Chapter 33

HARPER

J asper and I were returning to the penthouse. During our drive, we discussed the many charities supported by him and his corporation, when his phone's Bluetooth connected to the car.

Max's name flashed across the giant touchscreen on the dash. There were so many buttons in his space car. I didn't see him press anything, when Max's voice boomed loudly through the speaker, I jumped and giggled at myself. Jasper chuckled, then grabbed my hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Hey dickhead, where are you?" Max said lightheartedly.

"Hey, how about you mind your damn business asshole, what you got for me?"

I looked over to Jasper to see he was still smiling. I smiled to myself, listening to their playful banter; it reminded me of Aster and me, though we were certainly more subdued, to put it mildly.

"The Petrov brothers are causing trouble," Max was suddenly very serious.

"What? What do you mean?" Jasper snapped.

"Well, the commission office is snooping around the Atlanta properties."

"And how does that involve the Petrov brothers?" Jasper asked, with his brows furrowed.

"Unless it's their… activities that are the trouble?"

"Nope nothing like that brother, I got a call from Martinez, and he said that the Petrov brothers moved their… Dealings from all three properties three days ago, so naturally since I'm so good at my fucking job, I checked the CCTV and confirmed. The commission's office is nosing around, responding to some anonymous call."

"Hmm," Jasper said, as he rubbed his hand over his face.

"Right, so either they got a heads up and didn't warn us or they moved around and made the call themselves. Fucking assholes." Max continued.

Is Jasper involved in some illegal stuff? Why are they talking in code?

"Right well, either way, I'd like to sort through things, be at the penthouse in twenty. We don't want to be caught up in their filthy shit." He said and ended the call.

The remainder of the ride home was quiet. The tension in the car was thick, I knew it wasn't because of me. Jasper attempted to suppress his anger, yet I could sense it thrumming within him, radiating with intensity. I watched his hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. His jaw twitched from his clenched teeth. I should be scared or nervous or at the very least wary of him but all I could feel was the need to help him, to calm his nerves.

I reached over and placed my hand on his thigh. As soon as I felt the tension in his muscles under my palm, I questioned my decisions.

He looked down at my hand and then back at the road. I wanted to jerk my hand back, but I was so nervous that I couldn't move or speak, I stared forward and stayed very still, waiting for him to react. He slowly removed his hand from the steering wheel and in one quick movement, he laced his fingers through mine.

* * *

Pulling into the car park the security guard let Jasper know he had company. Max was sitting on his candy apple red Ducati, his arms resting over his chest. His fancy helmet dangled from his back. He clutched a bulky manila envelope under his arm, and the ink and muscles; muscles that were spilling from his fitted t-shirt, to its limits.

Where do these guys come from?

The first time I met him, he was in a tailored suit that fit him perfectly. Today, however, he wore a black T-shirt. His blue jeans clung tightly, conforming to his toned legs. He wore a pair of aviator sunglasses, even though, it was a dreary day giving him a mysterious look.

When he caught me staring, my cheeks instantly flushed. He was attractive, but honestly, he couldn't compare to Jasper.

Max met my gaze with a big smile.

"Hey Harp, nice to see you again." He walked towards Jasper and I. Jasper placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me towards the elevator. As we passed Max, Jasper gave him a small nod; a gesture for him to follow.

Once inside the elevator, Jasper pulled me closer to his body. Max stood on the opposite side, leaning against the railing coolly. Normally, being in a confined space with two large men like this would scare the hell out of me. It would have me sweating, and planning my escape, but that didn't happen. I was calm and comfortable, I felt normal. The lack of panic sent my mind into a spiral of confusion.

* * *

The elevator doors slid open, revealing the open floor plan of Jasper's 36th-floor penthouse. I walked into the foyer, Jasper's hand still wrapped around my hip. I looked up at him to see he was studying my face; I gave him a small smile, unsure of what I was reading on his.

"I'll let you two get to it," I said sweetly before I walked away. Jasper's hand slowly slid from me, but he tightened his grip and pulled me back to him. He softly breathed into my ear. "I'll be in my office with Max, will you be okay for a bit, Doll?" There was something so intimate about how he asked me. "Of course, I'm going to go soak in that amazing bathtub of yours," I said with a soft laugh.

From the first night I arrived, I had been eager to get myself in the massive marble claw-foot bathtub. He smiled against my cheek just before he released me. I turned towards Max and smiled, "Good to see you, Max," he gave me another smile and a small nod.

