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She grabs my wrist and pulls me out of the bathroom. “Whatever, Debby Downer. Choose one.” Justine points at the dresses she’s tossed on the bed, then places her hand over a maroon dress. “This would look stunning on you.”
I consider her suggestion, knowing she’s not entirely wrong, but my eyes are drawn to the green satin dress next to it. “What about this one?”
“Oh, that’s my second favorite,” she exclaims. “As long as you didn’t pick the black one, I’m happy.”
I chuckle. “Then why did you bring it?”
“Because you’re allowed to make your own choices with me, and since you wore that black dress for the auction, I wanted to make sure you had all the options available that you might want.”
Ah, the black sequin number that I’ve yet to see since getting some of my things back. I’ve tried not to think too much about that over the last week.
I grab the green dress and step into the bathroom. As I start to close the door, Justine shakes her head. “I didn’t take you for a prude.”
“If it was only you in this apartment, I wouldn’t be,” I say, knowing that getting naked in front of Luca is the last thing anyone needs. Most of all, me.
He hasn’t come back into the bedroom since Justine arrived, but I still don’t take the chance and close the bathroom door instead.
With a mixture of apprehension and a faint glimmer of hope, I strip down to my underwear and step into the dress, relishing the feeling of the smooth emerald fabric against my skin. The dress clings to my curves, accentuating them in a way that makes me feel both vulnerable and powerful. It’s as if the dress was tailored to fit me perfectly, enhancing my confidence.
As I zip up the dress with some effort, my fingers lingering on the delicate fabric, I catch my reflection in the mirror. The simplicity of the design belies its allure. The sharp V-neckline plunges down, hinting at a sultry elegance, while the absence of embellishments allows the satin to speak for itself.
With one more check of my hair, I gather my courage and open the bathroom door, accepting that I’m allowed to be at least a little excited to get out of this apartment prison. It’s been too many days since I’ve properly seen sunshine and, even though it’s late evening now, the eagerness to stand under the night sky grows with every passing second since putting on the dress.
To my surprise, when I walk out of the bathroom, Justine and Luca are locked in a confrontation. They turn toward me as I enter, their gazes clashing for a moment before Luca abruptly exits the bedroom, leaving me standing there, a mix of emotions swirling within me.
“Damn, girl,” Justine says, her voice filled with admiration as she whistles appreciatively. “You’re like fucking fire in that dress.”
A blush creeps onto my cheeks, but beneath the surface, there’s a tightness in my chest. I had hoped for some kind of acknowledgement from Luca, but his dismissal cuts deeper than I care to admit, especially after the positive mood he came home in.
Justine tosses black heels onto the bed. “Put those on and then let’s go. We can’t be late.”
“What is it that we’re even doing?” I ask as I grab the shoes and lean against the mattress.
“Can’t say, but we’ll be enjoying ourselves while the men attend to business.” Her words fill me with frustration, slashing away at my previous thrill, but maybe it’s better this way.
The less I know, the less of a threat I am.
She loops her arm through mine once I’m ready, and we walk out into the living room together. Luca is standing there, joined by Jaxon who lights up when he sees Justine. A grin tugs at the side of his mouth, and his eyes darken while he drinks her in.
I try to pull away, feeling as if I’m intruding on a private moment, but Justine’s grip on me doesn’t loosen.
“Let’s go,” Luca’s gruff voice announces, then gone is the man who told me to get dressed earlier.
I’m not sure if it’s me or something Justine said to change his demeanor, but I decide I don’t care. I can’t control his emotions, just like I can’t control my staying in this house. All I can do is make sure that I do my best to enjoy seeing the outside world after more than a week of captivity, even if it’s brief.
Leaving the room behind, I take in the small landing outside Luca’s door. The absence of windows and personal touches accentuates the sterile atmosphere, reminding me of the darkness that lurks within these walls. Cream-colored walls and dark wood floors, seemingly innocuous but bearing the weight of untold stories and hidden secrets.
The elevator opens, and we all step in. Jaxon pulls Justine into his embrace, not hiding even an ounce of his affection for my new friend. A pang of jealousy fills me. Not because I want Luca to be doing the same thing to me, but because nobody has ever looked at me like Jaxon does her. With a passion so fierce that he’d let the world burn before losing her.
Luca is the first to step out when we get to the garage. He heads toward the SUV that brought me here, and standing next to the doors are two of the few men I’ve met since staying here: Markus and Damon.
Markus is the silent type that terrifies me more than anyone else I’ve seen since arriving at the compound. His eyes so brown that they’re nearly black are always pinched at the sides, as if he’s in constant pain, and the tattoos made of dark imagery that I’ve seen on his arms don’t help my imagination from assuming the worst about him.
Damon is a lighter version of Markus and looks younger than the rest of these men, likely in his twenties. He has blond hair that’s longer on top and sweeps to the side but doesn’t go past his neck. His eyes are light blue, and I can’t see any visible marks on him. He’s also only made an appearance in Luca’s room once, but I don’t for one second assume this man is any more innocent than the others.
Dressed in black slacks, white dress shirts, and suitcoats left casually open, the four men exude an air of controlled power, masking their true nature beneath a veneer of sophistication. It’s a chilling reminder of the dangers that surround me.
Markus gets into the driver’s seat, Damon takes the passenger, while Justine and Jaxon get into the last row, meaning I’m stuck in the middle with Luca. Just like when I’d last been in here with him, I press myself as close as I can get to the door and stare out of the window.
