The Heart Wants What It Wants (Completed)

Chapter 40

Chapter 40

***

London, England. Home of Big Ben and temporary home of "Annoyed Joe." A week of dodging Summer had him wishing he'd done a better job of booking Val's flight. He had been so busy that he'd let the first flight out from Tampa to London slip right by him. Unfortunately, his gorgeous fiancee and her purple teddy wouldn't arrive until early the next morning.

He let out a loud breath of frustration for his incompetence and for the blond that sashayed in his direction in the in-house restaurant of the hotel where the superstars were staying.

"Heads up, uce," Josh warned.

"Fuck," Joe said, hanging his head. "I swear this girl doesn't quit."

"Joe!" she sang out, waving to him.

He gave her a forced smile and nodded. Josh shook his head and laughed.

"She's playin' with fire. If Val gets wind of this, she gon' fuckin' flip."

"I'm well aware of that which is why I'm about to nip this shit in the bud," Joe said.

As soon as Summer sat in the seat next to him, he stood from the bar.

"Going somewhere?" she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah, back to my room. Look," he sternly said, "I'm engaged, alright? I don't want things to be weird between us. We've been cool so far, but you're really starting to overstep your boundaries. I'm not interested in you or any other woman if her name isn't Valkyrie England, alright?"

The look of disappointment etched on Summer's face did nothing to sway his decision to set her straight. He'd grown tired of her lack of respect for his relationship with Val and began to see what so many of the female talents had always griped about-"I'm tired of her hitting on my man." If Val had witnessed any of Summer's flirtatious actions, she'd whip her ass which is why Joe had to drill his point home to Summer.

"I'm begging you, for your sake, stop this shit, alright?"

Summer nervously chewed her bottom lip and nodded.

"I understand. But, it's a shame that you can't have a little fun with a co-worker," she replied, standing from the bar. "Anywho, I'll see you at the show tomorrow night."

"Man," Josh said, shaking his head as he and Joe watched Summer walk off, "that girl is all about getting what she wants."

"Yeah," Joe said, taking his seat once again. "She's playin' a dangerous game. My baby's not above whooping ass, and I hope Summer figures that out before she gets here."

***

Early the next morning, Joe sat in the Gatwick Airport impatiently waiting for Val's flight to arrive. He glanced at his watch. Her flight was pushing thirty minutes past the scheduled arrival time, and his patience was wearing thinner by the second. He indulged in perusing the ESPN app for just a few minutes before looking up at the electronic departure/arrival schedule for what felt like the thousandth time. His heart leapt with excitement when he saw Val's flight finally posted.

"About damn time," he mumbled.

Nearly ten minutes later, he spotted her being escorted, in a wheelchair, to the luggage carousel by an airport attendant. He approached them and dismissed the attendant with a polite "thank you."

"It's damn good to see you, Doll," he said, leaning over and planting a short kiss on her lips.

"You too, babe."

"How much did you bring?"

"Just this and a suitcase."

"Alright," he replied with a nod. "Well, roll your ass outta the way, and let me get your things so we can go."