CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
2366 Words
Lying is always the easiest part…
CAMERON.
Sitting in the bathtub, I lift my fingertips to my sensitive tingling lips, and realize that I cannot face him.
Not yet. Not after what just happened.
So I remain in that bath, head tilted backwards and eyes closed until my skin starts to prune and wrinkle.
I can hear him moving around the room but I don’t open my eyes.
Never mind that the water has gone cold and the bubbles have all but disappeared.
My heart hasn’t stopped racing and there’s now an ache between my thighs that I cannot do anything about.
I feel my fingers start to slide over my belly and towards the wetness that has nothing to do with the water around me but at the last minute I catch myself.
If I touch myself to Earl Salvatore, I would never be able to look him in the eye ever again.
When I do eventually step out, my legs still aren’t as steady as I would like them to be.
The water on the floor has been all but cleared away by some draining system he must have activated before he left. Rich people and their fancy gadgets. But my towel is still wet and on the floor.
I immediately start to panic.
I can’t exactly walk out of the bathroom naked. Not with him out there.
Oh God. What do I do? What do I do?
The last thing I want to do is ask Earl for help again.
I don’t think I have it in me to push him away one more time.
If Earl Salvatore should kiss me again I would give in. And I would give in hard.
I look around the bathroom in a panic.
That’s when I see it.
The robe Cara had left on the bed for me is now magically hanging in front of the bathroom door.
My heart flutters like a million butterflies in my chest.
He must have brought it closer for me so I wouldn’t have to use the wet towel or walk out naked.
Something warm rises in my belly and I stamp it out as quickly as possible.
Nope, no, no way. We are not doing that. Not with Earl Salvatore.
I wrap the towel around me with more force than is actually necessary and slip my feet into the cloud soft slippers.
Just as I step out, I hear a knock on the door.
“Cam?”
It’s Rose.
I haven’t seen her since she left me with her brother at the hotel.
The relief at hearing her voice and seeing her face at my door is so sudden that my shoulders literally slump forward.
I even forget that I’m supposed to be cold to her for selling me out to her brother.
“Rose, where have you been?” I ask, allowing her to throw her arms around me.
She simply shrugs, still smiling at me. “Oh you know me. I could never spend all day cooped up in this place.”
“You call this being cooped up Rose?” I ask incredulously, my eyes wide at her. “This house of yours is enormous. Bet if you called out to me from one end of it, I wouldn’t even hear your voice.”
She waves away my objections. “Never mind me. I have a surprise for you. Well not me, more like my brother but you get the gist.”
“What are you talking about?”
Grabbing my shoulder she turns me towards the door.
It opens and I see Cara march in, hands clasps in front of her.
But she isn’t alone.
Instead, stepping through the doors she holds open for them, are two other maids each holding a rack so full of clothes and dresses in so many colors and sizes that I can barely see anything more than the maids loafers clad feet beneath the rack.
“What is this?” I ask, pulling my robe tighter around me and stepping away from the racks as the two maids place them beside me.
“Clothes.” Rose answers, plopping onto my bed just as Cara say. “Signore Earl Salvatore says that you are to join the family for dinner.”
“Am I now?” I say to the housekeeper, swallowing hard and looking away, hoping my nervousness isn’t written all over my face.
Cara nods. “It is indeed.”
At this I turn to Rose, my mouth twisted in a wry sneer. “Does your brother think he can make himself less of a monster to me by plying me with clothes?”
At this Cara clears her throat loudly and I turn to see her gazing disapprovingly at me.
My cheeks immediately blush red. “Oh no, I didn’t mean….”
“Yes you did.” She says waving her hand dismissively. “It’s okay Ms. Cameron Ms. I know the people I work for. But perhaps it would be fair if you were to give Mr. Salvatore a bit more…grace. He is not as hardhearted as he seems.”
“Which Salvatore?” I reply curtly and Rose snorts.
Cause I now know three Salvatore men and they are all evil jerks.
Cara tuts at Rose but she says nothing more. To me she offers a small smile.
“Dinner is seven.”
And she leaves without another word, taking her two maids with her.
“Well,” I start once Cara is gone, drying my hair and plopping down on the bed beside Rose. “I do not see what going to dinner has to do with getting new clothes.”
Rose looks at me like I just called Beyoncé is a talentless hack.
“No offense Cam, but your clothes are trash.”
“Hey!” I pout. “You always said you like my style. Said it was effortless chic.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, that’s rich people slang for “you look like trash but I don’t want you to feel bad about it.””
“Oh that’s, you’re mean.” I reply, narrowing my eyes at her but my best friend simply shrugs.
“If you're going to be my brother’s wife, you have to look the part.”
There’s something cavalier about the way she says it that has my palms itching in annoyance.
She has no idea how much my life has changed because of men like her family.
How much they have taken from me.
“I didn’t want to be your brother’s wife, remember?” I spit, getting up from the bed. “And as for this,” I allow the dress I’m holding up to fall limply back into place. “I don’t need your handouts and I sure as hell don’t need your brother’s generosity that was bought on the back of those he’s killed.”
“Look Cameron.” All the play is gone from her voice and when I turn to look at her, there is genuine concern in her face, enough hat it stops me in my tracks.
“My family is going to try to rip you apart and that’s the truth.”
