Chapter 04 Implementation

The next day, it was the same old grind—waking up, doing the same stuff, saying the same things. The only thing that ever spiced it up was catching Nathan in the act of, well, you know. Other than that, it was pretty uneventful.

A month flew by, and Katniss's job pulled off a killer fashion week. They threw a big celebration party, and as her hubby, I got an invite too. Katniss is a total knockout—great body, stunning looks, and just all-around awesome. She always steals the spotlight wherever she goes.

But here's the kicker: Katniss is all business with other dudes. No flirting, no joking around, just straight-up professional. Her friends are always singing her praises to me. At her job, there are tons of successful guys who are into her, dropping hints left and right, but she shuts them down like a pro. To her coworkers, she's this ice queen, and honestly, it makes me pretty proud to call her my wife.

The party was a blast, and we both had a bit too much to drink. Thanks to my job, I'm used to knocking back a few, so I was still pretty clear-headed. When the party wrapped up, Katniss was so hammered she could barely stand, leaning on me the whole way home.

I somehow got her back to the house, practically carrying her. Simon was already out cold, but Nathan was still up, glued to the TV. Being the older one, Nathan's a night owl. He saw us stumble in, reeking of booze, and Katniss totally wasted, and he couldn't help but gripe a bit.

After I got Katniss into the bedroom, Nathan turned off the TV and headed to bed. I struggled to get Katniss undressed, leaving her in this pink bra and panties set. Just as I was about to put her in her nightgown, a wild idea hit me.

Instead of dressing her, I left Katniss sprawled out on the bed in just her bra and panties, door slightly open. Then I went to Nathan's room and knocked. "Hey, Dad, I've got some urgent work stuff to handle. Gotta pull an all-nighter."

"Oh, when you think you'll be back?"

"Probably not till morning. Can you keep an eye on Katniss? She had a lot to drink." Nathan agreed, told me not to overdo it, and to take care. I left the house, walking down the dimly lit street, feeling calm on the outside but a mess inside.

Yeah, that was the plan that popped into my head. I left Katniss in her sexy lingerie, door ajar, hoping Nathan would see her and maybe, just maybe, act on his desires. Nathan's a good guy, but when lust takes over, who knows what he might do? If he couldn't resist, then maybe things would finally fall into place.

Even if Katniss found out later, it’d be too late to change anything. I wasn’t sweating it; I knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t flip out. As long as I kept showing her love and comfort, I figured everything would go just as planned.

Sitting at my desk at work, I couldn’t focus for crap. My mind kept wandering back home. Had Nathan gone into Katniss’s room? Had he made a move? The worst part was not having real-time surveillance footage. It was driving me nuts.

I fought the urge to rush home multiple times. What if they were in the middle of something and I barged in? I tried to distract myself with movies on my computer, but sleep was a no-go that night, and the next day at work was a blur.

Finally, when the workday ended, I bolted home. Everything seemed normal—Katniss was on the computer, dinner was ready, and Nathan was chilling on the couch with Simon.

But Nathan’s eyes were a dead giveaway. He couldn’t look me in the eye, all shifty and nervous. Nathan’s an open book; he can’t hide his feelings. Seeing his reaction, I was sure something went down while I was gone, and I could barely contain my excitement.

Katniss saw me and took off her headphones, got up to grab my slippers, and took my briefcase. She’s always so sweet, taking care of me like that when I get home.

“Dad said you pulled an all-nighter at work? Must be beat, huh?” Katniss said with a smile.

“Yeah, but it’s all done now. Just tired.” I watched her closely, looking for any signs of something off.

“Let’s eat then. Don’t overwork yourself, okay?” She seemed totally normal, no weird vibes or anything. My curiosity about last night was through the roof.

“Hey, Dad, did Katniss puke last night?” I asked casually while eating. Nathan tensed up and stammered, “N-no, she didn’t puke at all.”

“Oh, good. Let’s make sure she doesn’t drink that much again.” I noticed a flicker of disappointment in Nathan’s eyes.

After dinner, Katniss did the dishes, and Nathan and I watched TV. He was unusually quiet. Normally, he’d be chatting my ear off, but today he was silent, which felt off.

Later, in bed, Katniss was flipping through a magazine, yawning. “If you’re tired, go to sleep early, babe,” I said, but really, I was waiting for her to crash so I could check the surveillance footage from last night.

“Okay, honey, you should sleep early too, don’t stay up too late,” she replied. Soon, I heard Nathan turn off the TV and head to bed. Finally, when both Nathan and Katniss were asleep, I sat at the computer, my hands shaking as I opened the software to check the bedroom’s surveillance footage from the moment I left last night.