Jordan stopped laughing and continued on with the story. “My father was notorious for his gambling, and Wang found a way to use that to his advantage and avenge his sister’s ‘honor.’ Jordan used his fingers as quotations upon mentioning the word honor in the same sentence describing Wang’s plan of retaliation in his sister’s defense. It caused us to laugh again.
“One night, my father was leaving from a high-stakes poker party given by a mutual wealthy friend, when Wang accosted him and gave him a choice.”
I pulled the covers tighter around me when I realized that I was shivering from the wind coming in through my open terrace doors. “What choice could he have given?”
Jordan grew quiet again and I could’ve sworn I heard him sniff back tears, but it happened so quickly, that I couldn’t be sure.
“He gave my father a letter and in it, he wrote that if he didn’t take a dive, and relinquish everything over to him, that he would have my pregnant mother killed. In China, he would’ve gotten away with it too since the Leis had had little power compared to the Wangs. He knew my father’s love for my mother would leave him susceptible to whatever demands he made. The family knew which is why she was exiled because in a sense, she was to blame. My father had finally lost the regard they once held him in and seeing that was the undoing of my mother.
“Before I was born, my parents moved to New York since it was home for my mother. My father was always trying to get us back to the wealth he’d lost by getting into one scam after another. After years of struggling to make ends meet, coupled with depression, my mother took her life with a bottle of pills when I was only twelve years old. My father took her death hard and blamed himself since he hadn’t lived up to his promise of providing her with a lifestyle of privilege.” Jordan took a deep breath and continued.
“After my mother’s death, our relationship became strained. Despite our relationship, I did well in school and received a full ride to NYU. I spent a lot of those years blaming my father for making everything so hard, especially when he became a violent alcoholic. We clashed often and things had gotten so bad between us, that during the last year of his life, we weren’t even on speaking terms. He eventually drank himself to death. I regret how things ended. I loved him. He was my father, after all. I fulfilled my duties as his son and removed his belongings from the only home that I’d ever known. That’s the day that changed the course of my life forever.”
I held Jordan close and tried to comfort him. “I can’t imagine how you feel. I’m so sorry.”
This time I knew I heard the sniffles. “I found the letter from Wang while I was cleaning out the apartment. It was crumpled inside the pocket of the coat my mother had gotten him for his birthday the same year of the blackmail. I could tell that it was my father’s way of punishing himself which is why he kept it as a reminder. I always wondered why he never got rid of that old coat, but that day, it all became clear. I was in such a rage when I realized that I’d made my father pay, when all he was trying to do was protect his wife and unborn child.” The tears finally broke and flowed silently.
I wiped them with the back of my hand. “Now, I understand your need for revenge, but you have to try and forgive in order to live in peace, Jordan. I’m sure that’s what your parents would’ve wanted for you. Not this,” I explained as best I could.
Jordan bounded out of the bed and looked at me with fire blazing in his watery eyes. “My mother died anyway as if he pulled the trigger, and my father because of the guilt. It’s because of that, that I will have no peace until I get every penny he took from us back and he’s no longer breathing.”
I could tell that Jordan was fighting the urge to break down and just have a good cry, but the man in him wouldn’t allow it. The story he’d told me before about the lottery scam, and now this, had me confused. Plus, being that I was in lust, I couldn’t make heads or tails past physical gratification to know fact from fiction, and personally, I didn’t give a damn.
“I got—” He had to stop again to compose himself. “I got his diamond and he’s not going to rest until he gets it back in his possession. Unfortunately, for him, I won’t either until he’s left with nothing. Especially, his life,” he reiterated.
I decided to change the subject and ask about the wedding. “When we left out of the church with the rest of the crowd, what happened to the other jewelry?”
“A few of my men stayed behind and went underground. The church has secret tunnels that haven’t been used in years, which was the escape route we would’ve used had things not worked out as I planned them.”
Then I remembered the people still obeying someone while we were all changing in the back. “Who was left behind shouting out orders and shooting?”
Jordan seemed to relax as he got back in bed and leaned back up against the headboard, and clasped his hands behind his head. “No one, except technology.” He laughed out loud. “The men with the guns trained on the people in the upper pews were holograms. I had a tech; you met her, working sound effects, etcetera offsite. No gun was ever fired in that church and what smelled like gun smoke, was nothing but pop rocks. My problem is with Xing Wang, not God.” His laughter pierced the air again when he thought about his handiwork. “When the doors of the church flew open, the part of our team that was mixed in seated with the congregation started the stampede and of course, everyone else followed. That little ingenuity allowed us to filter in with the crowd undetected. Meanwhile, the Joie De Vivre and other valuable jewels were being smuggled out in the opposite direction.”
I was flabbergasted. “I am—I don’t know what to say.”
Jordan leaned over and kissed me. “Don’t say anything; just give me that diamond between your legs.”
Chapter 16
Two weeks later over breakfast on my terrace, Jordan was busy on his phone while I looked over into my neighbor’s yard to see what he was up to. Instead of getting a glimpse of his rock-hard body, I saw his girlfriend leaving wearing that freshly fucked look. Before I could roll my eyes, I heard Jordan ending his call and quickly gave him my undivided attention.
