“Alex.”
He stared at her from the tip of her head. She had luscious brown hair. It was thick and fell around her in waves. From the short time he had spent with her, he knew she often wore it up, most of the time in a clip, rarely falling down around her shoulders.
Staring down the length of her body, he saw her black dress that was more fitting for a funeral than a party, and it wasn’t a flattering fit either. The dress fell to her tits and then seemed to hang off her body. None of her gorgeous curves were on display. He knew she hadn’t picked this outfit herself.
The maid who came to clean his home three times a week had picked it out for her. He made a note never to ask her to help his wife again. No wonder the women were making snarky comments behind their hands about her. She looked like … death.
Neither of them spoke, and Alex’s gaze moved from his, to the wall, and then to the floor before returning to his.
“I better go and join them,” she said.
“I’ll be there in a moment.”
She didn’t stop, just nodded as she kept on walking.
“I think you’re wrong about her,” Antonio said, getting to his feet.
He stared at his friend and tilted his head to the side. “How?”
“She does not like me being anywhere near her. Did you see?” Antonio asked.
“I saw her move the moment you put your hands around her.”
“Yeah, and she kindly removed my hand from her thigh as well,” Antonio said.
“What?”
“You told me to get close, to push her. You said there were no limits, that if needed, to take it all the way. I merely put my hand on her knee.” Antonio’s gaze swept over him. “But tell me, Roman, if you don’t care about your wife, and you want everyone to know that she is a manipulative, cheating bitch, why are your hands clenched, and you look like you want to kill me?”
“I do not want to kill you. Good job.” Roman didn’t like the fact that he felt this way. Alex meant nothing to him. She was a job. A woman who had been forced on him.
She played her part of innocent daughter well, but he knew the truth. She was a slut and Liam’s greatest weakness. He would find the truth one way or another.
It wasn’t lost on him that Liam had given them the key to making his life miserable. They could kill her and start a war. It would be so easy. His father had told him that he respected and valued Liam Smith. No war was ever going to wage with that man. Roman felt that as soon as he discovered the truth about Alex, he’d get what he wanted.
Antonio approached him and slapped him on the shoulder. “You keep on believing that, buddy. I know the truth. I’ve known you for years, and you want to slit my throat. It’s fine, but maybe you need to know what it is you want first, before you ask people to do this.”
“Alex is a slut.”
“I don’t think she is. If so, then I’m not the kind of man she goes for. We all know the ladies drop their panties for me.”
Roman couldn’t help but look at Antonio’s neck and think how good it would look oozing with blood.
“You know that murderous rage you’re feeling right now? That’s not what a guy who wants to have other men sleep with his wife should feel like.” Antonio winked at him and left to rejoin the party.
Running a hand down his face, he attempted to clear his mind. Tonight was not going well.
He was running on only a couple of hours of sleep, and to be frank, he was exhausted. For the last three days, he’d been chasing a goddamn rat, one who wanted to trade their secrets for money and a safe life. It was one of their science nerds, and so far, the son of a bitch hadn’t made it out of the city. The fucker had been able to make it another day. If it wasn’t for his father telling him he had to be here tonight, he would’ve still been hunting him.
Maybe what he needed to do was stay close to home and make sure his wife fell into the traps he’d set.
So far, she had proven him wrong, and he didn’t like that.