for me to ensure my little red is safe while she comes to terms with her new life.
The flight back from New York was quick, and the drive up here was refreshing. A change from the city. The furnishings my decorator chose are exquisite—all dark woods, glass and steel in the kitchen, and claret carpets overlying the expensive marble tiles.
I head up the sweeping staircase and turn left down the hall to the room I’ve had set up for Scarlett. Upon pushing open the door, I find the ornate four-poster bed, a myriad of cushions, and a deep red comforter.
On the opposite side of the bed is a vanity with a beautifully intricate mirror. Carved from the finest oak, the frame shows a little girl with a red hood and the wolf right behind her. They’ve painted the hood perfectly, her long hair hanging over her shoulders as the predator makes his way toward her.
Reaching for the sculpted scene, I trace my finger over the hood, the memory of Scarlett’s sleek, red hair flickering in my mind. The length perfect for fisting around my hand, her eyes wide and bright as she regarded me with fire and defiance. My cock jolts with the memory, and I can’t help but grin. How perfectly delicious it will be to break her down and watch her submit to my whims.
When I planned to bring her here, I wanted the room to feel like home. Even though she’s going to hate me for a while, I figure at least she can hate in comfort. The contract I signed with her father ensures she’s mine and no longer a Bardot. She will be a Shaw as soon as the ceremony is complete.
A man relinquishing his hold on his daughter because he fucked up is a sad state of affairs. But he did it to ensure I never divulged what he did behind his wife’s back. Yes, she knew about the money, the club, but she I’m certain has no clue her husband has a much larger secret, one that would most certainly break the perfect family unit he’s managed to build.
Power has been my drug for a long time. I’ve reveled in it. Knowing I have the command to take down anyone who steps in my path is a heady feeling. Dominance goes hand in hand with the emotion, and I can’t wait to see Scarlett on the other end of my control.
A smile slowly moves along my face, one that isn’t filled with humor, but a sinister need to have her here right now. I have time, but I’d like it sooner rather than later. When the Bardot ball takes place, she will be on my arm. And if she tries to escape, I’ll lock her up in this palace until she submits fully, in every way possible. Another grin graces my lips at the thought, this one filled with dark humor.
“Mr. Shaw,” the voice of the man I put in the Bardot home to keep an eye on my new possession calls to me, causing me to return to the present. “I’ve met her,” he says as he enters her bedroom, where I’m still standing over the vanity.
“And?” I turn, facing him as he moves deeper into the room. I’ve known Gray since I was a child. From the moment I realized I would never have a normal life, he was there for me. He’s been good to me, obeying my commands without question.
He nods slowly, a small beam of happiness on his face, and for a moment, I think he’s going to tell me not to do this, but then he says, “She’s beautiful, I have to admit. You will make a wonderful couple. But there’s something you do need to know.”
“What is it, Gray?” The frustration in my tone has him wincing, and I have a feeling whatever it is he has to tell me, I’m not going to like.
“Your brother is here,” he informs me, and he was right in being wary of telling me. My hands fist at my sides as I focus on trying not to smash my knuckles into the brand-new mirror. I can’t break anything I’ve set up for her.
“Where is he?” The words are gritted through my clenched teeth. I knew he’d come back to haunt me, but I didn’t think he would be so close by.
“Uh… he’s working for Mrs. Bardot. She hired him to do the garden, set the fox traps.” Gray looks