Page 54 of His to Bedevil
We’re sitting out on the terrace off of the bedroom enjoying lunch when I decide to bring it up. “When will you let me see Matches?”
“Tonight,” he replies without pause.
“Really?” I ask, surprised.
He looks up at me from his meal, his face passive. “Yes, my love.”
I bite back a grin. “Is this my wedding gift or something?” I try joking with him, but he doesn’t seem to find it amusing.
“No, but I know you need to know that he still breathes. Maybe you will enjoy yourself more tomorrow.”
For a moment, I nearly feel bad. Guilty that he’ll be the only one of the two of us enjoying the day of our wedding. Looking forward to it, even. But this is all his doing, and he has no one to blame but himself. Maybe in another life or a different world, we could have met and ended up as lovers the old-fashioned way. It could have been at the festival we danced at. If he weren’t Alejandro Martinez, Cuban mob boss, and I weren’t Fynn Ryan, a modern-day pirate, and we were just Alejo and Irma, we could have fallen in love. But that’s not who met.
“Thank you, Alejo.” My voice is quiet, even though I want to squeal and throw my arms around him.
He holds my gaze for a while and then stands up. “I have more work I need to get done.” Bending down, he presses his lips to my forehead, and I close my eyes. Letting myself slip into that bubble once again, only for a moment. “I’ll see you later, my love.” His voice is low, and I bet if I looked up at him, his irises would be ablaze with burning embers. That’s why I can’t look up. It’s getting harder and harder to resist him. I find myself having to fight harder against that pull.
The day drags on as I sit around and wait. Benita came by with my dress, and she had me try it on to make sure it’s a perfect fit. Sure enough, it is. And when I was looking in the mirror at myself, I wasn’t miserable. I felt beautiful and like a real bride. Benita teared up again and hugged me tightly, telling me she is so excited to finally have a daughter. It gutted me inside. She’s been nothing but good to me, and I know she means well, but I’m still set on getting myself and Matches out of here. I refuse to be someone’s prisoner until he grows bored of me, because I know he will. He doesn’t even love me, he’s just infatuated with me. There’s a very big difference there. Infatuation is a fleeting emotion.
Now, we’re having dinner alone in his room instead of downstairs with his brother and his mother. Alejo is very quiet, claiming it’s been a stressful day for him and that he was overseeing everything for the wedding. Apparently, my husband-to-be is fastidious and likes to micromanage. Not really surprised there. He likes to be in total control, so why would planning his wedding be any different?
“So, are you going to go out with your brother at all tonight?” He looks up at me from his food, and his eyebrows knit. “Like, for a bachelor party?” I give him a playful grin, but apparently he isn’t in the mood still.
Shaking his head, he looks down at his food again and eats, so I do the same.I tried, right?I don’t know what his deal is. He’s been irascible ever since yesterday. Maybe he’s having cold feet? If he is, then maybe I can convince him to at least postpone the wedding.
“Are you all right?” I ask, hoping to get to the bottom of what’s eating at him.
Sighing, he puts his napkin down and leans back. He takes a long sip of his wine before focusing on me. “It’s just been a long day, my love. Nothing to worry about.”
“I just feel like you’ve been a little… off since yesterday. Are you nervous about the wedding?”
His lips curl up into an artful smirk. “Not at all,mi amor. I’m quite looking forward to it.” He sips his wine again, keeping his eyes on me. “How about you? Are you at all looking forward to it?”
I shrug as I chew the last bite of my food. After chasing it down with my wine, I recline back in my chair casually. “I do love my dress, and I do love a good party.” I’m not going to sit here and lie to him. He’d see right through me anyway. “But you know, if this isn’t a good time to do this, we could do it later. Even next weekend. If you’re super stressed out about work, why put the extra stress on yourself?” I try my hardest to seem aloof about the whole thing, but he’s too perceptive.
He remains focused on me with that little smirk on his rich lips. I study his face against the sunset, and his eyes glow and his skin practically shimmers in the soft light. Staring at his facial hair, I’m reminded of when it rubbed against my inner thighs when he went down on me and brought me to an earth-shattering orgasm. The thought of it makes me clench said thighs right now and squirm a little in my chair. He really is something to look at.
“I’m marrying you tomorrow, Irma. I’m not waiting another week or even another day. Now, if you are done with your dinner, we can go visit our prisoner.” His voice is calm, but there’s something ominous in it. He hates the fact that I insist on seeing Matches. Could he be jealous? I’m now coming to recognize the fact that he might have the wrong idea about Matches and me. Does he think we were together or something? I could set him straight right now, but if he’s not under that assumption, then I might plant a false seed inside his mind. So, I’ll just keep my mouth shut about it. It wouldn’t matter anyway, because even if Matches were my lover, he’s not anymore. Alejo is getting what he wants. I’m marrying him.
I decide to change out of the cute shorts, top, and wedges I was wearing and into something more dressed down. I don’t want Matches to think I’m enjoying myself here. Because I’m not, most definitely not. Throwing on a pair of denim shorts, a T-shirt, and some slip-ons, I follow Alejo out of his room and out of the house. He tells one of the guards nearby to tell them we’re coming. I hop on the ATV behind him, and we take off. The sun is almost all the way down now, but I can still kind of see where we’re going. I need to know exactly how to get there when the time comes.
It’s a couple miles, I would say, west of the estate. Through some thick forest and far back from the coast. We pull up in front of a small brick building with no windows and only a door on the front. I hop off the ATV first, then Alejo does. Taking my hand, he leads me to the door where just one guard is standing watch. A guy I don’t know by name but recognize from the training facility. He nods his head once then opens the door for us.
Alejo leads me down a long hallway, and we pass an open door. Glancing inside, I see a couple guys sitting in front of a bunch of screens, and more screens decorate the walls. It must be his tech guys and hackers. One guy glances up from his screen and gives me a little wink. He looks American and not much older than me.
Continuing down the ill-lit hallway, we walk through a doorway at the end and come to some stairs. Descending down them, we hit another hallway, but the doors we pass are all closed.
“So, is this similar to where you kept me?” I ask, looking up at Alejo.
He breaks into a small smile and nods his head. “Yes.”
At the last door on the left, another guard I hardly know stands outside, and I notice he’s the only one down here. “Is Matches your only prisoner right now?”
“Prisoners don’t last very long here. He’s only alive because of you, Irma. We typically just interrogate then get rid of them.”
Swallowing hard, I nod and look forward. We stand in front of the door, and Alejo turns to me in earnestness. “You have five minutes. If you try anything, he dies.” His words are deep and threatening, and I have no doubt he means it.
Nodding my head, I tell him that I understand. I’m not an idiot. I know we’ll be under surveillance, and I’m sure Alejo will go upstairs to watch and listen to our encounter. His features soften for a moment as he takes my chin between his thumb and index finger. He tilts my face up to his and presses his lips softly to mine. The kiss is short and innocent, but it still ignites something inside of me. Something I’m desperately trying to ignore. “Five minutes,mi amor,” he rumbles.
