And the temptation, so potent.
With as many women as I’ve had, it seems silly that I should think of any one more than the other, but such logic doesn’t stop my mind from racing at the thought of my wife’s soft skin, her greedy fingers shredding my shoulders, those sinful moans escaping her lips.
Despite my desire, I deny myself release, because I have a job to do. One I can no longer avoid.
For the seventh time in three days, I open the report Lance sent, detailing everything he could find out about my wife and the people she associates with.
It’s all vague, with words like: spider, web, and black widow littered throughout the two pages. They’ve been around for at least a century, and their main objective is to marry a rich man, get pregnant by them, only to later kill them.
And lucky me, I’m my wife’s mark.
Thankfully, she’s in no position to kill me.
Yet.
My biggest worry is that Ivy is one part of a much bigger whole, and removing her may not remove the threat. I have enough money to hire bodyguards, and the places I can disappear to are endless, but there’s no telling how long they’ll hold a grudge or how badly they’ll want me dead.
Which is where I’ll have to negotiate. Death triggers are tricky business, but I’ll put one into place so grand, they’ll hire bodyguards for me to keep their secrets safe.
But for any of that to matter, I need to first make a baby.
Seeing no point in delaying the inevitable any longer than I have, I buzz Jade over the intercom.
Jade:Yes?
Mateo:I’m sending over a team to get my wife ready for dinner tonight. See that they are let in.
Jade:I’ll be waiting.
Mateo:I’m also going to need a suit picked out for me. Something…with an edge.
Jade:I have the perfect suit in mind.
My phone buzzes with a message from Raul, the assistant I have taking care of Ivy’s mother.
Raul:Sir, I thought you should know that she’s threatened to file a missing person’s report.
I chuckle at the absurdity.
Mateo:let her
Raul:If I may be so bold, perhaps if she could simply speak to her daughter, it could save us some trouble in the future.
Mateo:You may not be bold.
Raul:Very well, sir. She continues to complain about her accommodations. Would it be wise to move her into one of your other empty apartments?
Mateo:No, that would not be wise. I put her there for a reason.
Raul:Understood.
Ivy’s mother is a future problem. One that will be easy to navigate once I’ve built my case against her darling daughter.
But, I have to admit, putting her in a dilapidated slum with no running water has been a source of endless amusement for me.
And no, I don’t make it a point to keep my apartments without water. I told the property manager to turn the water off to her unit specifically, because I’m petty like that.
I close my laptop and head to my room, finding a black suit with maroon accents laid out for me. It’s dapper with a hint of danger. Exactly the impression I want to make on a night out with my wife.
