Page 71 of Monster

She swallowed hard. “Fine. Whatever. Get out so I can change.”

I slid my hands into my pockets. “And if I don’t?”

She stood her ground. “Then, I guess you’ll be going out by yourself tonight.”

I sauntered up to her. “You’re going to do as I ask and you’re going to do it without question. Want to know why?”

Her eyes danced between mine. “Why?”

I gripped her chin. “Because I want people to see that you’re an obedient little woman. That you trust me.”

She pulled her chin away from my fingers. “Why the hell do you care about that?”

I gripped her hair and made her focus on me. “Because that’s what I want for the evening, so that’s what I’ll get. And if you don’t like it, the basement always has plenty of room for you and that attitude.”

She ground her teeth together. “Fine. Let me get changed.”

I smiled. “Good girl.”

“No.”

I paused. “What?”

Something rushed behind her eyes that gave me pause. “Don’t you ever call me that again, understood? I don’t give a shit if you sink me to the bottom of the ocean, I will slap you the next time you call me that.”

I studied her for a long time before I nodded my head. “I’ll take that into consideration.”

She sighed. “I suppose that’s all I can ask of you.”

I wanted to press, but I swallowed my curiosity down. I had her agreement on how the evening would go, and that was all that mattered. And hopefully, after Lorenzo himself saw how good Miss Pettigrew was at my side—how well-trained she had become—he’d get off my fucking back for a bit.

Because I wasn’t sure I could withstand another middle-of-the-night assault.

“You have forty-five minutes. I’ll go get the car ready,” I said as I strode out of her closet.

“See you downstairs,” she murmured.

The defeated tone of her voice made me pause again and I peered over my shoulder. I caught the smallest glimpse of Miss Pettigrew looking down at the red dress in her hands before she brushed at something beneath her eye. I silently turned to face her as she lifted her head and drew in a deep breath through her nose. The way she rolled her shoulders back and put on a confident face was something I immediately admired in her. But, it also made my stomach sick.

How long had this woman pretended to be happy? And strong? Only to be miserable on the inside?

No time for sentiments now, Mateo.

So, I forced myself back downstairs to make the proper preparations with my driver.

With that sad image of Miss Pettigrew emblazoned against the eye of my mind forever.

* * *

“All right, you can do this,” I whispered to myself.

That hopeless feeling I knew all too well in my life crept over me, but I wouldn’t let it swallow me whole. My entire childhood was fraught with memories of helpless little me needing guidance and direction and someone to take the lead. It was filled with moments where I felt abandoned and overlooked. Like a pawn in some game I wasn’t aware people were playing around me. And tonight, I felt like I was tossed right back into that game.

There was a silver lining, though.

He trusts me.

I drew in a deep breath as I made my way toward the back of the closet. I quickly shed my yellow dress and stepped into the red one that matched his suit. And fucking hell, did he look good in that suit. It definitely made a statement, and that statement was ‘mess with me and I’ll kick your ass all the way to the heavens’.

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