Page 66 of Texting the CEO's Obsession
I was less than a minute away from calling him.
What the fuck is he doing here? Especiallynow?
He’s dressed like he came straight from his usual meetings—which generally consist of him glowering threateningly while someone else does his dirty work—head to toe in a tailored black suit, dark hair slicked back against his head. The only spot of color comes from the red pocket square folded into his breast pocket. It’s early for him to be finished for the day, the sun is not even completely below the horizon yet, and seeing him so early in the evening on a night I intentionally cleared my schedule has me suspicious.
“Hello to you, too,” he grumbles, cold brown eyes raking over me in thinly veiled distaste. “I’m here to talk business, kid.”
He shoulders past me before I can get a single word in, damn near bowling me over carelessly. I grit my teeth as I shove the door shut behind him before flipping the lock, silently fuming over the fact that he’s still intent on calling me that. He’s got three years on me, and he clings to every second of it.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snap, cutting him off before he can make it further into the living room.
Bruno huffs in annoyance, crossing thick arms over a thicker chest as he glares icily at me from beneath bushy brows.
“Hell of a way to greet your brother. Not planning on asking me how I am?” he asks with an unsettling, crooked-toothed smile through scarred lips.
“Ma keeps me updated on how you are,” I answer stiffly.
If the asshole would just give up on trying to get me to rejoin theotherfamily business, maybe we’d talk more often.
“Could update you myself. You’ve been dodging my calls.”
Fuck, if I don’t shut him down now, he’s going to go blathering about things Riley has no reason to know about. Leave it to him to pick the worst possible time for literally everything.
“Now’s really not a good time, Bruce,” I insist, using his old nickname in an attempt to get on his good side for long enough to get him out of here. “Look, I’ll call?—”
“It’s never a good time for you,Nicky,” he cuts me off with a mean grin, throwing my obvious attempt at manipulation back in my face. “Too bad. You have a responsibility to this family, and I’m tired of you running away from it.”
“I have aguest,” I hiss sharply. “Shut your mouth before you get us both in deep shit.”
Bruno steps closer, his slicked-back black hair gleaming under the living room lights, looking just as pissed as I feel.
“Your guest can fucking leave then,” he hisses right back. “Family’s more important than you getting your dick wet.”
Before I can lay into him, the lock on the office door clicks behind me, and I tense when I hear it creak open.
Bruno’s eyes light up in vicious amusement as Riley’s shoes click against the floor. I bite my tongue to stop myself from decking him. I should never have asked him to look into Riley when I first met her because now he knowsexactlywhat I used the information he gave me for.
This is what asking him for a favor gets me.
“Riley, I told you to stay put,” I say with an exasperated sigh, stepping back from my brother to turn and glare at her.
“Sorry,” she says, sheepish and fidgeting nervously as she looks back and forth between me and Bruno. “I heard you two talking; I figured… look, I can go. I don’t want to interrupt, family?—”
“Absolutely not,” I say sternly, closing the distance and pulling her protectively against my side. “My brother was just leaving.”
I level Bruno with a fiery glare, but he just smirks, the intense aura of dangerous curiosity that surrounds him thickening as he takes in the way Riley looks up at me with an awkward chuckle.
“Really,” she insists, twisting away from me after placing a fleeting kiss on my cheek. “Family comes first. I’ll see you at work.”
Her eyes catch on the envelope one last time, a shudder going through her as she rushes to the door.
“Nice to meet you,” Bruno hums in a tone that implies it was anything but nice.
Riley stumbles awkwardly as she nods in both agreement and farewell, blowing me a kiss before tugging the door shut behind her. She’s obviously still shaken up about the pictures, and Bruno’s presence didn’t help. I’m sure she’s taking this as anexcuse to go freak out in her own apartment and maybe call Taylor to rant for a bit.
The thought sits sourly in my gut.
Iwant to be the one to calm her down, to comfort her through this. I don’t want to leave her to deal with it on her own.
