Chapter5
1259 Words
The next morning came too quickly.
I barely slept. When I closed my eyes, all I could see was myself trapped in a cage and my family begging for my release. It was terrifying and humiliating.
I sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the lingerie I wore last night. I made a mental note to throw it in the fire pit.
A soft knock sounded on the door.
I stiffened.
“Madam, breakfast is ready,” the butler's voice came from the other side, very calm and polite.
I wondered how someone like him managed to come with my husband, the monster.
I swallowed and forced my voice to work.
“I’m not hungry,”
“Mr Canon requested your presence,”
What would happen if I don’t grace him with my presence? After he had humiliated me in front of his mistress last night, had he forgotten?
“I’ll be there,” I replied quietly.
Maybe it was time to have a conversation with him.
Lincoln sat at the head of the dining table, already dressed for work. I couldn’t look at him. All I could remember was his naked body. How hot he looked and how his tattoos glistened against his sweat. How he made the lady he was with scream and scratch his back. Yuck.
“Are you going to stand there and watch me eat?” He asked, not sparing me a glance.
The chef had served a lot of food. There were so many options to choose from but I wasn’t hungry.
I’d rather be home making pancakes with Lucy and Mike.
I took a seat across from him.
“You caused a scene last night,”
My head snapped up.
Was he serious right now?
“A scene?” I repeated, disbelief clouding my voice.
“Yes,” he replied, almost irritated. “I had a guest with me.”
As if on cue, his mistress stepped out of the kitchen. Thankfully, she was fully clothed. I had to admit, she was very beautiful. Each curve of her body was carved to perfection, her blonde hair was styled in a side part and her makeup was applied perfectly.
She rolled her eyes at me. “You must be the wife,”
I looked at my husband who was busy eating. Was he really going to let his mistress insult me?
She walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders.
“I’ll be leaving now, darling,”
He nodded.
“You’re not coming with me?”
“I have work.”
She pouted dramatically before leaning down to kiss his cheek.
Then, almost as an afterthought, she pressed another kiss into the corner of his mouth.
She turned to me and rolled her eyes at me again. I didn’t understand what her issue with me was, she was the one who had access to his bed, not me.
I waited for his mistress to leave before speaking to him.
“Is this what you brought me here for?” I scoffed. “To humiliate me and have another woman insult me? Haven’t you done enough?”
“You’re overreacting,”
It took so much willpower to not throw an apple at him. My hands trembled underneath the table.
“I walked in on my husband with another woman,” I said. “What reaction were you expecting, huh?”
He leaned back in his chair. “I expect you to be on your best behavior. You’ve done nothing but insult me. I did your family a favor, don’t forget that,”
A hollow laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
“A favor?” I scoffed again. “The only favor you’ll be doing is performing your husband duties and getting me pregnant.”
His expression darkened slightly.
“That would never happen, forget it,”
The certainty in his tone stung more than the words.
No, I wasn’t going to give up without fighting till my last breath. I deserved a life better than this.
“You can’t perform your duties on your wife but you can carry them out on your mistress?”
My frown deepened.
He rolled his eyes. “Listen, Elaine…”
“It’s Eloise!” I cut in sharply. “My name is Eloise!”
How did he not know my name?
“Whatever,” he sighed, very uninterested. “You’re here for a job.”
“That’s funny because last time I checked, this job requires two people, do you part and stop being an ass,” I retorted.
His fork clattered onto his plate. “Watch your tone,”
“Or what?” I shot back. “You’ll throw me out? Please do it, I can’t stand living with you,”
It felt so good, talking back at him without breaking down.
“I don’t care who you sleep with,” I continued. “I don’t care about what you do or who you bring to your house. All I want is to give your family a child like they requested. We don’t like each other, why don’t we do each other a favor and work together so we never have to see again,”
He studied me carefully, like he was seeing me for the first time. I was relieved he finally got my message and we were going to make some progress.
“You’re not my type,” he said.
My shoulders dropped in disappointment. What the heck was wrong with him?
“How do I sleep with someone I’m not attracted to?”
For an odd reason, his words actually hurt me. Did I find him attractive? Yes, unfortunately but his character ruins it all for me.
He continued. “You’re a virgin, you don’t have any experience. I like my women with experience,”
I was going to ask how he knew I was a virgin but I decided against it.
I swallowed the sting and straightened my back.
“Good,” I said, my voice calmer than I felt. “I don’t want to sleep with a man who’s known as a player,”
He lifted his eyes to mine. I held his gaze, unflinching. He was used to everyone kissing his ass but not me, I wasn’t afraid of him.
“This is a mere transaction to me,” I added.
The silence that stretched between us was heavy and thick.
He leaned back, tapping his fingers against the table.
“This isn’t going to happen the way you think. You’ll stay here, you’ll behave and you’ll stop embarrassing me. If you want to leave, get your father to pay his debt,”
He stood up, towering over the table, adjusting his cufflinks.
I pushed my chair back and stood too. I was barely five feet tall but I refused to feel small under him.
“You don’t get to decide anything for me,” I said firmly.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. He stepped closer. I could smell his cologne, it was clean and expensive, very distracting.
“You’re in my house,” he said. “Don’t confuse your position,”
He let out a humorless laugh and stepped away, grabbing his suitcase.
“Eat something,” he said over his shoulder. “You look like you’re about to faint.”
And just like that, he walked out.
I sank back into my chair, staring at the untouched food in front of me. This wasn’t going to be easy.
- Writer
