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Only those strong enough to claim their place at the top.
You had to be willing to do what it takes to win.This meant being okay with sacrificing pawns, moving knights and bishops, and striking when the opponent would least expect it.
Did I always like playing dirty, cheating, manipulating, and destroying those who dared oppose me without mercy?
Ha! I had to admit it. I did. I really enjoyed it.
The rewards were so high. Yes, I had those who resisted my power, but there were also those who submitted willingly. I was at the pinnacle of society. That made everything else worthwhile.
Including the anxious voice of my wife asking me why I hadn’t responded to her sixth message in a row. Women needed to cut their men some slack.
That’s why marriages kept failing. In any traditional book, you’d blame it on someone like me, wouldn’t you? But I had no intention of making my marriage fail. I’d felt the same way with my first wife.
They were the ones who caused the trouble. They hung out in these superficial circles that seemed to harp on and on about females lifting each other up.
And then they’d come home and bitch about the very people they were supposed to “lift”. Talk about some heavyweight action. Women were fickle, silly. They had nothing, no acumen when it came to maintaining anything. Including relationships.
And no, I’d never been against love. In fact, I loved love. I loved it so much I couldn’t stop worshipping how beautifully God had made the female body. I ached to experience it over and again, in new forms. That didn’t make me a pervert.
No, I was just a patron of the greatest art of all. Creation.
And I rewarded my women well. Some of them had graduated from this very college and gone on to become great names in their fields. From business to politics, I had helped them rise.
Was it really so wrong to expect something in return? After all, they were taking advantage of me too. That’s just what I’d tried to make Emma understand, the poor girl. Pity. She could have achieved so much!
My wife went on rambling for another minute until a message on my phone caught my attention. Minion A, reporting a new student, Analisa, on her way to see me.
“Can we talk about this at dinner?” I asked, trying to get rid of my wife.
“How do I know you’re not going to ditch me? You left me alone at the restaurant last time.”
Shoot, I’d totally forgotten about that.
“No, I promise I’ll show up. Look, I’ve even made reservations at The Spring Tavern. I’ll see you there at eight. I’d pick you up, but I’ve got a lot of work to take care of. Don’t listen to your bitchy friends, darling. You keep telling me how shallow they are. Just last week, you told me Jen was cheating on her husband!”
She sounded uncertain when she replied, “That’s true, but—”
“I gotta go. See you tonight.”
There was a knock on my door.
Analisa stepped in. Oh, heavens, she was a delight to behold. I liked my girls with golden hair and blue eyes. She fit the American stereotype perfectly.
“Did you ask to see me, Sir?”
I enjoyed the trepidation in her voice. It made something tingle in me.
“Come in, Analisa! I’ve been going over your files. Have you considered a career in finance?”
Oh, I wouldn’t make a move on her today. Just ease her into it. Make her think I was on her side.
You couldn’t win chess with one move, could you?
Players had to play.
10
Elijah
