Chapter 14
Leon
It was time to wind down, and I was mulling over the day’s events when Annika’s text message came through that Jeff had left the penthouse with all of his belongings as predicted, so I called Jorge to trail that asshat right away. In the act of good faith by Annika, I was already given the means to prove Sadie was having an affair while we were still married. I could easily take her back to court to appeal the previous ruling, thereby recouping my losses with interest. The existence of that one file Annika shared with me was all it would take, but I knew this wasn’t just about me anymore. I don’t know when I became so invested in Annika’s plight, but I couldn’t help feeling so outraged by the fact that she gave up more than a decade to Jeff Hollands, only for him to slap her in the face by betraying her in the worst way possible.
Annika was due retribution for what he’s done because Jeff didn’t know when to stop. Not only was Jeff toying with her, lying to her, and cheating on her, but he was also trying to confiscate her home, the practice she built from the ground up, and her dignity through ill means. This was no longer a simple matter of exposing extramarital affairs but about morale. It would have been one thing had he just filed for divorce, and they split everything 50/50. Instead, he wanted to cheat the system and use his influence to rob Annika, his legal wife, of everything she’s worked hard for. Sure, the penthouse was in her family’s name, but the fact of the matter was that it belonged to her and not him. She provided him with a luxurious roof over his head and the financial stability to launch his illustrious career, only asking that he uphold his vow to love her unconditionally. Still, Jeff threw it back in her face without a trace of remorse for his vile behavior.
And Sadie? Don’t even get me started on that gold-digging, selfish floozy. It wasn’t enough that she misappropriated my assets while slandering my reputation by committing perjury in court; no, she also had to covet someone who didn’t belong to her, on top of the money that also didn’t belong to said person. Going after Annika’s wealth was her idea if I had to wager a guess. Sadie fit the bill for the definition of a dumb blonde, but she was anything but stupid. She was precisely the type of snake people should avoid at all costs because she knew how to portray herself as innocent and aloof, all while having the means to force others into submission to do her bidding. All because Daddy’s money and clout were at her disposal. She knew how to manipulate and obtain her heart’s desires without getting her hands dirty.
The following day as I lay awake in bed at sunrise, naked as usual, my thoughts kept circling back to dinner with Annika. I said a few things that probably had her mind going in all sorts of directions. I was fairly certain that to her, I was just speaking nonsense without thinking, but in reality, I said everything with intention. I wanted her to understand that I would be there for her in whatever way she needed. Was it a bit forward? Sure. Perverted? Absolutely. Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder if my intentions were something more than business-related. Annika was attractive, intelligent, spunky, witty, and had sex appeal. Who wouldn’t be sexually attracted to her, male or female? But one had to wonder if sexual attraction was the only attraction I was feeling. Seeing her be so open and attentive to Austin had me acting in ways that I never thought because I, Leonardo Von Doren, do not get jealous—and yet, I had to admit that seeing her be so friendly with Austin left the most bitter taste in my mouth.
One couldn’t help but wonder why she didn’t act that way with me. I mean, Austin wasn’t a bad-looking cat, but he was nerdy and geeky. His best friend was his damn microscope! What on Earth did he possess that I didn’t? Not to toot my own horn, but I was a catch in more ways than one. I was 6’7”, ripped, rich, and handsome. I screamed bad boy with the presence of a business tycoon to match it. Yet, Annika didn’t do anything remotely flirtatious with me throughout the entire dinner. She was so polite and professional; it was actually driving me crazy. I suppose I was used to women throwing themselves all over me anytime an opportunity arose, yet the one woman’s attention that I actually desired more than anyone’s seemed completely oblivious to my advances.
Did I really have to spell it out to her? Annika, I’m attracted to you, and I want to fuck your brains out. Any other woman would willingly fall over and die with her legs wide open for me. But I didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that if I said those words to her, she would slap me three ways to Sunday and never speak to me again. I was well aware I would have to woo her, which would be easier said than done. Some might say my lifestyle afforded me the luxury of never worrying about the female perspective aside from the typical things men believed women wanted, but at the moment it seemed more like a crutch because I had no idea how to handle this once-in-a-lifetime rendezvous with an unforgettable woman. Since when did the great Leonardo von Doren need to employ the sort of tactics women swoon over in slow-burn romance novels? I knew I had to steel my resolve to handle the agonizingly glacial pace of development.
With this in mind, I finally jumped out of bed and headed toward the shower because the mere thought of Annika was enough to make my dick rage with need. After letting my imagination run wild, a cold shower was just what my beautiful and wise doctor ordered. My shower lasted longer than I intended, and I was close to freezing to death by the time my dick finally calmed down. I dried myself off and hastily wrapped myself in a towel before entering my closet. As soon as I stepped back out, I received an email notification on my phone from Jorge. I opened the attachment and wasn’t all that surprised to see that Jeff and Sadie were attached at the hip again, so I called to check in with Jorge.