Chapter 26 #2
Angry tears well in my eyes. I want to slap him and show our audience what kind of man Kasen Throne really is.
But like he knows I would do exactly that, he’s holding my hands so close I can’t.
I underestimated him and how far he was willing to go to get what he wants, and that’s on me.
I won’t make the same mistake twice. Keeping me close under his arm and his other hand still in mine, he moves me toward the restaurant again.
I try to catch my breath, try to make my brain catch up with the program so I can get myself out of this situation, but I have nothing.
He has all the control. If I run, he could use his threats against me and have me arrested.
That’s the reality of my situation. But that’s not even the worst part.
When his lips met mine, I wanted them there. How can I want a man I despise?
A lady stands at the door to the restaurant in a black dress with gold embroidery over the lapel.
She smiles at us, all friendly. “Mr. Throne, always a pleasure to see you. Let me show you to your table,” she says like she didn’t just witness that show of egotistical power.
She takes us to a table in the center of the room, fully on display to the whole place, and I know it’s another strategic move by him.
We’re on show. This is what today was all about, to make sure not only his Instagram followers but every fucker in this town thinks I’m his.
Round tables dressed in crisp white linen fill the space, each one set with gleaming glassware, flowers, and flickering candles.
With a domineering smile, he pulls out an upholstered high-back chair for me.
“Miss Dawson,” he utters my name, all smooth and charming, like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. I want to slap him even more.
Every move he makes only fuels my disgust for him.
I take the seat, but only because I literally have no other choice, biting the inside of my mouth so hard I draw blood.
I’m trapped, and there is nothing I can do about it.
Everyone here adores him. He really is like a celebrity, and I’m no one. I have no voice, no power.
The hostess places our napkins on our laps, smiling at us. “Enjoy your meal, Mr. Throne, Miss Dawson.” She nods and leaves us alone.
I glance around the room, looking anywhere but at him.
If I make eye contact, I’m going to fall apart completely.
And I have to stay strong. It’s the only way to deal with men like him.
I focus on the decor. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered in heavy drapes that are half-drawn, turning the room inward.
Intimate. Controlled. Set up for lunches just like the one I’m on.
I can’t help but wonder if I’m the only one in the room that feels trapped.
The other women appear happy, drinking their champagne and smiling on cue.
Maybe for some this life would fit perfectly, but I have spent my adult years in bars and clubs where I have been mostly invisible. That’s how I liked it.
Kasen takes my hand from across the table and gives it a squeeze, bringing my attention back to him. “Now that that’s all over, we can enjoy our meal. I took the liberty of ordering for you. I’m sure you will enjoy what I selected.”
I flick my angry eyes back to him. How can such a gorgeous package contain such poison?
I force a smile, but it’s bitter and filled with hate.
“I can sit here and pretend with you for your audience of adoring fans, but just know that what you did today destroyed any chance of you ever getting what you really want.”
His lips form an all-out grin, his eyes dancing with a strange kind of delight I’m not sure I have ever seen before.
He’s not his dad, he’s so much worse. There is a numbness to him that actually scares me.
He doesn’t care what damage he does as long as it appears like he’s getting what he wants.
How do you fight that? If he’s stopped caring, it’s too late for anything to change.
The power has gone to his head, and I’m not sure what is more frightening, that deep down in my heart, under all the anger, I know I want to change him for the better, I hold out hope I could be the one to save him, or that I already know it’s too late.
He is the worst kind of human. Narcissists don’t change for anyone, and I’m sure that’s what he is.
“That’s where you’re wrong, birdie. I can see it in your eyes, you’re already mine.
Why don’t you do us both a favor and stop fighting me? ”
I pull my hand back and take up the flute of champagne, drinking down the entirety in one go, then I place the glass back on the table and grin back at him. “Keep kidding yourself, Kasen. Denial suits you.”
He huffs out a laugh, then takes my flute and tops it up for me. His smile is sickly sweet, but I know I’m getting to him.
A server arrives with our entrée, and I’m grateful for the distraction.
Over the space of two hours, I eat the gourmet four-course meal on autopilot, not even tasting the food even though I know it would be the best this town has to offer, and strangely, exactly what I would have selected if given the option.
Goat cheese and honey crostini, seared scallops with cauliflower puree, wild mushroom risotto, slow-cooked beef tenderloin with red wine jus, and chocolate lava cake for dessert. The perfect meal.
I smile when the moment is right and act politely when staff talk to me.
From the outside, I do probably look like Kasen’s compliant girlfriend.
I can feel the eyes of other women in the room burning into me.
It’s a role many others would want to play.
But as I sit here pretending, all I can do is plot my revenge.
I’m going to fucking make him care. He thinks he can control me, but he can’t.
I’m going to fuck him over in whatever way I can.
Every opportunity that’s presented to me, I will destroy everything important to him.
He wants me close? Good. Gives me the perfect chance to completely screw him over.
He thinks he’s untouchable, but no one really is, and I’m going to make it hurt like hell.
When he takes my hand and leads me from the table at the end of the meal, I feel better, already knowing I have a plan. Even as his hand slides from my waist down to my ass, I keep the smile on my face because I know this isn’t the end. He hasn’t won.
Like the gentleman we both know he’s not, he opens my door for me and helps me inside his new BMW i7, the new car smell still overwhelming.
Then closes the door and heads around to his side.
He brings it to life with the touch of a button and the techy screen lights up in front of us.
It’s so fancy, all digital and touch screen.
“What will you have your PA send Miss Arnott for that story she’s about to write? Are you going to tell her the truth about where I was all this time?” I ask after some time, the silence getting to me.
His brow rises. “Is that what you want me to do?”
I roll my eyes and look out the passenger-side window. I don’t know why I bothered trying to ask him a normal question. “We both know you will do what you want anyway, why ask what I want?”
His hand lands on my thigh and he squeezes gently. “Dove, I’m getting her to write this article to keep you safe. If whoever is after you knows you’re with me, they will give up sending you threats.”
My glare flicks back to him. Does he really believe the shit that is coming out of his mouth? “Come on, Kasen, are you really that egotistical? They didn’t give up on my mum and she was the mayor. We both know today was more about making you look good than keeping me safe.”
“Your mother was the one who got herself in trouble, made herself vulnerable, and that’s why she was a target for blackmail. It’s different with you, you don’t deserve it.”
Don’t deserve it. Sickness consumes me. What the hell is he on? No one deserves what happened to her. “What, it was her fault she got herself killed because she was sleeping with your dad?” I toss right back at him. Fuck him for turning this back on my mum.