Page 59 of His to Bedevil
She tosses her head back and laughs. Though I hate this chick, whoever she is, I can’t deny the fact that she is beautiful. Stunning, really. “Alejandro can have any woman on this planet, and you mean to tell me that he chose you just because you caught his eye?” Her eyes roam my body once again for emphasis. “No. There’s something more to this story, and I plan to find out what.”
“Does Alejo know you’re in here right now? Talking to me?” I say with unabashed irritation.
She waves a hand around and rolls her eyes. “He won’t mind. Like I said, we’re old friends.”
“And by ‘old friends,’ you mean…?”
“You seem like a smart girl. You figure it out.” She looks down at her nails as if she’s bored.The fucking nerve of her.
“Well, I’m glad you had your fun with Alejo, and I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted.” Suddenly, I feel the need to stake my claim. “After today, he will be my husband. So, feel free to say goodbye to him today, because mark my words, you won’t be seeing him ever again.”Wow, I am possessive, and I didn’t even know it.
I thought her eyes were cold before, but the way her blue eyes glare at me, she could freeze hell over with them. She steps forward so she’s toe to toe with me. “You won’t last long, little girl. They never do.” Her acerbic tone and her adverse attitude are infuriating.
“Who? His other wives? Because I’m pretty sure I’m the first one.”
“And you won’t be the last.”
Spinning on her heels, she exits the room the same way she entered without another word.Fucking bitch.How dare she come in here and talk to me like that on my wedding day? About my husband-to-be? I will be asking Alejo about her later, that’s for sure. And I want that bitch out of his life. I don’t give a fuck who she is. She can’t just come in here and disrespect me and get away with it. She was lucky she got away unscathed. It won’t happen again.
Taking a few deep breaths and chugging the rest of my champagne, I suddenly remember something she said.You know, he didn’t mention a fiancée on his last visit to Russia.What the fuck did she mean by that? He saw her when he went to Russia last week? Did they… hook up? How dare he! He promised me he would be faithful to me. That he has been faithful to me. Fucking liar! Ugh! I will give him a piece of my mind. I told him I will not let him humiliate me.
During the ceremony…
The ceremony goes by in such a blur. I’m still bothered about Ivanka’s visit, but there was no time to confront him before, so I’ll have to wait till we’re alone. It definitely weighs heavy on my mind.
I have to admit, Alejo looks delicious in his tux with no bow tie. It fits his large muscles to a T. His facial hair is perfectly groomed as usual, and his lips are so dark today they’re like a magenta color. His honey-brown eyes pierce me, holding me captive, and I forget what I was angry about. Then when it’s time for the kiss, I completely forget what my own name is.
His lips are so tender and sweet, molding perfectly to mine. At first, I’m so frozen from the mere shock of the mind-blowing kiss that I don’t kiss him back. Then I completely melt in his arms, and my lips and tongue begin to move on their own, my body always reacting to him before I can even think. The kiss ends too soon, and I’m left standing there panting, head dizzy.
Moments later, we’re in the back of the limo and on our way back to the estate as husband and wife. He tells me I look radiant, and I admit to him that he looks good in his tux and then we grow quiet. I stare out the window, and I start to feel the anger and jealousy from before seeping back in. I want to confront him, but at the same time, I’m too afraid to hear his answer. If he hooked up with Ivanka just last week, I know that I can’t do anything about it and it’ll hurt. And it shouldn’t. This isn’t a real relationship or a real marriage. He kidnapped me and forced me into marriage. I don’t care about him, so I should care less if he had sex with her recently or not, right?
“Mi amor?What is wrong?” His voice is thick.
We drive through the streets of Cuba, and I take everything in that I can. Will he ever let me out of the estate and into the city to explore? Something I have always dreamed of is right in front of me, but it’s untouchable. I’m locked inside of a gilded cage.
Just then, I notice a few stray dogs running around, and it squeezes my heart. When I see two little puppies with what might be the mother, I want to jump out of the limo and scoop them up to save them. “I hate how common stray dogs are in a lot of countries. It makes my heart sad,” I say quietly.
“You like dogs, my love?”
I nod my head. “I love dogs,” I admit quietly to him. Only psychos don’t like dogs. “When I was little, maybe seven, it was after my dad died, I found some of the kids in the neighborhood terrorizing a puppy. It was infuriating and sickening. To torment something so innocent. Despicable. I don’t care if they were kids, and some would say they didn’t know any better, but I, too, was just a kid. Younger than them actually, and I knew better. It’s unnatural to see something like that and it not make you sick to your stomach.”
“What did you do?” he asks after I pause.
“Well, I was obviously outnumbered and younger than them, so I found a broomstick laying in the alleyway and walked right up to them and just started swinging.” I giggle, thinking back to that day. The way they looked at me before they all took off without even trying to fight back. Like I was a complete maniac. “Anyway, I took the puppy home with me, and my mother of course told me I couldn’t keep it. Said she wouldn’t buy it food or anything. Her drugs and alcohol were more important.”
“I’m sorry, my love,” he says sincerely.
My eyes snap to his, and I blurt it out. “Who is Ivanka Petrofski?” Done with the heavy talk and ready for the caustic one. Needing to change the subject because I have no idea what possessed me to tell him that little story. I blame the alcohol.
His eyebrows lower, hooding his eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“Who is she, Alejo?” I snap.
“She’s the daughter of and sole heir to one of the biggest Russian families. Again, why do you ask?” His demeanor is calm and cool.
“She paid me a little visit today. Before the ceremony started.”
His frown turns into a glower. “She did?” He faces forward and tugs at the lapels of his jacket. “My men did not inform me,” he growls.
