Three more days pass before Agent Long comes to the house for a surprise visit.
Davis is away for most of it. He leaves the night after he spanks me in his office, leaving me alone in his big house for nearly three entire days.
I’m pretty bored by the time he comes back. It’s Friday, and he looks exhausted, but still somehow on edge. He comes bursting in through the front door, wearing a wrinkled suit with a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder.
“Carly!” he calls out.
“Kitchen,” I yell back. I’m making a cup of coffee and trying to decide between bingeing the new Sabrina or going for a run. Probably Sabrina.
He comes into the room and tosses his bag on the floor. “There’s my wife.” He grins at me.
I frown. “You look like shit.”
He sighs. “I just took the red-eye from Hong Kong.”
“Really? Why?”
“We have a visitor coming in…” He checks his watch. “Fuck. An hour.”
“What?” I sip my mug of coffee, frowning at him. “What are you talking about?”
He sighs. “First of all, it’s nice to see you.”
I roll my eyes. “Sure, whatever. You too.”
“And second, you spoke to an Agent Long on the phone, right?”
I go completely still. “Right,” I say.
“Well, Agent Long is coming over for a spot check.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. I got the call yesterday and hurried my ass back here as fast as I could.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
“No reason to make you nervous.”
“I could’ve been studying.”
He shrugs. “You know it well enough. And plus, this isn’t the serious interview.”
I glare at him. “Seriously, Davis, you have to tell me.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll tell you next time. But for now, let’s get dressed, okay?”
I sigh. “Okay. You better shower, though. You smell like an airport.”
“A Chinese airport,” he grumbles. “People don’t have a strong sense of personal space in China.”
I laugh a little. “I feel so bad for you. Poor Mr. Billionaire, traveling all over the world, forced to rub shoulders with the poor people of every country.”
“It’s really awful,” he says, nodding.
“Did your trip go okay, at least?”
He shrugs. “China’s China. It’s either dealing with factory owners that need to be bribed or with government officials that need to be bribed.”
“Sounds awful.”
“It’s not so bad, really. Once you understand how it all works, things get done over there. And the money is absurdly good, too.”
“Good, so glad to hear you’re doing well with your totalitarian regime.”
He grins and winks. “It’s what we rich guys do.”
I shake my head and walk past him. “Seriously, you stink. Go shower!”
“Want to shower with me?” he calls after me as I head upstairs.
“Maybe if you had warned me ahead of time,” I say, smiling to myself.
I can hear his laughter as I disappear into my room. As soon as I’m alone, the cocky attitude completely dissipates.
This is it. This is the beginning. We’re going to lie to a federal agent. If we get caught, we’re going to jail.
He knows it as well as I do. There’s an edge between us right now, and I can see the worry on his face.
I can’t let that get to me. It’s time to play my role, that’s all this is, just playing any other part.
Agent Long is very punctual. Typical of a Fed.
The doorbell rings at exactly ten in the morning. Davis looks at me, a slight frown.
“Ready?” he asks softly.
“Ready, honey.” I smile and take his arm. “Let’s go welcome our guest.”
He grins at me, leans down, and kisses me softly on the lips. It’s an intimate gesture, something a husband would do with his wife. For a second, it startles me.
“Just getting into character,” he says softly, and does it again.
This time, I don’t flinch. I let my lips linger, kissing him a third time.
“Come on,” I say, squeezing his arm.
We answer the door together. I smile, trying not to let my stress show through, but then again, of course I’m stressed. Even if this were real, I’d be stressed.
This man has the power to destroy us.
Agent Long frowns at us. He’s barely taller than me, maybe five foot five at most, nearly a foot shorter than Davis. His hair is dark and slicked back. He’s wearing a dark jacket and pants, a cheap-looking suit that barely fits. He actually looks like a child wearing his father’s clothing.
It almost makes me want to laugh.
But his eyes are serious. They’re ice blue, almost harsh. He stares at the two of us, not showing any emotion as he takes a badge from his jacket pocket.
“Agent Long,” he says, flashing the badge and placing it back into his jacket.
“Of course, hello, Agent Long,” Davis says. “It’s nice to meet you.”
They shake hands and the man turns his eyes on me. “And you must be Carly.”
“Hello,” I say. We shake as well. His grip is strong and he doesn’t smile.
“Shall we?” he asks.
“Come on in,” I say.
