MEGAN
I OPENED the door to a huge man standing in front of me. He looked like he just came from a war in the desert with strong eye contact, tanned skin, and a well-trained straight posture.
“Good evening, Miss Simons. My name is Jack Davis. You can call me Davis, and I am here to take you to Mr. Wood’s penthouse.”
I gaped as if he was talking in a foreign language.
Warily, I already was gripping the door handle tightly as I angled myself away from him. “And he can’t come, why?” I asked when he mentioned Forrest.
“Mr. Wood is caught up with something, Miss Simons.”
Although Forrest didn’t warn me to take extra precautions, I was not stupid enough to go with this man because he mentioned Mr. Wood. That bitch could have hired someone to kidnap me and torture me in the warehouse.
“And what is that something he’s been catching up with, that he can’t even grab his phone to call me?”
The man fixed his posture, hands remained locked in front of him. “I am afraid I can’t disclose that information to you, Miss Simons.”
I huffed mockingly. “So, all of a sudden, Forrest is now some kind of your boss, asking people around to come and take me to his penthouse?” Arching a brow, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Something like that.”
“That’s all you can say? Wow! From a bartender to an instant, what? A millionaire? A billionaire? You better go back to whoever asked you to come and tell him or her, I refused to come with you. Goodnight!” I held the doorknob and shut the door closed on his face.
Surprisingly, the man named Davis was still standing behind the door, assessing by the shadow of his feet. I felt skeptical all of a sudden. I tiptoed inside my room and picked up my phone.
I was pacing back and forth, thinking twice if I should call Forrest or 911 instead. That man could have just easily kicked the door if he wanted to kidnap me. So I waited, and it didn’t happen. Perhaps he was telling the truth.
I didn’t have any clue who Forrest’s father was but judging by how worried his mother was, I knew Forrest could be in great danger.
Since he left last night, I couldn’t get my mind out of the possible danger he was facing right now. He might be meeting his estranged father, but the possibility of his old man hurting him was endless.
I felt dizzy from pacing and exhausted from constant sighing. I had to sit down on my bed. My stomach twisted. I stood up again and started pacing until I felt there was nothing I could do.
“God!” I sat back and scrolled down my Phonebook and was about to dial Forrest’s number when his name appeared on my screen.
“Oh, thank God, you’re okay. Who the hell is that man outside my door?”
“Megan, I am still busy right now, but I want you to go with him and stay at my apartment until I get back.” I could hear noises from the background, and he was even yelling from the other line.
“You mean penthouse? Where are you? And I’ve been waiting for your call for hours now, Forrest. I am worried hell.” I knew myself. I couldn’t work properly when I was anxious about something.
Mom even noticed and asked me, but I couldn’t tell her about Forrest’s plan. I was sure she would also be worried about me. The last thing I was going to do was to add more migraines to her. Her Cryotherapy seemed pointless on her. If I didn’t know she was good at her job, I would love to tell her that she was wasting her money on that shit. Yoga and meditation were way better for a pregnant woman than that crap.
“That’s good to know. I’m flattered,” he answered right away with an amusement tone in his voice.
“Do you think I am kidding?”
“Of course not. Just do what I say, okay? And take some clothes with you.”
Unbelievable. “Seriously?” I huffed. “You suddenly become so bossy and a domineering prick. Just so you know, I am not fond of someone who bosses around. Your dictatorial manner is a turned off, Forrest. I’ll stay here until you come back, and tell that man in your payroll to back off.”
“Megan, please? I need to go somewhere to meet someone.”
“Going somewhere to meet someone? Can’t you be a little more cryptic than that? Where’s the honesty we talked about last night?”
He sighed. “Davis will give you the key of the penthouse, and a card. Once you get there, just punch in these numbers 285631. I already programmed the security system for you.”
I kept those numbers in my mind, and I didn’t even know why I was listening to his annoying orders.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Never mind, don’t answer that. God, you’re a pain in the ass. If something bad will happen to me, I will raise from my grave, haunt you, and throw you across the Mediterranean, get me?” I pursed my lips together.
“It won’t get to that. Thank you.”
“You’re not welcome.”
“I got to go. Send me a message when you get to the penthouse.”
“Forrest?”
“Yes, Megan?” He sounded in a hurry.
“Where exactly are you going?”
“Sean Rexwell is in Boston.”
My brows furrowed. “Why are you meeting him? Don’t keep me in the dark here, Forrest, or I swear to God I’m gonna knee your junk.” I knew Sean Rexwell was dating Saph, but how Forrest was connected with him?
