Page 23 of Coercion

Maybe a few days of just adjusting here might reassure her. I know Sidney will happily cater to her every need and it’s clear my presence is making her more fearful. Besides, I need some time to think, to clear my own head, to stop looking at me new wife and obsessing over all the things I’m not allowed to do to her.

As I go to leave, I tell Sidney to look after her. That whatever she wants she gets, no questions asked.

And then I message to have the townhouse readied for me. I’ll sleep there tonight. I’ll give her a little space and see if that helps her adjust.

Preston

“Well?” Eleri says as I walk into the room.

Nico is sat beside her, his eyes fixed on me like he already knows I’ve fucked up and taken a bite of the forbidden fruit.

“She’s fine.” I say.

Even Blaine snorts at that.

“Alright.” I sigh, pouring myself a stiff drink despite the fact it’s still very much early morning. “She’s all over the place.”

“In what way?” Nico asks.

I shrug. “She’s so she’s scared of her own shadow she barely breathes. She says whatever she thinks will placate me. She does whatever she thinks will make me happy.”

“Sounds like the perfect wife.” Blaine mutters and Eleri shoots him a look.

“She’s fucking traumatised.” I snap, feeling my anger flare. She’s not fucking perfect, she’s so far from it though none of it is her fault exactly.

“Traumatised by the sight of your cock?” Blaine teases and Eleri gets up and slaps him before I can.

He grins, rubbing the red mark like it’s something of pleasure not pain. The fucking psycho that he is.

“Have you spoken to her?” She asks as she sits down, because apparently assaulting Blaine is now a thing she doesn’t think twice about.

I fix her with a look. I’ll admit I used to avoid staring at her face, when I first laid eyes on her the scars used to make me cringe but since she’s been with Nico she owns them, like they’re battle wounds. She styles her hair not to hide herself but to show off. She’s beautiful in a devastating way and the contrast between her and my ghost of a wife couldn’t be more apparent.

“About what?” I ask back.

“Any of it. Has she talked about her mother? About Levi? Anything?” Nico says.

I shake my head. “No. She doesn’t talk. And when she does it’s mainly one word answers.”

“Sounds perfect to me.” Blaine says and I pick up the nearest glass and lob it at his damned head.

He responds by laughing as it bounces off and smashes.

“There were cameras in the room.” I say. Like they didn’t know. Like I didn’t tell them already.

Nico leans back in his chair. “What benefit could they have to watch you?”

“Maybe Levi gets off watching others fuck.” Blaine shrugs.

“That’s not it.” I say. Levi isn’t a voyeur. This wasn’t some sort of kinky sex thing. It was a power trip, I just don’t get why. It’s like they’re intentionally trying to piss me off, despite our alliance.

“I don’t understand what he’s doing.” Nico murmurs, glancing at the paperwork he sent over to us.

“Me neither.” I say. Even this marriage seems odd. Why would Levi have sought an alliance with us? There are enough big players about, the Puccini’s, the Gambino’s. All of them are powerful enough to have been a good ally and, considering our history… I sigh shaking my head slightly. I feel like I had the worst night sleep of my life because I spent the majority of it watching over my wife, unable to take my eyes from her, afraid that if I dropped my guard either Levi would be there, in the shadows, or worse, I’d lose what little control I mustered and I’d be touching what I’m not permitted to.

I rub my temples, trying to ease the headache that’s already forming. I’m not even one day into this marriage and already my wife is fucking with every carefully constructed piece of my world.

“Has she said anything about her mother?” Eleri asks again.