“Oh isn’t that just what every girl dreams of hearing.” I say, slumping back onto the bed.
I feel weak and my stomach is in knots.
Rose sits down gently beside me again.
“I’m sorry, okay.” She says, grabbing my arm. “I’m sorry that you got dragged into this. But it’s happened and this dinner is your one chance to show them, show my father and Nikolas and Earl that you can hold your own.”
I sigh and Rose rocks my arm back and forth, her eyes pleading.
“Please. Will you at least try? For me?”
As if I have a choice.
Slowly I acquiesce, nodding my head and sighing even harder.
Rose claps her hands in glee and I roll my eyes.
“If I didn’t know better, Rose, I would think you pimped me out to your brother just so you can dress me up like your own little doll.”
“Oh please,” Rose snorts. “I’ve had dolls way more expensive than you before I could even walk.”
So much humility. I think laughing.
Hesitantly, I get up and reach for one of the dresses, a sparkly silver number.
I notice that the price tag is still on it and I flip it over to check.
The gasp escapes me before I can stop it and I drop the dress so fast you would think it was a live scorpion.
“2000$?!” I exclaim in a whisper. “For a single dress??”
“Say what you want about my brother” Rose starts, coming to stand beside me. “But if there is one thing he is not, it is cheap.”
I look at the tag again. “I can see that.”
Rose claps her hand once and very loudly. “Now go on, pick a dress. We’ve only got..” she glances at her watch. “Three hours to make you absolutely breathtaking.”
I thought she was joking about needing more than three hours to get me ready, but she had been dead serious.
By the time we hear the knock on the door three hours later announcing that dinner is ready, Rose is still bent over me, trying to apply dark red lipstick to my mouth.
When she’s done, she steps back to admire her work.
She wipes an imaginary tear from her eye. “You look..” She shakes her hard as if the words are lost.
She hasn’t let me look in the mirror the entire time.
So I have no idea what to expect when I finally make my way over to the full length mirror across the room.
“Rose…”
My eyes widen in shock as I take in the transformed version of myself.
Rose's skilled hands have contoured my face, accentuating my cheekbones and jawline, giving me a sleek, angular appearance.
My skin glows with a radiant sheen, thanks to the expertly applied highlighter and the light orange shadow over my eyelids makes my sunset colored dress with its cinched waist and deep V neckline absolutely stand out, it’s layers of soft chiffon falling in a way that accentuates my hips and curves before stopping mid shin.
My lips, painted a deep, bold red, seem to pout at me, inviting, sultry and my hair, styled in loose, flowing waves, cascades down my back like a golden waterfall.
But it's my eyes that truly astonish me.
Rose has lined them with a subtle cat-eye, making them appear larger, more striking. They seem to hold a newfound confidence, a sense of mystery that I've never seen in myself before.
I lift my shaky fingers to touch my arched, glitter-dusted cheekbones, marveling at the stranger staring back at me.
"Is that...me?" I whisper, my voice barely audible.
Rose beams with pride, her eyes shining with tears. "You're a vision, darling," she says, her voice trembling. "A true masterpiece."
I stand there, frozen, trying to reconcile this new, glamorous version of myself with the person I thought I knew.
The woman in the mirror is a confident, alluring stranger. One that would do whatever it takes to get what she wants.
But deep down, I'm still the same uncertain, hesitant soul.
The same Cameron who mere hours ago, almost got the entire house flooded because she didn’t know how to work a tap.
Rose comes up to stand besides me. She places her hand on my shoulder. “You’ve got this.”
I don’t respond. My throat isn’t working at the moment.
Someone knocks on my door again. It’s Cara, but her voice is more resolute this time.
“Ms Cameron, I must insist that you come down right now, Don Mallore is already seated.”
Taking a deep breath, I turn away from the mirror, pivoting on the dark orange stilettos Rose had insisted I wear.
Time to get this over with.
I turn to Rose. “Aren’t you coming?”
She gives me a tiny shake of her head and a nervous smile. “I can’t. But I’ll be rooting for you.”
Great.
Cara is standing outside the door to lead me to the dining area which is just as well because I would have lost my way.
As I follow the stout woman through a lavish hallway adorned with ornate mirrors and velvet drapes, I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Rose's transformation has left me feeling like a completely different person, but somehow I don’t think it will be enough:
God, what I wouldn’t give to be able to talk to Ted right now.
The soft glow of candelabras arranged on the walls casts a warm, golden light on the dark wood paneling and I can see my shadow, tall and unafraid.
If only I could borrow some of it.
As I approach the dining room, I hear the murmur of masculine voices, their deep tones mingling with the clinking of glasses and silverware.
My heart starts to beat faster.
Standing outside the opaque, heavy glass doors that will lead me into the dining room, I wipe my suddenly sweaty palms on my dress.
What was I thinking?
I can’t do this.
The minute I sit down at that table and they all look at me, they’re going to see right through my act. I’ll be done for.
Suddenly I feel Cara’s calluses hand on my arm.
She smiles softly at me. “They are only men cara mia.”
I stare at the woman with her steady yet gentle gaze.
They are only men.
Men who think I am only a woman. Helpless, scared, completely at their mercy.
Men who have no idea what I’m capable of.
I smile softly at her.
And taking a deep breath, I push the door open and step into the room.
- Writer
