ILLICIT DESIRES | 18 +

Chapter 52

ROMAN

The Workload looms before Me.

But I feel quite idle, because my little flower clouds all my mind. And I don't like the fact that I left her in the company of the little Chucky, Helena.

Her unease plagued me for weeks. It took weeks, each day a rigorous attempt to placate her doubts and forge a relationship rooted in trust.

Now, I dread that my host vile may exterminate the relationship I rekindled with vast effort. Though, she had promised to keep quiet about my past... my insipid dalliances.

A sigh escapes me, carrying the scent of upheaval. It feels as if I had flung the door open and invited havoc inside my abode — called Helena Alessi. I like her. But I have to get rid of her.

Her husband hadn't called — yet. Perhaps he was content to let misfortune riddle my life, vindicated by the idea that I deserved to be afflicted with her.

Then the shrill ring of my phone cut through the silence. I leaned forward, a slow, almost serpentine smirk curled on my lips. I knew he'd call.

I let the device ring — each buzz like a teasing — until his fifth desperate attempt. My thumb brushed the screen, and I answered.

"Why so eager? Miss me already?" A hum leaves my lips, dripping with languid malice. "I knew your whimsical ass couldn't do without me."

"Do you have my wife?" he barks, breath jagged.

"Mmm, yes," I say, unfazed. "She's currently chilling in my basement — figuratively and literally. Like Rita once did in yours. I imagine you'd like her back?"

His threat explodes through the speaker like an upheaval, fierce but ultimately impotent. "If you lay a finger on her, I swear I'll—"

"Make me regret the day I was born?" I finish for him, chuckling darkly. "Your threats are like weak foreplay. They don't excite me. Save them for your wife. Once you save her, she'll need them."

He scoffs, venomous. "What about the aftermath? Nasty and limping? I will save this for you, you hear me, you dirty little bastard."

I lean back. "Hmm, I like it dirty. Also nasty. Bring it on. Like a gangbang of an army. Your army may be wide, but mine hits deep. They are sharp, and loyal. So loyal to the dirty little bastard that you cannot even imagine it in your wet dreams."

"What the fuck do you want?" he snaps, barking. There's no patience left in his tone, no civility — only raw anger for losing his precious little doll.

"Nothing divine. Just your Plan B, known as Rita's mother... and fifty million. Neatly wrapped. Clean bills. Untouched. The dirty bastard likes his money clean."

"You always were a smart bastard," he says, without denying, knowing he cannot rig me — being more cautious after I found who played me dirty.

A slow grin spreads across my face.

"Smart?" I echo, followed by a subtle chuckle.

"No. Not smart. Methodical. Patient. I don't move fast — I move right. While you planted decoys, I planted them for you. I dug deep. Down into the dirt, doing the dirty work — and it sharpened my senses, opened my eyes to every possibility after everything I've seen."

"Your tactics and senses didn't get your family to your side. They're still with me. Valerio and Mia... they stand by my side." He tries to get under my skin.

"I know," I murmur, not letting him push my buttons. "And I want them back. Kick them off. Lay off. I don't care. I want them all the day you want to pick up your little Chucky."