“It’s white chocolate mixed with strawberries and cream.”
He brings the cup to my lips again, and I take a sip of water.
“Try this.”
This time, I taste peanut butter first, chased by a familiar bitterness. Too bitter.
“I like this one less.”
“Describe it.”
“It’s a trick, like when you drink iced tea only to find out there’s no sugar. Not that the peanut butter is terrible. It’s just…as a whole, disappointing.”
“It’s called peanut butter tiramisu.”
Mateo pulls the soft silk from my eyes, allowing me to see again.
“And that, my good wife, is fondue.”
“It was delicious.”
“Which did you like more: the cheese, chocolate, seafood, or meat?”
I look over at the table, which is a mess of pots, utensils, plates, and bite-sized morsels. I’ve sampled at least five cheeses, twenty main courses, and ten chocolates, all of them delicious.
“I like the Swiss cheese with the Granny Smith apple and the popcorn moose crunch for dessert.”
“Fine choices.”
“Which do you like most?” I ask.
He grabs a spoon and swirls it in a vat of milk chocolate.
Pull your head back and open your mouth.
I obey and he holds the spoon over me, drizzling some on my lip and down my neck.
My body responds obscenely to the promise of his hungry mouth.
He doesn’t disappoint.
My mind turns to jelly as he plunders me. I moan against his mouth, my hands grabbing at his chest, but just as his teeth graze my jaw, Jade wheels the cart into the room.
I bring my head forward and look her in the eyes, completely unabashed. I don’t know exactly what happened between her and Mateo after the ill-fated lunch I had with his mother, but it certainly humbled her.
“I’ll come back,” she says, pivoting on her whore heels.
Mateo pulls away. “No, it’s fine,” he mutters before bringing his eager mouth back to my neck.
She sighs and wheels the kitchen cart over to the table, gathering the dishes atop it. The entire time, I watch her, the corners of my mouth curling into a smirk when she dares to glance at me.
Is it mean? Perhaps. But with women like her, it’s necessary.
Of course, I know from my training that Mateo would eventually go back to Jade, given time, but the likelihood that he’ll be dead before that ever happens is high.
And with that thought, my mood sours.
The thought of Mateo’s demise does not bring with it the satisfaction it once had, but the ball is already in motion, and there’s precious little I can do to stop it.
