Furious, Kara snaps. “I didn’t invite you in!” She doesn’t want him in here, looking at her things, seeing her home, her only refuge. First, he invades her life, now he’s invading her privacy.
“Am I a vampire now?” He chuckles, walking around her place like he owns it, his Italian leather shoes clicking on her floors. His charcoal suit is utter perfection, tailored to his athletic frame. The black pocket square matches his midnight shirt and tie. Somehow, he pulls off severe and dominant rather well, right along with handsome. “I don’t need an invite.”
Kara points at her open doorway. “Out.”
He frowns at her, nose twisting like he’s smelled something awful. “What in God’s name are you wearing? We are not doing Whore of Babylon and the Beast tonight. Where is your closet…” He’s already wandering off, deeper into her condo, looking for her bedroom.
Kara’s mouth drops open.Does he literally have no shame?
Following after him with her hands clenched, Kara feels a wash of embarrassment crash over her, finding him going through her clothes. She’s already left bras and underwear strewn out across the floor, casualties of war.
Well, at least he’s not saying anything about it.
Instead, he puts a tasteful all-black dress against her frame, eyes narrowed and calculating. Kara sighs, flopping her hands. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Dietrich takes the austere black dress off the hook, holding it out to her. “You look good, but red screams that you’re looking for attention. I’m already the most powerful man in the room; you don’t need a flashy dress to draw interest. Put this on.”
Gritting her teeth, Kara considers arguing with him more, but it doesn’t seem worth it. What does she care? He walks out of her room, leaving her to it without a word. She’s almost shocked.
When she re-emerges dressed in the classic black dress that comes just above her knees, Dietrich runs his eyes over her, assessing. “Better. Let’s go.”
Putting her flashy black heels on, Kara stands next to him in the entryway. Their image reflects back at them in the mirror by the door. Dietrich grins, his wide smile painfully bright. “Oh, you look really nice as arm candy. Don’t look so glum, this going to be a blast. Nicholas is going to be furious.”
Once more, Kara’s thoughts drift back to knowing that she’s going to have to face Nick…and the woman he’s never told Kara about, not once. It hurts like an ice pick straight in her chest, like a thousand storms raging across her bones.
How could Nick use me like that?
Because he’s not a good man and you’ve known it all along. You were too stupid to walk away and now it’s too late; your heart is collateral.
She’s almost sure that she hates him. Almost, but not quite, because there’s a sliver inside of her that still twists at the thought of him holding her down, his filthy mouth against hers, burning her from the inside out with his twisted desires.
The office is decorated with lovely little pale lights for the occasion. Kara can hear the buzz of many voices as they exit the elevator to the office floor and start walking through the office lobby. Wordlessly, Dietrich pulls her closer to him, setting her hand loosely in the crook of his arm.
Kara feels apprehension; she doesn’t want to be here. She wants to be anywhere else.
Faces turn to them instantly upon their entrance to the main celebration area. Kara worries for a moment that something is wrong, something is on her face or maybe her underwear is showing through the dress, because why is everyone looking?
Her nerves are frazzled and all the faces are a blur.
After a few horrifying moments in her head, she realizes the staring isn’t because of her; it’s because of who she’swith. A few different men come forward with big smiles, looking to shake Dietrich’s hand, uttering words of greeting and mentions of ‘we met once before’, all sorts of heinous groveling that has Kara floored.
Their eyes rake over her with vague interest while they suck up to him, as if wondering who she is and what has drawn Dietrich Bittinger to her. Like suddenly, because perhaps he wants her, at least in their minds, she’s a hot commodity that they need to be in on.
It’s very,verystrange.
To combat her feelings of unease, Kara adopts an expression of being bored, perhaps even believing herself above it all. She can play a role, a role that she’s on the arm of the most sought-after man in the room and she’s the one with him, she’s the one he chose.
It feels a bit like power. Like everyone is justa little bit less. Kara draws on that sensation, fills herself with it. The more she sinks into the role, the more powerful she feels, looking at men from under lowered lashes in a manner she never cared for in the past.
It does the trick, because many flush and look away from whatever they see in her gaze. As if they are bugs being crushed under her stiletto heel.
The frivolities continue and Kara almost relaxes as her world narrows to just floating around on Dietrich’s arm. She doesn’t have to do much. It’s simple. Her purpose is to be an extension of Dieter.
Then, she seeshim.
On the far side of the office, Nick is half leaning on one of the desks, chatting with a few other people. The sight of him is like being kicked in the chest; the woman beside him makes Kara feel like she’s forgotten how to think.
Her world fizzles a bit, the edges of her vision going black with rage and despair.