Although I only managed to get a few hours of sleep like clockwork, I was up at the crack of down a hour and a half after I fell asleep. I tried to wake Ben, but he rolled over, snuggled into the sheets, and fell back asleep mumbling unintelligible words. I, on the other hand, although sore from last night's activities, did not have the luxury to lounge around in bed all day. There was the matter of assistants, and before getting started on work, I needed to clean up my house.
When I got to the home gym, the rest of my husband's family were concluding there work out. As soon as I came in, instead of ignoring me as they had done the day before, they stared at me and then at the space behind me as if searching, waiting for someone to appear. I said nothing and went to the treadmill ready to start my cardio. They remained motionless, staring, and it began to bother me.
"What is it?" How can I help you I asked, unable to keep the irritation out of my voice.
"You slept with Ben," Marcus spoke up.
"I did," replied, although it was to a question, but a statement. "Is there any problem if I sleep with my husband?" I asked, my annoyance growing. Why were they acting like jealous wives?
"He was the last to come in. Should you give the rest of us face?" Mathew countered, speaking for himself, given that he was the oldest of the group. I would have never considered it because he was the oldest, and I was determined to make him last. Something about his hard, cold eyes told me we were cut from the same cloth, and I did not need somebody fighting for dominance with me in this fragile arrangement that was my polygamous marriage.
"It has nothing to do with age, but I'll need your help with something. Come to my room once you are done." I told him before turning to the machine and setting a 45-minute timer, initiating my workout.
I could only manage a run given the intensity of last night's activities before admitting defeat and going back to my room. Mathew was sitting obediently on my bed, his shirt hanging open, clearly attempting to seduce me. Maybe it was because he was the oldest, but his body was leagues away from the rest of my husband, which was a feat all on its own. He did not have the highly sought after six back; his abs were upgraded to an eight-pack that was well-defined and alluring in the best way. His darker skin tone only emphasized his well-chiseled jaw, strong brow, and thick pink lips that look appetizing. If I hadn't just expended all my energy on the treadmill, I may have fallen for his seduction.
I pivoted to the bathroom, needing a cold shower to settle my thoughts, my appetite clearly still as strong as ever despite having tortured Ben for five rounds before he collapsed from exhaustion. After the quick shower, I stepped out of my spacious bathroom to find Mathew now fully covered in a three-piece suit, seated at my desk. I couldn't help but smile at the petulant look on his face, clearly jealous. I let my shower robe fall to the ground as I dried myself using my cotton towel. It wasn't until a crash sounded behind me that I remembered decency required full coverage, a concept that had not applied in my former life.
Like what you see, I called out to the flustered Mathew, who was sprawled on the floor, his face a tomato.
" I...I...I did not mean to look. I didn't expect you to remove your gown in front of me." He struggled to his feet, his erection clear as day. I will give you some space, he said, attempting to walk past me, eyes closed.
"It's fine. You are going to go to the office with me today. I need you to hire two overqualified personal assistants, one with a background in finance and another with a background in business management. I also need an executive secretary to handle the minor details. Also, call a board meeting; the agenda for today is taking over operations."
"Right away," he said, and his bashful smile and the flush on his cheeks quickly faded as he slipped on his mask of indifference. As the oldest in his family, he was the heir to the largest franchise that dealt with household items. There wasn't a household in all three countries that did not have at least two items from his company. He had been given the title of world price, given the billions he had to his name, his distinguished appearance, and, most importantly, he had ranked high in intelligence tests and was truly a genius. Under his care, the company had flourished with profits tripling in as many years. His family would go to war for him because their survival hinged on his. he was truly worth being my first husband.
Although skeptical, Mathew obediently injected each water bottle with a sleeping agent that was designed to work slowly. Once the last bottle was drugged, he arranged them neatly in front of the seats that were soon to be occupied by the board members. This was a criminal organization that operated under the guise of legitimacy. These members had been the first to throw me under the bus, cutting deals with the police in exchange for immunity or a lighter sentence. I asked Matthew to crank up the heat and close the windows. They would be forced to consume the water even if they didn't want to. I had other, more direct methods to force them to submit to my will, but violence was both a great servant and an unforgiven master, only best used with caution.
One by one the filed in and within ten minutes of their seating, all bottles were opened as they fanned themselves seeking relief from the sweltering heat. One of them tried to turn on the AC, which I had had the foresight to turn off. I looked up, offering no greeting, listening to them discuss the agenda amongst themselves. They had most likely prepared counterarguments, too bad none of them would have the chance to voice them. After half an hour, the first member collapsed onto the table, and like a pack of dominoes, the rest followed one by one until the only people left awake were I and Mathew.
"Let's get to work!" I called out, and Kelvin walked in, surveying the carnage that was the boardroom. There were papers scattered everywhere, dropped by the members of the board, and three of them had tried leaving the room only to fall where they stood and were currently sprawled on the floor.
"Did you kill them?" he asked, setting up his laptop. From his tone, you would think he was talking about the weather.
"If I killed them, then who would I boss around, and their kids would only inherit and give me a new set of problems. I need you to glean any information from their devices. Call whoever you need to. I need printed blackmail files on every member in the next three hours before they wake up, the more incriminating the better."
Kelvin made a few calls, and thirty minutes later, a group of five men joined him in the adjoining room and set to work on the devices while Mathew and I babysat the snoring board members. I still needed them to work for me, but only after I had effectively broken them down. If all went well, they would not get the opportunity to betray me, but I needed to be sure that they would not be wild cards in my own deck.