But, if I don’t play my hand with the viciousness it deserves, I won’t have any cards left to place down. They will be burned, scorched, left wilted without purpose, and they’d still make it out of the carnage better than Roxanne.
I refuse to let that happen.
I’ll kill every fucking person in this godforsaken kingdom before I will ever let Roxanne be hurt like the numerous scenarios that have played out in my head over the past three days. That’s how much she means to me. That’s how much it is gutting me knowing I failed her.
I promised to protect her. I’m only upholding my end of our agreement now. Some may say it is too late, but it’s better than not at all.
My hostile mood is heard in my voice. “I’m not sending you away to see if you’ll come back. Our agreement is over. My daughter is home, so there’s no reason for you to stay anymore.”
The shock on Roxanne’s face switches to frustration. “You don’t believe what we had was an agreement.”
“I do,” I reply matter-of-factly, halving the fiery glint in her eyes. “That’s why you’ve spent the past three nights alone.”And why I’ve slept in my daughter’s room each night because she’s the only person capable of stealing your devotion, and even then, it’s a struggle. But since that isn’t something I can say, I keep my mouth shut.
I should have realized she’d see straight through my ruse. She isn’t just attractive, she’s smart as well. “You’ve been with Fien?” Since she’s unsure about the authenticity of her statement, it comes out sounding like a question. “Right?”
“Wrong.” I lower my eyes to the paperwork in front of me, acting as if the pain in her eyes isn’t affecting me. “If you want a rundown on my activities of late, perhaps I can get Smith to clip together some footage for you. Would you like it with or without sound?” I feel like a complete and utter prick when I lock my hooded eyes with hers and mutter, “I’m sure you understand how vocal some women are when they’re being fed a healthy dose of dick.”
Roxanne looks set to blow her top. She’s red-faced, her fists are clenched, and steam is almost billowing out of her ears, but she keeps her cool—mostly. “You can order someone to pack my bags, you can march me onto a plane on the shoulder of one of your goons, but you will never be rid of me…” she tightens her arms under her chest, all sassy like, “… because I’m unforgettable.”
“My wife said that once too. She soon learned otherwise. I can only hope it won’t take my mistress quite as long.”
That was a low blow. I know it, and so the fuck does Roxanne.
“You… you… ugh!”
On her way out, she slams the door shut so hard, it knocks a priceless painting from the wall. I could pick it up, but it’s broken frame and shattered glass adds to my ruse that I’m done with her. Not even a woman known for her theatrics can hold back the urge to drink in a daily dose of drama. “Someone isn’t happy. Did she misread the fine print that discloses the Petrettis don’t do monogamy?”
Knowing Theresa will never fall for the sweet-guy act, I bring out the asshole gene I was gifted from my father. “Or perhaps she also doesn’t appreciate walking in on her understudy giving me head.”
Air whizzes out of her thin nose as her eyes slit. “You invite me to some Hicksville mansion on the guise you want to talk shop, then insult me within a second of arrival. If I wanted to be treated like scum, I would have accepted your father’s many offers to become your step-mommy.”
“I like the way you said that as if you haven’t had my father’s withered dick between your legs. It was very authentic.” I stand from my chair, button my suit jacket, then gesture for her to join me for a late-afternoon drink at a crystal bar set up next to two leather couches. “I have a business proposal for you. An easy exchange. Shouldn’t take you any longer than thirty minutes.”
Theresa paces to my side of the room with her hips swinging and her eyes brimming with hope. “Is this the real reason you invited me here, to discuss business?”
I work the disappointment in her voice through my ears three times before benefiting from it. “For the most part.” After placing a whiskey decanter onto a round table, I track the back of my finger down Theresa’s cheek before moving my hand to the throb in her throat. I’m not surprised when the vein in her neck doubles its beeps when my touch switches from gentle to dominant. She is as kinky as she is corrupt. “But I’ve also been recalling the fun we had before my girlfriend’s pregnancy forced her to become my wife.”
“You’re married?” She plays the scorned victim well, but I’m not buying her act. The grip I have on her throat relayed the increase in her pulse from my confession, not to mention the cruel curve of her lips. “Is she still in the picture?”
“She is.” I release her from my grip, then push her away from me with a demoralizing shove, smirking when she almost tumbles to the floor. “For now. I’m not sure how much longer I can put up with her nagging, though.”
I swallow down a double whiskey faster than intended when Theresa mutters, “Perhaps if you didn’t sleep around, she’d quit nagging.” I feel a little dirty when she rights herself before she runs her nails across my pecs. “What do you need from me, Dimi? A public fuck? A shakedown? I could order one of my cousins to pay her a visit.”
I pretend to consider her options for a couple of seconds before saying, “I need her to go away for a little while. Not permanently. Just until her voice stops ringing in my ears. I heard you might know of a place.” While I shift on my feet to face her, I make sure my face is showcasing the infamous half-smirk she’s obsessed with. “Somewhere like theestablishmentyou sent Megan to.”
“I didn’t send Megan anywhere…” Her smile would have you believing you’re looking at an angel. She’s attractive, she just has repulsively ugly insides. “This time. My lips are sealed pertaining to other matters. I never discuss business, even when it’s with the man who ordered it.” She either truly believes I set Maddox up to take the fall for Megan’s murder, or she’s a damn good actor. It could be a combination of both.
Needing to keep my focus on a present injustice instead of an old one, I ask, “Did you at least use an alias this time around? Shroud may be a common name, but you’d have to be a complete fucking idiot to hide her in plain sight for the second time.”
“Your worry is unneeded, Dimi. I know what I’m doing.” Her use of my nickname for the second time already has my mood nosediving, so I won’t mention my response to her hands lowering to the buckle of my belt.
I’ve fucked women for less information than the underhanded easter eggs she scattered throughout our brief conversation many times in my life, but that isn’t the way I operate anymore. I just can’t let Theresa know that right now. I need her scratching my back, then when the timing is right, I’ll drag mine down hers so brutally, she won’t have time to secure a final breath.
“Nuh-uh,” I force out with a fake moan while scooping up her hands. “There isn’t the time nor the instruments in this room to satisfy a woman as deviate as you. I need hours,many of them.” Her purr makes me fucking sick. “So why don’t you go freshen up in preparation for a night out, and I’ll come find you when it’s time to go.”
“Okay.” She does a childish tiptoe up my chest with her fingers before she presses two fingers to my lips. “Don’t keep me waiting long. Your family already has me burning the candle at both ends, my fire might burn out while waiting.”
“We only work you to the bone because we know how much you love a good workout.” Imagine a sick prick stroking one out on a sandy dune in the middle of the day, then you’ll have an idea how sexually suggestive my voice was.
