Page 46 of His Wild Seduction

I’d barely spent two minutes in her presence since Vegas. I left before she woke up. I returned when she was in bed.

According to Mario, she never left the condo.

Except for this morning.

I began my morning commute before the sun was up and was on my first travel mug full of coffee when my phone buzzed, signaling an incoming text.

I almost dropped the fucking thing on the floor of the SUV when I saw it was from her. I’d added her contact information under the nickname I loved to call her. It was how I thought of her all the time, might as well make it easy on me.

Little Red

Hi, I’m not sure how all this works and we haven’t had the chance to talk, but would it be okay if I took a car? I need to go to my new job site. My boss needs me to fill out some forms before I start my new position at our Manhattan location tomorrow.

Josef

Mario will drive you wherever you need to go. You’re not a prisoner, Meredith. But I need to know the address of the Manhattan location.

Little Red

Thank you. Of course. Sending it now.

Of course, I’d send the car. I wasn’t a complete asshole. And she wasn’t my prisoner. She was my wife.

Maybe you should treat her like it then, shithead.

Rolling my eyes at my inner asshole voice, I rubbed a hand over my face. It had been a long fucking week, and I hated that the only way she felt she could talk to me was via text.

Your fault, shit for brains.

All. Your. Fault.

I’d already assigned Mario as her permanent bodyguard. He’d reported to me in regular half hour intervals. Just as I demanded.

That’s it.

Meredith was making me lose my mind. She’d turned me into a goddamn stalker.

I gritted my teeth just thinking about her working in that place. Exposed to violence and to so much damn heartache.

She didn’t cry for Franklin, but I knew she must bring some of this home with her. I only wished she’d confide in me.

When would she have the chance, ass face? You’re never there.

I was going to strangle my inner voice if he didn’t shut the fuck up.

“Everything alright, Boss?” Edgar asked, pulling up outside the towers.

“Fine. I’ll call when I’m ready to leave,” I told my driver.

I knew what it meant to the women and children who went to St. Elizabeth’s Shelter for safe harbor. I wasn’t that much of a monster to pretend it wasn’t a good thing my wife was doing with her time.

But it left me uneasy.

I didn’t like her working some place I hadn’t thoroughly vetted. So yes, I set my people to work.

My team had only just finished going through the files of all the staff and residents at the Jersey City location. Today, they started doing the same for the Manhattan shelter.

I needed them to be fast and thorough. Not just current employees and residents. They needed to go back three years, minimum, before I’d be satisfied.

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