Well, here goes. The day I was dreading. And it only took 24 hours. I’ve got my dress on and we’re standing at the door, waiting for Mother and Father.
“You look beautiful, Dionne.” Patrick whispers.
“Thank you. You look nice.” I say.
My father comes downstairs and all three of us stand up straight, acknowledging his presence.
Stand up straight when I enter the room. It’s called respect.
Is what he’d say.
When he stands in front of me, he scoffs.
“At least he’ll think you’re attractive. Maybe.”
“You look wonderful, honey.” My mom comments.
“Thanks Mother.” I say, bowing my head.
“Let’s go. Hurry on, we don’t have all night.” Father rushes us.
A car and a limousine pulls up and I stand, confused.
“What’s that for?” I ask, gesturing to the car.
“You’ll get a car. Me, your mother, and your brothers will have the limousine.” My father says, maliciously.
“Darling, she’s supposed to have a-“
“I know Amelia. Problem is, she doesn’t deserve a limousine. Get in I don’t have time to wait.” He says.
Not questioning him, I get inside the car and the boys help me put my dress in, then Anthony and Patrick leave a kiss on my hand before winking at me, making me smile.
“See you at the party.” Anthony says.
“See you.” I say as they close the door.
When we arrive, Anthony escorts me into the cold night. The breeze hits my skin, making me shiver. My father looks over to me and instead of giving me a jacket, he says:
“Would you quit it with that shivering? Did you not bring a jacket?” he says sternly.
“You told me not to wear one when I was getting dressed, Father.” I remind him.
“And now you’re lying. I don’t recall.”
“Just because you can’t remember, doesn’t mean you didn’t say it, Father.” I say, still trying to be respectful.
“Watch your damned mouth, child!” he says, making me go still.
“Yes, Father.” I say, lightly bowing my head trying not to get him any angrier.
We walk in and it’s colder inside than it was outside. I continue to shiver and I lean against Anthony, seeking warmth.
“You alright? You’re shivering.”
“Yeah. Just a little cold.”
“If Dad wasn’t such a dick, I’d give you mine.” He says, lowering his voice to where only I can hear .
I laugh.
We reach the ballroom and we find a spot to stand in. I get a little thirsty so I walk up to my Father and he’s talking so I wait until he finishes to speak.“What is it, Dionne? Quit pestering me.” He says quietly.
“I’m sorry Father. I was wondering if I could go to the punch bowl to get a drink?”
“I don’t care. Just stay away from me.” He says, shooing me away.
“Thank you, Father.” I say, bowing before I walk away.
When I get to the punch bowl, I get a drink and when I turn around, I bump into something hard.
“Watch it.” This mystery guy says with a hint of Latin in his accent.
When he turns around, I freeze.
He’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.
He’s got wild brown hair, blue eyes, and these large hands with rings on almost every finger.
“You gonna stop staring and apologize? You almost made me waste this everywhere.” He says, his anger rising.
“I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.” I say.
He looks me up and down and turns his nose up to me.
I slide away and I join Anthony’s side again.
All of a sudden, my father approaches me and two men stand in front of us.
“Mr. Foster, it’s nice to meet you once more.” Father says.
I look up and there he is again.
The guy I bumped into two seconds ago.
He looks me up and down as my father talks to him.
“This is the woman I’m arranged with?” Xavier says.
I can see the fear in my father as he speaks to Xavier.
That’s amusing.
“Yes, Sir.” Father says.
He rambles on as Xavier analyzes me head to toe.
“What’s her name?” he asks, cutting my dad off.
“Oh yes, my daughter, Dio, Dionne-“
“Coleman.” He finishes.
As he looks me up and down, his eyes meet mine and suddenly, he grabs me.
“She’s coming with me.” He says.
“Anthony .. “ I say, looking back and reaching for him as he forces me to come with him.
“I love you Dionne.” He says to me as I look in front of me, wanting desperately to go back.
He opens my door and lets me get in, then puts my dress in the car before going to the drivers seat and pulling off. I nervously tap my foot, fidgeting with my hands as I look out of the window.
“Could you stop that?” he asks, clearly sounding annoyed.
I jump at the sudden boom of his deep voice. “I’m sorry.” I say, looking down at my hands. Then it’s silent.
Until his phone rings with a call.