As I walked down the hall, the sound of their conversation lingered; carried by the marble floors, and amplified by the lack of decor, save for a few art pieces and modern furniture items. I didn't notice how bare it was; extravagant, but bare of any personality.

"Man, she is gorgeous." I heard Max say. I wondered who he was talking about until I heard Jasper snarl, "Shut your fucking mouth, and keep your eyes off of her." I smiled to myself at how protective Jasper had gotten over me. Besides Aster and her parents, I've never experienced that feeling. Although, they were not so much protective, but rather supportive and loving. My own parents never made me feel safe and protected like Jasper does.

My heart started pounding as I realized what I felt in the car with Jasper. I felt safe, feeling safe had grown to be such a foreign feeling. I was so lost in my thoughts, that I didn't realize I had stopped walking until I heard Max's voice responding to Jasper's threats; their voices turned to a muffle and eventually disappeared as the faint sound of a door closed.

* * *

Searching through the cabinets in the bathroom, I found some bubble bath and bath oils. Not the kind that leaves your skin feeling greasy and dirtier than before you bathed, but the kind that leaves you smelling like heaven and your skin feeling like silk.

The room was filled with steam and smelled like vanilla, one of my favorite scents. It was relaxing and made my eyes droop. I let out a sigh and laid my head back against the tub.

After an eventful day of making out with Jasper this morning, followed by an afternoon of shopping, I didn't realize how sleepy I had gotten. I closed my eyes and rested, unsure of the time that had passed. When I looked again, the big window wasn't letting in daylight anymore; The sky had darkened, signaling the sunset.

The sight was breathtaking. I wanted to take a picture because it was too spectacular to let it pass without documenting it. I jumped out of the tub and wrapped myself in one of the luxurious towels hanging on the towel rack. They were stark white and brand new. I almost felt like I was doing something wrong by using them.

I ran into my room and grabbed my phone. I stopped short when I saw all the shopping bags from the boutique, lined up against the end of the bed, with a bag that wasn't familiar.

Had Jasper come in while I was bathing? Did he peek into the bathroom? The thought made me nervous, yet it was an unfamiliar kind of nervousness. It was thrilling. Did I want him to have peaked at me? What the hell has gotten into me? I shook my head to clear my mind of such absurd thoughts.

Opening my phone to snap a quick photo, I swiped to clear the missed call notifications from Aster calling. I felt a bit guilty when it hit me that I hadn't talked to her in a few days. After I snapped the photo, I opened my call log, went straight to her name, and pressed call.

"Hey sister!" she squealed on the other end in the form of a greeting. "Hey! How's London?" I asked feeling a bit jealous of my best friend. I dreamed of visiting Europe one day, mostly to take an iconic photo in front of the Eiffel Tower.

I found this cool idea on Pinterest, where you snap a picture from a distance, making it look like you're holding a huge object in the palm of your hand.

"Um, It's good. I mean it's beautiful," she said with a nervous stutter. Something was off, but I pushed it aside.

"How are things with you and the legal hottie?" she asked. I giggled at her nickname for him because it was perfect. He owned a law firm, and he was smoking hot.

"Things are fine," I vaguely answered, dismissing the interrogation, I knew she would no doubt start. Especially, if I told her a little hint of what was happening here.

I wasn't ready to explain that I had spent the morning making out with Jasper and that I let him spend an atrocious amount of money on a gown I'd only wear once in my lifetime. I wouldn't ever need to put on such a snazzy outfit again.

I heard some rustling noises, and some muffled words, before Aster got back to the phone. Her voice was low, if I didn't know better, I'd think she was whispering. "Gah, I'm ready to get home," she announced unexpectedly. As far as I knew she was having a blast and never wanted to leave London, but that was a few days ago when she had called to let me know she would be home later than she expected, moving her return day to Monday instead of today.

"Is everything okay?" I asked concerned with her sudden change of heart. "Yeah, I'm fine it's just…," she got quiet, and I could hear her breathing become unsteady as if she was walking. Maybe to leave the room for privacy. "He just gets… angry sometimes. His temper is a bit much." She finally answered.

"Has he hurt you, Aster?" I snarled. She was slow to answer, as I waited with my eyebrows raised in silence.

"Aster!" I demanded an answer.

"No, nothing like that," she said whispering, so low I strained to hear her. Then I heard a door slam and a muffled, deep voice. "Hey sister, I got to go. Let's talk Saturday morning, after the event, yeah? I want to know everything, I love you."

She disconnected the call before I could even respond.