Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 528

I nodded slowly. "So have you eaten?"

She shook her head.

"Have you had lunch?" she asked me, and when I shook my head, she tilted hers to one side. "Would you like me to serve you something?"

I hesitated. I had made it a rule not to eat food from this house, or from these two women, for as long as they lived under my roof. I did not trust them completely, and a man in my position learned early that a plate of food was one of the easiest ways for an enemy to reach him. But there was a hopeful look on Scarlett's face that I could not quite refuse.

"All right," I said.

She got dressed and went downstairs, and I went to my own room to find something dry. When I came back down, she was setting the dining table, and when she turned and caught sight of me on the stairs, she smiled. I told myself it had to be the most beautiful smile in the world, and I did not argue with myself about it.

I sat down. She brought out what she had cooked and baked: a roasted chicken with crisp golden skin, a dish of seasoned rice, a warm loaf of bread she had made with her own hands, and a small tray of sugar-dusted pastries set aside for after. She laid it all in front of me, and then she did not sit.

"Aren't you eating?" I asked.

"I am waiting for Tasha," she said.

I looked at her. "Am I a statue? Sit down. I am not eating if you are not eating."

She sat.

We ate together in the quiet of the dining, and I found myself watching her more than the food. Dominic's words kept coming back to me. Did she feel even a little of what I felt? I wished there was no contract between us, no debt, no bargain that bound her to this house. Everything she did for me felt like it came from obligation, and I could no longer tell where the contract ended and the woman began. If I tore the contract up and released Tasha from the marriage, would Scarlett stay? Or would she take her niece and walk out of my life without a backward glance?

"It is strictly by invitation," I said. "And I will be busy with work all night. I will not be able to look after anyone."

"Still," she said, "it would be better for you to make your appearance with Tasha. She is your wife, at least in name. If people see you walking in with your wife's maid of honor instead of your wife, it will look strange. And she loves events like this. It would be a chance for her to watch something like this up close and enjoy herself."

She pushed her plate aside and leaned in, warming to it. "You should have seen how happy she was on your wedding day. The whole celebration, the party, the music, the vibe. She was glowing. She would be excited to go to something like this."

I thought about it and realized she was right. If Tasha was going to be part of my public life for the year, the world would expect to see her at my side.

"Fine," I said. "But since I will be running the security, the two of you will stay with my secondary team the whole night. That way I know you are safe at all times. Deal?"

Scarlett nodded. "Deal. I will tell Tasha about it."