3. Rose #2
"It's simple, Rose. Make him get you pregnant.
That's all we need. It's your fucking duty so even you shouldn't be able to screw this up.
You get pregnant with his kid and I'll let your sister go.
Then you'll be free in nine months." He casts a disgusted eye on me.
"It's the easiest fucking thing you'll ever do. "
Mathew returns to the stall and closes the door, but the fact that he's there sends me into a spiral even as I turn to the mirror and fight to collect myself.
My hands shake, redness blooms across my throat, and mascara trails down my flushed cheeks as the tears finally escape.
I can do this. One night of sex and this nightmare is over.
I run the tap and splash water over my face and neck, then force several deep breaths to calm the urge to give in to the tears lingering behind my eyes.
There are more important things at stake here than just my feelings.
Once calm, I step out of the bathroom to Calvin, who barely hides the concerned gleam in his eye as he looks me up and down. "Are you alright?"
I nod quickly. "I'm peachy! I think I've just had a bit too much to drink and with the excitement and everything…
could you take me home?" I pause and wince.
"Or… I suppose I can't go home, I'll be going home with Kon, right?
Sorry. I'm not sure…" Forcing a wide smile, I shake my head and tuck a curl behind my ear. "It's a little confusing."
"I can take you home," Calvin says gently, and he offers me his elbow to lean on.
I take it and let him guide me out of the hall and into the foyer, where a cold wind rushes in through the open doors.
The rain isn't as torrential as before, and I enjoy the splatter of cold raindrops across my shoulders before they vanish as Calvin covers me with an umbrella.
No… not Calvin.
Turning to thank him, I find myself face to face with Konstantin—who holds the umbrella over me and walks me silently to a waiting limo.
He opens the door for me and remains silent until I'm inside, and then he joins me.
"Are you alright?" Kon asks as he settles in his seat. "Calvin mentioned you were unwell."
"Not unwell," I correct with a smile. "I think the excitement and the wine and the champagne just mixed a little too hard. I was a little dizzy."
Kon's gaze is unwavering as he looks me over. "Do you need a doctor?"
"Oh goodness, no," I laugh. "But you don't have to leave just because I am. I don't want to take you away from a good party."
"That is not a good party," Kon replies. "That is a business deal."
The limo hums to life and drives so smoothly that the only hint of movement I get is the slight lean each time we turn.
Kon leans across the limo aisle, removes a bottle of water, uncaps it, and offers it to me.
I take it just to have something in my hands while my mind drifts to my sister.
Knowing Mathew and his scumbag brothers have her and my mother is the only thing keeping my focus on track.
Whatever their problem with Konstantin is, it's not my business.
I just need to do what they say, give them what they want, and then my family and I will be safe.
I tell myself that for the majority of the ride through the quiet, rain-soaked streets of New York.
Outside the window, the gray buildings eventually give way to trees and bushes, dark roads with only a scattering of streetlights, then a tall wall and a black iron gate that opens onto a winding driveway.
By the time we reach Konstantin's mansion, my dizziness has faded and I've pushed away the lingering fear Mathew left in me.
Kon exits the limo first and then holds out his hand for me to follow.
I take it, finding comfort in how firmly he holds me, then I step out onto a pebbled driveway and gaze up at my new home.
It's stunning.
Four floors of beautiful carved stone, with pillars framing the large front porch.
Tall green trees line the building, covering the space between each window, while a large vine plant stretches up one side of the building and covers the pale stone in colorful flowers illuminated by the lights hanging from under several balconies.
It's like something out of a dream and I scarcely mask my awe as Kon leads me up the steps.
"This is your home?"
"Yes."
"Your actual home?"
"Yes." Kon glances at me. "Do you not think it suits me?" The front door swings open, controlled by a man dressed in a smart gray suit, and we walk into a foyer with a black and white marble floor. A wide, ornate staircase faces me, leading upward and then splitting off in opposite directions.
"Oh it suits you," I reply softly. "I've just never… ever been in a place this beautiful."
"It is now your home, so if you wish to redecorate…"
I gape at him. "Excuse me?"
He shrugs off his jacket and my mouth runs dry at the sudden appearance of muscles thick enough that his shirt can barely contain them. "Do you not wish to?"
"I… I hadn't really thought about it."
"I had your things placed in our room on the third floor. You will find everything you need there." Kon's lips twitch into something I choose to believe is a smile, then he turns and walks past the stairs and down a dark hallway while fiddling with his cufflinks.
Ethan follows and Calvin remains with me.
He escorts me to the third floor and into a bedroom so vast that it's about as big as the entire hovel Mathew was keeping me in for the past six months.
A handful of suitcases sit stacked on the floor near the gigantic bay windows, which lead out to a balcony overlooking the vast back gardens, and several closets are filled to the brim with brand-new clothes, all in my size.
For a man who knows nothing about me and is some kind of monster, he sure thought about everything.
The urge to collapse into bed is strong.
Every part of me aches and throbs and sweet relief floods through me when I step out of those killer heels and wrestle out of my wedding dress.
But as sweet as sleep would be, Mathew's threat lingers in the back of my mind like the screech of a bird.
There's no time like the present.
As expected, one of the suitcases, likely packed by Mathew, is filled with lingerie.
My task couldn't be clearer.
After tidying my makeup and brushing my hair, I dress in black lace crotchless panties and a black lace corset bra that scarcely hides anything, then I take a deep breath and open the bedroom door.
Calvin immediately averts his eyes skyward and clears his throat.
"Where is Kon?" I ask sweetly.
Calvin keeps his eyes anywhere but me until I pick out a silky housecoat from my suitcase, then he leads me down through the house to where Kon is busy in the kitchen.
He doesn't look up when I enter, but he angles his head toward me and finally looks at me when I shed the housecoat and hop up onto the counter.
Spreading my legs as wide as I can, I lean back and smile coyly.
"Isn’t it tradition to consummate the marriage?"