Clarisse furrowed her brow. “Why?”
“Because it’s you.”
“Why me?”
He moved closer to her, so close that she moved back. But he held her waist, pulling her closer, bringing his face close to hers-close enough that their noses almost touched. “Because it’s you, Ari.”
Clarisse pushed him away and jumped up. Her heart raced, and she felt uncomfortable being that close to him. But immediately, she regretted it. She began to worry that she might have upset him, and a fear gnawed at her-what if he beat her up like Victor did?
Christian reached out to her, and she jumped back, trembling, shielding her face with her arms. This surprised him, and for a moment, he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.
She must have suffered some form of abuse to react this way.
Clarisse slowly lowered her arms when she felt nothing. She looked up to find him smiling at her.
“What’s wrong, princess? Why did you jump? I don’t bite,” he said, moving closer to the dresses.
She was surprised he hadn’t hit her. Curiosity began to replace her fear, and she wondered what his deal was.
“I’m told you refused all the dresses. Is there none that suits your taste?” he asked, eyeing her. “Tell me what you prefer, and I’ll bring every designer here until you find the right one.”
“Umm… thanks, but… I want my dress,” she replied.
“Your dress?”
“Yes,” she said quietly. That’s why I can’t owe you anything or have you pay for anything, she thought to herself.
“You mean your clothes?”
“Yes.”
“They should be in the penthouse.”
“Penthouse?”
“Yes, where we’ll be living.”
“Not here?”
“No. This is just one of the resorts I own. I thought of bringing you here in case you might like it, since I don’t know what you like, yet,” he said. “But if you don’t like it here, we can go wherever you want.”
Why is he never home? This is another building we’re going to, and it’s not the house…
“I can hear you,” she muttered.
“Oh shit!” she thought loudly.
“Uh… I mean…”
“That’s because we are on our honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon? I only read about that in stories,” she thought to herself. I guess that jerk didn’t take her anywhere.
“Can’t we just go to your house?”
“Home. It’s our home now, not just my house.”
“I’m not sure about that,” she whispered, though he couldn’t hear her. He could tell from her facial expression, though.
“Alright, princess, but you’re not planning on going out with me dressed like that.”
“Oh.”
He gave her a look that said, You have no choice.
“Never mind, I can go out in it. No one’s looking anyway.”
“Of course no one dares, but I’m looking, mama.”
“Clarisse, please call me Clarisse.”
“I’ll consider that. Now come here,” he said, walking toward the dresses. After a few moments, he found a mini gown that he liked.
“Here,” he stretched it toward her.
“This is too short,” she said, examining it. “No, it’s not.”
“It is. My lap will be showing, and I don’t want men staring at my lap.”
“Unless they want it plucked out of their skull.”
“Including yours?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because they belong to me, so only I have the right to stare at them.”
Clarisse felt a shiver of discomfort. “I’ll wear something else, but please, let me choose for myself.”
“Sure, princess,” he surrendered, stepping aside for her. After a few minutes of checking, she picked a dress that was more modest than the others, though it was a body-hugging dress that accentuated her shape and curves.
She felt so uncomfortable under Christian’s gaze. His stare was almost as if he were tearing the dress off her. He stood up from his chair and walked toward her. She avoided his gaze, feeling both nervous and curious about what he was about to do when he approached her from behind.
“What’s he up to now?” she asked herself nervously, feeling his hand on her ponytail. The hairband came off, causing her hair to fall. She turned to face him. “Why did you remove it?”
“You look more beautiful with your hair down.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t think so. Please give it back.”
“Trust me, Ari, it looks better with your hair down.”
The way he called her name, the way it sounded when he spoke it, almost made her give in. And then, she remembered-she still didn’t know his name.
“Umm… what’s your… name?” she asked, looking at his chest.
He held her chin, lifting it, and their eyes met.
“You forgot?”
“Y-yes, I’m sorry,” she stammered, gazing into his deep, beautiful gray eyes.
“I’m going to make you never forget. Christian Charles,” he said, and then captured her lips with his, kissing her long and hard, deeply and passionately, his tongue filling her mouth.
Through the window, two eyes peered through, fists clenched as they watched them kiss. Sandra stepped back from the window, breathing heavily. Tears welled up in her eyes as her heart ached, and at the same time, her blood boiled.
“How dare she? How dare she kiss him? Those lips are mine,” she muttered, giving Clarisse a glare full of hatred. “And they are only mine.”
Meanwhile, Alice was busy dancing with intense determination and enthusiasm.
“I have to win this contest, by all means,” she said, continuing to do the TikTok challenge. She had lost the last challenge to an African woman, and it felt like a slap in the face. She had almost won again, but the same woman was taking over once more.
“I’m going to win.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.