I was in my room that day, after practice with Amber and after eating lunch with Thorn. He hadn’t fucked me yet, but I was restless and needy. It was a bad day, and I longed for a friend who would understand what I was going through. I still hadn’t told Amber the whole truth, and I often wondered if she knew what lay in store for her.
That night, I was occupied with thoughts of escaping, getting away from the life I didn’t choose for myself, even if it meant tearing my soul in half and leaving Thorn behind. But I’d tried so hard to find out more about him, to see through his intentions and understand why he’d taken my life away from me. I feared I would never be able to forgive him if he didn’t reveal his true intentions, which was killing me.
I was supposed to have dinner with him that night, and I knew the day would end as it usually did – with shameful, trembling orgasms elicited from his mouth, hands and cock. I hated myself for craving it.
Walking over to my closet, I started going through my clothes to try and pick something out for dinner. As Pia had promised, my clothes had been replenished, and I had a wardrobe any woman would have been jealous of. I could just imagine Carina going through my new things, eyes sparkling brightly as she uncovered layer after layer of beautiful fabrics, expensive brands and designers I didn’t even know how to pronounce. But it didn’t mean anything to me. All it signified was another aspect of my captivity, and it made me feel like a bird in an opulent cage, a bird that had stopped singing a long time ago.
I filed through my dresses trying to find the right one that would fit our dinner together. My closet was filled to the brim with beautiful clothes, from gowns to short summer dresses and sundresses to wear during the day. But for that evening, I chose a luxurious long cocktail dress that clung to my body in rich, shimmering gold sequins, leaving nothing to the imagination. I matched the dress with a pair of metallic sandals that laced up my shins, and I pinned my hair up to show off the subtle makeup I had applied.
Sometimes I wondered why I still tried, why I made an effort for the man who had kidnapped me and hadn’t shown me mercy. Maybe it was my inner need to submit, or maybe I believed he would finally let me go if I obeyed long enough.
I was ready to leave when there was a knock on the door, and Pia waltzed in, her cloud of perfume following her like an obedient lap dog. She gave me a cool smile, which I returned, and looked almost giddy, so I knew she was sent to deliver bad news.
“Thorn says he’s ever so sorry,” she purred. “But he won’t have time for you today after all. Such a shame, isn’t it?”
I glared at her, feeling like my whole world had been shattered into pieces. I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t spend time with me – as far as I knew he had no trips planned; he usually told me about those days in advance. I wasn’t sure whether I could trust Pia, either, but what other choice did I have? I would have to take her word for it and wait in my room like a good girl.
“Fine,” I said icily, moving to take off my earrings while she sauntered into the room uninvited, pulling out the chair from my vanity and leering at me. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve finally developed a personality, little girl,” she said coldly, her smile as icy as my previous remark had been. “I thought you would remain a spineless little pushover forever.”
“It’s hard to rival the main bitch,” I said with a smile just as cold, knowing full well what my words implied. “I prefer to be the favorite.”
“You think you’re the favorite?” she laughed out loud, throwing her head back while I placed my beautiful stud earrings – real diamonds as Pia had assured me before – on my bedside table. “You have another thing coming, Rose. You’re just the flavor of the month.”
I knew she was taunting me. Since Amber had come to stay at the Mansion, and especially since Ellis’s death, Pia had become nastier than ever. It was now plainly obvious she disliked me, not only that but probably full-on hated me. I didn’t know whether she was jealous of me or if there was another reason for her constant nagging and rudeness, but I wasn’t about to question it. I assumed she was envious about my relationship with Thorn, and I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of addressing those concerns.