Fucking weird.
After he filled his plate, he pushed the utensils toward me. “I took a couple culinary classes on the French Riviera. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve been cooking ever since. It’s a great way to wind down after a long day.”
A long day of raping and murdering people?
“Do you like to cook?” He handled his utensils with perfect manners and even spun his pasta against his spoon. He practiced a refinement he didn’t display on a daily basis.
“No.” I served myself and took a bite. It was good, but I refused to say that.
“I could always teach you.”
“No.”
Maddox didn’t acknowledge my rudeness. He continued to eat like this was a pleasant experience for us both. Our silverware tapped against the plates, and the sound was so loud because there was no conversation to muffle it.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Who said I wanted to talk about anything?”
I had a million things to do, and I didn’t want to waste precious time looking at someone I hated. “Then what’s the point of this?”
“The point is for us to have dinner and enjoy each other’s company. I don’t understand why that’s so difficult for you to comprehend.” He chewed his food slowly as he stared at me across the table. Then he picked up his glass and smelled it again.
“I don’t enjoy your company.”
He chewed his last bite and didn’t cut into his food again. He stared at me with lifeless eyes, like he didn’t know how to respond to my cold statement. “I don’t see why you feel that way. We work well together. We’re good partners. We’re good friends.”
“Good friends don’t lick each other’s spit.”
He turned his attention back to his food and cut another piece before he placed it in his mouth. After a long time chewing, he spoke again. “But good lovers do.”
I heard his words and also the message underneath. It gave me a sense of dread I’d never felt before. I’d been faced with killers and thieves, but I’d never been faced with this kind of threat. He didn’t want my money or my connections. The only thing he wanted was me.
I set my fork and knife on the plate and ignored the dinner I had been forcing myself to eat. Now I was too nauseated to choke the garbage down my throat. My eyes focused on his, feeling the urge to run but also to kill.
Maddox took another bite and chewed slowly, his eyes taking me in with a mesmerized gaze. His mouth moved slowly, and his eyes remained so intense, they were like two suns. He put his truth on the table and watched me react.
I didn’t know what my next move would be. I wasn’t entirely sure of what was happening. This man had been focused on me for years, and then he invited me over for dinner…like we were more than friends. “Is this a date?”
Maddox finished chewing then shrugged. “Do you want it to be?”
My eyes narrowed. “I like women.”
“I like women enough…doesn’t mean anything.”
I’d never felt so targeted before. I’d had a gun pointed at my head and a knife to my throat, but being the source of infatuation for another man was creepy. In that moment, it made me understand the fear all women had every time they walked down a street at night. It was disturbing, disgusting. I’d had women corner me and make their best move, but that was totally different. I always had the right to say no…even though I never said no. Maddox had me under his thumb, and he clearly had no issue with raping someone.
For the first time in my life, I actually felt weak. “Why have you been obsessed with me all these years?”
He clearly had a lot to say because he pushed away his plate and utensils. His arms rested on the surface, and he leaned forward. “We are the same. I told you that.” His eyes moved down to my plate before he looked at me again. “I noticed it a long time ago when you killed your father. Made me feel less alone…that someone else would do something so heinous. I watched you progress in your career. You’re a self-made man. I admire that.”
I listened to every word and hated myself for the attention I gave him. It was the first time I’d wanted to understand him fully because he was the kind of opponent I had never faced before.
“My respect and admiration only grew through the years. You were just a pawn in a game, but then you became the knight. I’ve watched you cut down everyone around you, and the pride grew inside me like a balloon…even though I didn’t know you. Once you became my primary adversary, I’d never been so impressed by anyone in my life. You’re a special man, Hades. I can never kill you because that would be a crime against humanity.”
I’d never been fearful of someone’s respect. I was afraid of people’s murderous intent, but not their praise. “So, you’ve always wanted me as a partner. You’ve plotted all of this to keep me tethered to your side.” Realization dawned on me that Maddox was far more intelligent than I’d ever given him credit for. He was patient and calculating, seeing the big picture when everyone else could only see the immediate event before them. He maliciously removed Sofia from my life so he could have me all to himself. It was so harsh, I almost stopped breathing.
“In so many words…” He grabbed his glass of wine and took another sniff, like the fumes from the alcohol could affect him through his lungs. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone…never wanted anyone so much.”
I was actually scared of this man. He had me by the balls, could get me to do anything he wanted. All he had to do was threaten Sofia and Andrew, and I’d be bent over and ready to be fucked like a whore. It made me so sick, I nearly threw up everything I’d just eaten. I felt even worse for what happened to Sofia…that she’d had to endure this for weeks. “You’ve forced a partnership, so it’s not based on loyalty or respect. It’s empty because you know I despise you. If you forced any other kind of relationship, the results would be the same…empty.” I refused to beg for my freedom, but I also refused to lie down and give in. Suicide returned to my thoughts because I’d rather be dead than have to live like this.
Maddox set down his wineglass and looked at me with disappointment. The silence continued for a long time, as if he was considering the perfect thing to say. Both of his arms rested across the table, and he leaned forward again to regard me. “If we solidified our partnership, we’d be unstoppable. Our reign wouldn’t only be in Italy. It would stretch all over the world, and it would be so much sweeter if we were more.”
I’d never been hit on by a dude, and it wouldn’t bother me so much if the request were optional. But I knew it was only a matter of time before Maddox pressured me to give him what he wanted. He wouldn’t have been this obsessed with me for so long if I’d really had a choice. I would be spared tonight, but not spared forever. “We’ll never be more, Maddox. Let’s not forget what you did to my wife. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I never will.”
“It wasn’t personal. And she’s your ex-wife.”
My right hand tightened into a fist. “It doesn’t matter if I hate her. She was still my wife, and you did something you can’t take back. I will always despise you for what you did to my family. You’ve threatened my son many times, and I’m not going to pretend that didn’t happen. I will never reciprocate your feelings, not just because I’m straight, but I absolutely loathe you. If you want me, you’re going to have to force me.”