Wild Billionaire Romance - Chapter 101: Chapter 101

MEREDITH
Day three since Josef left.
Sof
Does anyone know if your starter is supposed to smell like bananas?
Des
Yeah, I read that’s normal. Mine smells like feet.
Sof
That is so gross.
Mer
Mine doesn’t smell like anything. But let’s keep trying, ladies!
T
he promise of homemade carbs was a poor substitute for my man. I was making a mess out of our kitchen. Wasting flour by the pound. And I was pretty sure the housekeeper was a second away from quitting.
God, I missed my husband.
Chapter THIRTY-EIGHT
MEREDITH
Day six since Josef left.
My phone buzzed as I rode the elevator up to the condo with Mario, and I cringed.
Every day since Josef left, my bodyguard escorted me to and from work, insisting on door-to-door delivery.
I felt a little bit like a parcel, but I understood.
Josef was a powerful man. He had powerful connections. And powerful enemies.
It had been a while, but I wasn’t a stranger to that kind of life.
After all, the only reason I met Josef was because my stepfather had similar enemies.
Ugh.
I hated thinking about him. Franklin Gray. That fucking monster.
I could not recall a single time in my life when that man treated me as anything other than an obligation or a burden. And that was only during one of the rare and far between visits I’d had with him after my mother died.
Nannies took the burden of my upbringing, and as lonely as that had been, I was grateful for it now. Anything would have been better than that man.
I remembered so very little about my mother. She’d killed herself when I was barely in kindergarten.
I remember her having dark eyes and hair. She was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
She used to laugh a lot, and it sounded like bells tinkling.
What I remembered most vividly was her dancing with me. She used to make me stand on her feet as she moved to no music at all.
Franklin had always hated that.
He would always barge in and say something sharp. I couldn't remember the words, but the tone was always cruel or snide. Even a child knows when someone is being ridiculed.
I hated him for treating her that way. For making her feel so small, so useless, unloved, and uncared for.
I couldn't pretend I understood all the reasons she left me. And I was angry at her for that, too.
People had always assumed I was a spoiled rich princess, but not everyone had a storybook upbringing. I knew that firsthand.
Josef had been my first taste of the real world.
How could I have known he would be the best of it?
My heart warmed whenever I pictured my handsome husband. He’d been gone six days, and I missed him like crazy.
My phone pinged again as Mario opened the condo door, but I waited until I was inside to get it from my purse.
Josef had left strict instructions that no one was to be inside with me, except for this.
Every time I returned, Mario did a check of every room while I waited inside the closed, locked front door.
Then he would leave, and I’d secure the double bolt and re-engage the alarm system.
“Everything is good, Mrs. Aziz,” Mario said before exiting.
“Thanks, Mario. Goodnight.”
I took off my shoes and dropped them on the little rack by the door. Today had been a tough one.
Josef’s lawyers and realtors worked with Fr. Augustus on securing a property with the money I had from those payments I’d received from Gray Corps over the years.
The historic Victorian was in the same town where I grew up. Morristown, New Jersey, was one of the oldest towns in the entire country.
It was the site of the winter headquarters for George Washington himself, during the American Revolution. There were tons of museums and parks dedicated to our country’s beginning, places with historical significance.
The house itself was on a nice little cul de sac. Quiet, secluded, close to the local school.
It wasn’t a mansion or anything, but it was clean and there were plenty of bedrooms. Eight to be exact.
Ellie and her son were moving in first. Josef had arranged for a construction team and building inspector to fix the place up first, and they’d moved like lightning.
I’d offered to take them to the new house before I’d known Josef wouldn’t be there to help.
Tomorrow was the day, and I was not about to back out.
Mario and his team were going to accompany us, but I already asked him to ensure everyone else rode in a separate vehicle.
Ellie was skittish around men. As I would be, too.
Her ex had come by the shelter asking for information once or twice, and I wasn’t there either time. I understood he was a nasty piece of work.
The other staff had sent him packing, which was easier now that Josef had sent men and women from Sigma International to see to the safety of the shelter and its inhabitants.
I didn’t ask for any of that, but still, Josef did it. And it wasn’t like he just made empty gestures or offers. He didn’t try to take over or muscle me into doing things his way.
Josef simply saw a need and filled it. He was just that good.
Warm feelings filled me, followed by an ache inside my chest because I missed him so. I walked to the kitchen, checking on my latest batch of sourdough starter with high hopes that quickly sank when I saw the neon mold floating on top of the jar.
Fuck.
“Back to the drawing board,” I muttered, and my phone pinged yet again.
Oops.
I’d forgotten about that. Maybe it was the girls. I hoped they had better luck with their starters.
The sourdough kits Sofia had sent were awesome. They came with everything. Plus, she sent five pounds of organic bread flour and a canister to hold it in.
I was never much of a cook. Growing up the way I did, it was no wonder. Even after I left home, I was more an instant noodle kinda gal than a Cordon Bleu chef.
But I have to admit, it’s been a fun distraction.
Ping. Ping.
Sighing, I grabbed my cell phone, expecting Sofia, but was very pleasantly surprised when it was Josef. Or Big Bad, as he named himself in my contacts.
Big Bad Wolf
What’s this I hear about your turning the kitchen into a science lab?
Little Red
When did you hack my phone and change everyone’s name? And when did you decide to give Des and Sof my number without telling me?
Big Bad Wolf
Figured you’d need friends while I’m gone. Having fun making your sourdough starter? I suppose you’re an expert by now.
Little Red
You suppose wrong. (sends pic of neon mold being flushed down the drain.)
Big Bad Wolf
Poor baby. Sorry that happened.
Little Red
No worries. So, are you coming back?
Big Bad Wolf
You saying you miss me?
Little Red
Nope. Just need to know so I can cancel my next clandestine meeting with my secret admirer.
Big Bad Wolf
Anyone trying to meet with you clandestinely or not won’t live to see another day, Little Red. And teasing me when I’m missing you this bad is not a good idea, Baby.
Little Red
So…you really miss me?
Big Bad Wolf
Is that all you got from that?
It really was.
Swoon!
Little Red
Yep.
Big Bad Wolf
Yes, I miss you, Baby. And I am man enough to admit it.
Little Red
Me too. Not the part where I’m a man though. I mean, you know that. Obviously, you know that. Never mind…
Big Bad Wolf
Yeah, Baby, I do know that. Now, send me a pic of you so I can dream about something good tonight.
Little Red
(sends pic)
Big Bad Wolf
I like your face.
Little Red
I like yours back.
Big Bad Wolf
Good. Cause when I get home, you’re going to sit that sweet ass right on my face and ride it till you come screaming my name.
Oh my fucking fuck.
My core clenched, and I whimpered just thinking of how much I missed him in that way. Seemed being married had jumpstarted my starving libido in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
Big Bad Wolf
I gotta go, Baby. Don’t make me wait.
Little Red
I miss you. I love you, Husband.
Big Bad Wolf
Just a few more days, Wife.
I closed my eyes and kissed the screen, feeling anything but stupid.
No, he didn’t say he loved me back every time we texted or talked. But I felt it.
The weight and warmth of his love was like a living thing, and it wrapped around me in his absence.
I couldn’t wait for Josef to come home.
Meanwhile, I had work and sourdough starter to feed.