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“This marriage is falling apart, Valentino, and?—”
“Isn’t that what you want?” I ask bitterly. “For this marriage to be over so you can go back to that maggot.”
She takes a deep breath. “He’s not a maggot, but I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”
“Your apology is meaningless because you will go running to that revolting maggot at the first sign of trouble. You--”
She rises to her feet suddenly and slides into my lap, her arms circling around my neck. My words get lost in the mist of lust curling in my guts. I have a feeling she is trying to seduce me into forgiving her. It will work and she fucking knows it.
“The truth is…” Francesca’s gaze drops to my lips. “I miss you. It is you I’m married to, not him.”
“But you don’t hesitate to throw him at my face at the slightest provocation.”
“You should punish me for it,” she says, arching into me and lowering her head until she’s only a few inches away from my mouth. “It was wrong.”
“Be careful what you ask for. If I want to punish you for it, I’d do it by gutting Thomas and feeding him to the swine. Would you like that?”
She freezes. “You don’t have to kill him, Valentino. Thomas isn’t a threat. When I said punish, I meant, handcuff me to the bedposts and smack my bottom or something along those lines.”
My eyes widen. “You want me to handcuff you and smack your bottom.”
A secret smile plays on her lips. “I’m game if you are.”
I fell for it. Hook, line and sinker. “Yeah, I’m game.
Her eyes glitter. “Tell me about Nina first.”
I look her in the eye. “I didn’t sleep with that woman on our wedding night. Believe it… or not.”
“So why did you smell like her that night?”
If she had not sunk her teeth into her bottom lip before she asked that question, I would not have answered, but she did… The little minx did.
“Because I went to the Pavilion Margaux and she was there. She rubbed herself against me and wanted me to go to her apartment, but I refused. That’s all there is to it.”
Her gaze roams my face, but I don’t say anything further to defend myself or convince her. I need her to trust me. Either she does or she doesn’t.
“But when you left me that night, you had every intention of sleeping with someone else, did you not?”
“Yes.”
She stares at me. “Why didn’t you? You could have fucked Nina if you wanted.”
My gaze never leaves hers. “Yes, but I wanted you.”
Her lips part in a soft gasp. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“This time you get a free pass, but you have to learn and quickly, little pearl. My word is everything. You have to trust me implicitly for I never lie to you. We are one. That is the only way we will survive.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you well enough and she was very convincing,” she whispers.
“You will never meet her again, but you will meet others like her,” I say. “There are hundreds of women out there who want me. They will give anything to be in your shoes. They will drop snide remarks to make you believe I care about them. But it will be a lie. Sometimes, the only thing you’ll have is my word. And you have to trust me because you, me and any children we have are one unit. Never to be separated.”
She’s silent for a moment. Then, she nods. “From now on, I will. Implicitly. Until the day you lie to me. Then I will be gone forever.”
Not even for a second do I hesitate. “Deal. And now… it’s time for your punishment… smack your bottom you said…”
Chapter Twenty-Five