“Hello?” he says into the phone, his annoyed tone still in tact. “I just picked her up, mam?.” He says. “Yes, yes, you’ll be able to see her.” Then silence. “If she wants.” Silent again. “Okay. Yeah, te amo.” He finishes.
(Translation: love you.)
He hangs up the phone and tucks it back into his pocket as he finishes the drive to his home. When we get there, I look up to what looks like a palace, lights brightening up the white house in front of me. I’m greeted by a woman almost my height, and she hugs me tightly.
“Hello darling. You’re beautiful.” She says.
“Thank you, you as well.” I say.
“Alright, let’s go.” Xavier snaps as he walks into the house, telling me to hurry up and get inside.
I hurry behind him and when we get inside, a maid approaches Xavier and he walks past her and yells.
“Take her to her room.”
“Right away, sir. Right this way, Mrs. Foster.” The maid says shyly.
“Oh no, it’s Coleman.” I correct.
“Mr. Foster has ordered us to call you by his last name, ma’am.” She says.She takes me to a room that’s dark, but comfy and I look around, mesmerized. There are pajamas laid out on the bed and a towel and washcloth laid out for me to use.
“This will be your room Mrs. Foster. Mr. Foster has ordered that you shower and join the family downstairs for dinner.” She says.
“Okay. How much time do I have to shower?” I ask.
“As long as you need.”
And with that I give her a smile, letting her know she can leave, and then I’m left alone with my thoughts.
I think she’s pretty nice.
I shower and get out and get dressed, then I go downstairs and I’m led to the dining room where everyone’s eyes are glued to me.
“Took you long, enough.” Xavier complains as he walks into the dining room. “Fuck.” He curses.
Dinner is served and I start to eat with my head down. His mother is the first to speak.
“How’s dinner? I thought I’d try something different.”
“It’s lovely, Mrs. Foster.” I say, being polite.
I hear a chuckle that sounds a lot like my father’s. I look up and Xavier’s dad laughs as he eats.
“Girl doesn’t know how to hold her tongue. Don’t you know that you don’t speak until you’re spoken to?” he says.
“I’m sorry Mr. Foster.” I say, bowing my head.
“She’s wildly respectful though, I’ll give you that.” He says, starting to eat his food
After dinner, I go to my bedroom and I lie down. I can hear Xavier yelling from upstairs. He’s yelling so loud, I can make out every word he’s saying. “You’re the one who wanted this, not me!” “Yeah? Well she’s MY fiancé. I don’t give a shit!” “Fuck off!” “She’s not yours, she’s not yours, and she’s not anyone else’s, MINE, and I can do whatever the hell I please!” And it keeps going from there. I cover my ears with a pillow to lessen the sound of his constant screaming and it worked like a charm. The next morning, I wake up to the sound of someone calling my name. I know that voice all too well. “Dionne, wake up.” Xavier says, sounding pissed. I sit up and I rub my eyes softly. “What’s going on? What time is it?” I ask “Get up and get dressed. I’m taking you to school.” He says. My eyes widen in surprise. Last year, I finished high school, I got accepted into a university, but I couldn’t go because my father wouldn’t allow it. He said college was for girls who had brains a
The first couple of minutes is Xavier cursing and mumbling under his breath. He sighs and looks over to me. “What happened?” he asks, still pissed. “I don’t know,” I reply. “I was waiting for you outside and then that guy bumped into me and started touching me everywhere.” I say reluctantly. He doesn’t say anything, he just keeps his eyes on the road, but I can see the anger building up inside him. He raises his fist and I could swear I made a whimpering sound. I turn away and I look at the window as Xavier gets quiet. “Dionne.” He says, his cold, hard mask still intact. I look at him, not saying anything, and he shifts in his seat, well aware of why I reacted that way. “Who did it?” he asks. I look down at my hands and I don’t reply. “Was it those assholes at the university?” he asks, genuinely concerned. “Dionne?” he says, his fingers brushing against my arm. I jump at his contact and suddenly a tear falls from my eyes. “God.” He says as I begin to cry. I can tell he’s not used
The next morning, I wake up to Xavier shaking me awake. "Dionne, wake up. You need to get ready." he says, sounding slightly annoyed. Not angry, like he used to be. I guess that's something good. "Okay, okay, I'm getting up." I say, stretching. "I'll be at your school earlier today. School ends at, what, 4:15?" he asks, looking down at his ring-filled hands. "Yeah." I say. "I'll be there by then. Now get up, unless you don't want breakfast before you leave." he says, sliding out of my room. "Thank you." I yell after him, getting up to go get in the shower. When I get out of the shower, I smell the beautiful aroma of bacon and sausage cooking. I get dressed and I put some perfume on, then I get downstairs while putting on my shoe. I must've stepped wrong because when I put my foot down, I slipped and twisted my ankle. I would've hit the ground, but someone was holding me up. I look up and I see Xavier with concern in his eyes. It quickly fades into seriousness as he picks me up.
