Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 88: Firing Squad

Now I knew what a dead man walking felt like when facing a firing squad.

"Who is he?"

"What’s he like?"

"Where did you meet him?"

"Have you done a background check yet? Give me his social."

"Why him?" That one came from Stiff.

Sometimes, the rapid-fire questions paused long enough for me to answer, but just as often, they poured on top of each other. I don’t think they cared as much about the answers as the fact I’d kept something from them.

"Alright, guys. I give. I was wrong. I get it."

Father DiMarco said, "Teela, we respect your right to privacy, but it’s not safe going out with a stranger without anyone knowing who you’re with."

"Father, I swear, Alec is safe. I know a member of his family. So do you."

"What do you mean?"

"Alec is Angie’s half-brother. Jake, you were with me when I first met him at The Red Dragon."

Bea said, "OMG, that Alec! Teela, I’ve never asked anything from you before, but can you share? I met him once, and he is hot, hot, hot. Please tell me you’ve seen his tattoos. I have to know what’s under his shirt."

Stiff threw down the magazine he’d been clutching and stormed out of the room.

"Yes, that Alec, and no, I haven’t, and no, I won’t. Hey, let me go take care of Stiff. We’ll talk more later."

Bea said, "You can bank on that. I want every detail of every conversation you’ve ever had with the man. He’s been fodder for my wet dreams forever. Oops, sorry, Father."

"You’re forgiven," Father DiMarco said as he left for more coffee.

I followed Stiff to his room. He shut the door in my face. I stood outside his room and took a deep breath before tapping on the door. "Stiff, can we talk?"

"Why?"

"Because you’re my friend. I hate to see you upset."

"That’s a good reason not to open the door."

"Please."

No answer. What would I do if Stiff wouldn’t forgive me? Hide my relationship with Alec better? Break up with him, not that we were officially dating. We hardly knew each other.

The longer I stood there, the more my heart broke. In some ways, Stiff mad at me and locking me out was more painful than losing King. The difference was Stiff was mine. I never fully felt like King was mine. The relationship with King was more like I belonged to him and was waiting for him to commit to me. King never did.

"Please," I said again. "I’m dying out here. You are breaking my heart, Stiff. Please."

In time, Stiff opened the door. He had changed into plaid pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. His hair was tousled as if he’d been running his hands through it.

I followed him inside and sat on the rug next to the bed with him.

"Tee, why not me?" Tears glistened in Stiff’s eyes.

"Aw, hun. You know I love you." I hugged him, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I will always love you. You are as much a part of me as Bea, but just like with Bea, I can’t picture a romance with you. I’ve tried. Honest, I have, but it’s just not there."

"You gave King more than three years. Can’t you give me that long to make you love me? I swear, I’ll be good to you."

"Stiff, you deserve better than that. You deserve someone who doesn’t have to try to love you romantically, just like I do. I’m sorry it can’t be me. I’d be such a lucky girl if I were, but I don’t want to waste another three years of trying for something that won’t happen. I deserve better. You deserve better."

Stiff finally hugged me back. "I love you, Teela. I love you so much. I’ve loved you for so long. It is second nature to me."

"I love you too, Stiff. Nothing will ever change that. In fifty years, I still want to be writing code with you and giving you a hard time about nonsense. When I retire, and my kids put me in a nursing home, I want you to occupy the room to the left of me and Bea to the right."

"Yeah, but you want Alec in the bed with you."

I smiled. "Yeah, maybe. We’ll see. It could be he snores and farts in his sleep."

"Hey, I fart in my sleep. Nothing wrong with passing gas. It’s natural."

We both giggled.

"I love you, Stiff. Please try to support me in this."

Stiff pulled away. "I’ll make you a deal. Three rounds of Capture the Flag. Best two out of three. You win, I don’t wipe Alec’s digital fingerprint and try to play nice. I win, I get to make his life a living hell for three months. If he survives with his sanity intact, maybe I let him date you." He held up two fingers. "Twice a month until I like him better."

Capture the Flag is a competition between hackers. It is a contest where hackers look for and exploit vulnerabilities within a system to see who can capture the flag, or a piece of information, first. The game is as much about speed and hacking through security features as it is about preventing the opponent from doing the same.

