The Housewife and the Hitman

Chapter Seven- The Heist

Standing in front of the mirror of the hotel room, Gemma knew her current look wouldn’t cut it in being a wealthy wife. She would have to appear as though her outfits were the accumulation of thousands of dollars without effort-to go along with the large ring upon her left hand. Luckily, Conner seemed to understand this as the suitcases that had been exchanged were ones filled with new and luxurious items of clothing. Conner stood with his back from her, changing his own physique into a tuxedo while she began to ravage through the clothing, finding them all to be far too vintage for a woman her age. That was until she came to a red silk dress that had a plummeting neckline and glitter throughout its entire fabric. 

“Absolutely not.” Conner commented as she held the dress up against her in the mirror. 

“Everything else in here would be worn by someone in their sixties!” She argued as he glared at her. 

“You are going to look like a prostitute…The whole point is to be under the radar…”

“The whole point is to look the part of who we are playing. A girl my age wouldn’t wear anything else in here...now are you going to help me zip up?” She asked as he moved behind her, realizing she had a point before bringing his fingers to her back. The back of his hands traced her skin, having followed along her spine while her bare skin faced him. For a moment, it seemed as if he would keep it unzipped and begin to kiss her skin, but instead, he had simply teased her skin and enclosed her in the garments before seemingly racing to the auction room. It was unclear if he had done this to evade the temptation of how lustful he felt while seeing her in the dress or because he didn’t care, but either way, she followed him to the location of the auction-beginning to play the role of his wife, once again. 

Entering the auction room, Gemma and Conner remained at each other’s sides while venturing further into the room, finding there to be an entire border of tables present with a variation of items, including the one they had been after. There had truly been something for everyone as there were paintings, jewelry, statues, clothing, and things of the like set upon the surface of the tables, as well as homes, boats, and vacations set on posters that were laid out upon the extent of the room. Having remained true to her persona of being “Mrs Maddox”, Gemma channeled her inner 1st class trophy wife mentality and began to walk as if everything set before her had been placed just for her. There had been several couples that looked onto them, curious as many of those present had run in the same circles, and having not seen them before, they wondered if they had been “new money” or simply acting the part.  Committing to their roles, the couple then sat down at the end of the third row from the front to get a good eye on the supposed “painting”, when in actuality they were focused upon the necklace. 

The first few items had been brought up, producing a rather lackluster reaction, but still managing to sell for around five thousand dollars each. One of the three paintings for sale had been placed upon an easel-showing the scene of a country setting where wildflowers encircled a young child and a farm featured in the distance. Knowing she had to play the role of being interested in the paintings, she pretended to whisper to her ‘husband’ before moving her paddle up into the air to bid ten thousand on the piece. Immediately, tension formed in Conner’s jaw as he gripped hard onto her hand-showing he didn’t want her to bid further. However, not wanting to stand out, she ignored this and took her hand back into her own possession before the painting was eventually sold for twenty six thousand to an elderly couple in the second to back row. 

Playing a pout, Gemma then waited for the next slew of items, taking no interest in the Aztec golden pendants or the vintage silver tea set from the mid 1800s, but then the necklace came to view. Every pair of eyes seemed to become magnetized to the item as it took every light and began to glimmer, appearing like stars upon silver. To wear, it stood rather gawdy upon the velvet black holder, but for a conversation piece or to simply show how much money one would have, it was perfect for a boost in reputation. Gemma saw the trophy wives of older men to take great interest in this, even seducing their partners in the moment by running their hands up and down their legs, even rubbing close to their members while others were more classy about it and whispered things into the ears of their company. Gemma decided to play along with the others and copied their actions before Conner told her to act as though it was a disinterest to her. However, with every attempt to do this, she couldn’t help but stare at his beauty and how it seemed to command the room. 

While the specifics of the necklace having been explained to having belonged to a famous baroness from the 1400s, whose husband was killed by a pirate who loved her and the necklace had been given as a gift to show his affections. The tale had been incredibly romanticized but made the majority of the crowd swoon, one of them having been Gemma. 

“Don’t.” Conner warned her before her paddle raised into the air. 

“It would be curious of me, not to show interest…” She reminded him as he paused for a moment before another paddle was lifted into the air, offering three million for the necklace. Gemma could feel the oxygen nearly leave her body as three thousand, even three hundred dollars had been a lot to her, so the numbers ranking in the millions were a shock to her. Having been intrigued to speak of a number impossible to counter, her lips began to move the counter offer before a rather attractive man lifted his paddle, offering twenty five million-silencing the rest of the room. However, he had given an apologetic look to Gemma before being allowed to purchase the necklace by having been given the final offer. Without a rival offer, he approached the lead desk and paid for his purchase via card while Gemma acted disappointed while her and her ‘husband’ sat through the rest of the auction. 

