Chapter 18
ANDREA
Something shifts in the air, making my spine tingle and my eyes snap open. I shoot up on the bed, the sleep gone from my eyes. I see Hudson almost immediately, sitting in that armchair by the fireplace, watching me. Always watching me.
“Oh. It’s you again,” I say surly, even though my heart is still pounding both from the adrenaline and something else. Something I refuse to identify. “Why are you here?”
“You didn’t sign the contract last night,” he answers softly.
“And whose fault is that?” I scoff. He’s the one who abruptly left me at the dining table last night.
“Something urgent came up.”
“You always seem to have something urgent come up,” I observe, remembering Diane said something similar yesterday.
“An occupational hazard, I’m afraid.” He shrugs carelessly.
“Of course. Because having to go murder people is such urgent business,” I reply sarcastically.
“You do know I have a legitimate business, right? Just like your family.” He looks amused.
“Oh right. My bad for thinking of you as one dimensional. Of course, an esteemed crime boss like yourself must have one or two legitimate businesses to serve as a front for the flow of income. How else would you explain your copious amounts of money…or clean it?”
“I see you woke up cheerful this morning,” he remarks.
“Because I woke up to no prospects of caffeine. With my captor watching me while I slept, like a creep. You can’t expect me to welcome you with a joyful smile.”
“You’re going to have to do more than that when we’re in public.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, and I’ll play my part well. But we’re not in public yet, are we? Now why are you in my room?”
His mouth tilts up in a half smile as he gets up. I almost expect him to correct me that this is our room, but he only demands, “Get dressed and meet me in the study. You need to sign the contract, and then we have our date.”
He points to the closet and says, “I expect you to wear something modest, yet intriguing. I’ve selected a couple options for you to choose from. And wear your hair up tonight.” He stares at me for another moment, shaking his head as he walks out.
A date? Oh right, the damned walk. I groan as I flop back on the pillows. It’s way too early for this. It takes me a while to drag myself out of bed and walk to the closet to see what I’m expected to wear. I roll my eyes…until I see the dresses he had selected. We clearly have a different idea of what modest means.
The first one is blood red with a full skirt; it would hang to about mid-calf length but it has a plunging neckline and off-the shoulder straps. Gorgeous. The second option looks to be another skin tight option, like the last time Hudson gave me a dress, but this one is made of lace and has a high neckline. A midi. I guess that’s what deems it as modest. Again, stunning. I don’t know how I’ll pick.
After trying the dresses on, I settle for the red number and tie my hair up into a high ponytail, as requested by my fiancé–or very soon to be. I can’t believe I’ve agreed to this…which reminds me: I should get to the study to sign away my life.
I slip on a pair of four inch strappy black sandals and leave my cell.
“You’re late.” Hudson frowns when I finally make it into the study, not exactly the reaction I was hoping for in this dress. He’s with Crew, who nods at me as I enter. “We’ll pick this up later,” he informs, Crew who walks out of the study almost immediately.
“I wasn’t aware I had a schedule to keep to,” I answer as I walk to him. “I have zero concept of time because there’s no clock in the bedroom, and I lost my phone the night you kidnapped me. I can’t even check my mobile for the time.”
“Hmmm” is his response as he pushes a thick thermal mug to me. I frown but pick it up. I open the lid to find the mug filled to the brim with steaming coffee. Just the way I like it.
I don’t stop to question him as I lift the mug to my lips and gulp a scalding mouthful. Hmm, delicious. Hudson watches me, his brows steadily going up, but he doesn’t say a word.
When there’s nothing left in the mug, I drop it on his desk with a drawn-out sigh, licking my lips. “What happened to stopping me from drinking coffee?”
He shrugs, “I changed my mind. You’re somewhat nicer when you’re caffeinated.” Before I can question him further–I’m curious about what actually changed his mind–he pushes a few documents to me.
“Here’s the contract. If you just sign here and here, we’ll be on our way.”
I pick up the document, squinting at the tiny words. “What font size did you use? 2?” I ask snarkily. Did he make it this small on purpose so I wouldn’t be able to read the fine print? It’s all fucking, fine print. Whatever, not like I’m allowed to negotiate. “Give me a pen.” He does, and I sign my name. Somehow, it feels like I just signed my death certificate.
The immensely satisfied look on his face as he unfolds himself from his chair, all limbs and limber, doesn’t exactly make me feel better, even though my core clenches a little. I don’t know how he can make something as mundane as getting up look sexy, damn him. I glare at him. He adjusts his cuffs and then approaches me slowly.
“Ready to leave, wife?”
“I’m not your wife.”
“Yet,” he smirks. I roll my eyes and spin away from him, but he grabs my arm before I can take more than a single step. “You’re going to have to put a lid on that attitude, pet. As soon as we’re out of this study, it”s showtime.”
