Chapter 8

“She asked about her mother again.”

I look up to see Jade standing in the doorway to my office.

“And what did you tell her?”

“Nothing. I walked out, as you advised.”

“Good. Did she take her injections?”

“Begrudgingly. She’d like her things, specifically, her clothes.”

“I like her better naked.”

“If you like her so much, then why haven’t you visited her?”

Ignoring her question, I look back at the spreadsheets on my computer. It’s been a tight quarter, but with the three contracts that just went through, it’ll more than make up for the lull.

Through my stream of thought, I hear the click of Jade’s heels as she leaves.

I need to visit her, I think to myself. The sooner I get her pregnant, the quicker I can wash my hands of her.

Not that the days we’ve spent apart have been wasteful. It’s important that I establish dominance with my new wife, and how better to do that than by showing her our every interaction is at my behest? I see her when it pleases me, if it pleases me.

My cock jerks against my zipper, making a case to see her right now. But I’ve made it a point throughout my life to never let my dick think for me.

And the stakes have never been so high.

And the temptation, so potent.

With as many women as I’ve had, it seems silly that I should think of any one more than the other, but such logic doesn’t stop my mind from racing at the thought of my wife’s soft skin, her greedy fingers shredding my shoulders, those sinful moans escaping her lips.

Despite my desire, I deny myself release, because I have a job to do. One I can no longer avoid.

For the seventh time in three days, I open the report Lance sent, detailing everything he could find out about my wife and the people she associates with.

It’s all vague, with words like: spider, web, and black widow littered throughout the two pages. They’ve been around for at least a century, and their main objective is to marry a rich man, get pregnant by them, only to later kill them.

And lucky me, I’m my wife’s mark.

Thankfully, she’s in no position to kill me.

Yet.

My biggest worry is that Ivy is one part of a much bigger whole, and removing her may not remove the threat. I have enough money to hire bodyguards, and the places I can disappear to are endless, but there’s no telling how long they’ll hold a grudge or how badly they’ll want me dead.

Which is where I’ll have to negotiate. Death triggers are tricky business, but I’ll put one into place so grand, they’ll hire bodyguards for me to keep their secrets safe.

But for any of that to matter, I need to first make a baby.

Seeing no point in delaying the inevitable any longer than I have, I buzz Jade over the intercom.

Jade: Yes?

Mateo:I’m sending over a team to get my wife ready for dinner tonight. See that they are let in.

Jade: I’ll be waiting.

Mateo:I’m also going to need a suit picked out for me. Something…with an edge.

Jade: I have the perfect suit in mind.

My phone buzzes with a message from Raul, the assistant I have taking care of Ivy’s mother.

Raul: Sir, I thought you should know that she’s threatened to file a missing person’s report.

I chuckle at the absurdity.

Mateo:let her

Raul: If I may be so bold, perhaps if she could simply speak to her daughter, it could save us some trouble in the future.

Mateo:You may not be bold.

Raul: Very well, sir. She continues to complain about her accommodations. Would it be wise to move her into one of your other empty apartments?

Mateo:No, that would not be wise. I put her there for a reason.

Raul: Understood.

Ivy’s mother is a future problem. One that will be easy to navigate once I’ve built my case against her darling daughter.

But, I have to admit, putting her in a dilapidated slum with no running water has been a source of endless amusement for me.

And no, I don’t make it a point to keep my apartments without water. I told the property manager to turn the water off to her unit specifically, because I’m petty like that.

I close my laptop and head to my room, finding a black suit with maroon accents laid out for me. It’s dapper with a hint of danger. Exactly the impression I want to make on a night out with my wife.

But perhaps I’m going too easy on my little spider. After all, she is plotting to steal my sperm and kill me.

She’s not the only one who can act.

Tonight, I’ll be the loving husband eager to show off his bride. I’ll gift her a beautiful necklace, hold her close, and charm the panties straight off her.

And after I take her home and defile her in ways that would make Satan himself blush, I’ll show her how little she means to me.