Taming the Submissive Villain

"Were you dreaming about other women just now?" I'd shaken him awake to ask. Eyes wide, dead serious. He was the villain. He was also asleep.

The System pulled me into this book to redeem the villain. But I'm a highmaintenance menace. The villain wanted to go pick a fight with the male lead.

I used every trick I had to keep him from getting out the door. The villain went out. I ordered him to check in every ten minutes. Ninetysix times a day.

Miss one and I wanted to know who he'd talked to in those ten minutes. The System gave up on me. [Just log out already.

It could not be more obvious that the villain is about to die of annoyance.] After it scheduled me for extraction. The villain finally made it.

The System braced itself, certain he'd take his revenge out on the entire world. Instead he checked the alarm on his phone and told the room, impatient, Nobody in the room moved.

One man's glass stopped halfway to his mouth. "Ten minutes is up. I have to get home to my girl." "...The hell.

Where did my beautiful, sweet, clingy, needy little girlfriend go?" Chapter 1 Nate's walkup was one room, and the room was too small. The bed was a twin.

Move at all and the slats screamed. Lie down together and he had no choice but to pull me in. Like now. His arm was locked around my waist. His shoulder came down over me.

The ceiling disappeared. All I could hear were the slats. And his breathing. How little of it he controlled. His palm was hot through the small of my back.

The tears on my face hadn't dried, and every breath he took moved them.

He looked down at my face, blotchy and swollen from crying, and his eyes went flat and dark. "You're the one who spiked my drink," he said. "I watched you drop it in the cup." "I saw it before I drank it.

So what exactly are you crying about?" I blinked up at him through the water in my eyes. Fine. Maybe I regretted it a little. I really am a highmaintenance person.

I need to be on someone every second of every day. At this particular moment I was not handling it well.

The System started screaming in my head. [I told you to redeem the villain with LOVE. Guide him gently toward the light.

Get him to stop working against the main cast.] [Not like this. Not like THIS.] I doubled down. "Just tell me one thing.

Did I or did I not stop him from going out to pick a fight with the male lead?" Why I put something in his water is simple.

I can't stand Nate having a feeling about anyone who isn't me. Not even the feeling of wanting to walk out that door and start something.

So my possessiveness went off like a flare, and I put something in his cup. He picked it up. Looked at me. Drank the whole thing. Then his eyes would be on me. Only me.

I was still somewhere else in my head when he bit down on my lower lip. My breath caught. My fingers closed on his shirt. His jaw set. "You're zoning out. Now." "Josephine.

Did you start something with me and then decide you don't want to be responsible for it?" At the same time, the System filed its report. [Ping. VILLAIN CORRUPTION LEVEL +1.

NOW AT 71%.] [See? What did I tell you. You spike his drink behind his back, the number goes up. He hates you more.] Something low in my chest pulled tight.

When I first got pulled into this book, all I wanted was to be with Nate. So I got him drunk on purpose.

Then I used every trick I had to wedge myself into his life, and latched onto him like a barnacle. He never once pushed me off.

At the time I just figured he couldn't be bothered to fight me on it. Chapter 2 He didn't have a nice face for me anymore. Fair enough.

Daylight straight through to the middle of the night, and whatever I'd put in his cup finally wore off. He missed his window to go pick a fight with the male lead. Perfectly.

I was too wrecked to move, so I told him to carry me to the bathroom. When I was clean he set me down on the bed, careful with me. There was no washer in the building.

So Nate scrubbed the sheets out in the tub, coldfaced. My clothes too. Only after all of that did he lie down beside me.

I scooted over before he'd even settled and put my arms out. "Hold me." He pulled me in like it cost him something. Then dropped straight into sleep.

I stayed curled against his chest with my eyes open, watching him for a long time. The longer I watched, the worse it got. My brain started going. Is Nate dreaming right now.

Is he dreaming about breaking up with me. Is there another woman in there. Horrifying. How can Nate just leave me like that. Go somewhere that isn't open to me.

Somewhere I can't get in. That made me angry. So I shook him awake again.

He got one eye open, groggy and irritated. "What now?" I got right up in his face, eyes wide, and put it to him seriously. "Doesn't that terrify you?

Were you secretly thinking about other women in your sleep?" Nate stared at me. Whatever he'd been about to say, he didn't say it.

Then the tips of his ears went red, and he was done. "Josephine. Do you ever quit?" Six the next morning. Nate was up.

Ever since he took on feeding me too, he'd picked up two more jobs. Six at the diner. Ten at his actual job. Off at six, then delivery runs. Home at ten at night.

So my rule was that whenever he was out, he checked in with me every ten minutes. Except I was wrecked from the day before. I overslept. I slept until two in the afternoon.

What finally woke me up was the System shrieking. [Get UP. The villain's corruption level went up again.] I had no idea what it was talking about, so I got my phone out to look.

Nate had 99+ unread texts waiting for me. Starting at six thirty in the morning, the minute he got to the diner.

He'd started forcing himself to check in, over and over, exactly the way I'd told him to. Him: [At the diner.] Him: [First rush is done.] Him: [Owner asked why I didn't bring you.

Told him you were still asleep.] Then half an hour went by. Him: [...It got busy. I wasn't ignoring you on purpose. I got you breakfast.] Him: [Breakfast is on the table.

Eat it.] Him: [Heading to work.] And on like that until noon, and I still hadn't answered him. Nate seemed to lose patience. Him: [You don't answer me.

So what am I checking in for.] Him: [Where are you. Pick up.] Him: [...Josephine.

You're the one who wouldn't leave me alone about this.] Him: [Is this because I was slow to check in from the diner? I told you. I was busy.] Him: [Fine.

