Bruce takes Jean and Theresa to task

Chapter 64: Bruce takes Jean and Theresa to task

Graham strutted along the length of the dressing room in yet another suit while Bruce and his assistant watched. They had Lyle on video camera, so that he could watch from England as well.

"I'm not gonna try and literally take her breath away, am I?" Graham asked while he was wearing his sixth outfit for the evening.

"No, but we do want you to stand out. We don't know who else will be there and we really want to draw and capture Jean's attention. You should lurk around her immediate environment until you can detect who her friends might be," Bruce responded in a firm tone. He was not gonna take chances on his success at distracting Jean away from him on Saturday.

"Okay, then I suppose the accessories are necessary," Graham responded. He was visibly suppressing a yawn at this point.

"It would be good if that singer was there as well. She would be a welcome diversion since we don't know that many singers in person. So, you should be sure to make an impression on her when she comes over for her project," Graham suggested as he gave Bruce a quick glance during his last pose in the dark grey suit that he was wearing.

"If I want her to be there I shouldn't just ask if she's going to be there. I should be bold enough to give her an outright invitation," Bruce responded, looking down at the floor.

"So, you don't have to hesitate. With your prestige and experience you can easily convince her," Graham commented while the assistant helped him out of the jacket of the suit.

"What if she has a possessive boyfriend?" Bruce asked as he walked over to the clothes rail and looked through the other suits hanging there.

"I don't think she does because a jealous boyfriend would have been all over her whenever she came here," Graham responded.

"I suppose you're right, but I will ask her to attend the ball only if it's a matter of interest to her. I should sound casual about it, shouldn't I, Lyle Bruce asked, looking into the camera.

Before Lyle could respond from his side, Bruce's cell phone began to ring.

"I'm gonna take this call, sorry," he announced to Lyle.

"Go ahead," Lyle responded from his side with a broad grin on his face.

"Oh, how interesting to hear from you, Jean," Bruce responded in a loud voice, so that Graham could pick up a clue about the identity of the caller.

Graham then walked around the far end of the room to make sure that he was not caught on camera while he returned to the dressing room.

"You asked your friend to be your secretary last time, so why are you contacting me in person now?" Bruce continued in a cold tone of voice.

"Well, who says that I asked her to specifically phone you?" Jean asked on her end of the call.

"She pretty much admitted to it because I did not give her a chance to lie," Bruce hissed from between clenched jaws.

"Well, then be on the lookout for her because she's not impressed with your attitude towards her," Jean continued in a drawling tone of voice.

"Why should I waste my time entertaining her? What can she do to me after I've already warned her? I warned her that I would report her to the leader of the pack if she sabotages me," Bruce responded as he tried to recall what Lyle had taught him about Jean.

"When she gets a wild idea in her head she doesn't stop to remember anyone's warnings," Jean continued in a slightly agitated tone.

"Are you perhaps talking about yourself?" Bruce asked, taking a deep breath. "We all know that you're the one who doesn't always think before you act. All because of that temper of yours," he continued, speaking with clear and concise words. He wished with all his might that he could end the call without warning, but he knew what Jean got up to when she was provoked. She lost all sense of logic and became dangerous, even violent.

"I'm talking about Theresa who's offended by you," Jean responded in a clipped tone of voice.

"So, are you phoning me to warn me?" Bruce asked in a sarcastic tone.

"She told me about your little friend who sings in the forest," Jean remarked in a low tone of voice. It sounded as if she was talking to herself.

"You and your crazy friend Theresa should just keep your distance from someone who's a complete stranger," Bruce responded with cold, crisp tones in his voice.

"Oh, so, you're really affected by her?" Jean asked in a higher tone of voice. She was clearly becoming incensed with anger and jealousy.

"Have some respect for yourself and leave strangers alone. You have no idea who she is and neither have I. She could turn out to be more powerful than you think," Bruce responded in a low tone of voice. There was no mistaking the warning in his tone.

"Well, Theresa is keeping an eye on her, so we'll soon know enough about her," Jean remarked with a low murmur in her voice.

Bruce could not believe his ears. He took a deep breath before responding.

"Are you and Theresa stalking her, but you don't what power she holds in this area?

You can get yourselves into serious trouble and don't expect the clan to help you then. You will be punished for doing your own thing instead," he warned as he banged on the table with his fist in agitation.

"How can you prove that we're stalking her? You don't have the evidence to show the clan leaders and they won't accept her word because she's an outsider," Jean responded in an irritatingly self-confident tone of voice.

"I will find the evidence as a wolf, even if I have to follow Theresa in my wolf form. I will lure her and confront her in the woods when she does not expect it," Bruce responded with fire in his eyes as he looked around the now empty room around him.

"So, you want to break the rules?" Jean asked with a note of curiosity in her voice.

Bruce shook his head at this.

"I think you're forgetting your purpose behind this," he commented in a cool and calm tone of voice.

"What's that?" Jean asked, clearly confused by Bruce's question.

"You're forgetting that you're trying to win me over as your mate. Well, you can't do that by offending or attacking my friends," Bruce responded with a light, mocking tone in his voice.

"Let her feel like the fool that she is," he told himself on the inside.

"When did we attack her?" Jean asked, still caught off guard.

"Just you tell Theresa that I will forget to be a gentleman when I meet her at a function. I will snub her. And if I find her in the woods, I will defy her clan in my wolf form.

I will make her look very bad in front of other clans, I promise," Bruce added before cutting the call.