“Uhhh …” Stella tries to intervene, eyeing Leticia like she’s telling a lie, but we both know that isn’t true. Leticia doesn’t ever lie to me.
“Did she now?” I muse, adjusting my tie.
“She wanted you to have the first slice,” Leticia says as she cuts a piece out of the cake and places it on a new plate, then sets it down in front of me. “Bon appétit.”
“Thank you, Leticia. I appreciate it.”
She walks off again, but my eyes are fixed solely on Stella, who frantically looks at the door through which she disappeared, sweat rolling down her neck. I wonder what’s going on inside that beautiful head of hers.
“You made this for me?” I ask.
She nods without saying a word, and I wonder …
I pick up my fork and take a small portion of the cake, and Stella’s lips seal shut as though she’s suddenly had a taste of something foul.
“Something so sweet shouldn’t go to waste,” I murmur.
I tilt my head and bring the fork to my lips, then pause as a guard walks inside …
He drops on the floor right in front of us, foaming at the mouth.
Stella’s pupils dilate, and she jumps up from her seat as a small squeal escapes.
Interesting. Very … interesting.
Her eyes home in on me, while I’m still clutching thefork, the cake so close to my lips I can definitely smell the scent of apricots. Sweet poison straight into my veins.
God, nothing could excite me more than this.
A slow smile forms on my face. “You didn’t think I was actually going to eat this, did you?”
Her entire face turns white as snow, and when she attempts to run, I bark, “Sit. Down.”
She clutches the table and pauses for a moment, then slowly sinks back into her seat.
“I’m impressed, Stella. It’s not often someone tries to poison me, but I never imagined it’d be my wife,” I muse, putting the cake back down on the plate again. “That’s a first.”
I get up and walk to her side of the table while she looks up at me with those pretty little eyes filled with disdain. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
She tilts her head. “How do you know he was poisoned? Maybe he was just allergic to something.”
That’s a bold choice.
I place my hand on the table and lean in until the tension between us becomes tangible, electrifying the air. “Because I have him taste everything before it gets to me.”
I smile when her face turns even whiter.
“A smart decision, it seems, considering even the person I’m supposed to love wants me dead.”
“Love. Don’t be ridiculous.” She snorts. “And you assume I poisoned you? With what? A cake?”
I grab the cake’s tray and slide it toward her, then dip myfinger into the frosting on top, rubbing it between my fingers until I can feel the ground-up powder added after it had already baked.
“Apricot seeds contain a lot of cyanide, don’t they? Just like many other fruits. Yet this was the only one available in my kitchen today. What a surprise.” I look her dead in the eyes, and she swallows, visibly taken aback that I caught her in her scheme and didn’t actually die, like I was supposed to. Guess her plans failed.
But my, oh my, what an interesting turn of events. I never expectedher,out of all people, to want to poison me. I didn’t think she had it in her. But fuck, am I impressed. The audacity of this girl is both frightening and exhilarating at the same time, and it definitely stirred my cock.
I adjust my pants as my staff enters the room to inspect the body. “Take him,” I say. “Reward his family well.”