Still ignoring me.] Him: [Good. I've been sick of checking in anyway.] The breakfast was still on the table. He'd bought it at six thirty that morning. It had gone completely cold.

The System started up again, chirping. [SEE? It could not be more obvious.

The villain is annoyed with you, and that's why his corruption level is climbing.] I made a face and asked it, "How much did it go up?" [Up 5%.

He's at 76% now.] [Host, I feel obligated to remind you.

If his corruption level passes 90%, the mission is automatically ruled a failure.] Chapter 3 [Then I'll schedule your extraction and swap in a new operative.] [Don't overthink it.

You're just an operative. You can be replaced any time.] The second the System said extraction, I panicked. "So I'd never see Nate again?" Honestly, I didn't want to go.

Nate is the bestlooking man I've ever laid eyes on, and the one who has never once shortchanged me. ...I don't let myself think about the other reasons.

If I think about them, I won't be able to walk away at all. The System scoffed. [Then be a good girl and do what I tell you.] "Do what?" I said. [Call him. Right now.

Tell him you're done keeping tabs on him.

Tell him you won't be a brat about it anymore.] Everything in me came up at once, and I shot back, "Absolutely not." The System had nothing left for me. [How did I get stuck with a Host like you.] We argued it out, and each gave something up.

My checkins went from every ten minutes down to every thirty. Barely. Then Nate called. Perfect timing.

I picked up, and he made a small cold sound in his throat. "Nothing you want to say to me?" I took a breath and pushed the ache in my chest back down.

Then I said it, flat, exactly the way the System wanted it said. "Nate. You don't have to check in every ten minutes anymore.

It's too much." His breathing stopped for a beat. "Josephine. What are you saying?" "Every half hour is fine from now on." I'd stretched it to thirty minutes.

But what if thirty was still too annoying for him. On the other end, Nate went quiet for a long time. He never does that. Then his voice dropped all the way down to cold. "Sure.

Whatever you want." "I wasn't dying to check in with you either." He hung up. At the same time, the System spoke up in my head. [CORRUPTION LEVEL RISING.

NOW AT 81%.] [9 POINTS REMAINING UNTIL THE 90% FAILURE LINE.] The System was ready to explode. [Host. I TOLD you. Every thirty minutes is unbearable too!] [Look at him.

You annoyed him so much the number went up again! Nobody on earth can live with possessiveness this sick!] Phone still in my hand, I didn't know what to do with myself.

I'd held myself back. I really had. And he still couldn't stand me? So if I actually got pulled offline, would he feel the way the System feels. Relieved.

Finally rid of the sick clingy girl. That afternoon. Sure enough, Nate's checkins thinned out, and he stopped pretending to be warm. Nothing felt right anywhere.

I even started going to ugly places with it. He goes a full thirty minutes between checkins now. Who is he talking to in those thirty minutes. What is he keeping from me.

Those pictures he sends. Are they staged. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. So the next day. After Nate left for work. The morning after, I snuck out too.

I interviewed at the company next door to his. That was the whole reason. They took me on for a trial shift. Elliot Shaw showed me the ropes. He was nice about it. Patient.

He taught me a lot. Just knowing I was this close to Nate now, my possessiveness lay down and went quiet. From my desk, through the window, I could see him. Just barely.

If he looked up, would he see me? Chapter 4 I never told him I'd gotten a job. That evening, after he got off work.

I came out of my building too, and staked out the corner on his walk home. I wanted to watch him a little. See whether he'd met anyone new behind my back these last few days.

Ten minutes later, Nate came out. I went after him, quiet and quick.

I hadn't gone more than a few steps when somebody called out behind me. "Josie, you're still here?" I turned around. It was Elliot Shaw, the one who'd trained me that day.

He had two iced coffees in his hands and a grin on his face. "Place was doing twoforone. Help me out with one?" "Where do you live, by the way?

I can give you a ride." I was in a hurry to go follow Nate, so I waved him off. But Elliot was too warm about it, and the cup was already in my hand.

There was nothing to do but get rid of him fast, so I took it and said, quickly, "Thanks, boss.

I'll take the coffee, but I've got somewhere to be, so I'm going to..." I didn't finish. A tight voice came from behind me. "Josephine.

Marsh." "What are you doing here?" My stomach dropped and I turned around fast. Nate was standing there staring at me, and there was nothing good in his face.

Then he saw the cup in my hand, and everything in his face shut down. He said it again, slower. "Why are you here?" My mouth dried out. I couldn't hold his eyes.

How was I supposed to put this gently. That keeping tabs on him wasn't enough. That I was scared he'd talk to some other woman. That I'd come here to follow him.

Say that out loud and he'd only be more sick of me.

With nowhere to run, I pointed at Elliot beside me and grabbed for an excuse. "I, I came to talk to my friend..." Then nobody said anything. Elliot was still standing right there.

Holding the other cup up, his smile frozen on his face. I didn't know whether Nate believed me. His face just kept getting emptier.

At the end of it he nodded, and he was almost calm. "Sure. Fine. Go talk to him." "I'm leaving." I thought I'd gotten away with it. I had just started to breathe out.

The next second the System's alarm came through. [CORRUPTION LEVEL CLIMBING...] [TARGET HAS BREACHED 90%. NOW AT 93%.] [HOST MISSION RULED A FAILURE.

EXTRACTION TO BE SCHEDULED SHORTLY.] The System soured. [9 points. You filled it with one iced coffee.] [What did you follow him for?

Nothing better to do with your time?] [With acting that bad, of course he worked out you were tailing him. He is completely done with you.] [Well. There it is.

Log out already, you clingy menace