Watching him fasten the buttons has my tongue cleaving to the roof of my mouth.
I know he wants a reaction out of me.
I just don’t knowwhat.
I’m well aware that I’m watching a man who’s mine.
That body’s mine to caress.
That mouth is mine to kiss.
But there’s a gulf between us I don’t know how to breach.
Maybe it’s the pedestal he always puts me on. Or the fact that I was raised to be the wife of a powerful man who didn’t have to fight for his position, clawing his way up from the streets to the very top.
Whatever, that distance is something I need to eliminate.
When he struggles to fasten the button of his cuff, I quickly get to my feet. He doesn’t look away from the task, but that doesn’t mean anything. The small hairs at the back of my neck stand to attention, my whole being aware that an apex predator has me in its sights…
“Let me,” I offer huskily, fastening the cuff like I sawMamado toPapaonce upon a time.
His fingers don’t veer away, like he’s permitting the barest of contact before he moves them.
Inside, I sigh with disappointment. On the outside, I just fasten one cuff and then the other when he raises it to my waist height.
“Button-cover cufflinks?”
He points to a wooden case atop one of the dressers. “Lady’s choice.”
I open the red velvet box within the case and peruse the expensive pieces of jewelry.
He’s less flashy than I thought he’d be. These cufflinks aren’t blinged up but they’re platinum. I can tell from the shine and the brightness. The set I choose has a single emerald sitting dead center.
Seeing watches in the same case, I glance over the names. Classic. Old. Vintage. Timepieces more than the heavy-duty divers’ wristwatches my uncles favor. I select one with a black leather strap, then follow it up with the flashiest item of all—a tie pin in the shape of a tiger with its fangs bared.
My father’s.
Anoskal.
“Fitting.” I peep at him. “I wondered where all his things went.”
“Most of it to thrift stores or sold off. It went into a trust fund for you.”
I stiffen. “What?”
“I asked them not to tell you. I didn’t need his possessions. Just his position.”
“The money should have been split?—”
“They didn’t want it.” His lips kick up. “I think they hoped it would prevent you from falling into my clutches. Money is freedom,pchelka.”
That backfired on them, BIG TIME!
Agitated, I settle the pieces of jewelry on a porcelain dish atop the vanity. When he straps the watch on without question, his indulgence soothes the storm brewing inside me.
His heel nudges the closet door, exposing a rack of neckties. When he makes no other move, I know he’s leaving the choice to me.
I opt for the navy silk jacquard and use a Windsor knot to complete the look.Which ismorefitting because that’s where the oskal used to sit… before. On my father.
