C18, PT. 4

He shook his head, easily reading her intention to flee.

“You aren’t getting out of this.”

“I’m trying to save you from being humiliated!”

“I won’t be.”

“So you don’t care if I am?” Her nerves stretched to the breaking point. “I grew up in this world. I know how these people think. This won’t go over well. Daiyu should have known better. This isn’t how you want to be introduced to high society, trust me.”

When he considered her thoughtfully, she felt a flash of hope. The light above the elevator flashed, announcing the car’s impending arrival.

“It would be better if you went alone,” she said quietly. “For your own sake.”

When he didn’t say anything, she went limp with relief and took a step away, only to find her arm shackled in a steely grip.

“Roth?” she whispered as the elevator doors opened. She clutched his arm in a death grip. “Please.”

He dragged her into the elevator and nodded to the operator before he shuffled her to the back. Her heart thundered as the doors closed, cutting her off from the safety of the penthouse. This couldn’t be happening.

It was a busy evening. The elevator stopped with annoying regularity on what felt like almost every floor. As the elevator filled, Roth placed her before him and wrapped his arms around her. She was stiff as a board.

With Christmas just around the corner, everyone was dressed festively with red scarves, glitter eyeshadow, even blinking reindeer antlers. Several residents were carrying bags filled with presents or had bottles of wine or champagne tucked under their arms.

When they stopped on the seventy-second floor, a man made his way to the back of the elevator and paused when he caught sight of them.

“Roth,” he acknowledged.

“Phin,” Roth replied.

Apparently, that was all that was required because neither said anything more.

She clenched her teeth as the elevator halted once more. Roth didn’t seem perturbed by the delay. He tightened his hold on her and buried his face in her hair. His appreciative hum made several people turn. Two women grinned at her. They assumed he was a besotted husband when he was anything but.

“You’re wearing the perfume I like,” he murmured.

She didn’t know he had a favorite perfume, since he had never mentioned it before. Was he telling the truth, or just getting into character? She knew from experience what a good actor he was.

While hairdressers, nail techs, estheticians, and makeup artists worked on her body, she worked on her mind. She reinforced her mental shields, buried her emotions, and got into character. The fact that she looked nothing like herself helped, but between the dress and Roth’s behavior, she was already off kilter. He was touching her again, scrambling her thoughts and making her emotions pitch and roll when she desperately needed control. He knew touch was sacred to her, that she craved connection. He was indulging her weakness so she would play her part more convincingly. Bastard.

Several couples exited on the twelfth floor to dine at one of the restaurants in the building, leaving some gaps in their wake. She stepped forward, hoping he would let her go. Instead, he hauled her back and further mocked her need for space by nuzzling her cheek, which made her go rigid.

“Behave,” he warned.

That quiet reproof made her want to scream like a lunatic. The effort it took to restrain herself made her insides ripple and quake. He was an expert at compartmentalizing, turning his emotions on and off at will, so she didn’t know what was genuine. After rejecting her, he now acted like he wanted to fuse with her. If he actually meant it and adored her, she could take on anything, including whatever awaited them at the Trentham Ball. But she didn’t have him. Not even close. Knowing he would be rating her performance and usefulness had her strung so tight, she could barely think straight. If she didn’t perform to his satisfaction, would he break their agreement?

The elevator finally opened onto the lobby. Roth held her back, allowing the other occupants who had been watching them surreptitiously to go ahead. She plastered a foolish smile on her face. If anyone had bothered to look, they would have seen her eyes were as blank as a doll’s as Roth kissed her cheek and took her hand.

When they exited the building, she sucked in a sharp breath at the blast of winter air. Neither her dress nor coat granted her much protection from the elements. She hurried forward without registering that Mo wasn’t in Roth’s Bentley, but a brand new Rolls-Royce Phantom that was drawing some admiring looks.

“What’s this?” Roth asked.

She ignored him, opened the back door, and slid onto the heated leather seat. She didn’t feel any of the excitement or glee she thought she would as she breathed in the new car smell.

“Didn’t she tell you?” Johan asked.

“Tell me what?” Roth said impatiently.

Johan ducked down to peer at her with a puzzled, expectant expression that she ignored by pressing the button to close the door. The car was delivered two days ago. The only reason Mo and Johan kept it out of their report was because she said it was a Christmas gift. Apparently, they had taken the reveal into their own hands, assuming now would be the perfect time for Roth to receive one of his presents. Under other circumstances, they would have been right, but now it was another unwelcome stressor on top of everything else.

Roth rounded the Rolls and got in on the opposite side. She could feel him staring at her as they pulled into traffic.

“You bought a car?” he asked.

She buckled her seat belt as she muttered, “You have your Rolls-Royce Ghost in London. The car cuts out the city noise. I thought you’d enjoy having one here.” That wasn’t the real reason behind her impulsive purchase, but she couldn’t stomach telling him she bought it so they could hold hands in the back seat, which they couldn’t do in the Bentley. It seemed so foolish now. She wished the interior wasn’t so fucking quiet and that Mo and Johan weren’t listening to every word. “If you don’t like it, I can get you something else.”

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Confessions. Please do not share or distribute.

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