him a nod.

  “Alright,” she said softly.

  “Great,” Hal said and moved to open the passenger side door for her. He helped her into the car before getting into the driver’s seat.

  Jesse was silent as he turned on the car and pulled out of the parking space, then headed down the street toward her apartment.

  Chapter 17

  Hal

  “Goodnight,” Hal said as he held Jesse down from the passenger’s seat. “I really had a good afternoon.”

  “So did I,” she said, smiling up at him. Hal couldn’t help smiling back.

  “Should I escort you directly to your door?” Hal asked, raising his eyebrow and tinting his tone with humor. He was rewarded with a laugh and couldn’t help the feeling of satisfaction that it gave him.

  “No,” she shook her head. “I think I’ll be alright getting upstairs.”

  “Alright,” Hal said, feeling a rush of warmth in his chest.

  “Well,” Jesse muttered, shifting back and forth on the sidewalk. “Goodnight then.”

  “Goodnight Jesse,” Hal said. He smiled at the blush that spread across her cheeks and watched as she quickly scurried away into the lobby of her apartments.

  Hal shook his head with a chuckle and got back into his car. He headed back in the direction of his building and allowed his thoughts to run free for a while. There was something about this woman that intrigued him.

  She plagued his thoughts all through his drive home, and even as he parked his car, he could not entirely rid his thoughts of her. He was so deep in thought, in fact, that he barely noticed Adam standing immediately in the doorway of the building.

  “Well, look who it is,” Hal heard his friend say.

  “See?” Hal shrugged, tossing the man the keys to the Range Rover. “Safe and sound, just like I promised.”

  “And the girl?” Adam asked, his tone still rough.

  “She’s fine,” Hal informed him. “Dropped her off right outside her apartments and made sure she got inside safely.”

  “Good,” Adam groused. “That’s the least she deserves after having to spend the whole day with you.”

  “Hey!” Adam laughed and held up his hands innocently. “Some people think I’m great company!”

  “Only because you pay them to,” Adam quipped with a smirk.

  “Remind me to dock your pay,” Hal said with a wink, already removing his tie as he walked toward his room.

  “Very funny,” Adam grumbled as he followed Hal down the hall. “What did you two do all day anyway?”

  “Oh, the usual.” Hal shrugged as he took off his jacket. “Found a nice roach motel and had hot sex until she couldn’t walk.”

  “That’s not funny,” Adam growled.

  “Oh, you used to have such a lovely sense of humor.” Hal sighed wistfully. “If you must know, we spent the afternoon at her apartment watching B-rated romantic comedy.”

  “Disgusting,” Adam said, scrunching up his face. “I’d almost rather the motel.”

  “Well ...” Hal shrugged. “I left it up to her choice.”

  “Oh well,” Adam pondered, “maybe she was just testing your patience.”

  “If she was, I failed.” Hal laughed lightly. “I talked through the whole thing. You know, she doesn’t own a single one of my movies.”

  “Wow.” Adam blinked. “That must have been a pretty heavy blow to your pride.”

  Hal scoffed and rolled his eyes, though he had to admit that a part of him really was a bit wounded by the fact.

  “I’ll have to buy all of them and give them to her,” Hal said flippantly. “Maybe for Christmas or her birthday. Whichever comes first.”

  Adam chuckled and Hal saw him shake his head from the corner of his eye.

  “What’s so funny?” Hal asked as he put on a fresh T-shirt.

  “Nothing.” Adam shook his head. “It’s just you seem to be really interested in this girl.”

  “Why shouldn’t I be?” Hal shrugged. “Do you think I’m too good for her?”

  “Trust me; that’s not the problem at all,” Adam said derisively, and Hal couldn’t help smiling. “But if you’re serious, I will remind you that she is a reporter.”

  “So?” Hal asked. “We can’t judge people purely by their profession. That’s not right.”

  “Well, right or not,” Adam crossed his arms. “I would caution you to guard what you say, or it may or may not end up in an article in The Edge.”

  Hal frowned as he took off his belt and hung it up in his closet. As much as he wanted to dismiss his friend’s concerns, he knew that he had a point.

  “Well, I’ll be careful,” Hal said decisively.

  “Good,” Adam grunted out. “But on the other hand, I like her too.”

  Hal scoffed and laughed.

  “You like her?” Hal looked over his shoulder at his friend. “You’ve hardly said two words to her.”

  “You’re right,” Adam mused, stroking his chin. “Maybe I’ll ask her on a date myself. Take her somewhere real nice and say a few more words.”

  Hal laughed but couldn’t ignore the slight anger that rose up within him at the mere suggestion. For some reason, he already felt a strange sense of possession over Jesse, and the idea of anyone else taking her out bothered him more than he liked to admit.

  “Geez boss,” Adam murmured. “Nothing to say?”

  “Why should I have something say?” Hal snapped. “If you want to take her on a date, who am I to stop you?”

  Hal noticed that his words had turned to a low growl as he spoke them.

  Adam released a low whistle and a chuckle. “No need to get so huffy,” Adam approached and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry; I won’t ask her out. I would hate to steal her away from you.”

