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He ducked into the bathroom and I heard him showering. It took me a moment to pull myself together. Everything about the house and the people in it was overwhelming and a little uncomfortable. I looked down at my suntanned feet and legs, the straps of my sandals dirty.
I needed to change.
Duran came out, wrapped in a towel, and I got into the shower. When I returned, he was fully dressed in a dark blue suit with a tie.
“So…are we getting dressed up for lunch?” I asked.
“Lucien likes things to be formal,” he said. “He wears a suit most of the time so when I’m here, I do the same. It’s his house.”
He went to brush his hair back and I opened my suitcase. Most of my clothes needed washed, but I did have a dress with quarter length sleeves that came to the middle of my thigh. It was dark blue and had a little choker I hadn’t noticed before pinned to the tag. I slipped it on with a pair of black pumps.
Duran reappeared and his eyes dropped to the velvet choker and lingered on the little gold bow.
“That’s not the sort of thing you usually wear,” he said.
“I know, but I need to do my laundry,” I said. “Plus, it matches my bracelet.”
I flipped my wrist, jingling the diamond bow. He beckoned me and I obeyed. His lids fell halfway as he raked his gaze down to my heels and back up again. Warmth gathered deep inside.
“I’ll fuck you tonight,” he murmured.
I shook my head, eyes widening. “Not here, that seems disrespectful.”
He kissed my mouth, tongue brushing mine. My nipples went tight and the memory of his fingers on my clit in the club resurfaced. My hips felt warm and desperate, like I had an emptiness between them that ached to be filled. He broke away.
“Be a good girl and I’ll fuck you quietly,” he murmured. “Disobey me and I’ll make you scream.”
There was a faint chiming sound from downstairs. I picked my jaw up and pressed the back of my hand to my burning cheek.
“That’s lunch,” Duran said, spinning me around and spanking my ass.
He didn’t give me a chance to retort. I darted into the bathroom and quickly swiped on some makeup and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. Hoping it would help me blend into this gilded house.
Downstairs, the dining room was dizzying. The table was spread with a half dozen platters of food, including fresh fruit, vegetables, and cheese. There were two bottles of wine and a decanter of water at the center beside a short bouquet of white roses. It was all very foreign to me in its elegance. I hadn’t been raised in this level of wealth.
Duran pulled out my chair and I sank down just as footsteps sounded to our left. We both glanced over and I felt Duran tense. Lucien walked in, still in the same suit, and a tiny figure appeared at his heels.
I tried not to stare. She was beautiful, but timid like a mouse. He pulled her chair out and I saw his hand guide her to sit down. It seemed excessive, but when I glanced at Lucien, it made sense. His face was blank, but around the edges of it I saw intense protectiveness. Like the most precious thing in the world sat next to him.
Shaken, I glanced at Duran. He didn’t seem to notice anything.
“This is Iris,” Duran said, sinking down. “And this is Olivia.”
I smiled at her and she smiled back, her dark eyes uncertain.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said softly.
She wanted to be warm, I could tell, but she was locked in a cage of anxiety. I smiled at her, trying to let her know I wasn’t a threat. She glanced up at Lucien and I saw his forearm flex like he was patting her thigh.
Lucien and Duran started talking about something I didn’t understand. Warehouses, people I didn’t know, deadlines for shipments. I saw Olivia’s eyes glaze over as she watched the housekeeper fill our plates, and I took the opportunity to look her over.
She was obviously underweight. Her hair was thick and wavy and she had curtain bangs that framed her oval face and sharp chin. Her pointed nose had a little curl to her nostrils that I liked. It was charming. Overall, she seemed sweet, but nervous.
Lucien took the spoon from the housekeeper and portioned out Olivia’s food. I noticed he gave her less and spread it into small piles on her plate. I tried not to stare, wondering what he was doing and why she couldn’t get her own food.
Was he controlling her portions?
She was rail thin already.
