“Your bastard of an ex sold it to me before your divorce.”
“Impossible. The mortgage is now in my name. Yeah, he changed banks, well, he changed our mortgage lender but...” she went silent.
The new bank wasONC: Orizon National Bank.
“You own Orizon National Bank, don’t you?” she asked.
“It’s family-owned.”
“By the Cattaneos, right?” she yelled.
“Right. My bank, no, me,I’myour personal lender. You recently applied to refinance your mortgage and lower your interest rate. I’ll be handling that personally.”
Fuck my life!Well, both Trevor and Orazio had both already fucked her life. Angry tears sprang to her eyes.
“I’ll move out,” she whispered, not trusting her voice.
“Rosa, you’re mine. Everything you have is mine. The house. The car he paid off before leaving, then sold to me. Have you gone through the files and papers that Trevor left behind?”
What else of hers did this man own? Feeling overwhelmed, she stumbled back, bumping into the closed elevator door.
“Did you go through the files?” he asked again.
“That’s none of your business,” she told him, suddenly feeling numb.
He took another step forward. “Everything about you is my business. Now, let’s have a seat and talk about this like civilized adults.”
“Civilized!” she yelled. “What civilized man buys a woman from another man?”
“One who wants that woman very badly.”
Heat pooled at her center, embarrassing her with its intensity.Fuck you, pussy. We will not be aroused by this maniac. Lock that shit down. He’s on thedo not get wet forlist.Monique watched him place her pepper spray back in his pocket. With both his hands in his pocket, he nodded toward the kitchen area.
“Let’s sit down and talk.”
“I don’t want to talk. I want to leave.”
“If you sit down, we can discuss where you’re allowed to go and where you aren’t.”
What. The. Absolute. Fuck!
“I’m a whole grown-ass woman, Orazio Cattaneo. I don’t need anyone, especially not a man who I haven’t known for twenty-four hours, to tell me where I can and can’t go.”
“If you want a home to return to, and your car, and the funds in your bank...”
Interrupting him, she sputtered, “Wait! Wait! What does the money I have in the bank have to do with you?”
“Trevor gave me all your banking information. And I happen to have friends who owe me favors. All of your funds are currently being moved into another account. One I’ve created for you. One that I’ll direct deposit your allowance into each month.”
He was really crazy! Monique laughed. Not because she was finding any of this funny, but because she had to be dead. This was hell. More laughter bubbled up out of her. Orazio looked at her like she was losing her mind but said nothing.
She’d died and gone to hell. Or maybe she was still asleep, and this was a nightmare. That had to be it. She was dreaming. Monique pinched her arm.Damn it. Orazio took a step back and moved to the side.
“Let’s sit down and talk, Rosa.”
Did she have a choice? She couldn’t escape. She couldn’t beat him up. She’d been up close and personal with his body. He was all muscle. She didn’t have any weapons.Wait. He wanted her to go to the kitchen, where the knives were.
Monique smiled. “Okay, I’ll sit down and talk.”To your corpse.