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Her tone is remarkably calm. That might be because of the lingering traces of the sedative, or perhaps it’s because she’s too naïve to realize what a man like me might do to the daughter of the monster who murdered my family.
“You’ll find out soon enough. Get up.”
To my surprise, she obeys immediately. She swings her legs over the edge of the bed and lowers her feet to the floor. As she pushes herself up, she falters, clearly shaky.
“Lose the dress.”
“What?” Her emerald eyes widen.
“You heard me. Take it off.”
Remembering the defiance I’d seen in her eyes when I first met her, I fully expect her to rebel against the command. It’s disappointing when she lifts her shoulders in a shrug and reaches around to unzip the dress. As she pushes the thin straps down her arms and then lets the dress slide to the floor, her jaw clenches. Perhaps she’s not as obedient as she seems.
When she’s standing before me in nothing but a flimsy little pair of white lace panties, I move closer and take my time to commit every inch of her to memory. Cara shifts her weight from one foot to the other, the only hint that my scrutiny is having an effect on her. I lean closer to whisper in her ear.
“There’s a dress hanging on the back of the door. Put it on. Someone will come for you in an hour.”
I run the back of my fingers down her cheek. Still, she shows no reaction. I don’t like this easy compliance. It smacks of cold calculation. I’d prefer to see some emotion. How far will I have to push her to glimpse the fire I know burns within her?
“Don’t keep me waiting,” I tell her as I turn and walk to the door. “You won’t like the consequences.”
Chapter4
Cara
As Alexander closes the bedroom door, I release a long, slow breath. I have no idea how I kept calm as he raked his eyes over my body. Having him so close made the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end. He’s more intimidating than I remembered. There’s something different about him. He’s more muscular than he was before. There’s a harder edge to him. Though he didn’t seem angry, the expression he wore was grim. The man I met three years ago had carried an air of authority, but now a harsher dominance seeps from his every pore. I guess losing his family the way he did has changed him.
I’m intrigued to know how he survived that night, but didn’t dare ask him. I doubt it’s a conversation he’d welcome. Instead, for reasons I don’t understand, I meekly did as he asked. I was caught off guard and didn’t have time to think things through. Instinct took over, and I submitted to his demands. That can’t continue. If I’m going to cope with whatever he’s brought me here for, I’m going to have to toughen up.
Glancing around the room, I realize there isn’t a clock. In fact, aside from the wood-framed bed, there isn’t any furniture. The walls are painted cream, and the carpet is brown. It doesn’t appear to be a room that’s used regularly. There are no homely touches in here.
I look to the window to get a sense of the time. There’s still light in the sky, so I’m guessing it’s late evening. That doesn’t help me to comply with Alexander’s instruction that I be ready in an hour, so I guess I’ll have to move quickly. I go to the door and unzip the garment bag that’s hanging there. I’m not sure what I expected to see, but it sure as shit isn’t the gorgeous white lace gown that spills out.
Careful not to damage it, I remove the dress from the bag and study it carefully. It’s beautiful, but it looks like a wedding gown. My heart thuds furiously. Surely it isn’t a wedding dress. Alexander can’t want to marry me after what happened. For a moment, I’m frozen by indecision. Should I do as Alexander asked and put the dress on, or is this the point where I stand up for myself and demand to know what he wants from me?
I have to admit a part of me is intrigued by the whole situation. Adele told me before I passed out from the drugs she slipped me that he’d paid her to keep an eye on me. It stings that the first real friendship I had was all a lie, but I can’t help wondering why Alexander kept tabs on me for so long. Why did he wait to make a move and what does he want from me now? I guess there’s only one way to find out, so I strip off my panties and pull the dress on over my head. It fits perfectly, hugging every curve of my body. It cinches in tight at the waist and then flares out over my hips, dropping to the floor in a dramatic sweep of white lace. Its sleeves are long and the neckline is high. There’s a plunging V at the back, but the dress is elegant rather than trashy, which fuels my suspicions it’s a wedding gown.
There isn’t a mirror in here and there’s no en-suite bathroom, from what I can tell. I’m sure I look like crap. My hair is always wild after I’ve been sleeping. I run my fingers through it, wincing as I try to pull the knots from it. After a while, I give up and sit on the edge of the bed, trying to make sense of the situation I find myself in.
After a while, there’s a knock at the door. I’m certain it hasn’t been an hour yet.
“Come in,” I call out when it becomes clear nobody’s about to enter.
A woman walks into the room, wheeling a large black case behind her.. She’s followed by two men in black suits. “I’m Jennifer. I’m here to do your hair and make-up.”
“And who are they?” I wave a hand at the thugs who flank her. “Your glamorous assistants?”
Jennifer smiles. “They’re here to ensure nothing unfortunate happens.”
“Nothing unfortunate?” I shake my head. “I’d say my being kidnapped is unfortunate.”
That just gets me another smile. “Are you going to let me do my job without a fuss, or do these gentlemen need to hold you still?”
Horrified by that thought, I shake my head. It’s not as if I was going to try to hurt this woman anyway. “No, I’ll let you.”
“Good girl.”
I clench my teeth at her patronizing words, but remain still as she sets to work on my hair. Tears spring to my eyes as the comb works its way through the knots, but I don’t complain. When she’s finished detangling my hair, she fashions it into a low ponytail. Standing back to look at me, she tuts.
