Her car had a tracker or two, I should say. I wasn’t very surprised when I found one already planted, but just to be sure, I called her father, who confirmed that, yes, he was the one who had it put there and told me to mind my own business. Having a little sister myself, I know all too well how men are with their daughters.
That thought led my mind down a dangerous path, one where we were already married and she was carrying my child, a little girl who looked just like her. By the time we got back to my office building, my heart was in knots that stemmed from my no longer wanting to let her out of my sight.
“Go back to my place.” I grabbed her hand and looked out the windshield, thinking of what to do if she disobeyed. Now that she was already out of the house, my options were a bit limited.
“Can’t; I have some stuff to take care of.” She seemed so nonchalant, and my hand tightened around hers.
“Jessica!” She must’ve heard something in my voice, something even I wasn’t aware of, and squeezed my hand back.
“You can’t keep me locked up forever; I’m not a canary in a cage. If you don’t trust me, we should end this here.”
She’s never sounded more serious, and it was a bit of a jolt. “Fine, do you mind telling me what is so important?” I knew from my spying on her over the years that she did most of her work from home, only going to the high security lab she worked for sparingly.
“I have to wreck Dale and his side piece. What else?”
“You…” I was back to thinking she was a spoiled princess who always had to have her way. It was the glint in her eye when she said that and the way she seemed hell-bent on getting her pound of flesh.
“Why don’t you leave him to me?”
“Not a chance; some revenge is best handled personally.” I gritted my teeth, and the grip on the hand I still held grew tighter. It was all I could do not to drag her back to the house and lock her in again. Instead, I peeled out of the parking lot and headed in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” I didn’t answer her as I pulled into the local shopping center about twenty minutes away. I knew this place well since the women in my family practically lived there, so I was sure I’d find what I was looking for here. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
I slammed the door and wished there were a way to lock it so she couldn’t get out. I spent five minutes finding what I was looking for and came back to find her on the phone, tapping away. “Here, put this on.” I threw the bag I was carrying on her lap.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.” I didn’t need to tell her since she was already digging through the contents. Her snort grated on my nerves.
“You want me to wear this?” This was a five-hundred-dollar dress that a Mennonite would be proud of. It was a thousand times better than the short shorts she had on, and it gave me peace of mind.
“Either that or you don’t go anywhere near him.”
“Jealous?”
“Yes!” Dammit. She said it playfully, but my truthful answer came out before I could conceal it. It was all worth it, though, when she leaned over and kissed my cheek reassuringly.
JESSICA
This little game of tug and war was so cute, and he’s so arguably adorable with his little self, but I didn’t have time to play with him right now. I have an ex to skin. I started to get out of the car, but he pulled me back in. “Wear it, or I take you back home and tie you to the bed.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the look in his eyes said he was serious. Still, I had to ask. “You’re joking, right?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” No, you look like you’re gritting your teeth hard enough to break them. I didn’t say the words out loud, though, because I wasn’t sure about this particular brand of crazy.
I looked around outside the car. Even though the windows were tinted and there was no way for anyone to see inside, I still felt a bit conspicuous. “You want me to change here, in the parking lot of your office.”
“Just pull the dress on over your head, then reach in and take the top and shorts off.”
I had no choice but to do what he said, rolling my eyes all the way. “Hey!” I yelped. He grabbed my shorts and tossed them on the floor next to his feet. “You won’t be needing those again.” Did he think my credit cards stopped working?
“Those cost me a hundred bucks.” I held out my hand to him facetiously.
He one-upped me, of course, by reaching for his wallet, only instead of cash, he placed a black card there. “What’s this?”
“Look at it.” Why is my name on this card?
“When did you get this?”
