Page 13 of The Sinner's Bargain

He straightened, hands at his back as he pivoted to face me fully. “Yes, come in. I don’t have much time.” he motioned absently in the direction of the wood back chair facing his desk. He rounded to his side and took the soft leather chair that rolled smoothly over the glossy floors. “I hear today is the day.”

I didn’t feign ignorance. “Yes, sir.”

Father nodded slowly. “Good. Excellent. Jarrett will be a good addition to the family.”

I didn’t think so, nor did I say anything. I simply sat with my fingers in my lap and waited for him to continue.

He cleared his throat. “Do you have everything you need?”

Not sure in what manner he meant, I simply nodded because even if I didn’t, Father didn’t actually want to hear it. It was a courtesy question. Like idle chitchat about the weather.

“I don’t think I need to tell you just how important this ... arrangement is for our entire family. The Brixton family is very well connected and could open a lot of doors for us all. You will conduct yourself in a manner that will reflect well on your mother and I, and you will behave the way a man in Jarrett’s position will appreciate. Understand?”

Again, I nodded. This was everything Mother had already gone over in lengthy detail, but he seemed intent on stressing the matter to me.

“I am sure he will take very good care of you so long as you remember that his needs must always come first.” He shifted in his seat. Evidently as uncomfortable by the conversation as I was. “Is there anything you need?”

I shook my head. “No, thank you.”

Father nodded slowly, gaze moving over his papers. The phone. His papers. The window to our right. His papers. He cleared his throat. “All right, well, I suppose that’s everything. Go make sure you’re ready for your trip this evening. I unfortunately will not be here to bid you farewell but call your mother when you arrive and I will see you at the wedding.”

I rose promptly. “Thank you.”

He said nothing as I left his office. He didn’t stop me or tell me he would miss me. There were no emotions and that was fine; I wouldn’t know how to respond to it anyway.

With nowhere to go, I returned to my room. I did another walk through to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. Only a week’s worth of clothing had been left out which had been packed up since that morning. My toiletries were already stowed away along with my makeup and hair things. All my luggage was piled by the front door downstairs. The room itself had never been cluttered with things and continued to look exactly as it always had, yet there was an empty hum to the air. Already the bed I grew up in looked foreign. I wondered if Mother would turn the space into a guestroom. Maybe another closet for her shoes. Whatever would ultimately become of it was no longer my concern, except...

I wandered over to the window seat and gingerly perched on the edge the way a guest would when visiting a stranger’s home. Reluctant, but polite. I took in the familiar view beyond the gleaming glass and knew this was the only thing I would miss. The view of a garden I wasn’t allowed in. It had always been a comfort through much of the pain. I had spent hours sitting there, watching the day slip into night, lost in a book. Part of me wondered if Jarrett had a window seat at his estate and what kind of view it would have.

I had never been to his family’s estate, despite Mother’s many attempts. He would have most likely had his way with me years ago if it weren’t for Malcolm insisting I never be left alone with him. He hadn’t cared that Jarrett had power, influence, and wealth. He was immune to the threats and bribes, unlike our parents. In the end, I supposed it didn’t matter.

At five exactly, Mother was in my doorway. She’d swapped her earlier day wear to a navy-blue skirt and white blouse. It was the delicate string of pearls at her throat that made me curious; she only ever wore them when she and Father were going out somewhere they would be noticed.

“The car is here, Naya,” she declared stiffly, far more than usual. “Your bags are already loaded.”

I rose off my window seat, dressed and ready in the chosen white dress, silver heels, and no jewelry. Mother wanted all of Jarrett’s attention on the plunging neckline barely restraining my breasts and the deep slit up my right leg. Porsha, Mother’s personal stylist, had piled my hair up into a sleek knot at the back of my head, leaving my neck and shoulders visible where the thick straps of the dress started. The soft material — as little of it as there was — wasn’t designed for comfort. It was far too light for the brisk weather, but Mother insisted that the first outfit Jarrett would see me in had to be elegant, but seductive. It had to be worth the six years he had to wait for me.

“Your coat is downstairs,” I was informed. “Make sure it is properly fastened when you land and let him undo the buttons.”

A chill crawled with serrated pincers down my spine at the image of Jarrett’s face, his eyes watching the slow descend of his fingers undoing the snaps of my coat to reveal everything underneath. But I would need to get used to it, I reminded myself. He would be doing much worse than taking my coat off come tomorrow.

Fingers tight, trembling knots of fear at my sides, I followed Mother downstairs. It was by the sheer grace of God that I was capable of each step securely to the bottom when my kneecaps were practically numb.

Asa, Mother’s driver, inclined his dark head to me. His warm, brown eyes met mine with their usual kindness. “Miss Blackwell.”

“Hello Asa,” I managed around a tongue plastered to the roof of my mouth.

“Asa will drive you to where Jarrett’s car is waiting to take you to the airport,” Mother informed me.

Maybe it was the woozy sensation of reality finally catching up to me, or the brittle terror of knowing my life was officially over, but my mouth forgot to keep closed.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to simply have one car take me?”

Perfectly painted lips the color of freshly spilled blood thinned, and I immediately regretted saying a word. “Do you truly think that highly of yourself? The fact that Jarrett was kind enough to even have his plane ready for you, never mind a driver, should be enough for you.”

“Of course,” I murmured softly, cheeks warm beneath the several layers of makeup Porsha had carefully baked on my face.

Huffing, Mother turned to Asa. “Do you have the address?”

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