Page 23 of The Leader

“Words no man ever likes to hear from a woman,” he said, loosening his tie.

“That’s unfortunate for you, but I’ve done some thinking, and I believe we may have started off on the wrong foot.”

“And what foot might that be?”

“The way our marriage came to be, and the expectations you might have. I don’t care if this was an arranged marriage and that it has an expiration date.” She ignored his furrowed brow as she mentioned the last part. “I won’t stand for my husband cheating on me.”

He dropped his tie and rounded on her until her back almost hit the wall. “Are you accusing me of being unfaithful?”

“No, I’m not,” she hastened to reassure him. But she did want to make sure that he would know where she stood on the matter. “But I do want to make something clear. I am not my sister. For example, if my husband would cheat on me, I wouldn’t turn a blind eye to it. I would make him regret it.”Please take the hint.

His hand ended up in the nape of her neck, playing with a few strands of hair. “Would you now. And what is it that you would do?”

She gave him a sweet smile. “I would return the favor.”

The amusement fled his eyes, being replaced with a chill. For a second, his grasp on her skull tightened, but then he relaxed. “No, you wouldn’t.”

“Are you sure about that?” she challenged him, not backing down. She wasn’t going to put up with a string of Gio’s mistresses. If he couldn’t keep it in his pants for two years, that would be on him. She would leave his sorry ass, consequences be damned.

“Yes, I am.” The hand around her waist pulled her closer to him. “See, if you should return the favor, as you put it, you would only have the death of another man on your hands. Because I will fucking take apart any man who touches you. With my own bare hands.”

“Really? Yet, you let that douchebag who touched me live.” Huh, guess she still was upset about that.

“You weren’t a Detta then. You are now. Touching you means touching me.”

“Can we get back to the subject at hand?” His hand drifting up to her breast was really distracting. And this was not the time to be distracted. She was trying to take a stand, damn it.

“Sure. You don’t want me fucking other women.” He lifted her off her feet and walked over to the couch, putting her on his lap. “Speaking of fucking others. Who is he?”

She gave him a puzzled look. “Who is whom?”

“That fucker you’ve been with all morning at the wharf.”

“You had me followed?”

“Of course I had you followed. You’re my wife. It’s my job to protect you. And don’t deflect my question. Who is he? Did you go see him to return the favor, as you just threatened me with?”

It took her a sec to follow his train of thought. Then she felt like slapping him. How dare he accuse her? “No, you ass. I did not go see Tommie to sleep with him. Tommie is my former college mate and business partner and—”

“Business partner?”

He didn’t seem to like the sound of that. Well, tough.

“Yes, business partner. Associate, or whatever fancy word you would like to use. Not that it matters. See, this isn’t about Tommie, who is gay, by the way.” She wasn’t sure why she mentioned that last part. It might be because of the arctic look on Gio’s face, and the fact that he had threatened to murder any man who touched her. There was no way she was going to put Tommie in harm’s way.

“Don’t give a fuck. He still has a dick.”

“Really?” When his scowl didn’t disappear, she shook her head.

“I don’t want my wife to work. There’s no need for you to.”

How did they go from arguing about his ex-mistress to her working? “Yeah well, I don’t want to wake up alone, like some cheap trick for the night, but what can you do?” she countered. She hadn’t meant to lash out like that—it was totally off topic—but she just couldn’t hold it in any longer. First, the Centurion card, and now this. It was becoming more and more apparent that he really did see her place in his life as a trophy wife, and nothing more.

When she saw the contemplative look on his face, she sighed. “Look, let’s just forget it, okay? Obviously, we have a different view on what a marriage looks like. But just so we’re clear: I am not my sister.” It hadn’t escaped her notice that he hadn’t promised to actually be faithful. “You choose to have someone like Vanessa in your house? That’s fine with me. Just don’t expect me to stay and watch.” She looked around for her bag. “In fact, I think I’m going to leave.” It must be a record; married for hardly a day, and already leaving her husband.

Then he started laughing.

It was maddening, really! She managed to get in a few thumps to his chest before he grabbed her hands, making it impossible for her to hit him again. All she could do was give him a glare.

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