He laughed while shaking his head as if he’d heard a good joke. “He did just as I expected. The Louvre blueprints are in a Beaverton 1000 burn safe.”
“How do you know that?”
“The GPS has been sitting on an address in Paris for the last four days. That safe isn’t going to be easy to crack, but I can do it. I’m waiting on the film sheets with his fingerprints to come through and then we’re off to Paris.”
The bacon I was about to bite into suddenly lost its appeal. “We? Jordan, I have a huge event coming up. I can’t go to Paris.”
Jordan took a sip from his coffee, leaned back in his seat and stared at me. I couldn’t make out what was going through that manipulative head of his and he wasn’t going to make it easy. He just continued to glare at me with his eyes becoming tighter than they already were—if that were even possible.
“Jordan, did you hear me?”
He put his coffee down and finally answered. “Yes, I heard you. The more things change, the more they stay the fucking same.”
Nigga, please was the look I was sure that was etched on my face. “Why is this relationship so one-sided?” I questioned.
Jordan wiped his mouth, threw the napkin onto his plate and forcefully pushed his chair back and walked inside. I sat out on the terrace a moment longer before going in for the inevitable. When I stepped in, Jordan was half dressed and had his back to me. I tried to wrap my arms around him, but he wasn’t having it.
He forcefully peeled my hands from around him and turned as he pointed his finger in my face and yelled, “Don’t!”
I tried again, but was met with the same aggression. “Bianca, I’m not in the mood for your bullshit, all right!” He turned his back on me and continued getting dressed.
“What is it with you? I can’t believe you’re being so inconsiderate of what I do.”
He took a calculated breath befo
re facing me. “What you do is no comparison. I opened my heart to you, and this morning, you just trampled all over it. You don’t give a damn about me, Bianca. All you care about is getting laid, but that’s about to come to an abrupt halt. I have someone else in mind that doesn’t mind being there for me when I need her to be.”
A sinking feeling came over me. “Her? As in that bitch from the night at the Le’ Ameritage?”
“She is not the only her that I know.” Jordan tried to sidestep me, but I wasn’t giving up that easily. I shoved into him, causing a lamp sitting on the nightstand to topple over before he connected with the wall.
Once he regained his balance, he charged at me. “Arrrggh!”
We tussled all over the room. I tried to slap him, but he was too quick and caught my hand before it could do any of the damage that I was hoping for.
“Have you lost your damned mind?” he yelled at me once he got my arms pinned down.
At this point, my anger had better authority over me than the common sense to try and rationalize what I was doing. I continued trying to fight him knowing he had the upper hand due to size, strength, his maneuvering techniques and training. He blocked every move I made before finally lifting me into the air and throwing me onto the bed. I tried to get up and come for him again, but what I saw in his eyes halted me in my tracks.
“I don’t hit women, but I swear if you even look my way again, I won’t hesitate to make an exception today.”
Common sense had finally made its way into my thinking process, but I still wasn’t done making my point known. “Why are you doing this to me?” My face was drenched from the avalanche of tears that decided to flow without my permission. “Why do you always have to issue an ultimatum when I can’t do something for you?” Instead of going for him the way I wanted to, I took my aggression out on one of the pillows that decorated the bed.
Jordan shook his head and regarded me like I’d lost my mind. “Look at you, Bianca. You’re not stable. I need a partner who knows how to keep a cool head and not wear her emotions on her sleeve.” He stared at me a bit longer before saying another word. “I’m heading to Paris. I’ll talk to you whenever, if ever.”
He turned to leave and I behaved as the unstable bitch he’d just accused me of being. I leapt onto his back and tried to dig my claws into his skin, but he threw me off of him before I could do any damage. This time I landed on the floor instead of the soft bed.
He rushed me before I could recover, picked me up again and tossed me back onto the bed. “You wanna fight me?” he said as he unbuckled his pants. “I know exactly what you want.”
As mad as I was, I did want it. Carnal urges won the battle as I ripped the buttons off of his shirt and bit into his flesh just enough to cause pain without breaking the skin. Like a vampire, I went for his neck and repeatedly bit him.
“Ahh,” he gasped.
The bites left behind huge red welts for any bitch he was thinking about hooking up with to see. Not to be outdone, he took over when he did the same damage to my breasts. We were both bruised black, blue and red, but still going at it hot and heavy. I got on top kissing my way downtown and engulfed his inches into my ravenous mouth. Inhaling deeply to capture his masculine scent heightened my experience and made me feel closer to him. I took him all the way in and relaxed my muscles to control the gag while humming a delicious tune, igniting a spark that ran electric pulses up his spine as I continued pleasuring him to no return.
Jordan’s breath caught in his throat as he grabbed my head moving it back and forth to match his strokes as he fucked my face. It wasn’t long before he unloaded his frustrations down the hatch. When I removed my lips from his deflated dick, he exhaled long, deep breaths.
“I believe I have more than proved that I’m more than capable of being in control.”
Trying to catch his breath and recover, he was only able to shake his head yes.