“I know your mind is running a mile right now—”
“Goddamn right, it is. You’re frustrating.”
“They’re waiting for me, Megan. I promise when I get home, I’ll fill you in, and I promise to make it up to you.”
“I’m looking forward to the latter.” As stupid as I was, I was already smiling. “You better come back to me sooner because you’ve got a lot of mansplaining to do.”
“I promise. I won’t stay long.”
When the call ended, I frowned. Suddenly, my life turned complicated, and I didn’t know anything about Forrest at all. He wasn’t who they said he was. He became more mysteriously silent and a complete stranger to me.
***
Davis didn’t answer any questions I threw to him, but I could feel him checking me through the rearview mirror as I kept my mouth shut in the backseat.
It was frustrating. I turned completely silent when I couldn’t get the answers I wanted.
The black sedan parked right beside where Forrest parked his car, but his black Camaro wasn’t there.
Once Davis opened the car door for me, I got out and grabbed my duffel even Davis offered his help.
“I can handle just right. I’m not your boss, so you don’t have to treat me like I am the one who’s writing your paycheck.”
“Just doing my job, ma’am.” He retreated his hand.
“Don’t ma’am me. I’m too young for that.” I strode toward the private elevator, and I knew he was following me. So I spun around and cut him an incredulous stare.
“Just following security protocol, Miss Simons.”
I stared at him intently. “Am I in danger?”
“No, Miss Simons. Just like I said—”
“Just following protocol, I get it. But why would Forrest hire you if nothing’s going on? How dangerous his father is exactly?”
Davis went rigid, clearly surprised by my question or the word father. “Just a precaution.”
“Yeah. You kinda make it pretty clear. Can I have the key and the card now?” I held out my hand.
Davis fished out from his black jacket and gave them to me. When I turned around, I was surprised to see the security system installed in the elevator. After I swiped the card, and the door slid open.
“Let me guess, another precaution?” I arched a brow at him.
Davis nodded. I didn’t want to deal or I wasn’t ready with this sudden turn of events in my life. I couldn’t punish Davis as well, to make whatever he signed for far more difficult for him. I got in silently, and he followed suit.
After I punched the numbers, the penthouse door didn’t unlock like I was expecting. I looked at Davis, asking for help because I was sure I entered the number correctly.
“I think you should press your thumb for fingerprinting.”
“What?” I asked in disbelief. “Who the hell is Forrest, Davis?”
“A man who is rich enough to have a lot of precautions.”
I rolled my eyes. “Does he have a retinal scanner, too?”
“No, Miss Simons.”
“Just call me Megan, Davis.”
“I don’t think it would please Ms. Wood, Miss Simons.”
Whatever Forrest was doing in the club bartending, I was sure he had reasons. As soon as I pressed my thumb against the scanner, I heard a click.
Once Davis was done checking the place, he walked outside the penthouse after saying a few things if there’s an emergency blah blah blah, and so on.
I sent a message to Forrest, then I showered, ate my dinner alone, and went to his room. I wanted to check out or more likely to investigate what was inside this mysterious penthouse, but I held on to his promise to tell me everything once he got home.
I knew something was off when I first met him. Who would bartend with an expensive sports car, wearing a jacket that is worth my one-month paycheck? He smoked, yet I couldn’t smell it in his car. But I thought he was just some kind of neat freak and a man who saved and bought some quality stuff.
I put on his black shirt and tucked myself inside his blanket. His smell wrapped around me like a warm thick blanket. I loved his smell. I missed him. I missed his smile. Despite Forrest being so mysterious, I already missed everything about him.
“Who the hell are you, Forrest?” My lids felt heavy. Before I closed my eyes, I wished he would be here before I woke up.
I woke up in the middle of the night to a full bladder, and there were still no signs of Forrest. The whole penthouse was dead silent. I sent him another message when my last message was left unseen. My worry worsened, twisting my stomach into a fierce knot.
Is he okay? Is his mother back in England?
I sat back on his bed as impatience tickled my skin. I felt the urge to check out what was in his drawer. I was sure he probably had a stock of condoms inside. The thought alone excited me. To my dismay, it was locked.
I lied back in bed, but I was still worried. I couldn’t help myself not to over-analyze everything. I slipped my hand under his pillow and pressed my face to smell his scent. This time, I was hoping I could get a good sleep.
To my shock, I patted something cold and hard under his pillow that had me gasped.