JADE
The men began to play poker while chatting about business and sports.
I couldn’t keep up because I was good at neither of the two.
“Hey there.” Sable cornered me when I went to the bathroom for the nth time since I sat down.
I didn’t have a reason to go; I just wanted to stretch my legs and give my ears a break from all the talk I couldn’t be a part of.
“Oh, hi,” I said, trying to match her tone but still wondering if I had to be wary of her with my husband.
Was she the kind who would cry wolf and frame me so I lost favour in his sight?
“What are you thinking of?” She grabbed my hand and scanned my face.
I coughed and tried to break the gaze, but her eyes followed me.
“Nothing,” I managed to squeeze out.
“The men would be at that till dinnertime.” She pointed in the direction we had both come from.
“Oh,” I nodded.
I had no idea what else I was supposed to say.
“Maybe I can find a place to rest for…”
“Of course not,” she cut me off, shaking her head so forcefully it was going to snap off her neck and roll away.
‘Really, Jade?
Keep up the imaginative mind.’
“We are going shopping,” she declared.
She spoke softly, but she had the same grave tone that Roman carried.
Her eyes twinkled with joy as she looked at me.
“Oh, I don’t know if I want to…”
“You don’t want to spend time with me?” she asked.
Hurt flashed through her eyes.
She was still holding onto me.
“I thought this was finally an opportunity for me to get a friend after being stuck with these boys for far too long.”
“No, I was not trying to say I won’t go with you.
It’s just that…”
“Is it Roman?” she cut me off again.
It was none of that.
I didn’t know if I could trust her at all.
What if this were a honey trap and I were already walking into it without knowing?
“I can talk to him; I am sure he won’t refuse,” she said, pulling me towards the private room the men were in.
“We are off,” she announced, picking up our bags.
She handed mine to me and strapped hers on her shoulder.
“Where to?” Roman got out of his chair and moved.
She stood between us with her hand on her waist.
“Shopping.”
“Why does she have to come with you?”
“Are you suggesting she sits here and listens to you three bore her to death with these talks that make me want to yawn?” she said, and I was yawning as well.
Roman looked from her to me.
His eyes were questioning, even though his lips didn’t move.
He looked back at Sable and moved closer.
“You must bring her back safe.”
“Aye aye, Captain,” she mocked, shaking her head like some caricature.
“If anything, as much as one strand of hair is missing from her, I will…”
“Wipe out the entire Rossi family?” she asked like they were listing off items on a grocery list.
“Got it,” she saluted and took a step back.
She held me by the elbow and pulled me closer.
“Is there any other instruction?”
“None,” he said, dragging his eyes over my body.
I pulled down my shirt and shuffled on my feet, unable to act as though nothing happened with his heavy gaze on me.
“Later, suckers,” she waved as she walked out of the room.
There was already a Rolls-Royce waiting for us on her command.
She shoved me inside and sat by my side.
“So tell me, how is your marriage with Roman?” she asked as we cruised the mall, which was very obviously owned by her family.
I couldn’t ignore the way the staff stopped and bowed to her every time we passed.
The eyes of everyone were on her.
How had I never heard of her before?
“Fine,” I choked because I had not been expecting such a question from her.
“Fine?” she turned to me with her brows raised.
She pressed her lips into a thin line and had a thoughtful expression.
After a while, she bit down on her lip and raised her eyebrow.
“That prude hasn’t made the first move, has he?”
I gasped at how accurate she was.
If only she knew the full story.
Maybe she would think we were both lunatics for our situation.
“I have just the thing to help you.”
“To help me?” I froze.
I refused to move even though she tried to pull me further into the mall.
“How?”
“You’ll see,” she winked.
I was still skeptical about her, but so far she hadn’t acted like I was supposed to be wary of her.
The mischievous glint in her eyes told me she was about to do something pretty embarrassing to me.
“Try this on.” She pushed a piece of lingerie onto my body.
This one was even worse than the one I had worn at the Volkov estate.
“I can’t,” I said, trying to push the lacy dress off me.
“Why not?” She lifted it to the light and inspected it.
“These are new season pieces and are all in range,” she said.
“I just don’t enjoy dressing like this because…”
“Trust me, when you are married, you need to be dressed like this,” she whispered in my ear and pushed me to the changing room.
She hovered when I stepped out.
She forced me forward, trying to show me off while praising the curves I was sure I didn’t have.
“Roman won’t be able to take his eyes off you,” she whispered.
She was trying her best to pry my hands that were permanently glued to my chest while hyping me up in them.
How could I tell her that my husband was going to yell at me if I showed up in front of him in lingerie?
I would even be crazy to do something like that.
She bought the sets and pulled me into another store.
The crazy-looking libido and sex toys vibrating on the display tables made me freeze with shock.
I turned to her and shook my head.
“Sable, no, this is…”
“The spice to your marriage,” she said, wiggling her brows at me.
I tried to stop her, but every word I said fell on deaf ears.
She was adamant and would not take no for an answer.
By the time we were exiting the store, all I could think about was the right place to hide all of this before Roman saw it and lost his cool.
Things were just getting stable between us; there was no way I would lead him to think I was some kind of sex-starved animal who couldn’t wait.
“Good luck,” Sable said as she pushed me to the room.
‘No luck, Jade.’