He looks around as we walk down the hall, making little noises in the back of his throat like he’s judging every little detail. We head into the kitchen.
“Coffee? Tea?”
He shakes his head. “No, thank you.”
“What can we do for you, Agent Long?” Davis asks him. We sit around the kitchen table as Long digs in his bag and pulls out a small rectangle. He hits a button and a red light turns on.
“This is a recording device,” he says. “I’d like to record our conversation. Do I have your permission?”
Davis blinks. “Yes,” he says.
Long looks at me.
“Yes,” I say.
“It’s recording already. Now, this is an informal visit, nothing serious. I won’t be drilling you today.” He attempts a smile, but it’s sinister. I wish he wouldn’t bother.
“Sounds good,” Davis says. “I love getting drilled.” He grins at his stupid joke.
I sigh. “Sorry. My husband is a little on edge.”
“Why?” Long asks.
“Obvious reasons,” I say, gesturing at him. “We have a federal agent investigating our marriage. I think that would put anyone on edge.”
Agent Long nods sharply. “Yes, that is true. But if your marriage is real then you have nothing to worry about.”
“Perfect,” I say, smiling at Davis. “Hear that, sweetie?”
Davis nods. “Loud and clear.”
Agent Long clears his throat. “I understand you signed a prenuptial agreement,” he says to me suddenly.
I’m a little taken aback. I glance at Davis, who just smiles a little uncomfortably.
I sigh. “Yes, that’s true,” I say finally.
“Why?” Long stares at me.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I ask softly. “I’m not here for his money.”
“Still, these things, they don’t always last. Rich men get bored, they move on. The wives suffer.” Long shrugs a little, as if what he’s saying is obvious and universal. “The prenup takes away any protections you might have had.”
I bite my lip. “A risk I was willing to take.”
He nods. “And you, Mr. King? Why ask her?”
“Davis,” he says, clearing his throat. “And my lawyers advised it. Ah, when you have as much money as I do, you have to be… careful. You have to protect yourself. And anyway, the prenup allowed a certain settlement for her in the case of a divorce, agreed upon in advance.”
“That’s right,” Agent Long says. “Three million, if I’m not mistaken?”
I frown a little, and I hope the agent doesn’t catch it.
“That’s right,” Davis says. “We agreed it would be more than fair.”
“Hardly seems fair,” Long says, cocking his head. “Three million won’t keep her in this lifestyle, not by a long shot. Mrs. King, did you think this through?”
I sit there, stunned. “Why are you asking this?”
“It’s part of the investigation, ma’am.”
I take a breath and slowly let it out. “Three million is nothing,” I say softly. “I won’t deny that. I’m not going to pretend like I think it’s some huge settlement. But that’s the whole point, isn’t it? I don’t want some settlement waiting for me if I can just divorce him. This is a marriage, Agent Long. I didn’t ask for more, because there isn’t anything else I want.”
Davis smiles a little. I can see the surprise in his eyes. My tone is angry but serious, and I actually feel a little bit of that anger. How dare Agent Long suggest my fake choice is somehow stupid? He doesn’t know me.
Long just nods. “Very well. May I look around the house?”
“Of course,” Davis says quickly.
We stand and follow the Agent as he looks around. He checks the refrigerators, the cabinets, underneath the couch, between the cushions.
“What are you looking for?” I ask him, and the man just gives me a look.
We fall back into silence. I wander next to Davis and take his hand, almost by instinct. I look up into Davis’s eyes, feeling stressed, and he smiles at me. We kiss like we did before we answered the door, and I catch Agent Long looking on with a slight frown.
We wander the house, and finally he starts upstairs. He heads up the steps, and a thought hits me.
Holy shit. If he goes into my room…
My room. Not Davis’s room. Long will realize we’re sleeping in separate bedrooms. The game will be over.
Shit. Fuck.
As we head up the steps, Long in the lead, I look at Davis. My eyes are wide. I nod up, hoping he understands.
He just smiles at me in response.
Shit. He hasn’t figured it out yet.
We get to the top of the steps and Long starts down the hall.
“What are these?” he asks, gesturing at each door.
“Guest rooms,” Davis says right away.
I glare at him, and I see his face slowly fall.
He understands now, the idiot.
My heart’s hammering fast as Long opens the first door. It’s an empty room, nothing special. He glances around before moving on. The next room is another little office, this one mostly empty aside from books. I think of it as the library.
