“Seduce your son? I thought the inheritance was supposed to do that.”
She shakes her head from side to side and exhales a weary breath. “My son is too damn proud for his own good. If you were some hussy off the street, he’d be all over you. But you’re not, and the weight of his obligation makes him defiant.”
“Then how is any of this my fault?”
“What have you done to entice him?”
I exist. That’s the extent of my effort, because he’s never around.
“I’ll send over lingerie fit for a whore.”
“I don’t think that will work,” I tell her.
“I’ve seen your pictures. Your videos in yoga pants. I know exactly what you are and what you’re after, because I was you once.”
Oh, somehow I doubt that…
“If you’re so familiar with my situation, please tell me how to seduce a man who is never in my presence.”
“You make him think about you, day and night and all the time in between. His heart should all but stop around you, and every last fear should be because of you. Losing you, your affection, your interest, your beguiling presence. You must enchant him, body and soul, leaving no room for vixens like Jade to capture his attention.”
Looking down at my lap, I mull over her words, wondering if what she’s saying is even possible.
You see it all the time in movies, but that’s fiction. Mateo Rossi could have his choice of any woman he wanted, and the only reason he picked me was to have a baby.
Bella dabs her lips, sets her napkin down, and rises from her seat.
“Let me be blunt, dear Ivy. You have this one shot of capturing my son’s attention. One shot at making yourself. Of rising above the genetics your shitty trailer trash mom gave you with. Don’t. Fuck. This. Up.”
She storms off, leaving me utterly humiliated.
But perhaps this is the wake up call I so desperately need because she’s right. If Mateo doesn’t get me pregnant by the time his grandfather dies, he’ll cast me aside, leaving me nothing. I’ll no longer be as marketable to other targets, and freedom will be but a dream to me.
I have to make Mateo want me. Or at the very least, I need to get him to fuck me.
TWELVE
Mateo
What haveyou been up to, my little spider?
I scroll through the video feed, watching her as she roams the halls of Black Thorn Manor earlier today, wondering what she’s thinking.
Is she contemplating the best way to dispose of me? What she’ll do with my money once I’m gone? Who she’ll marry next?
Does she suspect I know her true nature? Doubtful, but I’d like to think that she’s just as confused by my distance as I am.
I should go to her. Every moment I don’t is a missed opportunity.
Yet my eyes remain glued to the screen, lost in obsession.
A screen to the left flickers to life, revealing a visit from my mother that took place earlier today. I watch as Jade escorts my mother into the dining room before getting Ivy, who was heading to her room.
Because my wife has almost no contact with the outside world, there’s never been a reason to listen to her during my daily stalking, and the thought of eavesdropping on her conversation with someone has me intrigued.
My mother speaks first.
Mom:What a sight it would be to have a grandchild with bright red hair.
