His calculating, unreadable blue eyes had poisonous hooks designed to snag and trap, rendering me breathless. His glossy dark hair fought to remain entirely ebony, but the tips rebelled with a sparkle of sun-given bronze. His nose was straight, his chin strong, his cheekbones refined as any blue-blood. The dark scruff on his face was another hint of rebellion to perfection—darker than a five o’clock shadow but not quite a beard. It acted as the perfect frame for his mouth.
I tore my gaze away from his harsh lips and the flash of a tempestuous tongue.
He gave in to his smile, letting it twist harshness into cruelty. “I’m not in the mood for negotiations.”
“And I’m not in the mood to be purchased.”
“That’s convenient because the transaction has already been completed.”
I crossed my arms. “How much?”
He looked me up and down as if wondering who the hell I was. “Excuse me?”
“How much did you pay?”
He narrowed blue eyes that mimicked the sky above. “Too much for you to ever comprehend.”
“Tell me a number.”
“I don’t discuss business with my possessions.”
My temper made me quake. I couldn’t contain it. My feet sank into sun-warmed sand, my toes curling for purchase. “I’m not your possession.”
“We’ll discuss titles and what you are later.” He frowned at the glowing sunshine beaming upon us. “For now, follow me. Discussions are always less fraught in the shade.”
Without waiting for me to respond, he turned and stepped in shiny expensive shoes down the sandy path. Once again, I was struck mute at the power emitting from him.
The irreproachable varnish over his every move. The self-possessed carriage and undeniable assurance that everyone obeyed him without question.
I didn’t want to obey him.
I wanted to march back to the beach and keep going until the sea claimed me. I wanted to approach a staff member and enquire if this was all a mistake and I was free to go.
Or…you could stop wasting time, quit admiring a monster, and get this over with.
Looking around at paradise, I was more wary of perceived open spaces than I was with subtle guards watching my every move. I’d been given the illusion of free will. But in reality…there was no such thing on this island.
There might not be iron bars or padlocked gates, but this was still a prison. The only difference was nature kept me trapped rather than manmade devices.
The sooner I learned his vulnerabilities and what I could use to my advantage, the better.
With a heavy sigh, I tightened the cape of my courage…and followed him.
He didn’t slow his long gait, and I hurried to keep up as he vanished around a corner planted with a spray of colourful flowers. Another corner. A breeze sweet with honeysuckle. Another laneway twist. A dabble of shadow beneath trees. Until, finally, the pathway turned into a small courtyard, trading sand for basalt tile.
My feet froze on the border of yet another paradise.
The courtyard held a fountain of three mermaids tipping water from seashells, the droplets spritzing in the sun and creating hundreds of rainbows. They were naked, and their breasts gleamed with pearlescent scales, the colour cascading down their sides to mystical tails.
The tropical plants bordering the space ranged from light green to dark forest, all lush and glossy, heavy with fruit and flowers. A bird table sat on the wooden deck, big enough for an entire flock of finches to land and take their fill of speared pineapple, juicy watermelon, and a splattering of banana, mango, and sunflower seeds.
The man who thought he owned me strode up the three steps to his deck, tapped his shoes against the side of the villa to remove loose sand, then disappeared past the floaty curtains and through open French doors.
His black voice feathered back to me, disjointed from the beauty of such a place. “Stop wasting my time and come inside.”
My eyes skipped over the idyllic space as I skirted around the fountain, earned a few droplets on my skin that leaped from the mermaid’s hands, and ducked a low flying parrot as it landed on the bird table. Bracing myself, I traded the overwhelming heat of outside for the relieving cool of inside.
A rattan fan spun lazily in the open rafters of a thatched roof, pushing hot air out and leaving refreshing oxygen behind.
The décor was silver and white with a splash of woven grass. The wood was all silvered driftwood, the walls whitewashed, the furniture light and clean lines. The woven flax on the floor set off the white couch, glass coffee table, and the large driftwood desk perfectly.
Artwork of green-sketched ferns and ghostly silhouettes of half-drawn women hung huge and imposing.
A door in the opposite wall led to a bathroom sparkling with opalescent mosaic tiles from floor to ceiling. Glass replaced the ceiling, drenching the space in sunshine. The basin was one large carved piece of black marble, and the shower big enough for four people.