Chapter Three: Too Close for Comfort

Jane POV

I walked over to the shallow steps. The water splashed around my shoulders as the cool night air hit my wet skin as soon as I touched the tiled deck.

My teeth began to shiver, and a wild shaking began at my chest and worked on through to my legs and arms.

I held my arms hugging my body as if shutting down my body.

He came out of the water and reached up to a dark towel on one of the lounge chairs with his hand and dabbed water from his face, until his eyes glared at me. He stopped walking and watched my shoulders tremble.

“Are you cold?” he asked, his voice low and level.

“I… I’m… I’m fine.” I couldn't get my voice to come out right. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment so he wouldn’t hear my teeth grinding. “My body is just new to this.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” He looked over to the glass doors where there was a guard. He lifted two fingers, nodded quickly and sharply. “Bring a towel, a heavy cardigan, and a hot drink to the dining room immediately.”

The guard was gone as quick as a flash. Raymond didn’t wait for me as he walked past me toward the dining room doors. The warmth inside was a relief to my body.

I followed him back to the long wooden table, sitting down in the same chair I had occupied earlier. I curled my toes against the cold floor, rubbing my palms against my bare arms in a desperate attempt to generate some heat.

A maid came into the room and brought a big white towel, a soft grey cardigan, and a hot cup of tea with her within two minutes.

She moved over to my side, wrapped the big towel around my shoulders, then took my hands and pulled my arms through the oversized sleeves of the huge sweater.

The warmth was instant, making my tense muscles relax slightly. She placed the mug on the dark wood right in front of me, the smell of hot tea rising into the air.

“Thank you, Raymond,” I said quietly, gripping the warm mug with both hands to thaw my frozen fingers.

He just gave a single, brief nod of his head, his face completely uninterested as he sat at the head of the table.

He leaned forward and rested his large forearms on the polished wood of the table, his eyes fixed entirely on my face. He never asked how I was.

“Get enough rest tonight,” Raymond said, his voice completely flat and direct. “You need to be ready for tomorrow. We are going to a charity banquet in the evening, and the other families will be present.”

My heart skipped a beat as my fingers tightened around the mug, until the heat from the mug nearly burnt my fingers, and a sudden wave of panic rose from my chest.

“You… you didn’t tell me anything about this, and I really don’t think I’m prepared for anything like that yet, as I just got here today,” I whispered to myself while keeping my voice at its lowest level possible.

“What did you just say?” Raymond asked, his voice cutting through the quiet room like a knife.

As I swallowed the hot tea, I had a very dry throat and started to have a massive pinch at the back of my throat. I raised my head to confront his direct and piercing gaze, yet my tongue seemed stuck in my mouth and was so clumsy.

“What I meant to say was… I am… not… pre… prepared… for tomorrow…” All the words were so scrambled. “I'm not dressed up enough to attend such an event… I brought a small suitcase of everyday items and nothing is appropriate for an event like this with important people.”

“Everything has been settled,” he replied nonchalantly, waving a hand in the air as if the entire issue was completely irrelevant. “The details are already taken care of.”

“But what if the clothes don’t fit me properly?” I asked, my voice rising slightly as the anxiety grew tighter in my chest. “If the dress is wrong, or if I look out of place, it will reflect badly on you. Maybe it is just best that I don’t go to this event at all.”

“Wait… do you really think I would let you show up in something that doesn’t fit?” he asked, his voice dripping with absolute arrogance. “A designer was paid a huge sum of money to ensure you have the best clothes.”

“And what if someone asks me about our relationship?” I pressed on, refusing to back down. “What if they want to know how we met, or why I suddenly appeared at your side?”

“This is not a conversation, Jane, it is a demand,” Raymond said, his dark eyes narrowing as he leaned closer across the table. “You are going to the banquet, and we are not having this discussion again.”

“Fine,” I said, even though the word didn’t mean to come out from my mouth. “I’ll go.”

“You don’t have a choice,” he said, his voice returning to that calm, chilling tone. “Go inside to your room now and get some rest. I don’t want you looking exhausted tomorrow.”

I scrambled up from my chair, wrapping the cardigan around myself to hide myself from him.

I hated the way he made all his decisions without even acknowledging me as a being with feelings.

Before I could take a third step, his hand gripped my upper arm with incredible strength. He pulled me backward, spinning me around so fast my breath caught in my throat.

My heels slid slightly on the polished floor as I stumbled forward, my chest bumping right against his hard, bare torso.

He didn’t let go. His fingers dug firmly into my skin through the fabric of the sweater, holding me perfectly still.

At this point, we were standing so close I could feel the intense heat radiating from his body, and the scent of the pool water filled my nose.

My eyes widened as I looked up, my gaze locking onto his face. His lips were only inches away from mine, so close that if either of us leaned forward even a fraction of an inch, our mouths would touch. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs; it was hard to breathe.

He tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes burning into mine with an intense, warning light that made my entire body freeze.

“I expect you to behave perfectly well and impress every single person in that room tomorrow, Jane,” Raymond murmured, his deep voice vibrating against my lips.