9. Dom

nine

Dom

I turn off the shower, anxious to return to Belle, but I don't take the time to dry off. I grab a towel and loosely tie it low on my hips. Rushing back into my bedroom to change, I crash into Jessica's naked body. Before I can react, her arms snake around my body, and she launches herself at me, pressing her mouth to mine.

I grab her arms and push her away from me, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, "What the fuck are you doing in my bedroom naked?"

She lands on my bed, not even trying to cover her nudity. If anything, she exposes more of herself by bending her knees and spreading her legs wide in a not-so-subtle invitation. One I have no intention of accepting.

Slipping one hand between her legs, she thrust two of her fingers into her pussy, "Come on, Dom, I know you want me. I can please you better than that little na?ve girl you brought here. I bet she doesn't know how to give a decent blow job."

Having enough of Jessica's games, I grab her by the arm and drag her to the door, "Don't you dare compare yourself to Belle. I want you out of my sight and out of my house. I won't say anything to Joseph, but if you dare to pull another stunt like this again, you will pay. Do you understand?"

She glares at me, then finally nods. I shove her through the door, slamming it in her face.

I look back at my bed noticing a wet spot on the sheets where Jessica was. Gross, not only am I going to have to burn my sheets, but I'm also going to have to burn my mattress to get her stink out of my room.

I grab my clothes from my closet and go back to the bathroom to change before going in search of Belle.

I stroll into the study, glad no one saw my encounter with Jessica, to find Claire and Nick sitting by the fire, talking quietly.

"Where's Belle?" I ask.

Claire glares at me, "Like you care, asshole. Why don't you go back to that skank, Jessica."

"Fuck, how did you know about that?" I say, realizing too late how it sounded.

"So, you were naked with Jessica in your bedroom like Belle said she saw." Nick gets to his feet and moves to stand next to me. "How could you break her heart like that? The least you could have done was tell her instead of taking the coward's way out by letting her find you with Jessica naked."

I hold up my hands in front of myself and shake my head, "That's not what happened. Jessica came into my room while I was in the shower. She was naked and threw herself at me. That must have been what Belle saw."

Claire crosses her arms across her chest and rolls her eyes, "Then why were you kissing her?"

"Like I said, she caught me off guard when she threw herself at me. I reacted right away and pushed her off me, throwing her out of my bedroom." Claire continues to glare at me, "Look, I know it looks bad, but I need to explain it to Belle. Where is she?"

A look passes between Nick and Claire, and my heart drops, "I said, where is Belle?"

Nick speaks first, "She's gone."

"What do you mean she is gone?" I grit my teeth and clench my hands.

"We got word from Mario that the threat has been taken care of, and we can return to the city. Belle was excited to tell you. That's why she went to your room. When she told us what she saw, she demanded to return to the city tonight."

I grab Nick by the shirt collar and shake him, "You didn't let her go, did you?"

Claire steps in between us, and I loosen my hold on Nick, "It was for the best. You hurt her, maybe not intentionally, but you still hurt her."

I let go of Nick, "When did she leave? I can probably catch her."

"It's too late. The plane left twenty minutes ago." Nick places his hand on my arm, but I shake it off.

"How could you let her go? You know how much she means to me."

"Yeah, Dom, I know how much she means to you, but does she know? Have you told her yet?"

"I…, no, I haven't. Am I too late? Have I lost her?"

"I don't know Dom."

"I have to get to her."

"The plane won't be back for hours. Let me see if I can arrange for another plane. Wait here, and I will be back." He squeezes Claire's arm before stepping out of the study.

I sit down in a chair, my head in my hands, my elbows on my knees. "I can't lose her, not when I just found her," I whisper.

"She loves you, you know." Claire sits beside me, "I've known Belle for two years, and I have never seen her as happy as I did this morning. You need to fix this."

Lifting my head off my hands, I look at Claire, "If it's the last thing I do, I will make this right with Belle. I will do whatever it takes to win her back, even if I have to wait a lifetime, because nothing will change how I feel about Belle, not even death."

"I didn't know you were such a romantic, Dom," Nick says from the doorway. "I got ahold of Adam Randall; he is sending his plane. It should be ready in an hour. We got lucky he is on the other side of the island with his new bride on their honeymoon."

A sense of relief washes over me. She only has a two-hour head start on me.