Chapter 5 The penthouse

The building is downtown. A glass house, rising into the sky like something out of a movie.

Kai pulls into an underground parking garage. His spot is labeled and reserved. Of course it is.

We take an elevator that requires a key card to access the top floors. Kai swipes his and presses the button for the penthouse.

The elevator is silent except for the quiet hum of machinery. I watch the numbers climb. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty.

The doors open directly into an apartment.

There's no hallway or shared space. Just straight into a massive open living area that makes my breath catch.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the entire city. The view is insane. I can see the campus from here. See the whole downtown spread out below like a map.

The furniture is modern and expensive. Everything is minimalistic and neutral colors. Not a single thing out of place.

It's beautiful and intimidating and so far from my world I might as well be on another planet.

"Your room is this way."

I follow him down a hallway. He opens a door and steps aside.

The bedroom is bigger than my entire dorm room. King sized  bed with a white comforter. Matching nightstands. A dresser that looks like actual wood, not particle board. And through another door I can see a bathroom with both a shower and a bathtub.

Kai sets my duffel on the bed. It looks pathetic against the expensive bedding. A sad reminder of where I actually belong.

"You have two hours. Dinner is at six. Be ready."

"Okay."

"Yeah. I'll come get you at five-thirty. Wear something nice."

Then he's gone, the door closing behind him.

I'm alone in this massive beautiful room that isn't mine.

I sit on the edge of the bed and finally let myself break down.

My whole body trembles like a fish out of water, even though the apartment is perfectly temperature controlled.

This is real. This is actually happening.

I'm engaged to a man I don't know. Living in his apartment. About to have dinner with his crime family and Asher.

How did it end up like this?

My phone buzzes. I should probably check it, but I can't. I couldn't handle any more today.

Lying on the bed, I don't know when I slept off. I wake up at exactly 2:00pm and force myself to the bathroom.

The bathroom has marble counters, rainfall shower and a tub big enough for two people.

I turn on the shower as hot as it will go and step under the spray.

The water helps a little, washing away the worst of the panic clinging to my skin.

I stand there until my fingers prune. 

When I get out, I dig through my duffel for something to wear.

I didn't pack much since I didn't know what I'd need. Most of my clothes are cheap and worn and definitely not appropriate for dinner with a rich crime family.

I try on three different outfits. Everything looks wrong. Either too casual, or too college. 

Finally I settled on a simple black dress. It's the nicest thing I own. I bought it last year for a scholarship dinner and haven't worn it since.

It'll have to do.

I'm applying makeup when I hear footsteps in the hallway.

Kai appears in my doorway.

He's changed into dark slacks and a button-down shirt in charcoal gray. There's no tie but somehow he looks more formal than before. 

He leans against the doorframe and watches me.

"You clean up nice," he says after a moment.

"Thanks, I think."

He pushes off the frame and comes into the room. Crosses to where I'm standing at the bathroom mirror.

I freeze when he stops behind me. He's so close I could feel the heat of him, smell his cologne, something dark and expensive that makes my head spin.

His hands settle on my shoulder possessively.

In the mirror, we look like a real couple.

"Listen carefully, tonight is going to be difficult. My father is going to test you. Every question, every comment, is designed to see if you're lying."

"Great," I mutter.

"My sister Riley will try to get you alone. She'll interrogate you properly without our father watching. She's smart. Don't underestimate her."

"Noted."

"Asher will be there." Kai's hands tighten slightly on my shoulders. "It's going to be uncomfortable for everyone. But you need to play the role anyway."

"What role exactly?"

"Loving fiancée." His thumbs stroke the sides of my neck. The touch feels too intimate. "You need to look at me like I'm the only person in the room. Like you're madly in love with me and nothing else matters."

My breath catches.

"Can you do that?" Kai's eyes meet mine in the mirror. Dark and unreadable. "Can you pretend...to be mine?"

I should step away. Should put distance between us. Should do anything except stand here while his hands are on me and his breath is warm against my ear.

But I can't move.

"I'll try," I finally whisper.

Kai releases a slow, dangerous smile.

"Good girl."

Heat immediately crawls up my neck. 

Then he steps back. The cold air where he was standing feels wrong.

"The car leaves in ten minutes. Don't be late."

He leaves. I stare at my reflection in the mirror.

My face is flushed. My hands are shaking again.

This is going to be a disaster.

---

The car ride is silent.

Kai drives with one hand on the wheel. The other rests on my thigh. 

This isn't normal. I should push his hand away, tell him to stop touching me.

But the weight of it is oddly grounding. Like an anchor keeping me from floating away into panic.

The city passes by outside. Buildings giving way to suburbs. Suburbs giving way to estates with actual gates and long driveways.

We pull up to one of those gates. Kai punches in a code and they swing open.

The driveway is long. Tree-lined. Perfect landscaping on both sides.

And at the end sits a house that's more mansion than home.

Three stories. Columns at the entrance like something from a movie about rich people.

"This is where you grew up?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"It's huge."

"Yeah."

He pulls to a stop in front of the entrance and cuts the engine.

Neither of us moves.

"Let's do this," I whisper, trying to give myself courage.

Kai studies my face. "You're sure?"

No. I'm not sure of anything.

But I nod anyway.

"Okay." He gets out and comes around to open my door. "Showtime."

His hand settles on my lower back as we walk toward the entrance. The touch is familiar now even though it shouldn't be.

"Smile," he murmurs near my ear. "Like you mean it."

I force my lips into something that might pass for a smile.

The door opens before we reach it. A woman in a formal uniform steps aside to let us enter.

The interior is just as intimidating as the exterior. Marble floors, crystal chandelier, a staircase that splits in two directions.

Voices drift from somewhere deeper in the house.

Kai guides me toward them. We pass through a hallway and into a formal dining room.

The table could seat twenty people easily but tonight there are only a few.

At the head of the table sits a man who has to be Marcus Donovan. Silver-gray hair. Sharp features. Cold eyes that track our movement the second we enter.

Next to him is a girl around my age. Dark hair like Kai's. Bright, calculating eyes. Riley, I assume.

And across the table, looking miserable and angry, is Asher.

His eyes meet mine. The hurt in them makes my chest tight.

"Ah, the happy couple." Marcus's voice is smooth and cold. "Please sit. We have much to discuss."

Kai pulls out a chair for me. I sit with shaking hands.

Marcus's eyes pin me in place. Suddenly, I feel like I'm a specimen under a microscope.

"Miss Bennett. My son tells me you two have been secretly involved for some time."

I nod.

"I'm very interested to hear exactly how this relationship began." Marcus leans forward slightly. "So please, enlighten us."

The room is silent. Everyone watching. Waiting.

"When and how did you and Kai fall in love?”