I give him a sweet smile. “You don’t need to remind me of my role, Pendejo.” Asshole.
He uses his grip on my hand to turn me to face him and pinches my chin between his index finger and thumb. “I’m not just your husband, Andrea. I’m your Don. Remember that. Insulting me in English, Spanish or whatever other languages you know should be restricted to when we’re alone, or else I’ll have to retaliate.” He flicks his index finger against the underside of my chin. It stings, but I stay still, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
“Noted, Hudson.”
“And do not call me that in the company of others, either. I’m Massim or husband to you out there.”
That’s right. Everyone has been referring to him as Massimo except me. “Why? Is Hudson your upstanding citizen alter ego?” He doesn’t respond but his green eyes flicker. Bingo. “I’m right, aren’t I?” Why would he want me to call him that instead of the name everyone else knows him as?
“I don’t have the time or the inclination to have this conversation with you right now,” he murmurs, releasing my chin and arm. I must be going crazy because I feel the loss of his warmth viscerally.
“Ass,” I growl and spin back to face the door. I can feel him close behind me as I leave the study. He must have invited his men into the house today or maybe they come into the mansion during the day because I see a lot of people walking about. They stare at us–me–curiously, but I ignore them as we walk down the stairs to the door Maximus had passed through after Diane dismissed him yesterday. It turns out to be a great foyer with a huge golden chandelier dropping from a high ceiling.
Hudson is now walking in front of me and types in a password. The lock mechanism beeps; but instead of the door opening, a biometric scanner opens that scans first his right eye, then the left.
“Isn’t this a little overkill?” I grumble. He opens the door and gestures for me to follow him. The Jeep I jumped out of the night he kidnapped me is waiting for us in the driveway at the base of the front steps with the man who drove us that night. The driver nods at us and opens the back door.
“I’ve got this, Tanner.” Hudson waves him off as he drops his left hand to the base of my spine. I flinch at the contact, which makes him narrow his eyes at me. Right, we”re in public so we have to act out our roles.
“Go on in, wife.” He gestures to the open door.
“I thought we were going for a walk, husband.” I give him a questioning glance as I get into the car. He chuckles as he closes the door and walks around the back of the car to get in from the other side.
“We are,” he answers when he gets in. “Now fasten your seatbelt or I’ll come over there and do it myself,” he threatens as Tanner starts the car and pulls out of the driveway.
“If we are going for a walk, then why are we riding in a car?” I ask as I buckle the seatbelt. I give him a pointed glance when I notice he hasn’t done the same. I gesture at him with my hand.
“It’s fine. Tanner is a great driver.” He dismisses my worries with, “The drive to the main gate is about two blocks and from there to the park is about three miles. You’re not suggesting we walk the entire distance, are you?”
I glance at the back of Tanner’s head then back to Hudson. “Doesn’t that mean I shouldn’t have to put on a seatbelt either? Double standards much?” Tanner makes a rough noise that sounds distinctly like a laugh being disguised as a cough as Hudson narrows his eyes, then drags the belt across his chest.
I relax into my seat. “Walking that far isn’t ideal,” I continue replying to the second part of his sentence, “but I wouldn’t have taken you for a princess.” I’m trying to rile him up now but he simply arches up a disdainful brow.
“The problem isn’t so much the distance but the obstacles we might stumble upon. While I do have the city under tight control, I still have enemies. I’m not going to carelessly give them a shot at me…or you for that matter.”
I stiffen. “You have people trying to kill you?” And by default me? He shrugs in response. “Doesn’t that make this whole spectacle a foolhardy one? We’re driving now but we’ll eventually get out of the car. Does that mean we’re setting ourselves up as targets to anyone lucky enough to get a shot in?”
“The park we’re going to is one of mine. There are several cameras actively monitoring the area at all times and I have my men patrolling the land. We’ll be safe,” he assures me, but I find it hard to relax.
I blow out a breath. There’s no use stressing over it when I know I can’t make him take us back to his house. “How are we going to play this?” I ask, trying to distract myself. He raises a brow in question. “The walk,” I elaborate.
“We walk.”
“I know that, genius. What I mean is, are we just going to walk about random paths?”
“I have a route planned. We’ll arrive through the north gate and take a walk past the orchards toward the pond.”
“Are we going to feed the ducks, baby?” I blink at him flirtatiously, I think. It kind of just feels like I have something in my eye that I’m trying to blink out. Sexy.
“What are you doing? Stop that. Right now,” he orders, and I laugh under my breath.
“Why? You don’t like it when I wink at you?”
“That wasn’t winking, it was–” He trails off because the car starts to slow down. I glance out the window and realize that we’ve arrived at our destination. I inhale sharply, reminded of my nerves.
“Ready?” Hudson asks. No. I nod at him anyway. “Wait here,” he instructs as he gets out of the car. He walks to my side and opens the door. I blow out a breath. It’s showtime.