  Hal took a deep breath, forced himself to relax and clear his head. He really had no reason to be getting mad at his friend for what was clearly a joke.

  “Sorry,” he murmured. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

  “True love,” Adam said with a smirk. “Clearly.”

  Hal shook his head and chuckled.

  “So are we going to work out or not?” Hal asked roughly, turning to look expectantly at his friend.

  “Whatever you want.” Adam chuckled, moving to follow Hal down the hallway.

  As they headed toward his gym, Hal frowned as he tried to understand his own feelings about Jesse Clarke.

  Chapter 18

  Jesse

  Jesse made herself a hot cup of tea as soon as she made it up to her apartment. She felt numb from her interactions with Hal that afternoon and had spent a considerable amount of time trying to quash the feelings she could feel developing for him. He was funny and charming, and at some moments, he seemed to display a real concern for her.

  Jesse shook her head. She knew that he was most likely just doing all those things because he’d had too much wine. It would be best if she just forgot the whole afternoon had even happened in the first place.

  Jesse had just settled onto her couch when she heard an urgent knock on her door. With a sigh, she stood and went to answer the door. She opened it, and before she could see who it was in the first place, Mark and Tony pushed past her into the small apartment and sat down on her couch.

  “Tell us everything!” Mark said, and Jesse sighed as she shut and locked the door before moving back into her living room to take up her corner of the couch.

  Once Jesse was settled, she began her narrative of the afternoon, starting from when Hal had picked her up for lunch and all the way to where they had all met at the door of her apartment, and past then to when he had dropped her off at the door to the lobby. All the while, the two were riveted to her, soaking in every detail of her story.

  “And
that’s all that happened.” Jesse shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her tea.

  The two men looked between one another and raised their eyebrows.

  “So let me get this straight ...” Mark held up his hand and scowled at her. “You’ve barely known this man for a whole day, and you thought it would be some great idea to go ahead and invite him into your house?”

  Jesse looked down into her tea.

  “Well, I had some reservations…” Jesse murmured.

  “Reservations?” Mark said incredulously. “Jesse, he could have done anything!”

  “But he didn’t,” Jesse pointed out.

  “But what if he had?”

  “If he had,” Jesse raised a finger. “I could have sued him for every dime that he was worth.”

  “She’s got a point.” Tony smiled and gave Jesse a wink.

  “Thanks for having my back, babe,” Mark spat, and Tony chuckled.

  “Look,” Jesse sighed. “I can’t explain it either. But I really didn’t feel like anything bad was going to happen.”

  “Whatever ...” Mark flicked his wrist. “This whole situation is just unbelievable. I never would have thought I’d be having to warn you about inviting international celebrities into your home. Especially incredibly hot ones.”

  “Yeah,” Tony shook his head. “You know, I can’t believe it either. I always thought he was gay.”

  Jesse felt herself blush.

  “Come on guys,” she ushered them. “Nothing happened, and this will probably never happen to me again, so can we just let this go.”

  Mark huffed at her and crossed his arms. Tony gave her a smile and patted her gently on the knee.

  “Don’t worry about it, Jess,” he said gently, his dark eyes sparkling good-naturedly. “After tonight, you won’t hear a word about it from us. Right, Mark?”

  Mark eyed them both, and Jesse could clearly see that he had no desire to comply.

  “Please?” Jesse folded her hands on his knee and pouted a little. “Can I have just this one free pass?”

  Mark looked down at her for a long moment and finally released a huff.

  “Fine!” he said with exasperation. “But if you bring home anymore A-list celebrities, I want a week’s notice first, alright?”

  “Deal,” Jesse nodded and leaned back into the couch.

  “Spectacular,” Mark growled as he rose from his place on the couch. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got to go home. It’s getting late.”

  “Excuse me,” Jesse laughed, rising to follow the two men as they headed out the door. “You’re the one who nearly broke down my door to get in here.”

  “Well, the past is the past,” Mark said dismissively, almost as if he was literally waving her comment away.

  “Whatever you say,” Jesse rolled her eyes. “Goodnight guys.”

  “Goodnight!” they said in cheery unison, and Jesse smiled as she shut and locked her door behind them.

  Jesse heaved a sigh and leaned against her door as she suddenly felt the weight of the day’s activities crash down on her. She rubbed her eyes, and a yawn tore its way out of her mouth. She decided that it would probably be in her best interest to go to sleep.

  Jesse moved through her small home making sure all the lights and appliances were turned off, then shut herself in her own room. Once inside, she stripped out of her clothes and changed into a pair of cotton shorts and an old T-shirt. She flopped down into her bed, made sure her phone was set to charge and then turned her alarm on.

  As she slowly fell asleep, she allowed her mind to go over the strange events of her day.

  The night passed in peace, and the next morning, Jesse was awoken by her alarm. She got up easily, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. She stretched her arms out over her head and then tossed her legs over the edge of the bed, moving to stand and get dressed for her morning run.

