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He scans the message, his narrowed eyes widening a little as he does. “That didn’t take long, did it?”
“No, it didn’t.” I have to fight back the rest of what I want to say. I don’t need him thinking I’m jealous, even if I am. Just one more thing for him to hang over my head and treat like a big joke.
“Good job.” He looks up at me, wearing a genuine smile that warms me up inside. “You reeled her in like a pro.”
“I just jumped at the opportunity when I saw her, is all. It’s a good thing I was on campus when I was.”
His mouth tightens as he sees through me. “All right, don’t overplay your hand. I’m not going to praise you for running away. But at least something good came out of it.” He looks back down at the message, tapping rhythmically on the desk with the fingers of one hand. “Thank you for bringing this to me right away.” Like I’m one of his employees.
“Sure.” Shouldn’t this be less awkward by now? He’s my husband, and I’m carrying his baby, but I still don’t know how to act around him sometimes. I don’t want to get overly familiar because he’ll only throw that back in my face. “What do you want me to do now?”
He pushes back from the desk and stands, sliding his hands into his pockets before he begins slowly pacing back and forth in front of the windows, where yet another guard was posted last night, one who is now dead. I clench my hands into tight fists and will myself to stop thinking about it. I can feel as sorry and as guilty as I want to later, but right now, I’m sort of fighting for my life. I need to do this well, to gain back a little bit of goodwill. Or else I’ll end up spending the rest of my pregnancy as a prisoner, and I don’t want that.
“She seemed interested, didn’t she?” he murmurs. At first, I don’t know if he’s talking to himself or me. It’s only when he throws a look my way, arching an eyebrow, that I know I was supposed to respond.
“In coming to dinner? Yeah, she did. At first, she tried to make excuses, but…” My tongue is suddenly too thick and awkward to let me get the rest of it out.
So he does it for me. “But then she saw me and changed her mind pretty fast, didn’t she?”
That’s what he meant when he used the word interested. My blood pressure is rising by the second. Isn’t that bad for a baby? I’ve got to find a way to keep myself calmer when it comes to things like this. “Yes, she did.”
“Some friend.” He laughs before glancing my way again. I can’t tell why he frowns. It can’t be because he feels guilty for basically laughing at me.
“I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way, haven’t I?”
He comes to a stop, staring out the window with his hands clasped behind his back. “Yet you still need to be reminded not to cross me. I would think you would have learned by now.”
“Let’s not get off topic. What do I say to her?”
“She said she’s available any night this week?”
“Yeah.” Sure, she’s plenty eager, isn’t she? I can barely keep my voice neutral. I don’t want to give away how I really feel about this, how jealous I am. It doesn’t sound like he’s particularly interested in her, but I can’t say how he’ll react once she decides she wants to charm him. And considering the way she looked at him, she’s going to do everything she can.
“Tell her to come by tomorrow night. It’ll give me a little time to make sure everything is in place.”
Tomorrow. I almost wish it was tonight, so we could get this over with. Whatever method he has in mind to use her to get back at Alvarez, the sooner it’s over with, the better.
I make a move to reach for the phone, but his head snaps around, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Tell her to dress up.”
“You want her to dress up? Like, formal?”
“I don’t care what you have to say, exactly. Imply this is a special evening, and we’ll all be dressing accordingly. How do girls say that kind of thing to each other?”
“Why are you asking me?” I blurt out. I wish I hadn’t said it when he laughs, but it’s the truth. I don’t have the first idea of how girls talk to each other in situations like this. I haven’t had that many girlfriends.
“You can figure it out.”
“Can I ask why you want her dressed up? I’m only curious,” I add when he turns around with a heavy sigh like it’s such an inconvenience to have to explain something to me.
“Would it make a difference if I told you that’s my business, and your only job here is to do as I say?”
“Like I said, I’m only curious. Wouldn’t it be smart if I had the slightest clue what you’re planning, so I can go along with it once she’s here?”
The muscles in his jaw twitch when he locks eyes with me, but I will be damned if I back off now. His intimidation tactics don’t have the same effect on me they used to. I think he senses that, too, since he lifts a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “I suppose. The bottom line is I want her to have every opportunity to get all tarted up. If she thinks she can attract me, she’ll have even more of a reason to show up here tomorrow. If you give off the impression that we normally dress for dinner, she’ll take from that the idea that I have money.”
“You do have money.”
“Yes, thank you for reminding me. I want to drive the point home. I want her thinking about nothing but getting her claws into me. The less she questions this or asks herself exactly where you happened to meet me, the better. I need her focused on how she’s going to take me away from you.”
