The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO) novel Chapter 141

“I’m too much woman to be your side chick, I’m an all or nothing kind of guy when it comes to you.” Daniel doesn’t even look back. There’s a moment of pause, his body language changes subtly as he changes tone completely. “Have you heard from Leila lately?” His voice instantly tense, I catch Jake frowning at the back of his head rather pointedly for a moment.

“Why would you ask about Leila? I thought you two stayed well clear of each other?” Jake sits up, I know that look on his face. A dog with a bone, sniffing out some little secret. Whatever he’s caught onto has peaked his Rottweiler mode.

“No reason. Just, you know, sometimes I wonder how she is.” Daniel slides his food on the floor and lays out across the end of the bed lifting his feet up to get comfy.

“Okay, cut the shit. What happened with Leila?” Jake’s domineering protective tone cuts in, he picks up the TV remote and pauses his movie, slides up, leaving me laying on the bed and leans forward, arms braced on his bent knees. Daniel gets up and looks sheepish, hesitates then blurts it out.

“I kinda did a shitty thing. Don’t go crazy … I know you’re going to want to go crazy but swear. Swear on Emma’s head—”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Jake jumps to his feet at the side of the bed and stalks toward him menacingly, all male testosterone flying now. “What did you do?”

“Look, maybe we should take this elsewhere, I mean, I know Emma and Leila are kinda close.” Daniel’s stalling, hands up defensively and Jake looks ready to start going twelve rounds with him.

“All the more reason she should know, because if Leila needs a shoulder to cry on then I’m pretty sure she would choose Emma over me. Spit it out.” Jake is mad and Daniel hesitates, eyes darting to the floor, fidgeting with a chopstick in his hand. He sighs heavily.

“We had sex … And then I kinda bailed out and didn’t call her again.” Daniel at least looks sorry, his complexion losing all color. I tense and Jake goes stiff, fighter mode engaging, before he stalks away angrily, pacing around and muttering a string of curse words as he clenches and unclenches fists.

I’m shocked that Leila would even look at Hunter, let alone sleep with him. I’m devastated that he would treat her that way and the urge to go call her hits me monumentally in the stomach. I just glare at him with severe hatred.

“What the fuck? I told you to stay away from her, you don’t think you hurting her once was enough? Of all the women to fuck around on, she isn’t one of them.” Jake’s yelling, voice tense and waving hands at Daniel. I sit biting my lip, nervous of the unfolding scene. Confused that Jake’s implying this isn’t the first time he’s hurt her. I want to punch Daniel in his smarmy face.

“I know, okay, I was a complete shit. I didn’t know how else to deal with it.” Daniel is also pacing now in the opposite direction and they keep bypassing each other at the foot of the bed.

“You deal with it by not fucking sleeping with her. Did you learn nothing when you did it the first time around? You ripped her fucking heart out!” Jake’s furious, Daniel even seems nervous of his rage and they’re doing some sort of male walking around dance in a circle now with a lot of heightened tension. I almost choke on the thought that he and Leila have been together twice in that way. I can’t imagine it at all.

“I know … I know. Okay! Leila’s like goddamn kryptonite for me. I want her but then when I get her, I want to run for the hills man. You know me. I didn’t go out to intentionally hurt her, it just happened.” Daniel slumps down on the bed and Jake looks exhausted. His anger drifting away quickly as his friend crumples, forlorn.

“How did it happen? You swore …” The two of them sit down on the end of the bed, side by side and I watch intently. Silently drawing the back of Daniel’s head daggers with my eyes.

Asshole!

“I know … We were drunk, partying … You know how it is, you know how she is. All fun and smiles and flirty and then she kissed me. That’s all it took.” Daniel gets up and runs a hand through his hair. “Leila is too good for me, I know that. I can’t help myself though. I haven’t talked to her since … Jake, maybe you could …”

“Hell no. Not this time. You do the decent thing and you talk to her. You man up and you tell that girl you’re sorry, stop being the asshole you always make her think you are.” Jake gets up too and they face each other.