  Jesse felt even more refreshed as she breathed in the crisp autumn air along her usual route through the city. She felt her body warm from her exertion, and it wasn’t long before she had worked up a healthy sweat in spite of the chill in the air. When she finally made it back to her apartment, she was short of breath, but feeling energized as usual.

  Jesse took the elevator back up to her floor and entered her apartment, heading straight for the shower. She found she was in a particularly good mood and had a feeling that this would be a good day. She would start taking her information from her interviews with Hal and put them to use as she began to write her article. She figured she could have a full draft completed by the end of the day, and then she could get that whole project behind her.

  When she finished her shower, she went through the usual process of fixing her hair and putting on her makeup. Then, she selected a dark green blouse and a pair of black pants, as well as a pair of black flats. She had worked her hair into a long braid and was altogether quite satisfied with her appearance.

  Jesse gathered up a light jacket and left her apartment to go next door and knock at Mark’s door.

  “Just a minute!” Mark called from inside, his voice sounding somewhat uneasy.

  “Okay …” Jesse called back. “Take your time.”

  It seemed that Mark was taking more time than usual to come out, and she was beginning to worry that they would be late for work. Jesse had just raised her hand to knock again when the door finally opened and a nervous looking Mark stepped out into the hallway.

  “Good morning!” he said, perhaps a little too eagerly.

  “Hey ...” Jesse greeted him with a frown. “What’s the matter with you? Are you alright?”

  “Well, it’s just …” Mark said in a rush. “You know how you never read or watch anything until you get to work in the mornings? Well, I do. And I saw something. And I know we agreed to drop the issue. But I just thought you should find out from me before anyone else told you.”

  “Mark, Mark, hold on,” Jesse stopped him, as her head was whirling with confusion. “What happened, what are you talking about?”

  Mark gave her a long look, and then sighed.

  “It’s a picture that popped up,” he said. “Just some amateur picture—probably taken from someone’s phone.”

  Jesse shook her head and squinted her eyes.

  “Will you just show me the picture?” Jesse said, holding out her hand for Mark’s phone.

  “Just, don’t freak out or anything okay?” Mark counseled her as he withdrew his phone from his pocket and tapped at the screen, pulling up the image in question.

  Jesse rolled her eyes as she took the phone, sure that this was just another episode of Mark’s dramatism. It was only when she actually saw the picture that her expression dropped.

  In the picture, she could clearly recognize the café where they normally got their morning coffee—and the café that she had taken Hal to the previous night.

  She could clearly see Hal in the picture, looking directly into the camera.

  And beside Hal, in crystal clear quality, she could clearly see herself.

  Chapter 19

  Jesse

  Jesse seized the phone from Mark’s hand and peered closely at the image on the screen.

  “Where did you find this?” she asked, looking up at her friend with wide eyes.

  “That other pop magazine, The Vibe, or whatever it’s called,” Mark said, his voice solemn.

  “Oh no …” Jesse’s head was spinning. If Elaine saw this image and recognized her, there was no way she would get out of that situation intact.

  “Look, I’m sure it won’t be that big of a deal,” Mark tried to calm her, but even his words rang with falseness.

  “That’s it,” Jesse said, mostly to herself. “I’m done.”

  “No, you’re not.” Mark took hold of her shoulders and forced her to look up at him. “This is going to blow over just like everything else. Just like it always does, okay?”

  Jesse nodded and took a few deep breaths to calm her raging nerves. She knew that images like the
se were often swept under the rug just as soon as they came up. Still, she had never been in one of them before, and the idea of being seen in a photograph with one of the most famous men in the world was somehow entirely unwelcome.

  “Come on,” Mark urged her quietly. “It certainly won’t help your case if we’re late to work.”

  Jesse nodded again, certainly in agreement on that point at the very least. She followed her friend on their usual path down the hall and allowed him to lead her through the streets. They selected a different coffee shop than their usual, as Jesse was horrified that someone would recognize her there.

  Fortunately, the two made it to the office without incident, and Mark escorted Jesse all the way to her desk.

  “See?” he said as she set her things down on the desk. “Everything is going to be fine. See you at the meeting?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Jesse nodded and offered Mark a small smile before he turned and left her.

  Alone, Jesse propped her elbows up on her desk and buried her face in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? She knew that spending an afternoon with a celebrity was about to have its repercussions, but she had thrown caution to the wind. Now, she regretted every second.

  Still, she knew that she would only make matters worse by sitting there just wringing her hands. She got her laptop out of her bag and set to work organizing her notes into a typed document detailing the progress of her article thus far. It calmed her somewhat to be working on something, but it also reminded her that the time was coming where she would have to go to the meeting and come face to face with all her coworkers, and beyond that, her boss.

  Jesse wished she could have stayed hidden at her desk for the next week, but she knew she couldn’t do that. The time finally came for the morning meeting, and she did her best to stay fairly well hidden among the crowd of her coworkers as they all filtered into the larger meeting room.

  Jesse quickly scanned the room, and her eyes easily landed on Mark, who had, of course, saved her a seat. She kept her eyes on the ground as she moved over toward Mark and took her seat. Shortly thereafter, Elaine entered the room, and the meeting began.