When her father called her down, she made her way gingerly down the stairs and presented herself for inspection. Her father looked at her and scowled, but she was pretty sure she saw her mother trying to hold back a chuckle as she turned away to tend to the bit of sewing she was working on in her lap.
“This is your idea of looking your best?” her father growled, but he had no time to send her for a change, as the doorbell rang behind him. He grunted and opened it.
“What’s up? Is she ready?” a voice said from just outside.
“Yes. Please, come in,” her father replied.
Autumn knew it didn’t sit well with her father to be addressed so rudely. He was all about protocol and respect. The latter being the only reason he didn’t bother to correct their guest. His respect for their Alpha overrode his need to set their guest straight.
“Autumn, Trevor is here,” he announced, though she was standing mere feet away from them.
“Car’s running. Come on,” Trevor told her, not even acknowledging her father further.
Autumn shot a glance at him as if to say she told him so, but he was stone-faced. She walked closer to the door and stepped outside of it to stand beside Trevor, looking down at him. The heels were a great choice. She was already feeling very satisfied with making him feel like the runt he was.
“I don’t remember you being this tall,” he grumbled.
“Where are we going?” she asked, ignoring the complaint.
“A movie. No one will notice I’ve brought a giraffe if we’re seated.”
Autumn ignored the insult. Under different circumstances, she might have felt offended, but he was only reacting exactly as she had known he would. It was well known how sensitive he was about his diminutive height.
The drive toward the theater was quiet. Autumn watched the multi-colored leaves on the trees pass by as they made their way toward the city in his Jaguar. It was no surprise that while the rest of the clan drove mostly motorcycles and trucks in the rugged Yukon territory where they resided, this douchebag drove a sports car that cost more than her parents’ house.
“We’re here,” he said as they pulled into the underground garage beneath the shopping mall where the movie theater was located. He didn’t even bother to open her door, just jumping out and looking toward her side impatiently for her to get out. As soon as she did, he pushed the button to set the alarm and walked toward the back of the car. “Well, come on then.”
Autumn followed him, doing her best to keep up. He moved deceptively fast for his small stature. How he was ever going to be seen as an Alpha by the other bears was beyond her. She certainly didn’t see him as a husband, though it seemed she was stuck with it unless she could get him to back out of it before her father could force her to go through with it.
“What are we seeing?” she asked as they stood in line for tickets.
“Fast Cars Five,” he replied.
“Really? That’s a horrible film. Let’s watch something else.”
“I didn’t bring you here to watch some fucking chick flick.”
“We can pick something we will both enjoy, though, can’t we?”
“I did. You’ll like it.”
She started to protest, then decided it wasn’t worth the time. Who was this rude on a date? She had already known about his reputation as a spoiled little rich boy, but this was beyond the pale. How could she ever marry a man like him? How would she ever get through life with someone so selfish? A shudder ran through her and he looked at her as if he noticed, but said nothing.
Cars darting through traffic, jumping over train tracks, outrunning the cops. Busty blondes in low-cut blouses, miniskirts. Then, graphic sex scenes that flooded the screen with full-frontal nudity and overwhelmed the sound system with heavy breathing and guttural sounds of satisfaction. He seemed enthralled, riveted to the screen in front of them. She did her best to look away, close it out. What a horrible movie for a first date, as if being out with Trevor Nolan wasn’t bad enough.
“What a great fucking movie!” he announced as he unlocked the car and got in, forgetting to unlock hers. She stood, waiting, and he finally pushed the button and told her to hurry up. They made their way out of the parking deck and back onto the highway, but turned in the wrong direction when they got closer to her house.
“This isn’t the right road,” she told him, thinking he just made a mistake.
He didn’t say anything, just kept driving. She knew where he lived with his mom and dad. This wasn’t the way to their house either. Where was he taking her?