章 11: A ruse (2)

I should have known keeping Catalina from snooping would be impossible. Nico must have kept her busy for about an hour after dinner but barely half an hour after I sit in my office to get some work done, she knocks on the door and lets herself in.

She steps in nervously and looks almost like she wants to turn around and run away but something makes her stay put. Maybe it's the allure of actually getting to tell me what she wants. I know it must be something important if she risked coming all the way here. The woman seems to think I'm some wild animal ready to gobble her up—I wouldn't say she's wrong about the latter.

"What? Tired of watching movies with my brother?" I ask.

She forces a smile and slides her hands down the sides of her nightdress. She is probably trying to calm her nerves but all that does is bring my attention to her shapely hips. The nightdress she is wearing today is much shorter than the previous one, and so transparent that I can make out her creamy skin through the black material.

I should ask Luna to get rid of these nighdresses.

But as I work my eyes up her body, my cock twitches as if to disagree on the thought of her having to wear something less sexy. These nightgowns are perfect. And besides, what would change if she wore infuriatingly long, ugly dresses to bed? She would still be breathtaking. Catalina is a beautiful woman with a body tempting as sin. There is nothing she could wear to change that.

If she wore nothing, on the other hand…

What the fuck am I thinking?

I clear my throat and pick up a pile of paper that doesn't need straightening, then I straighten them to look busy as I look at her with a frown to express what a waste of my time this is.

"What do you want?"

She swallows and looks me up and down nervously before she says in a bare whisper, "your permission."

"For what?"

Much like the last time she was here, she takes a few steps towards me as if that is going to help me hear her better. All it does is make me notice those luscious boobs, her nipples almost visible through the thin material of her dress. I force my eyes away from her and onto my sheets of paper. I have no clue what I'm looking at even though I read the damn document barely a few minutes ago.

"I need to take a run. In the morning…it will help with training if I have a clear mind and I heard a run in nature helps with that."

The thought of Catalina in tight leggings and a sports bra with her hair in a ponytail makes me swallow. I can't help picturing those beautiful boobs bouncing with each step she makes. When I catch myself shutting my eyes for a clear imagination, I want to shoot myself through my skull. Clearly, there is no brain in there. How is it possible that I hate this woman so much, but when she is the only one in the room with me, all I can think about is her body?

"If you want to run, you can do so around this mansion. There is enough ground for that. If not, go to the gym downstairs." I wave her off. "If you haven't already noticed, I am tired and would like to rest now."

She crosses her arms and lets out a sound that sounds like a cross between a sigh and a chuckle. "I knew you would say that."

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

She doesn't say a word more. Instead, she saunters out of my office and although my eyes are glued to her ass as she walks out, I can't keep the nagging though out of my mind. What the fuck is she up to?

——

Barely a few hours later, the answer stomps into my office.

"Can't you let me get some work done?" I snap when Nico barges in.

In truth, it is not his fault that I've been distracted ever since a certain feisty little kitten walked out of my office a few hours earlier. I haven't been able to keep her out of my mind. I'm pretty certain she didn't get close enough for me to smell her scent but I swear, my office smells like her.

I've been reading the same paragraph of a contract over and over and I still don't know what the fuck any of the sentences says.

Nico looks even more pissed off than I am.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" He demands.

I slump back in my backrest. "If this is about the prisoner…"

"Catalina. This is about you vexing her when we need her." He slaps a folded sheet of paper onto my desk. I look up at him and almost laugh when I see how serious he looks.

"Are you out of your mind? Since when do you…" Never mind. Whatever Catalina told her, he believed her. So I change my tactics. "What did she tell you?"

"Nothing. But take a look at that." He points his chin at the paper he just slapped onto my desk. My gaze is still on him as I unfold it, so when I vaguely see the first words, I frown.

[Dear Ivan,]

I raise a brow. What a coincidence, Catalina. I thought about him too. Except, she probably felt some silly sense of security writing those two words down. On the other hand, I want to reach into the letter and rip Ivan's head off when I don't even know the man.

Of course I am angry. He is ruining my plan and he doesn't know it yet.

Putting my anger aside, I read the rest of the letter.

[You must be wondering why I'm writing you a letter when we didn't transmigrate into a 1600s movie where all we can do is write letters and hide them in a secret spot that only we know about. Maybe I'm trying to be romantic?

Okay, that sounds cringeworthy even for a cheesy person like me.

Anyway, will you believe me if I said I was kidnapped by aliens who are now trying to suck my blood, and this is my only way to reach you?

Maybe aliens is an exaggeration and you wouldn't believe me. We all know they don't suck human blood; that would be vampires. Vampires AND the mafia.]

I pause and look up at Nico. What the fuck? He probably read the letter too because he doesn't ask what's wrong.

So I continue.

[I knew this day was coming, to be quite honest. I just didn't know how soon and who…

Well, in case this letter gets opened by someone whose name is not Ivan, I cannot divulge too much. I just wanted to let you know I am alright—for now.]

Love, Cat.

PS: I kinda told Rico you and I are together on a cruise, so try not to let him see you anywhere.

PPS: If you end up reading this, let me know.]

I crumble the damn letter in my hands. "There will be no reply from Ivan."

Nico tiredly slumps into the couch near the window and kicks his legs up to the armrest. "That's not the point. Do you think she wrote this letter thinking I would give it to Ivan?"

I glare at him. How the fuck should I know?

"She didn't even give me this guy's address."

"So what is this?" I motion to the crumbled paper in my hand.

Nico looks up to meet my eyes. "A ruse. We underestimated her, Will."

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