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“I’m not a doll that needs to be dressed,” she bites out, her anger clearly taking over, and it makes me laugh.
“I know,” I say without looking at her. “But for this event, you need to look…” I’m not sure how to phrase it to not freak her out. The women who will be in attendance tonight are all there because they were forced to be. Brielle is mostly going of her own free will. It’s new.
But, the dress code for any females within the company of the up-and-coming Bosses, needs to look like arm candy. As much as she’ll hate it, she’ll also have to accept it.
“I need to look like what, Valen?”
Her hand landing on my shoulder stills me for a moment before I pull out a hanger from the closet. The long, sleek black dress has thin straps, simple design, and the slit that will land at her left hip, and will go all the way down to the floor.
“I’m not wearing that.”
“You can and you will,” I tell her as I glance at her from over my shoulder. “Go shower, freshen up, and put some make-up on.” The order doesn’t beg for debate, but Brielle opens her mouth. “Now.”
We have to leave soon, and I’m not in the mood to deal with Judah and his frustrated sighs if we’re both late.
“You’re angry,” Brielle finally says, her voice softer now. “I get it. And I’m sorry you are. I should never have kept anything from you.”
I perch the hanger on the handle of the door before I turn to her. “No,” I say, “you shouldn’t have, but the past is just that, and we can’t change it. For now, you’ll find your footing by listening to us, and obeying our commands.”
Even as I say it, I’m unsure of what tonight will bring. There are men who will be in attendance, watching over all of us.
“And you get me out of it,” she says. “What do I get?”
The corner of my mouth kicks upward into a smirk. Lifting my gaze to hers, I answer, “You get to live.”
“So you’d stand by and watch Judah kill me?” There’s a challenge in the question. One that I don’t want to get into, but I have no choice because Brielle will push more and more until I’ve succumbed to her needs. And fuck, I so badly want to bend her over right now and make her scream my name. But that would make her think I have forgiven her.
I take measured steps toward her. When I stop inches from where she’s standing, I hold my hand out. “Jordan’s jacket,” I say. “You don’t want Judah to see you wearing that.”
For a moment, I’m sure she’s going to challenge me, but then she relents and shrugs out of the heavy material. I take the item before I turn and head for the door.
“Will you be ready in twenty minutes?” I look over my shoulder, my eyes on hers as I watch the annoyance dance in her eyes and the frustration written all over her face.
“Yes,” is the only word she utters before she disappears into her attached bathroom. She has everything she needs in there, so I leave her be. It’s a lot to take in when you first arrive at Black Hollow. And even though Brielle has been here for a couple of months now, we’ve not made it easy. Or, I should rephrase, Judah hasn’t made it easy for her.
Not that I blame him. Not anymore.
When I reach my bedroom, I find Judah leaning against the closed door, arms crossed. He’s in a black tuxedo with a crisp white shirt. The uniform that’s worn to all these dinners and events.
“Is she ready?”
“She will be,” I tell him.
He pushes away from the door, taking a step toward me as he leans in close. “Don’t let her get to you. Out of the three of us, you’re the one who will more than likely break first.”
I chuckle as I press my lips to his ear. “Want to see her break? Let’s see if she’ll play a game. Truly test her,” I whisper.
Judah puts some distance between us, the surprise on his face is clear. There is one thing that takes place at these events most of the women hate. It’s part of becoming welcomed into the family.
It’s easier to kill than to go through the test.
“She’ll be angry if we test her like that, and I have a feeling that exposing her to others won’t sit well with me. I don’t share with bastards like those,” Judah says finally, with a nod. Deep down, I didn’t expect him to agree. “I’ll be out in the car.”
Once I’m alone, I head into my room to get ready for the evening ahead. I’ve been to these every year since I turned five. When I was little, it would be the most exciting night of the year. We would be allowed to sit amongst the elders. All the Bosses would talk about business. And even though we didn’t truly understand what they were talking about, not really, there was a sense of importance which came with being a part of it all.
It doesn’t take me long to get ready, and I’m tense as I make my way down the stairs. I’m not sure what Brielle is going to do, but as the three of us wait for her, all dressed in our tuxes. I know that the moment she descends those stairs, we’re going to be more than fucking distracted.
A TEST OF LOYALTY
