Married After Midnight

Leash

The air was sweet and moist. Hot air carried the delicate scent of lavender and rose and it mixed with every bit of oxygen that filled the room. It was her signature scent, naturally seductive. It was the scent that drew in her first, second, third, and fourth husband. It was also that very scent that sparked the addiction of her most dedicated lover, and devoted companion. She soaked herself in a bath of milk and honey as her mind reeled and contemplated her next move. The game was in motion, slowly yet quickly unravelling itself to a future that would depend on the counteraction of her target.

Her eyes settled on the man who sat beside the tub. His mind was fully consumed by the papers he had. He didn't like the game but he played anyway, turning her thoughts and plans into a reality.

She had it all planned out, only time would tell if her intentions would become reality. So far they did, a few undesired bodies had fallen, but so far her success rate was in the high eighties.

"How long do you think it will take Richard?" She asked, her voice giddy yet smooth like velvet.

Richard looked up from his documents, his face soft but his eyes tired.

"How long for what Devina?"

A soft smile painted her lips. "How long do you think it will take her to implode."

A hint of sadness entered Richard's voice. "Could be weeks, months, even years."

Devina scoffed and rose from the tub. The skin of her slender body was like fresh snow. White without a mark.

"If it takes that long I'll have to shoot her myself. Too bad he won't take too kindly to that."

She stepped out of the tub and grabbed her robe as she exited the room leaving Richard to quickly pull his things together and follow her. He walked behind her through the stone walls of the old mansion, questions sprouting and quickly growing. His heart raced as he stared at Devina's naked body slowly being dressed, yet his mind couldn't take it in. Couldn't focus. It would end soon he told himself as they entered her study. Without a word, she sat on the polished oak desk and stared at the chess board on the coffee table. It had been three months since the last piece moved. Most would think she was playing alone, losing pawns to a figment of her imagination. The last move was a waste and the move before that cost her a pawn. Pawn to G5 she played. Richard kept silent and watched as the piece settled in place while she wrote the move. Today's move left the future wide open, left a pawn free to move on both sides of the board. Richard kept silent and watched as the piece settled in place while she wrote the move. Her pawn was facing another pawn and the result of today would tell her if she lost a pawn or if she was on the attack.

"What makes you so sure she will implode?"

A nefarious grin grew on Devon's lips. "I'm sure because children don't fix marriages."

Richard stayed silent.

"Especially broken children," she continued. "They fix nothing, they only shatter the little that's left. I may not be able to touch the insolent whore so long as they're married but with that boy in place it's only a matter of time till that marriage falls apart, and when it does I'll see to it that she lays at the bottom of the seine. Then things can progress the way they always should have."

Richard swallowed dryly, he could see what she was going for and it was inhumane from all sides. It made part of him desire Devina more, and he knew that part of him needed help, but it also made another part of him sick. It broke him apart to know what he was really doing, but there was nothing he could do about it now. This plan had been going on for at least five years and he had been a part of it from the very beginning. He couldn't stop now.

"Are you sure it will work?" He asked.

Her smile grew even wider. "Very. That little bitch is already broken and so is that boy, it is only a matter of time. Children don't fix marriages, Richard. I should know."