I’m a goddamn sadist… to myself!
“I don’t understand what you have planned,” she says slowly and calmly. “I also don’t believe you want me dead, or you would have done that already. So please,” she swallows hard, “I didn’t mean to try to kill you. It won’t happen again.”
She sits on top of the fur and doesn’t cover up her nudity. I’m not sure if she’s doing it to show her obedience to me since I have made it clear she will remain nude, or if the thought of using the fur to hide her body hasn’t even crossed her mind. But it’s hard for my eyes to not travel to her hardened nipples from the coolness of the room.
But I need to focus. She is right. I have a plan.
“Fine,” I say, ignoring the sting on my face. “I’ll give you one last chance. But if you even so much as come close to pulling a stunt like before, I’ll kidnap your sister and put her inside that cage with you.”
She doesn’t flinch at my words or even grimace in the slightest as I had expected her to do. Instead, she surprises me when she smiles enthusiastically and says, “Yes. I understand. Just tell me what you want. Anything.”
I’m not so stupid to think it will be as easy as that. Not with this woman. And frankly, I don’t mind a bit of defiance. It’ll make it fun to discipline and break the bad right out of her. But I do like seeing that I have at least regained some control over the woman without having to beat the shit out of her which isn’t, and never will be, an option. She doesn’t have to know that little secret, of course.
I need fear on my side.
Especially for tonight to come off without incident.
“I’ll be back,” I say, as I know I still have a lot to do to get ready for the evening. “You sit there and think about how when I return, you are going to be a good little wife.”
ChapterNineteen
Apollo
The sound of the family helicopter landing has me rushing down the stairs and out the front door to cut off the impending storm. I know it’s one of two people, or possibly both, and I have to meet my opponent outside to shield Daphne from the wrath as best I can. This isn’t their fight. This isn’t their mess. This isn’t their wife.
“It’s a good sign to see you standing outside by yourself,” Athena says as she approaches.
The helicopter turns off its engines, which tells me that Athena doesn’t plan on staying long and plans to still fly out today. Otherwise, it would just return to Seattle and wait to be beckoned again.
“Cliff or shallow grave?”
“Neither,” I answer as she kisses me on the cheek.
She pulls away and narrows her eyes. “Please tell me that bitch still isn’t alive.”
“She’s not your concern.”
“The fuck she isn’t. She betrayed our family.”
“No,” I say calmly. “She betrayedme.”
Athena releases a heavy breath and rolls her eyes. “I should have expected you couldn’t handle this. You’ve never been the killer in the family. That was Ares, and I guess now that he’s dead,” she looks up at the house behind me as if she can see Daphne, “I’m going to have to step in and fill that role.”
“I have it under control.”
“Clearly you don’t if her brains aren’t splattered on the rocks below that cliff.”
“Sometimes there is punishment far worse than death,” I say, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and guiding her a few steps away from the front door just to make sure she won’t suddenly charge inside and get to Daphne before I can stop her.
“You know Father will not allow her to live,” she says. “Even if you can convince me, there is no way he will let that happen.”
“I have this under control.” I lead her back to the helicopter. “You can go back to Seattle. I’m sure you have a lot of work to do.”
She stops walking. “I’m actually not here to kill Daphne. Although I can fit it into my schedule if need be.” She reaches into her purse to pull out her phone to look at it before adding, “I’m here to meet with dear old Uncle Leander. Apparently, Poseidon Shipping needs a little reminder that Medusa Enterprises is the head of the beast.”
“Is he stepping out of line again?”
My uncle has always resented his older brother, and even us, for the way we run Medusa. Although he runs a division—a very powerful division—he’ll always have to answer to the heir of the empire, Troy. To say the two brothers don’t get along is an understatement. Somewhere along the line, they agreed to a truce to some degree. Leander runs Poseidon from Heathens Hollow. Troy stays in Seattle except for a vacation. They have their territories. Troy has the land. Leander has the sea. Usually, the two can agree, but there is always the occasional clash of the titans, and it seems Athena’s job today is to stop an impending battle.