The Second Wife by Melinda Mulera (book club reads .txt) 📗

Chapter 10: funny ring

I reached out to the door and knocked softly. The sound of glass bottles moving about from behind the door filled my ears as I fixed my tie into place. The first time I had actually wanted to wear a tie at work. Even Mr Bronze Senior allowed me to stay without ties but I guess I had to show my profession one day.

"Iris?" He asked from the other side and I sighed out, a bit annoyed that he was somehow comfortable with me. We needed the residents to call us by our surnames and initials.

Ms Brown.

That showed profession, but Mr Bronze doesn't seem to want to. He would create problems for me since everyone would assume I know him on a personal level.

"Yes." I said as I furrowed my eyes at the door.

What the hell was he doing in there?

"I'm coming in." I announced and reached for the handle, clicking it open.

"Wait-" he stopped when I stepped into the room where I spotted him on his bed, with an unfamiliar woman with long bright orange hair draping on her curvy body. She glanced over her shoulder, with her half naked back facing me. She gave a seductive smile. Almost as though she was mocking me.

"Sorry. I'll step out for a moment." I bowed slightly and stepped back, closing the door.

That was uncalled for.

Not that I did not expect Mr Bronze to have a woman in his bed. In fact, I was surprised he had lasted weeks without women in his bed. Either that or I just didn't notice since I wasn't assigned to him. Since last Friday, Mr Bronze decided to make me his personal hotel assistant just because I was more tolerable than the last.

The door suddenly opened and the woman stood in front of me with a small grin on her red lips. Her orange eyes gazed down at me with an amused look on her face, as though she had realised something.

"Sorry, I kind of played around with your boyfriend." She chuckled as she fanned herself while I frowned at her.

"He's not my boyfriend." I sighed out as I crossed my arm across my chest and glared at her.

"Oh, then you must be another one of his girls." She raised her brows and I rolled my eyes.

"Not that either. I just work here." I said and she frowned a bit as she stared at me.

"Really?" She asked tilting her head to the side. "You're Iris right?"

"That's what he said."

"Last night, when we were having sex, he mentioned your name one time." She said and I blinked at her in confusion.

I didn't need to know what they did.

Second of all. Why the hell would he be thinking about me.....

My entire face suddenly got warm as I glanced to the floor a bit taken aback as the thought hit me.

Did he assume I was her!?

"Anyway, I'll be off. Plus, just because he's your boss doesn't mean you can't play around with him. It's more fun that way." She smiled and winked as she walked away and towards the elevator

I don't think I want any involvement with him.

I knocked once more, peeping through the small gaping since she didn't close it.

"I'm coming in." I announced before opening the door fully. I stepped in and glanced towards the bed, only to notice he wasn't there. The sound of running water filled my ears and I nodded to myself.

He was in the shower.
  
I walked over to the bed and grabbed the sheets, nearly irritated that a hostess had to clean up after two people enjoyed themselves. With annoyance, I finished up spreading the bed and sighed, looking around the room.

Luckily, I don't need to clean up that much.

He was actually a neat man.

I walked over to the small living room and began to sort out his messed up documents. I knelt beside the table and glanced at the papers, unable to tell what there for. Probably his company taking from the random graphs with a bunch of lines in different colours. Come to think of it, the graph was pointing upwards, meaning he was making a lot of profit from what he was doing. Though, there were a few lines before the label marked this year where the line was even below the graph itself.

I don't remember when his company never had a downfall. Everyone I know loves his clothes line.

"It's impolite to read documents that don't belong to you." I jumped when I felt his breath carcass my shoulder. I glanced over my shoulder only to spot him in a black tee and ripped pale jeans. His hair was slightly sticking to his forehead but looked to be drying out pretty quickly.

"Since when did your company have a downfall?" I asked and he glanced from my eyes to somewhere on the table, or the papers.

"Before anyone knew it." He smiled slightly and reached over my shoulder. I held out the papers since I assumed it was what he was after, but he grabbed my hand instead and brought it to him. His eyes glanced at me with a bit unease in them and glanced down at the ring that woman gave me. "Nice ring."

"Thanks." I nodded slowly, a bit awkward as I noticed him clench his jaw.

"I thought you didn't have a boyfriend?" He asked as he turned his eyes towards mine. A sudden depth filled his grey iris, almost scaring me as I stared at him.

"I don't." I said and glanced down at my ring. "Someone just gave it to me as a gift."

"Who would give you a ring as a gift?" He asked with a chuckled that sounded forced. "It's even on the marriage finger."

"Well she put it there." I shrugged my shoulders and furrowed my brows at him.

"She?" He asked in question, the depth in his eyes suddenly turning lighter. "A she?"

"Some woman I met at a pool party." I said and sighed out snatching my hand from him. "Why do you seem so annoyed by it?"

"Are you gay?" He asked as he sat down and furrowed his brows.

"Why would I be gay?' I asked, annoyed. "I like men."

"Why would you let another woman put a ring on your finger?" He asked as he glanced at my ring again. "She must have thought you are. Is she by any chance Sia Fox?"

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