Page 31 of Wickedly Played
Leaning forward in the armchair, I feel the jeans tighten around my thighs. “What’s the threat?”
Jim looks uneasy. “Well, there is a detailed list on how someone is going to kill Serena and then kill anyone who gets in their way.”
Holding out my hand for the letter, I wait for Jim to hand it over to me reluctantly. “Let me read it.”
Serena,
My dearest love. I’ve been waiting for you to come to me. I’ve been waiting for you to finally admit you’re in love with me, like I know you are. Those other people don’t love you like I do. They only want to keep you from me. I know how much you want me. I love seeing you in the club. I love feeling your skin against mine. I also love it when you come on my tongue. You taste so sweet, and you taste like mine. Every time with you is better than the last. However, I’mgetting impatient. I have told you before, I want you, and we’re meant to be together. I have told you that I’m your true love. When will you see how much I love you? When are you going to come to me?
Your true love
And then there is another one with pictures.
Serena,
It has been two weeks since I have seen your face in real life. I have missed you every minute of every day. Since you won’t come to me, I will come to you. You haven’t been to the Checkmate Club in a long time. I go there every night to see you. I’ve spent all of my life’s savings on being with you, and you haven’t bothered coming in. I know what it is. It is that bodyguard of yours. I have seen the way you look at him. I have seen the way he looks at you. It isn’t real. You know that. You know you only love me. You guys have fucked, haven’t you? I know you have. You guys look at each other like you’re in love. I’m going to kill him, and then I’m going to kill you. I would rather you be dead in real life instead of knowing you’re with a different man. Your bodyguard won’t love you like I do. You can keep Stella. We could use her for content. However, she needsto make sure she’s not getting too close to you. I will kill anyone who gets in my way. Remember that the next time you’re out with your bodyguard. Or your agent. Or Stella. You will either end up with me, or I will make sure you end altogether.
Your truest love
Chapter Twelve
SERENA
Max Fitzpatrick is a total and complete asshole. Fuck him. This hot-and-cold act is getting really old, and I’m done with him. If Jim weren’t such a pain in my ass, I would have fired Max.
You know what?
“Jim, I need to talk to you!” I blurt out and stomp off to my security office.
“Serena. I heard the show went well last night,” he greets.
I roll my eyes. “Yeah. It always goes well. We need to talk about Max. I want a different bodyguard.”
He groans. “Why?”
“He’s an utter and complete asshole.”
“Really? You’ve had him in your home for a couple of weeks, and you already hate him?”
I walk into my gym to have some privacy. I’m well aware that Max is probably listening and watching everything I’m doing. I fight the urge to flick off the cameras I know are littered throughout my house.
“Jim,” I begin, “I need a different one. He hates me. I don’t want to play these games with you.”
“Serena, might I remind you that you have a stalker?”
I hiss. “I’m well aware of that. I’m not completely stupid.” I hear thepingon my phone, indicating that I have a call coming in. I see that it is an unknown number. “Fuck,” I whisper.
He clears his throat. “Are you getting calls still?”
Jim thinks he knows everything about my past life, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t know what it was like as a child, and he doesn’t know what it was like to be a child in my family’s home. As soon as I left my ex-husband, my family tried to get in touch with me. I don’t owe them a damned thing, and that is the last thing I need to deal with. Of course, it would make sense to involve them to find my stalker but owing them a favor is something I can’t afford.
I can’t afford to fall back into their clutches. It is too expensive to lose myself all over again.
“Yeah, I have been.”
“Did you tell Max about it?”
“Why would I need to?” I snap.
