Wife (Betrothed 1)

Sofia joined me under the spray, tilting her head back so the water would soak into her hair. She naturally arched her back, showing off her flat belly and her slender legs.

My eyes immediately shifted down to look at her.

She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair.

She stole my hot water and interrupted my zen moment, but having her there was much better than being alone. My hands grabbed her slender waist, and I pulled her close to me, getting us both under the warm flow from the showerheads.

I cupped the back of her head and kissed her, kissed her like I hadn’t just fucked her for an hour straight. I pulled her close like it’d been a week since I’d last held her, since the last time we were close like this. My dick got hard like it’d been forever since I’d last gotten laid. No matter how much I had her, it was never enough. I always wanted more…always needed more. I was pussy-whipped. Obsessed. Infatuated. I was a whole different man because of this woman. I was a man I hadn’t thought I was capable of being.

And I liked it.

18

Sofia

Weeks passed, and I started to forget about the night Lance assaulted me. It felt like a bad dream, not a real-life trauma. Being with Hades gave me a sense of invincibility, like he would always protect me when I couldn’t protect myself. When Esme asked me if I’d seen Lance, I pretended I had no idea what happened to him.

That was the truth. I had no idea where his body ended up. Police never came to my street, and when I passed by the alleyway, his corpse wasn’t sitting there.

It was like it never happened.

For all intents and purposes, it hadn’t.

I was standing at the counter when Gustavo walked up to me. He rarely spoke to me at work, doing his best to treat me like any other employee on the property. “Hello, sweetheart. How are you?”

I’d been distant with my family for a while. The truth took a long time to process, just like when the garbage disposal needed a minute to grind up all the crap I shoved into the sink. My romantic view of the world was quickly being replaced by cold reality. Everything I believed about the world was a lie. “Good. You?”

“Christmas is next week. Thinking about taking a trip to the chalet in Switzerland. Would you like to join us?”

It felt wrong not spending the holiday with them, but it also felt strange to leave Hades. Our relationship still wasn’t a relationship to me, but he was the first thing that popped into my mind. Our heated nights at the hotel had stopped, and we spent most of our time at his place. Instead of leaving when the fun was over, I slept over and had coffee and breakfast after Hades already went to work. The fling had turned into something deeper overnight. I didn’t even know how it happened because I’d worked so hard to avoid it. Now I was getting in deeper and deeper…and it would be harder to break it off.

Nothing had changed, in my opinion. I didn’t want to get married, let alone to a drug dealer.

Come on, that was never going to work.

I finally answered him. “Yeah, sure.”

His eyes lit up with joy because his affection for me was genuine. “That’s lovely. Your mother will be very happy.”

Yes, she would be thrilled to stick her nose in my business for an entire week.

“Just so you know, Barsetti Lingerie models will be checking in tonight. There’s a fashion show taking place somewhere in the city. Conway Barsetti is paying for everything, so give them the five-star treatment.”

“I give all our guests the five-star treatment.”

He winked. “Good answer.”

A few hours later, they arrived. Their plane had landed, and the cars pulled up to the lobby. One by one, they got out, looking like they were ready for the runway now. They didn’t seem the least bit exhausted by the plane ride or the drive from the airport. With perfectly styled hair, sky-high heels, and diamond earrings, they were ready to impress.

I watched them pass, escorted by our general manager. When they approached the desk, we handed over their keys and took care of their luggage. Acting like queens, they swept their hair off their shoulders, expecting everything to be done for them.

It was a bit obnoxious.

An hour later, they finally cleared the lobby, and the hotel was quiet once again.

My shift ended, so I took a cab home. My dark apartment was small and cramped. The dining table was stuffed against the wall because there was nowhere else to put it. I only had one couch because my place was only eight hundred square feet. I wasn’t ungrateful.