Page 69 of Vice

29

Viper

“Something smells good,” Dele says as she walks out from the hall and into the combined living area and kitchen.

She’s only wearing my shirt as far as I can tell. The sight is almost enough for me to abandon what I’m doing and fuck her again where she stands.

“Are you cooking?” she asks.

“Yes.”

She comes into the kitchen to take a peek at what I’m cooking. I let her look long enough to decipher that it’s her favorite breakfast. Belgian waffles, caramelized strawberry sauce, whip cream, and a bacon chicken biscuit. Then I shoo her away.

Dele may not be as hopeless in the kitchen as she used to be thanks to having to figure it out while she was raising Leon and Lady on her own for two years, but that doesn’t mean she can do anything more than the bare minimum. And barely that. Letting her help is asking for disaster.

A woman of many talents, Dele may be, but cooking has never been one of them.

Besides, I want to do this for her.

“I talked to Cres,” I begin.

“Did you? What for?”

“I was thinking about what you said. About the twins thinking I don’t want to spend time with them.”

A sympathetic look crosses Dele’s face as she says, “They’re fine. They more or less believed me when I said it wasn’t true.”

“More or less,” I repeat dryly. That’s not as comforting as Dele thinks it is.

What will it be worth to gain the world at the end of all this if the people I’m doing it for doubt and hate me because of it?

“Cress is planning a vacation for us. Me, you, the twins, and her. Around Christmas.”

“A vacation?”

“It’s too dangerous to bring you all to the estate still. Much too private and easy to get to me if Pray found something out and decided to make a move. But a vacation in plain sight? That’s easier to swing. Me and Cres would go on what appears to be a work and holiday trip, and she’d invite her friend Addy Uccello and her children for just in case I’m too busy to spend time with her. And if no one buys that, there are already rumors in the media that we got a little too cozy during your business meeting with Pray. Either way, it’s as safe as it’s going to get right now.”

“As safe as it’s going to get, but is it safe enough?”

“You can get with Cres and finalize the plans to make sure.” Then I add, “Besides, I’ve got all this money and wealth and never been able to splurge on you with it. Might as well.”

“I have my own money now, thank you.”

“Not as much as me. Besides, so does Cres and that doesn’t stop her from spending upper five figures on my credit card every month because she can. And she’s not even my real girlfriend. If she can spend upper five figures, you can spend six figures on a lavish vacation getaway.”

“The twins wanna go to Disney World. How about there? It’s public enough and their own security is so tight, not even Pray could infiltrate it without making a huge scene and drawing too much attention.”

“Disney World,” I grumble. “You just want to torture me? Don’t you, Bell?”

“Stop being such a fucking grump.”

“If you think I’m such a grump, then I suppose I’ll just throw all this away,” I say, playfully hovering the plate I’ve made for her over the trash.

“Now that will definitely make me change my mind about killing you.”

“You’d try,” I say but decide not to call her bluff this morning as I put her breakfast in front of her.

“So,” she says after she’s started on the plate, “If Cres isn’t your real girlfriend and she spends upper five figures on your credit card every month, and you want me to spend six figures on a lavish vacation getaway, does that make me your real girlfriend now?”

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