Chapter 78 Competition
THEODORE
As I stared at Alice’s retreating figure, I realized that I had to put an end to this.
Now.
Carmella returned from her chat with one of her mother’s friends, and I could feel her questioning look. It was burning a hole in the side of my head. Could I have grabbed her by the arm and driven us both home? Yes. And maybe that was the right thing to do.
But leaving Alice here with Todd wasn’t an option.
Maybe that was why Granny tried talking me into joining them.
Carmella placed her hand on my thigh. I met her gaze and spoke before she had a chance to. “Honey, could you get me a whiskey?”
“Yeah.” She cheered up. “What kind?”
“You know what I like.”
With a smile, she rose. “Of course, baby.”
“Freddie,” Todd began loudly, not taking his eyes off me, “could I ask you to accompany the lady? This might be a reputable place, but a pretty lady all alone in a bar full of men…”
Carmella giggled. “You’re exaggerating. I’ll be perfectly fine. You don’t have to.”
Todd winked at Freddie, who glanced at me before standing up.
We were alone now, and I didn’t hold back.
“You motherfucker.”
Todd grinned. “Theo, you can't blame me. We've always had similar tastes. Do I have to remind you that you took Carmella from me once upon a time?”
I scoffed even though I knew this was exactly why he was doing this. “That’s beside the point. Plus, she was never yours. Not exclusively.”
He leaned forward. “We had our fun. Nobody takes it in the ass quite like her. I told you that, you prick. I told you she was a great sub. Rich. Just our type.” He pointed a finger at me, still grinning. “See that? You didn't even blink an eye when I talked about Carmella’s ass. Now, Alice's...”
I reacted before he could finish his sentence. I grabbed the front of his shirt in my hand and pulled him toward me sharply.
“So, what's this supposed to be, you immature, pathetic fuck? Payback?”
“It's whatever I want it to be,” he taunted. “Come on. Lighten up, buddy. You came to have fun, right?”
“I came to bring an end to this ridiculous game of yours!”
“Yeah? And what will you do? Carry her out of here in your pretty white horse like a knight in shining armor? Your fiancée is here, jackass. You really wanna take things that far?”
“You're not gonna lay a hand on her.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Oh, we'll see about that. I already made her an offer. All she has to do is accept it. And she will.”
I released him with a grunt. He straightened his shirt, not even bothered. That was the worst thing about Todd. He got under your skin, but nobody got under his. I wanted to fucking rip him apart, but Carmella was returning with Freddie, and so was Alice.
It seemed she’d seen something, because she looked at me with an alarmed expression and I felt like the biggest loser in the world. I should’ve kicked the shit out of Todd before carrying her out of here, just as he’d described, but I was thinking about Alice, too.
She accused me of being controlling, and I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, especially since I had Carmella here, Carmella, whom I was already planning on leaving.
There was no way around it. I wasn’t gonna marry her. I should’ve been more patient and waited for Alice to come around. Hell, it would’ve been beautiful.
But I messed things up. I had been hasty.
Now, I was paying the price for that decision.
How would I get rid of Todd? That was another thing I was asking myself. I had to push him out of the picture because it was clear that he wasn’t getting the hint from her. I had to put a stop to this.
This was all my fault, after all.
I downed the whiskey Carmella brought for me. I hated that it was washing down the taste of Alice’s mouth, but I needed something to take the edge off or I’d murder Todd. I meant that.
This was exactly why we stopped talking ages ago. Yes, he met Carmella first, but at the time, we shared women all the time. It wasn’t my fault that Carmella got attached to me.
Our relationship was never emotional, even from the start. We satisfied each other’s needs perfectly, and within four walls, we’d always been compatible. That was true. But outside of it, our differences were way too big. If there wasn’t something in this marriage for me, I would never have agreed to it.
Todd was using Carmella as an excuse to mess with me. He didn’t care about her, not as much as he claimed. This was a competition. We were businessmen. He saw something I coveted, and he wanted it for himself.
He would toss her aside if he noticed I no longer wanted her, but I wasn’t going to pretend not to care for his benefit. Fuck him. I’d rather slit his throat and face prison time than let him use my Alice in any way he pleased.
Alice was mine. I let her go once, but it wouldn’t happen again.
She sat down again and folded her arms across her chest. I had to force myself to take my eyes off her. I told myself that I already knew what to do.
I’d come clean, fix this mess I made, and then be free to pursue her again.
What could I say? I came alive when she was close to me. No woman had ever made me feel the way Alice Rhodes did.
This was what Granny had been trying to tell me this entire time, and in many ways, I would always be grateful to her for doing this for me.
I thought I was ready to let her go and live her life, and maybe if I had never come across her again, that was what would have happened. Alice would become a memory that haunted me whenever it crossed my mind. A regret a few years down the line that I would never be able to get over.
But I had a chance to fix this.
And that was what I was going to do.