Chapter 17
Three Days Later . . . Paris
After landing, we briskly walked through terminal 2A of Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport to meet up with up with a contact. In grand Jordan style, I was dismissed and told to peruse Hermès that was located inside the airport while he conducted business. Being a shopaholic, I was only too glad to get away from his uptight ass. Before I walked into the store, I saw Jordan shake hands with a tall, white man sporting dark shades, goatee and a bald head. He appeared to be in his forties and very fashionable judging from his white, skinny-leg suit that Cody and Reggie would’ve wrestled him down to the ground for.
Almost an hour later with nothing else to do, I slowly browsed through the scarves trying to pass time since I’d already made my purchases. I was about to go over to the fragrance counter when I caught sight of Jordan heading in my direction.
He leaned in and kissed me. “Looks like we’re in luck. My connect says that the address on my tracker is registering in the Trocadéro area which is heavily toured. The bonus is that the dumb fuck has his safe in the high-rise where we’re now going to be staying in a room that’s located directly beneath his. There’s no turning back now, Bianca. Are you ready to step inside of my world?” Jordan asked as he relieved me of my bags.
“As ready as ever,” I replied as I followed him out of the store and through the terminal.
My heels clickety-clacked on the tiled flooring as Jordan pulled me along the expansive airport. We stopped at Europcar to get a rental. Jordan spoke perfect French as he gave his reservation information to a young, busty blonde. A few times I caught her blue eyes ogling my man. Remembering what Jordan said about me wearing my emotions on my sleeve, I decided to let her make it.
“Au revoir, Monsieur Travis!” she said a little too excited for my taste and calling him by an alias.
“Au revoir,” Jordan replied back over his shoulders as we walked out of the terminal and was met curbside with a black Porsche with red interior.
A nice-looking guy jumped out of the vehicle. This time, I was the center of attention. “Salut ma belle!” He helped me inside the car. His hands touched and lingered longer than necessary, but I didn’t mind.
“Otez vos mains de ma dame!” Jordan spoke very fast and harsh. Whatever it was had the young man rattled.
He waved his hands back and forth frantically as he stepped away from me and the car backward. “Je suis désolé! Je suis désolé monsieur!”
Jordan got inside the car mumbling to himself. I’d never seen him get jealous before, but I had to admit that it was a turn-on to know that I mattered. I eased my hand into his lap and massaged his dick through his pants. It responded immediately to my touch.
I was about to unzip them when he stopped my action and handed me a piece of paper. “Here, plug this address into the GPS.”
I looked at the address, then the GPS system which was totally in French. “Jordan, I don’t speak or read the language.”
He took a deep breath and punched a few of the keys. “There, I switched it to English.”
I did as I was told and put the address 5 Avenue Albert de Mun into the system. During the drive, I took in the city and its ancient beauty. The Eiffel Tower loomed ahead of us. I was in complete awe. Then there it was—the Musée du Louvre palace. I immediately thought of all that I’d heard about the treasures, specifically the Holy Grail, according to Dan Brown, author of the The Da Vinci Code. I was dying to tour the inside and see the spectacular magnificence up close and personal. I’d heard that you could view the museum from the underground lobby of the pyramid through the glass. That was great because I would like to have seen if that tomb was really there. Unfortunately for me, Jordan had other plans and sightseeing wasn’t one of them.
The GPS signaled that we had arrived and I was thrilled that both monuments were still in viewing distance. Jordan tipped the valet before coming around to my side to lead the way to our new residence for the next few days. He took my hand and led me through the lobby where we were greeted by a doorman. Despite the luxurious lobby,
I was still skeptical about our lodging. Chandeliers hung in sequential order all leading up to a larger one that was dramatically suspended in the middle of the ceiling as if floating on air. Silk tapestry adorned the windows and exquisite furnishings decorated the rest of the space. A petite, cinnamon-colored woman with bouncy, reddish curls welcomed us from behind a massive, glass-encased desk with gold finishes. While Jordan transacted business, I enjoyed watching people walking in and out of the building as they went about their day.
After he was done, Jordan came over followed by a bellhop with our two bags. “We’re on the seventh floor.” He busied himself with his cell.
I didn’t know how he wanted me to respond to that dry-ass statement. So I said the first thing that came to mind. “Lead the way.”
We got on the lift and went to the floor that we would be calling home for the next few days. When we entered our unit, I breathed in a sigh of relief when I saw that it matched the grand style of the lobby and was decorated just as superbly. I flopped down on the purple velvet sofa and watched Jordan as he tipped the bellhop. I then walked around inspecting every inch of the space. He still wasn’t really speaking which was beginning to grate on my nerves. Hell, I could’ve stayed across the pond if he were going to ignore me the whole time.
Thirty minutes later, I was still trying not to let my emotions show, but this was ridiculous. “Jordan, are you going to continue behaving as though I’m not even here or what?”
“Isn’t that what you did to me when that punk was sniffing around my pussy at the airport?”
Bingo! I knew it! He’s jealous. “I took it as him being nice. It’s not like I knew what he was saying to me.”
Jordan poured himself a glass of wine and finally took a seat next to me on the purple velvet sofa. “You don’t have to know the language to know when a man is interested. Body language is the same no matter what part of the world you’re in, and you know it.”
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