“Yes, Dorian will be back later tonight. He’ll be expecting you.”
I scoffed. “Hah! Well, he can expect anything he wants, but I won’t be there.”
Ainsley twisted the knob and opened the door, her eyes never leaving mine. “It isn’t a request.”
Before I could say a word, she left.
Running over towards the door, I grabbed hold of the doorknob and twisted hard.
“Shit,” I muttered. “Locked.”
I guess I should’ve known. Turning around, I walked back over towards the window and ripped the blinds open. Blazing desert sun shined in on me, heating my cheeks and warming my body.
I stood there with my eyes closed for a few seconds just trying to collect my thoughts. Frustration was getting the better of me, and if it hadn’t been for a knock at the door, I might have let it go too far.
What the hell does she want now?
“Go away, Ainsley. Leave me alone!”
No sooner did I finish talking than I heard the door crack open.
That’s it, she asked for it!
Balling my fists, I spun in place, pivoting and preparing myself to unleash hell on her. Only, it wasn’t Ainsley. This time, it was actually Oksana. With her back turned on me, she propped the door open with her hip while pulling a rack of clothing into the room behind her –– a rack filled with evening gowns.
Unreal.
All I could do was shake my head in disbelief. He was completely out of control if he thought I was going to dress up for him. Not only that, but what kind of relationship did he have with Ainsley where she would allow it?
What the hell was going on around here?
Even worse, why did I keep asking myself questions about their stupid relationship? Ugh. I clenched my jaw and refocused my attention on Oksana right around the time she closed the bedroom door.
“I don’t care what he said, I’m not going to get dressed up. I’m done being treated like property.”
Oksana turned in my direction, smoothing the lines of her dress. She straightened her posture and squared her shoulders before starting to walk towards me.
I won’t lie. I was still afraid of her. After all, who wouldn’t be?
Her expression didn’t help calm my nerves. She looked serious, focused on getting me into one of those dresses, whether I wanted to or not.
I walked backwards. “Stay away.”
Only she didn’t slow down. If anything, she walked faster. I happened to glance down and notice one of her hands closed in the shape of a fist. Within a couple of seconds, she was right on top of me.
I held my arms up, crossing them in front of my face. “Don’t!”
Oksana stopped, standing motionless in front of me. Eventually, I lowered my hands only to see a smile on her face. Raising the same hand that threatened me moments earlier, she unfolded her fingers.
A tape measure appeared.
“I need to get measurements in case gown you pick don’t fit.”
Measurements?
I felt like a complete idiot.
“This will only take second,” she reassured me in her thick accent.
I decided there wasn’t any point in trying to resist. While she measured me, my gaze meandered towards the gowns. They were all beautiful, and I couldn’t help but wonder where they came from? Whose were they?
As promised, Oksana finished quickly and stood in front of me again.
“Done. Are you ready?”
I shrugged. “I guess.”
A half an hour later, I’d already tried on a handful of gowns, none of which I particularly liked. They all seem to look better on the hanger than me. That, plus, my attitude wasn’t great. Oksana was being polite and patient but I smiled at her through gritted teeth the entire time.
“Let’s try this,” she said, pulling out a dark green gown.
She walked over towards me and held it up in front of my body, moving her eyes between my torso and my face.
“I think this one perfect. Try on.”
After taking it from her, I slipped into it and she circled around back of me, zipping it up. Once she had, Oksana walked towards my front once more, a broad smile stretching across her face.
“Oh yes, that’s one all right.”
Reaching down, she touched her palm against my lower back, turning me towards the full-length mirror.
“It’s flattering on you.” Oksana began, making eye contact with me in the reflection. She smiled. “You’re beautiful, Tempest.”
I hadn’t expected anything like that from her. The compliment caught me by surprise. Of course, I got attention from drunk guys every day at the cocktail lounge. I was used to men leering at me for a living, but none of that ever made me feel pretty.
Turning to one side, I took a look at my reflection and glided my hand down the front of the dress, tracing the contour. It felt incredible against my skin, exquisitely made, and very expensive. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there before I noticed Oksana in the reflection again. She was smiling, almost like she was happy for me.
I snapped myself back into reality. What the hell was I doing? Why was I standing here like a princess going to a ball? I was a prisoner, being summoned by the king of the castle to a dinner I had no interest in attending. Turning away from the reflection, I started to remove the dress in a hurry.
“Tempest? What’s wrong? Don’t you like way it fits? The way it looks?”
The dress was halfway down my torso when I responded. “Yes, it’s fine. I mean, whatever.”
The truth was it did look incredible on me, and for a few moments at least, I enjoyed feeling beautiful. However, the thought of the night ahead did anything but fill me with a sense of anticipation and excitement. Stepping out of the dress, I passed it to Oksana.
She took it from me. “I think this only require minor alterations. I’ll have back in time for you to get ready for dinner. Dorian is expected back at the estate by nine tonight.”
I nodded but didn’t respond.
Eventually, Oksana rolled the rack of dresses out of the room and closed the door behind her. Once she left, I walked over to the door and tried to open it again, hoping I might get lucky.
Nope. Locked again.
As much as I didn’t want to have dinner with him, I was determined to keep my composure. We had a lot of things to discuss, mostly why he drugged me and how much longer he expected to keep me here.
4
Alone Time (Dorian)
“I’m on the way back right now. What’s the latest with her?”
Leaving Ainsley in charge of Tempest was an easy decision. She was a no nonsense type of woman, the kind that makes things happen. It’s one of the qualities I admired most about her.
“Well, she finally got up and moving again this morning. She’s not happy, Dorian.”
“That’s understandable. What happened?”
Ainsley told me about the talk she had with Tempest earlier that day. She mentioned Tempest found out about us having to keep her sedated and to say she was pissed would be putting it mildly.
“I haven’t spoken to Oksana. What about the gowns?”
Ainsley let out a deep exhale. “I really couldn’t say, it’s been a busy day for me. Why don’t you call Oksana yourself and find out?”