Page 16 of Blackmailed Marriage

At his door, she had a fit of nerves. Doubts were taking over and rushing through her body, but she ignored it, and knocked on the door. At first, he didn’t respond, and she waited just a second and was about to leave as he called out to come in.

She stepped into his office and saw him sitting on the sofa, a tumbler of whiskey in one palm. The other hand rested against his leg. He was still dressed like he had been this afternoon when he followed her in the gardens. The only difference was, the first few buttons of his shirt were open.

“Hello, wife,” he said.

“Are you drunk?” she asked.

“No, this is the first glass, and no, I haven’t topped it off.” He gave the glass a shake. “I’ve had a sip.”

Aria opened and closed her hands into fists. “You’re not drunk.”

“Care to join me in a drink?”

“I don’t drink.”

“You are in for a miserable existence.”

She frowned. “In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of wives are often drunk or on drugs, or on something to help them through their marriage.”

Dante winked at her. “So true. The difference is, you’re married to me, and well, they’re married to miserable assholes. Come to talk to me about my proposition?”

“Yes,” Aria said. She took a deep breath. “I … ugh, I need to know exactly what you’re offering.”

“I told you—the chance to be happily married and for us to show a united front. It’s not exactly difficult.”

“And … duty?”

“Yes, we will be having sex as well, but I will be making sure you enjoy it.”

“I don’t think I will,” Aria said.

“You don’t?”

“I don’t enjoy it.” She pressed her lips together, trying to keep the truth at bay.

“Have you noticed, Aria, being married to me, there is a lot about life you don’t enjoy?” he asked.

She had no idea what to say.

“Have you ever considered that I made it that way on purpose?” Dante asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Sex can be amazing. I imagine even a woman’s first time, though painful, can also be one of the best nights of her life. I didn’t prepare you. I hated you and everything you stood for. I blamed you when the truth was, I should have blamed your father and the circumstances. Like me, you didn’t have any say in this. I made your life miserable. I can change all of that.”

“Why would you want to now?” Aria asked.

“Consider it a change of heart and a change of perspective. You’ve intrigued me, Aria. I think that should be rewarded, and well, I’d love to see the look on your father’s face when he sees you and I are happily married. That we’re making the most of it.”

Aria looked at Dante, and then a thought struck her. If her father saw her happy, that might create the opening she’d been waiting for. He might invite her back to the family home and allow her the chance to explore. This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, and it was so close.

“I’ll do it,” Aria said.

“You agree to it?”

“Yes, it would be nice not to be ridiculed at a party and have people whispering behind their hands at me,” Aria said. “I don’t know how we’re going to convince them.”

“Simple, come here.”

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