Page 19 of Hunter

“Personal grudge?” he questions.

“Isn’t there always?”

Chapter ten

Hunter’s Residence

Isabella

Kasia floats around my room with a pink fluffy duster. She’s dressed from head to toe in pink to match. She waves the feathers at various ornaments and ledges, cleaning away invisible dust. I’m busy planning my next week of content creation, though I’m unsure of where it will take place. From my investigations today, there’s little privacy to be had here.

“That will be fine, Kasia,” I call, but she doesn’t stop her work. “Kasia…”

Eventually, I walk over and tap her on the shoulder. She squeals, then spins to face me and removes a white bud from her ear.

“That will be all, Kasia,” I say with a small smile. “I’m going to get dressed now. You finish for the night. You’ve not stopped all day.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” she replies with a nod, then scuttles from the room.

I return to my dressing table, a red robe pulled around my curves. My eyes move to the sleek black dress hanging in my closet, ready to be worn to dinner tonight. Hunter sent a message that he had booked a table at a local restaurant for us this evening. It was an unexpected change of plan, but he advised that it was all part of our happily married ruse.

For the past hour, I have been debating what to wear. What is the most appropriate outfit for your first meal with a man you married twenty years ago? How will he expect us to act? Will our façade go as far as public displays of affection? The idea of him touching me fills my chest with anticipation—a heady cocktail of excitement and terror.

I’d promised myself all those years ago that I was done with him after that night. We had both been put in an impossible position. Being with him was a reminder of what happened, and it wasn’t something I could face. I hated him, but more so, I hated our situation ? one we were born into and couldn’t control.

The old wall clock strikes seven, a reminder that I am due to meet Hunter downstairs in fifteen minutes. There are footsteps in the hallway outside my room. He must be ready. I listen to them recede into the distance as my nerves intensify with each passing second.

I finish applying my lipstick before fingering my curls one last time, then move over and pluck my dress from its hanger. After slipping on the long black silk dress, I strap on red stilettos. As I look in the mirror, I’m pleased with the woman who stares back at me. My outfit accentuates all the parts of me I love while minimizing the areas I don’t. Once I’ve shrugged into my white fur wrap, I head out the door to meet my husband for dinner.

The sound of voices floats upward as I descend the stairs. There’s no doubt he is there, and his voice is strong and commanding as he speaks to his staff. Although I can’t hear what he says, he’s clearly giving orders. Something about the control in his tone speaks directly to my libido, and my stomach clenches unexpectedly.

My heels click noisily off the oak steps. The voices fall silent. Hunter appears at the bottom of the staircase. A breath catches in my throat as his gaze latches on mine. My body pauses visibly as the unexpected situation I’ve found myself in hits me hard. This is happening. An event I promised myself never would. It takes me a moment to remind myself that this is all, in fact, not real. We are both taking part in our sham of a marriage for selfish reasons, me to gain my freedom and him to save his reputation. It’s no more, no less. Twelve months, and I will never see him again.

“Bella,” he says, his voice smooth. He takes my fingers, bows, then lifts them to his lips. “You look positively ravishing.” He offers me his arm as I descend the final step. My hand slides into position with unnerving ease. Hunter looks dashing in his sleek tuxedo, his long hair twisted on top of his head, every inch the businessman.

“Where are we going?” I ask him as we walk out of the front door.

“It’s a surprise,” he says with a small smile. “Somewhere I believe you will enjoy.”

“How would you know what I enjoy, Hunter?” My words pass my lips sharply, the indication he thinks he knows me maddening. “You don’t know me.”

He stops and turns to face me, his hands taking both of mine. I crane my neck to look up into his eyes, unwilling to give an inch. He can’t assume to know what I want. That isn’t his place.

“We may not have been living as married couples do, Bella,” he says. “But I know everything I need to about you. Twenty years, and I’ve learned all I can to make you happy. I know you, even if you don’t want to admit it.”

Unsure what to say, I stare at him, attempting to collect the necessary words to tell him he’s an egocentric baboon. In Hunter’s mind, we have been married all this time. He’s been watching and assumes his knowledge of me is flawless.

“You knew me as a girl,” I retort.

“And I’ve watched you grow as a woman.” His hand lifts to my cheek, strong fingers skimming the skin. My eyes close on impulse under his touch. I mentally chastise myself for it. “And Bella, I love what you have become. Let’s go to dinner.”

His fingers drop away, then he tugs me toward the waiting black jeep sitting in the driveway. The driver steps out to open my door, and Hunter supports me as I climb inside. He comes to join me in the rear seat.

“Where are we going?” I repeat, uneasy at not knowing our destination. He merely taps his nose in response.

The city whizzes by as we drive through the dark streets. In winter, everything becomes so dark, so early, it’s unsettling. That is why I’m usually at home tucked up on the couch by now. Fancy nights out are from a time long ago, when I was younger and felt like I had something to prove. Now, I realize there is much to love about oversized flannel pajamas and slipper socks.

As we get closer to the center of London, traffic slows to a near stop. We crawl along into Covent Garden, known for its esteemed restaurants and theater shows. Each building is queued with swathes of people waiting to take their seats. I take in each of the bright signs as we pass. Show after show are being advertised, so many I’ve heard of but never seen.

---