AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Despite your father’s knowledge, he lacks wisdom. That’s really the key. You must be wise or everything you’ve worked to achieve can turn to dust. I’m sure he believes he’s invincible, but he’s sorely mistaken,” Danya explains.
“Why do you think that? Because he traded me to you for… something?”
“There’s more to it than that, but you’ll know once we are wed. I cannot entrust such information to someone who is not part of my family yet.”
“I understand,” I say, but I don’t really. This whole thing just keeps getting more confusing, and Danya speaks to me in riddles.
“Just know that your father isn’t who you think he is. Perhaps your impression has changed since he brought you here, but it goes deeper than that.”
“Oh, it’s changed,” I reply, feeling a tinge of anger. “Before, I thought him to be quite weak, but now, I think he’s an asshole.”
“Weak men tend to fall into such traps. It takes a strong man to act in accordance with his values, and the man who has none will bring himself and others down eventually. Thankfully, you’ve fallen into more capable hands,” he says, rolling his cigar between his knuckles.
Verycapable hands, but what does that spell for me. I’m not afraid that I won’t be able to get away from Danya, but that once he shows me what his body can do, I won’t want to get away. He will enslave me with his sin.
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, trying to ignore how sticky my panties are. If he knew, he’d probably laugh at me. We haven’t even kissed yet, much less seen each other naked, and I’m dripping so much I have to check the chair to make sure I haven’t created a dark spot on the fabric.
Danya’s eyes twinkle under the crystal chandelier, and he takes another sip of his wine.
Once again, I wish to be able to melt into the wood grain of my chair, able to look at him without him looking at me. I’m fascinated by the sharpness of his features, the bend in his nose and the slight pout of his full lips. He’s so different that I feel like I could spend ages going over his face and still come away not quite understanding it.
I want to know everything, but I’m just a woman in a world of brutes. I have no power in Danya’s hands, just as I had none at home. I wish I could change that, but I don’t know how.
Danya smiles, as though he knows everything that’s going on in my head. “You’re going to be fine here with me. I’m certain of that. I want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
I nod, barely hearing his words as blood pumps into my ears.
“Whatever makes you feel more at home, I will do for you. I hear they eat a lot of macaroni and cheese in America.”
His words break me out of the spell I was in, causing me to laugh. “Yes, some people do.”
He gives me a puzzled look. “Do you not?”
I shrug, smiling at how cute his confusion is. “Sometimes. I mean, my father had a strong preference for seafood, so I just ate whatever he ate most of the time.”
Danya rubs his chin. “Interesting. Admittedly, the local fish market is limited this far north, but I will put in an order for something special.”
“I really don’t need it,” I say, shrinking in my chair. The attention is like a spotlight on me, and I’m not used to it.
“You can have anything you want,” he says with a smile, and then he turns his attention back to the food, allowing me to relax again.
I can’t believe I’m still so shy around him when we’re going to be married so soon. I need to be brave, but it’s impossible to feel anything but confused and anxious arousal when he’s talking to me.
Danya senses this, and makes small talk for the rest of the meal, trying to put as little pressure on me as possible. His eyes betray his intentions, however. They follow me with every bite I take.
As dinner is finished, the aroma of spices and bread becomes mingled with a hint of smoke, as the candles that have been burning throughout the meal begin to wither and go out. I lean back in my chair, placing both hands on my full stomach and letting out a sigh of contentment.
Danya rises from his seat, walking over to me again, and I straighten up immediately. My skin prickles as my body anticipates his touch, but he doesn’t come up behind me like last time. Instead, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box.
“This is for you, my flower,” he says, placing it on the table beside my plate.
I’m hesitant to reach for it, but it’s so alluring with its little red ribbon that I place my hand over it, feeling the importance of the object inside before I even open it. My heart hammers in my chest as I come to a realization of what it is.
A ring.
Danya looks down at me, his expression that of eager anticipation. He actually looks a bit nervous, which surprises me. Maybe I do have some power in this arrangement after all.
“Open it,” he says even as I pull on the ribbon.