Stiff and I usually teamed up for CTF matches, so facing off against each other sounded like fun. Besides, I knew if Stiff was making this offer, he’d already accepted the fact I’d be dating Alec. And I was pretty sure Alec could handle anything Stiff threw at him. Alec also had me on his team. I could reverse any digital damage Stiff did to Alec, probably before Alec even knew about it.

I’d have to see about setting up some defenses. I wondered if it was too soon to hack my almost boyfriend.

"Done! Want to invite Bea and CK to join?"

"Sure."

"I get CK."

"No! I get CK."

By the time we stopped by my room for my laptop and gathered everyone in the kitchen, it was decided I’d get CK because I was his idol, and Stiff got Bea because she was a fairy princess who knew magical coding tricks that Stiff didn’t know.

In the end, I protected Alec’s digital footprint and Cometkazee was crying on Bea’s shoulder.

Cometkazee said, "Bea, she’s deserting me for some pretty boy, isn’t she?"

Bea said, "She is deserting all of us for some pretty boy, and she won’t even share."

"I could have sworn you two were dating."

Bea said, "We are. What’s your point?"

"Yeah, what’s your point?" Comet said.

"Mm, maybe that you two are so googly eyed over each other, that you won’t even notice I’m dating anyone."

Stiff said, "I’ll notice."

"Me, too," CK said. "You won’t have time to play with me anymore."

"You mean work?"

"Whatever."

"I’ll still have time to work. Alec has a business. He’ll be busy many hours every day. I’ll spend those hours with you guys."

"Oh, will he be joining our Thursday classes with Angie?" Bea asked.

"That reminds me. Ben said not to forget him and Min when you send out invites for the classes."

"You are avoiding the question," Bea said.

"Maybe later. We are taking it slow." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"So, the week after next, you know, after you’ve learned to kick without falling on your ass?" Stiff said.

"Can I come?" CK asked.

"Of course," Bea said. "The more the merrier. What about King? Is he still invited?"

Oh great. They wanted me to bring Alec and invite my ex-husband to an event where people were meant to hit each other. That didn’t sound dangerous at all.

"I’m not sure if he’d come, but sure, you can invite him."

I knew I was going to regret that decision, but what the heck. I’d made worse mistakes in my life. What was another one?

Alec texted.

Alec: How did it go?

Teela: Good news. I won CTF. You get to live.

Alec: CTF?

Teela: Just a game. Stiff and I played for your future. I won. You get one.

Alec: Good to hear. With you in it, I assume.

Teela: With me in it. What are you doing?

Alec: Right now?

Teela: Yeah

Alec: Besides texting you?

Teela: Alec...I just won your future. Don’t give me a hard time.

Alec sent me a picture of him in the bathtub with the water up to his chest.

"Bea! Bea!" I pointed at my phone.

"Oh, let me see."

The guys tried to join us, but I hid away my phone. "Nope. Nope. This a girls thing only. Shoo. Go away."

"Why? Is Alec sending you porn?" Stiff asked.

"Ew, who wants porn. This is better. Go away."

"Fine, be that way. CK, want to play Fortnite?"

"Might as well. Better than watching these two drooling over some other guy."

"Exactly."

Bea’s jaw fell open as I shared the photo of Alec with half his chest showing. The tattoo that peek out of his shirt collar traveled down his shoulders and chest. His hair was down and touched his shoulders, partially covering the ink, but I could swear I saw the edges of a tiger’s paw.

And if there was a tiger’s paw, then what might possibly be on Alec’s back? Oh my. I sincerely had to see.

"Teela, what if I gave you my new Gucci bag? Would you share then? What if I sat in the back of the room, in the shadows? No touching. I’ll just watch while you strip him naked," Bea asked.

I pretended to consider it. "The small velvet one with the embroidery?"

"Yeah, that one. Please."

"What would I wear with it?"

"Anything. I’ll give you every gown I bought in Italy of the last two visits. No, I’ll have a new gown imported for you."

CK said, "I’m right here. You’re deflating my ego by the second."

"Oh, your ego will be fine."

I said, "For the sake of CK’s ego, I will have to forego your offer."

"Can you send me that photo for my phone background?" Bea asked.

"No, he’s mine."

I took off down the hall to my room. Dating Alec was going to be so much fun.