With it having been taking place in a hotel, the majority of its guests had remained to linger at the bar and discuss their purchases, while also networking with others. It was clear of those who had been acquaintances long before this, as well as those who were friends. With Gemma and Conner having only known each other, they had sat at the end of the bar, ordering the strongest drinks they could, before deciding their next move. Conner’s original plan had been to befriend whoever bought the necklace and get them drunk enough to give up its location. But while sitting at the bar and noticing the buyer of the necklace having taken a fancy to her, she came up with an idea of her own. 

“Where are you going?” Conner asked her upon keeping her wrist firm on the bar, appearing to others as if he had been simply holding it, unaware of the threatening nature of his strength veiled beneath this seemingly loving moment. 

“I have an idea…”

“Don’t do anything reckless…”

“We are here to steal a necklace, reckless is the only way we will get it.” She spoke, forcing her hand back into her own possession, and focusing on the man on the other end of the bar. Remembering her manipulative ways of having achieved items when she was younger, Gemma channeled her inner thief, a role she had relinquished long ago, before making her way to him. Immediately, a smile was present upon his face as he saw her venture towards him, asking if the seat was taken next to him, before he completely fell into her. The man’s gaze seemed to outline her figure perfectly, unaware of Conner’s gaze that glared at him from over a Tom Collin’s drink. 

“Your wife is a very lucky woman…” She began in reference to the necklace he had purchased that had caused the entire room to go silent when giving his offer. A smile spread over his face in response as he looked to her with a devious look behind his hazelnut gaze. 

“I simply bought it for whomever claims that title next…” He informed her as she gave a smirk before turning towards him, showing her creamy flesh through the slit in her dress, complete with the sight of her cleavage having been accentuated through the deep ‘v’ neckline of her dress. 

“Your husband did not bid for you…” He commented, noting the man who was looking at them from afar, seemingly studying every action they made while she looked back to Conner with a glare. Angry at her having seemingly thrown herself at this man, Conner forced himself from the bar and towards a set of people towards the far back of the room. As he disappeared into the crowd, this allowed Gemma to let down her guard even more as she let out a sigh to respond to the man’s words. 

“He is no more my husband than a piece of paper…”

“So you are unhappy in your marriage?” He asked, making sure he understood what she was trying to tell him, as she responded in a nod. 

“Perhaps I could entertain you, this evening then...if that is alright…” She turned to him, an approving smile on her face, before answering. 

“I suppose I should know your name first…”

“Thomas Beckette-most people just call me Beck.”

“Beck…” She repeated his name before then giving her own, completing her introduction with the last name “Maddox” before he then bought her a drink. They remained at the bar for some time before Gemma excused herself, acting as though she spilled something upon her self to gain Conner’s attention to meet her in the bathroom. 

She waited a handful of minutes before the door came opened and Conner closed it behind him, locking it-similar to the first night they met. They both thought of the irony of the moment before Gemma was pushed back against the sink by Conner’s anger. 

“I think you have done everything but suck the guy off!” Conner spoke as she glared to his choice of words before hitting him on the chest. 

“I know what I’m doing-”

“Care to share?” Conner asked, his tone having been raised enough to worry her of being overheard, and so she lowered her own voice. 

“I am going to simply seduce him-get him drunk, and get the necklace…”

“Like he’s going to just let you go?”

“I’ve gotten really good at dealing with drunk assholes...Conner...Or just assholes.” She commented in reference to him before he let out a sigh. “What was your plan?”

“The same...without the seduction part...but I can’t even get him to speak to me-”

“And he literally invited me up to his room ‘for a drink’ before I came in here...I have him in the palm of my hand-”

“It’s not safe...I don’t like it...I’ve never even heard of him.”

“And they haven’t heard of us...or you...which is good...I can handle this…”

“I don’t like it.”

“Are you worried about me?” She asked, teasing him, as he glared. 

“I’m worried that you’ll expose us both-”

“If I’m not out of the room in an hour, then come up…” He paused. 

“A lot can happen in an hour.” He spoke as smirked when referencing their first time together. 

“I know…” She commented upon moving past him, setting her lips just close enough to brush past his without actually touching, and disappearing out of the bathroom. Conner remained close to hear the room number before watching her become led to the elevator with the man’s hand set on the crest of her back. He clenched his jaw looking at her, before ordering a shot from the bar and counting down the clock. 

Having made her way up to his room, she was told to go retrieve the Cognac from the bar in the other room and returned while speaking to him of how luxurious his room was. However, expecting the man to be present on the couch, even naked would have been more understandable-then for him to have been pointing a gun at her. 

“What are you-”

“Cut the shit...I know what you are trying to do…”

“What do you mean?”

“You are with Conner….and I’ve been looking for him for a long time.” He informed as her heart sunk deep in her chest. She would have to buy herself an hour or suffer through the mercy of the bullets in the gun set against her-hoping for anything to deter him from doing so, but he had the same deadly dedication that was present in Conner’s eyes-and if he was anything like him, she knew she wouldn’t get out of this alive.