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When he got to me, I tried to make eye contact with him, to secure some kind of connection between us.
Mrs. Hawthorne had warned me he was rough around the edges. But still I’d expected… well, something more than this. And yet, hadn’t I just been thinking it was unfair to judge someone based on only a few minutes of interaction?
He barely touched my pearls, never once looking in my face before moving on to the next girl. He seemed to have less and less time for each girl as he went down the line, and my hopes sank even further down into my stomach.
This man was not my hope for salvation.
He was a drunk rich boy with too much money and privilege who’d probably never done a hard day’s work in his entire life.
An Elder, obviously trying to reinstate some of the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony, banged his cane on the floor. “Sully VanDoren, you are to choose a belle.”
Sully VanDoren. VanDoren… good Lord, I couldn’t think of a name that screamed money and privilege more than that.
Okay, so this obviously wasn’t going to work out. I’d have to think of other out-of-the box solutions to my family’s problems. Dammit. I’d have to quit doing eldercare. I’d miss my patients, but maybe if I got a lucrative waitressing gig in the city, I could send money back and—
Suddenly Sully stomped over and stood in front of me.
I froze and stared back at him, feeling first like a deer caught in headlights and then getting irrationally pissed when he continued doing nothing but standing there.
Did he get off on this? Toying with women?
Was he actually going to choose me? Why on earth?
Even now, he stared like he detested me.
I glared back at him. Yes, when the invitation had first come, it had felt like a godsend.
But now I had the distinct feeling I was looking into the eyes of the devil. This was a man pushed to the edge, on the brink.
I had no idea what the hell had pushed him there. But it seemed obvious he had zero fucks to give. And a man like that was dangerous.
I should have dropped my eyes. Cowered away. Signaled I wasn’t for him. That definitely would have been the smart thing to do.
But I didn’t do any of that.
I straightened my spine and challenged the devil. Because goddamn him, I was a woman pushed to the brink, too. And screw him for thinking he could make me feel small or cower for even a second before his great and almighty—
Before I could even fully take a breath, he ripped the pearls off my neck.
I blinked in shock.
Holy shit! If the Elders’ canes banging hard against the white floor meant what I thought it did… I’d just been chosen.
4
Portia
There was no time to consider or reconsider. There were just flashes, images. Crying belles as they were led away, the murmur of conversations among the other members, and us being ushered up the stairs.
Sully and me.
Sully was at my side, but he didn’t say a word.
Sex.
Now was the time for the sex.
Mrs. Hawthorne and the doctor had explained what was expected of me, and I wasn’t shocked. I liked sex and never got to have near enough of it because I was always run so damn ragged. I’d had boyfriends here and there, but they usually ran off quick enough when they realized I always prioritized my family over them.
Sorry not sorry. Don’t ask me to choose between you and my family because you’ll lose every time.
So sure, okay, sex.
When I said I would do anything for my family, I meant it. And I wasn’t a prude.
But as the entire entourage followed us upstairs, it hit me in full. Holy crap—my first time with grouchy Sully VanDoren was going to be very public, voyeuristic sex with a bunch of dudes in cloaks looking on.
And Sully wasn’t going to make it easier on anyone.
“So, you all gonna come and watch me fuck her?” he asked the following crowd with a crude laugh. “Is that what gets your old peckers hard? Well, hell, maybe we should do a raffle and sell tickets. Why not get the PTA of Darlington Prep involved?”
Sully slammed open the door to a bedroom and yanked me inside by my elbow. It was more abrupt than painful.
I hoped his sour attitude might shame some of the Elders from following or turn them away, but nope, they all just streamed into the room after us anyway.
The room was large and dominated by an absolutely gigantic four-poster bed. The frame was dark wood, antique, and the intricate scrolling woodwork on the headboard truly stunning. Not that there was much time to study it when I was still being flung all about by Sully’s strong grip on my arm.
