EMMALINE
I nervously rubbed my hands down the front of my dress as I stared at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a simple, floor-length, black dress with a pair of simple, black heels. I was wearing a small, knitted teal sweater over it to give my dress a splash of color.
Under James’s orders, my hair cascaded down my back in its natural waves. My make-up was kept to a minimum – just enough to cover any blemishes on my face – with a swipe of mascara to both eyes.
“Little one, come out of your head.” I jerked my eyes away from the mirror to turn to face James. He shrugged on his blazer and walked over to me as he fastened the buttons. “You look fucking amazing – like my queen should look,” he assured me, making my cheeks burn at his sweet words. “The simplest things are the most beautiful,” he told me.
“Are you sure this is suitable enough to meet your mother in?” I asked him. I waved my hand over him. “You are wearing a suit after all.”
He flashed me an easy-going smile that had me melting at his feet. “Little one, when you meet my mother, you will understand why I told you to dress simply. She’s not one for flashy women. Just be yourself,” he assured me.
I drew in a deep breath, feeling a little panicked. “James, I’m scared,” I blurted.
He wrapped an arm around my waist, his other hand holding my hip as he pulled me flush against the front of his body, his blue eyes boring into my own with so much intensity that it had every nerve ending in my body curling with desire.
God, how did I want him so much?
“You are perfect in my eyes, little one, and my mother will love you. Father is a little harder to please as he feels anything outside of money and power is a distraction, but he’ll come around.”
I frowned. “Am I a distraction to you, James?”
He sighed and brushed his lips to my forehead. “Stop taking everything out of context, Emmaline,” he commanded. I frowned. “You are going to be perfectly fine, and this evening will go smoothly. Just take a deep breath.” He looked at his watch. “We need to head downstairs.”
He grabbed my hand in his and brought it up to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. “Breathe, little one,” he softly ordered. “I am with you. You’re not alone.”
~*~*~
I stood beside James as his mother and father walked through the front door. James gently squeezed my hand before he released it and enveloped his mother in a warm hug. “Oh, my boy!” she exclaimed. He rolled his eyes but pressed a kiss to her temple. “Where is this girl you told me about?”
James grabbed my hand and pulled me back to his side as he smiled at his parents. I was shocked to see a collar around his mother’s neck, but it made me feel a bit more at ease to see it. “Mom, Dad, meet Emmaline – my girlfriend.” James gently squeezed my hand. “Emmaline, meet my mom, Rose, and my father, Frank.”
His mother quickly wrapped me up in a hug. I swallowed thickly, unsure of what to do. My panicked eyes sought out James as I awkwardly wrapped my own arms around her, my throat suddenly closing up with tears.
I couldn’t remember the last time a motherly figure had hugged me.
She stepped back from me, but before she could say anything, Frank stepped forward, his eyes narrowed on me. I flinched when his hand came up to touch the ends of my white-blonde hair that were dyed blue. James placed his hand on my lower back and stepped closer to me. “You couldn’t have found a more mature girlfriend, James?”
“Frank—" Rose began.
Frank cut her a dark look. “Quiet, woman,” He growled. She obediently snapped her lips shut. I swallowed thickly, taking an instinctive step back towards James. Frank snorted. “And she’s a coward.”
“She’s not a fucking coward,” James growled at his father, his tone low and menacing. “You’re making her nervous for no goddamn reason. You are in my home. Tread carefully, Father. I’m not Darren. Watch how the fuck you talk about your future queen. You may be my father, but you will bow down to her one day.”
Frank made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat before he grabbed Rose’s hand and led her into the dining room. James turned to look down at me, his blue eyes ice-cold with murderous rage.
“Do not go anywhere alone with him,” James told me. “Do I make myself clear, little one?”
I trembled. “Yes,” I instantly answered.
He gripped the side of my neck and pressed a kiss to my forehead, holding his lips there for a moment before he pulled back from me. “Let’s go eat.”
When we stepped into the dining room, Mrs. Judy was already there waiting, holding both of our plates. James silently held my seat out for me, allowing me to sit before he took his own seat next to me.
Dinner was tense and awkward, and it was a struggle for me to eat. James kept a steady hand on my thigh the entire time, but by the time everyone else had finished eating, most of my food was still on my plate.
James gently squeezed my thigh before he leaned over and pressed a kiss beneath my ear. “Drink your water, little one. You can eat later,” he assured me.
Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, I quickly set my fork down and uncapped my bottle of water, bringing it up to my lips. Once I was finished, James took his hand off of my thigh and nodded once at his father. “Father, a word?”
Frank stood up from his chair and walked from the dining room. Rose frowned at me. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” she apologized. “I wanted so badly to meet you. I had no idea my husband would act like that towards you.”
I gave her a small smile. “It’s okay,” I assured her. I shrugged. “I’m used to that kind of treatment,” I informed her. I drew in a deep breath and stood up. “Would you like to walk the garden or something while the men talk?”
She quickly shook her head, fear flashing in her eyes. I swallowed thickly. “No. I’ve been ordered to stay right here,” she told me as she plastered a fake smile on her face.
My heart squeezed in my chest for her. So, instead of making her disobey the man she obviously feared, I quickly took Frank’s seat next to her. I wanted to know James’s family. I didn’t have a family of my own, so I didn’t know how this kind of thing worked, but I was going to do my best.
“I’m sorry if I’m not exactly the kind of woman you were hoping your son would decide to collar,” I apologized, deeply worried that I didn’t live up to her standards.
“Oh, my sweet child,” she said softly. She turned to face me and grabbed my hands in hers. “You are absolutely perfect for him. I’ve never seen James stand up to his father for any woman before. He loves you, and he is happy with you. That’s all I want for my boy.”
I wasn’t sure about the love part from him, but I hoped that one day, he could come to love me.
“I’ll do my best to take care of him,” I assured her. “He’s really good to me. I just want to make him as happy as he’s made me thus far.”
She beamed at me. “Oh, my darling girl, you are so perfect that it’s almost too good to be true.”
“Rose, let’s go. And stop fraternizing with the girl. She’ll be gone soon,” Frank barked from the dining room entrance.
My heart squeezed in my chest at his words. I swallowed thickly, wondering what had happened between James and Frank. Rose quickly got up from her chair and left the dining room, the front door slamming shut soon after.
“Oh, my dear,” Mrs. Judy said softly as she rushed towards the table. “Why don’t you go on upstairs and take a relaxing bath and get some rest?” she asked me.
I frowned. “I need to find James,” I told her as I stood up from the chair I had been occupying. I needed reassurance that he wasn’t throwing me out. I would do anything to get him to keep me.
I was already falling so hard for him. I wasn’t sure I would recover if he tossed me aside.
She shook her head at me. “I would advise against it, sweetheart. He’s ordered a bottle of liquor from the kitchen, and he can be a right nasty man when he’s drinking. Just go on upstairs and take care of yourself, yes?”
“Okay,” I said quietly. I wrapped my arms around my midsection and quickly walked out of the dining room and up the stairs to the room we shared together.
How had such a great day turned into such a fucking disaster?