Committed (Betrothed 4)

The last time we’d had any serious interaction, I’d almost killed him. So this request was a bit off-putting. “You got something to say to me, say it now.”

“I don’t have anything to say to you. I just want to have dinner.”

I hated this motherfucker. He was evil and weird…strange combination.

“Be at my place at seven.”

Now, I was just confused. “I have no idea where you live.”

“I know. I think it’s time we got to know each other better.” He smiled at me, a sick, twisted smile.

He had a place out in the Tuscan countryside. It was a modest house, but he had lots of land. It was so remote and private that it was easy for him to hide from all the major roads. He had at least three dozen men guarding the perimeter, so no one could cross him in his sleep.

The place left a bad taste in my mouth.

Was this where he took Sofia?

I sat across from him at the dining table and watched him pour me a glass of wine. There was no chef in the kitchen and no maid to help with the dishes.

“Cooking is a hobby of mine.” He filled his own glass before he set it off to the side. He held the glass, brought it close to his face, and smelled it. Then he returned it to the table without taking a drink.

“Are you gonna drink that?”

He scooped the pasta onto his plate and grabbed a piece of chicken. “You know I don’t drink, Hades. I just like the smell.”

Fucking weird.

After he filled his plate, he pushed the utensils toward me. “I took a couple culinary classes on the French Riviera. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve been cooking ever since. It’s a great way to wind down after a long day.”

A long day of raping and murdering people?

“Do you like to cook?” He handled his utensils with perfect manners and even spun his pasta against his spoon. He practiced a refinement he didn’t display on a daily basis.

“No.” I served myself and took a bite. It was good, but I refused to say that.

“I could always teach you.”

“No.”

Maddox didn’t acknowledge my rudeness. He continued to eat like this was a pleasant experience for us both. Our silverware tapped against the plates, and the sound was so loud because there was no conversation to muffle it.

“What did you want to talk about?”

“Who said I wanted to talk about anything?”

I had a million things to do, and I didn’t want to waste precious time looking at someone I hated. “Then what’s the point of this?”

“The point is for us to have dinner and enjoy each other’s company. I don’t understand why that’s so difficult for you to comprehend.” He chewed his food slowly as he stared at me across the table. Then he picked up his glass and smelled it again.

“I don’t enjoy your company.”

He chewed his last bite and didn’t cut into his food again. He stared at me with lifeless eyes, like he didn’t know how to respond to my cold statement. “I don’t see why you feel that way. We work well together. We’re good partners. We’re good friends.”

“Good friends don’t lick each other’s spit.”

He turned his attention back to his food and cut another piece before he placed it in his mouth. After a long time chewing, he spoke again. “But good lovers do.”

I heard his words and also the message underneath. It gave me a sense of dread I’d never felt before. I’d been faced with killers and thieves, but I’d never been faced with this kind of threat. He didn’t want my money or my connections. The only thing he wanted was me.

I set my fork and knife on the plate and ignored the dinner I had been forcing myself to eat. Now I was too nauseated to choke the garbage down my throat. My eyes focused on his, feeling the urge to run but also to kill.

Maddox took another bite and chewed slowly, his eyes taking me in with a mesmerized gaze. His mouth moved slowly, and his eyes remained so intense, they were like two suns. He put his truth on the table and watched me react.

I didn’t know what my next move would be. I wasn’t entirely sure of what was happening. This man had been focused on me for years, and then he invited me over for dinner…like we were more than friends. “Is this a date?”

Maddox finished chewing then shrugged. “Do you want it to be?”

My eyes narrowed. “I like women.”

“I like women enough…doesn’t mean anything.”

I’d never felt so targeted before. I’d had a gun pointed at my head and a knife to my throat, but being the source of infatuation for another man was creepy. In that moment, it made me understand the fear all women had every time they walked down a street at night. It was disturbing, disgusting. I’d had women corner me and make their best move, but that was totally different. I always had the right to say no…even though I never said no. Maddox had me under his thumb, and he clearly had no issue with raping someone.