Page 137 of The Bad Husband

“Be ready for Monday. You’re leaving with me,” she says, unfazed.

DAMON

I remove my jacket and pour myself a drink before hearing her steps in my home office.

I take a swig of whiskey before I turn to her.

“What was that, Henrietta?”

My jaw locks as I wait for her answer.

“I told Lila Skye that she’d leave with me on Monday. We’re heading to New York.”

Henrietta has always been a master of tweaking a story to her benefit, so this doesn’t come as a surprise to me.

“You’re not going anywhere unless you enjoy traveling in a coffin.”

She laughs in my face.

“We’ll see about that.”

She slides her purse onto my desk, rounds it, and sits on the polished surface.

Dangerous move she’s made.

I know she’s in the mood to taunt me, but this won’t work the way she thinks it will.

“You need to cool off, Damon. You want to fuck her. Fine. Do it.”

She throws a hand up in the air.

“I don’t care. But you can’t humiliate me in front of the staff. You can’t dispose of my life as you please. You can’t just move me to the guesthouse.”

“You should’ve thought about that before you started to act like a jealous wife.”

“I can act whichever way I want. I don’t take directions from you.”

“Actually, you do. You can leave at any moment if you put back the money that you stole from me.”

“What about her? She needs to go with me.”

I smile.

Entertained.

“That’s the kicker. I’ll follow her, so you’ll still have me in your life, for about a year at least. As silly as it seems, living in the guesthouse is the better option for you. If you want to leave, I’ll come with you.”

“You can’t leave your business.”

“I can do a lot of things that you aren’t aware of, but that’s not what we’re discussing here. Your leaving has nothing to do with her. I won’t let you spend the summer in New York. You’re not a free woman, Henrietta. You can’t do whatever you want. I mean you can, if you return the missing money.”

She presses her lips, thinking about what I just said.

“I’ll say this. I’m not running away from you. Your men can guard me around the clock. I’m not going to New York to escape my obligations. I’m moving there to take her away from you.”

“You must’ve lost your mind.”

She snaps a finger up.