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And I was choosing for it to not be a threat.
Rusty wheeled in a clothes rack full of dresses. It made me wonder why he had so many women’s dresses here. I hadn’t seen one woman so far.
“What is this?”
“Pick.”
I looked through the different dresses, all different colors and sizes, and styles. I was gobsmacked. I chose the black strapless dress and he smiled at me as he wheeled the rack back out and closed the door. I quickly ran for the bathroom I had seen Halen coming out of before and took a shower. The shower pressure was hard and steady, kneading the sore muscles in my shoulders and back. I tried not to moan as I got the makeshift massage from the shower head. After a brief moment of easing my aches, I quickly washed myself and toweled off, looking in the large mirror. He’d not harmed me in any way, I didn’t have a scratch on me.
I couldn’t say the same about this brother. Zane had an inordinate way to bruise me in every interaction we had.
I eagerly got dressed and headed back out to wait on the edge of the bed. A guy with this much money surely had a great cook. My mouth salivated at the thought of it as I waited to be taken to dinner.
I didn’t even know if dinner was close or not but my stomach was rumbling loudly, telling me it was well past time I ate.
The doors to the room opened again and I sat up quickly. Ben motioned for me to follow. I almost ran to join him as he led me down a hall. I hadn’t taken in the hallway when I was escaping before, the gothic art on the walls reminded me of an old castle you’d read about in the times of Elizabeth Bathory or Vlad the Impaler times. The carpet underneath my feet was hard but the design was stunning, black bats in the corners of the border. It was like something out of one of my messed up dreams.
“In here,” he said, opening a door. I walked through the doors, jumping when he slammed the doors behind me.
“Come in,” I heard his voice behind me. I turned around to see Halen coming into the room himself from another door. He hadn’t looked up yet. My heart was beating erratically and I had no idea why.
Perhaps it was because I wasn’t in restraints but whatever it was, it was making me jumpy.
Finally, he looked up and that’s when I saw it. The hunger in his eyes as he looked me up and down.
“Did you need more dresses to choose from?” he asked me, finally looking back up at me.
“No, is there something wrong?” I asked, feeling nervous all of a sudden.
“Uh, no, I just…I expected you to want to cover up more since you’re…well since you’re not at home.”
“Since you kidnapped me, you mean?” I replied. “I can change.”
“No,” he said. “You look beautiful. I didn’t expect you to pick a black dress.”
“Personally, I love black,” I said, sliding into a seat at the table that was set up. “I just don’t wear it much around Zane.”
He frowned before he quickly sat down opposite me. “Why?”
“He doesn’t like it. I don’t know why.”
He smirked as if he knew the answer but I didn’t ask. I was still a prisoner here, I didn’t want to feel familiar with him. I couldn’t let my guard down.
Yet, something in the way he was around me made me think I could.
“So,” he said, leaning forward. “I hope you’re hungry. I had the chef prepare a few things.”
I looked down at the table where no less than four caloches sat atop large silver platters.
“Why?” I asked him. He was confused. “Why are you treating me this way?”
“Paisley, I’m not a brute. You were tied up because you tried to escape and you’re a little lethal with a killer shin kick to my boys’ junk or so I’ve been told. Think of this as a holiday from Zane while I sort out what I’m going to do with him.”
“Why do you need me?”
“One thing about Zane…he will doanythingto get what he thinks he owns.”
“No one owns me,” I said quickly, starting to feel a little angry.
