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I can’t ignore the hoarse desperation clinging to his voice. Satisfaction rolls through me.

“Honestly, I don’t want anything you can give me. I wanted to know why you thought it was okay to buy a woman for her virginity like she was a fucking handbag. But I gave you a chance to man up to your actions and you’re wasting my time. And Ireallyneed to get home for dinner.” I lower myself to his eye level. “So, I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. Your bank account is already drained. And since you don’t have a will?—”

“I-I h-have a will,” he croaks brokenly, his eyes brimming with trepidation and tears.

“Nah, I don’t think you do,” I answer, voice devoid of anything but boredom. “And since you failed to plan, I’m gonna help you out.”

Tears collect on his cheeks, and I smile at how easy it was to break this man.

“Your cars and houses will go to your wife as well as twenty million in cash. Ten million will go to a charity I choose. And the rest has already been wired to an account in Delilah’s name. Five point five million. But let’s just call it even.”

The blood draining from his hands and pooling behind his chair has him swaying against his restraints.

He looks like he’s fading in and out of consciousness, so I prop the head of my gun under his chin, forcing his head up.

“I’ll never forget how sorry you look right now, Jimmy. That shit gone help me sleep at night.”

I pull the trigger and watch him slump forward. Then I aim the gun at his heart and put another hole in him.

Whistling lowly, Alonzo comes to my side. “That got messier than I thought it would.”

“Sorry.” My apology is a mumble as I assess my clothes.

Blood is splattered all over the tassels on my loafers and the front of my gray slacks.

Fuck. I can’t sit down for dinner like this.

Reading my mind, Alonzo shakes his head and says, “Change at my house. You know the code.” He looks at Jimmy like he’s a pile of laundry. “I’ll take care of getting this cleaned up.”

“Thanks, Lo.”

I’m almost at the bay door when his voice stops me. “And Don?”

I don’t turn around. “Yeah?”

“I can’t wait to meet Delilah at the charity gala next week.”

Interlude — Piano Date

DELILAH

Adonis: Delilah

Me: Adonis

Adonis: Why aren’t you talking to me? You barely said anything at dinner.

Me: That’s not true. I said you were a middle-aged man with too much money

Adonis: And then you didn’t say anything else. What’s wrong?

Only this man would think something is wrong because I wasn’t insulting him enough.

Sighing, I click the button to kill my screen and glance at my open closet. Pants, shorts, sandals and dresses in more colors than I could ever want stare back at me. I haven’t repeated an outfit once and it makes me wonder how long he’s been building the wardrobe. Howmany women before me had he needed to dress? And how had we all been the same size?

Me: How many women have stayed in this room?

Adonis: Just you. Why?