Page 72 of Reclaiming My Wife

She bobbed her head up and down. “Yes. Absolutely.”

When she didn’t move immediately, I looked toward the kitchen. “Now, Jillian. I’ve got things I need to do that I can’t do with everyone worshipping her.”

“Right.” She scrambled out, and I turned to look at the big guy. “Bodyguard, huh? Fun job?”

“I majored in art history,” he sighed. “We’ll take a suite if you have one. Or adjoining rooms?”

“This isn’t a hotel, pal. I’ll move Jillian out of the guest room.” At least something good would come of this. “And you can bunk on the sofa unless you want to share a bed with your client.”

“You couldn’t pay me enough.” He grinned. “A sofa will do. I’m Hoss, by the way.”

A big guy like that named Hoss? No wonder he ended up being a bodyguard.

He followed me into the kitchen. Jillian had gotten most of my employees back outside, and I went to check on their progress. I was eager to talk to Gordon about what he’d found, but I had a feeling that he was going to stick around for dinner. In fact, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to get him to leave that night.

My hopes for a quick and quiet dinner preceding a little coaxing to get Jillian naked again crumbled. It wasn’t just Gordon at the table. It was also Ben, Debra, Kim, and the star herself. Oh, and her art history bodyguard.

The most surprising thing was that my sister was sitting next to Jillian, and they were chatting like old friends.

Jillian’s gaze met mine from across the room, and held a warning. With a sigh, I took my seat.

The actress immediately looked my way and beamed. “You must be Brendan. Wow, nobody told me that you had a face that would give most of my male co-stars a run for their money. And a body to match. I think I see now why Jillian doesn’t return to the city. I wouldn’t either if I was trying to worm my way into your bed. Of course, Jillian can be a bit of a prude when it comes to sex.”

Jillian flushed, and I felt my body tighten with anger. This was what Jillian considered a friend? “Actually, Jillian is my wife,” I said coolly. “And I don’t believe her sexual activities are any of your business.”

A hush fell over the table, and everyone looked at Cindy nervously. I half expected the woman to throw a temper tantrum, but she just stared at Jillian. “Married? You’re married? I thought you were dating that professor guy.”

“She was, and now she isn’t,” I cut in. “This is my home, and while you are in my home, you will respect my wife.”

“Brendan,” Jillian said tightly. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Cindy waved her hands around and laughed. “Sweetheart, there’s no need for that. He is absolutely right. I start talking, and I don’t even think. But you are going to have to tell me the story of this marriage of yours. You know all of my drama. It’s only fair that I get to know some of yours.”

The tension eased, and I relaxed a little. Soon, everyone’s attention was on the starlet beauty as she regaled them with stories of Hollywood. She was a natural showman, and she just soaked up the attention she was getting. Even Ben, the man that I expected to have a solid head on his shoulders, was taken in by her theatrics.

I kept my eye on Jillian. She was obviously uncomfortable as she ate and kept quiet throughout dinner. I wondered if part of it was because she was used to Cindy or if she was thinking about the remark that Cindy had made earlier.

If only Cindy knew. Jillian sure as well was no prude. Her abstinence from sex had nothing to do with morals and everything to do with pain. Pain that I had helped cause.

It didn’t escape my noticed that Kim also seemed a bit cold to me. Was this how things were going to work with her? She was either going to hate Jillian or hate me?

The atmosphere at the table grew more and more wearisome as the time passed. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Cindy finally announced that she needed to go to bed. Kim immediately jumped up to help her, and Jillian and Hoss naturally followed. Debra and Ben started cleaning up the table.

“Gordon,” I said, snapping my fingers in front of my friend as he stared at the empty hallway. “Focus, man. She’s just a person with a job.”

“Do you think her bodyguard could kill me? I was considering attempting to sneak into her room tonight, but the man looks like he might snap my neck.”

Irritated, I rolled my eyes. “I would snap your neck if you tried that. First of all, that’s creepy. You don’t just sneak into women’s bedrooms without permission, and secondly, you and I have some business to discuss. Do you think that you can hold it together?”

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