We come further down the hall, getting closer to my room. Davis is agitated, clearly fidgeting, trying to figure out what to do. My mind’s reeling.
“Up there is the bathroom,” Davis says, pointing straight ahead. “We just had it redone.”
“It’s very nice,” I say quickly.
Long ignores us. He steps up to my room.
Fuck. Fuck. All my clothes are out. I’m not exactly a neat person.
He turns the knob.
“Hello!”
We all stop. A woman’s voice comes up from downstairs.
“Who is that?” Long asks.
“Davis? Where the fuck are you?”
“Avah,” Davis says. “That’s my, uh, my…”
“She’s his coworker,” I say for him.
Davis nods. “Coworker. Yeah.”
“Avah Jackson,” Agent Long says. “I’m aware of her.”
“We’re up here,” Davis calls out.
“You left your fucking suitcase in customs, you dumbass. Seriously, I bet some…” She trails off as she reaches the top of the landing and stares at the group of us. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Avah, this is Agent Long,” Davis says.
Long walks over to her and they shake hands. “Nice to meet you,” Avah says.
“Likewise. We were just taking a little tour.”
“Oh, you’re getting the tour of Davis’s messy house?” Avah grins.
“Not messy anymore,” I say. “Not since I moved in.”
Avah laughs and Davis grins nervously.
Agent Long doesn’t react.
“That’s right,” he says. “Are you joining us?”
“No, no,” she says. “I was just dropping off a suitcase.”
“Do you often do menial tasks for your employer?” he asks her.
She looks startled. “Ah, only when he’s forgetful,” she says, and forces a smile.
Long nods. “Very well.” He looks back at me and Davis. “Shall we continue?”
“Right. Of course.” Davis walks over. “Thank you, Avah.”
She nods. “Sure thing. Have, uh… fun.” She hurried back down the stairs.
“This way, Agent?” Davis motions toward the third floor.
Long nods and follows him up. My heart skips a fucking beat.
Holy shit, that was so close.
The rest of the tour goes easy. Long looks in Davis’s room, but fortunately Davis is much neater than I am. Long doesn’t go through the drawers, so he doesn’t notice that there isn’t any women’s underwear or clothing.
Long is much more interested in the office. He lingers a while in there, looking at books, frowning at the computer, at the desk. Davis shoots me a look, but I just shrug.
Finally, Agent Long seems satisfied. We go back downstairs, where a suitcase is leaning against one wall conspicuously. Long glances at it as we pass into the kitchen again.
He places the recorder down on the table as we sit.
“I’ve completed the initial inspection,” Long says. “I would like to visit again in one week. Will that be acceptable?”
“A week?” I ask him. “Is that standard?”
He hesitates. “In certain cases.”
“I see,” I say to him, not smiling. “One week feels excessive.”
“It’s an unusual case, Mrs. King.”
“Fine,” I say, looking away. I hope my little haughty act feels natural.
“We’ll do what we need to do,” Davis says.
“One week then.” Long stands up. “Next time, please, no interruptions.” Long gathers his things and walks to the door without another word.
We see him out. The man walks down the stoop and hurries away, heading down the block, his head held low as he plows forward.
We drift back inside and both collapse against one wall.
“Shit,” I say. “Oh, shit. That was so fucking close.”
“Avah saved our ass,” he says.
“I know. Oh my god.”
“You know what this means, right?”
I cock my head. “What?”
“You have to start sleeping in my room.”
I clench my jaw. “I don’t know about that.”
“We can’t fake this, Carly. It’s time to go all-in. You heard the agent, he’s coming back in a week.”
I sigh. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“Next time, he could look more closely.”
“I know, I know.”
“We got lucky.”
“I know,” I say again.
“Do you?” He leans toward me, grabbing my hand. “I’m not letting you go to jail because of me,” he says, and I see a fire in his eyes that I didn’t expect. “Do you hear me, Carly? No more fucking around. We’re doing this for real.”
“Yeah. For real.”
I stare into his intense eyes and I know there’s something happening. Right here, in this moment, something is shifting. I don’t know what it is, can’t put my finger on it, but some immovable rock in my soul just shifted a few centimeters in a direction I never thought possible.
He smirks and kisses me softly. “That’s my good wife.”
I sigh. “Asshole,” I say without conviction, and we head back into the kitchen together to nervously dissect every little detail with a relief I can barely afford to feel.