Days later, my ankle's healed up pretty well. Me and Xavier have gotten closer, not too much, as he's not very open about his feelings, but it's progress. Walking through the university, me and Charlotte finally sit and eat lunch together. "So tell me, how's it going with Brady?" Charlotte asks. "God, nothing, Charlotte! We're just friends-" "Blah blah blah. Don't give me that shit, 'just friends' my ass." she says playfully. "It's not shit! I told you, I'm seeing someone." I say, eating the grapes I packed this morning. "Yeah? So where is this guy? Does he go here? Does he live around here, is he close?" she questions. "I'm not telling you anything Charlotte!" I say, nudging her arm. "I'm not gonna believe you until I see him for myself." "You're insistent." I say, palming my forehead. "You could've saw him the other day. He was here. He's the one who broke Josh's nose." I say. "He's the one who did that? Everyone said he knocked him out off one punch. If he can do that, imag
So this is it. I’m going on a date with Xavier. I can’t say I expected this, but I guess it was bound to happen. I’ve already picked out a dress and shoes to wear but I’m nervous about tonight, for what reason? … I don’t really know. I think I’m just overreacting. I shake the worry from my mind and I start to get dressed. I decide to put on a tight red dress and red heels with a ribbon that I have to tie at the back. When I’m ready, I fix my hair and I go downstairs where I find Xavier waiting by the door for me. “Look at you.” He says. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” I comment. He walks up to me and grabs my hands. His hands are big yet soft against mine. He rubs my hand with his thumb and then slips them from mine. “Could you tie these?” I ask, turning around, leaning on the wall for support. He gets down to tie the ribbons around my ankles. When he rises, he looks me up and down and turns toward the door to get on his phone. Minutes later, he guides me to the car and helps
Xavier’s POV: The next morning, I wake up and the first thing I do is put on my suit. I need to attend a few meetings today. Money’s on the line. I walk downstairs and my father stops me from going any further than the living room. “Father.” I say. “Xavier.” He responds. He’s never called me his son. Ever. I still try to respect him though. That’s how my mother raised me. ‘Where’s that girl?” “Are you serious?” I say, squinting in annoyed confusion. “I’ve done nothing wrong.” He says, looking confused. “You may be the type of man to disrespect women and do whatever it is that you do with them, but my wife won’t be one of them. As long as I’m with her, you’re gonna learn to respect her, or I’ll make you, and that’s a promise. I don’t care how I have to do it, and you know I don’t. I’ve never disrespected you a day in my life, but when you disrespect her, you disrespect me, which means I disrespect you, I just want to make that clear.” I say, finally walking off and walking out t
Dionne’s POV: I finish getting dressed and I step out of my room only to hear something in Xavier’s room. As I walk toward the staircase, he opens his door and walks out. He obviously doesn’t see me when he walks by, so I walk by his room door and I see one of the maids getting dressed and she can barely stay on her feet. I scoff and I go downstairs and meet him. “Let’s go.” He says as I walk by him. He shuts the door behind us and we walk to the car. When I get in the car, the guard holding the door open closes it. The other guard on Xavier’s side closes his door and the driver pulls off. I cross my arms and I start a conversation. “I thought you said you didn’t have a chauffeur.” I say, trying to hide my anger. “I do. I just don’t use him all the time.” He says, scrolling through his phone. I stay quiet but the constant anger picking at my brain gets the best of me. “Did you fuck her? You smell like cheap perfume and sex.” I say, already knowing the answer. He closes the slid
I sit against the house, blood pouring from my leg as Anthony writhes in pain in mom’s arm. Xavier hangs up the phone and runs over to me and takes his tuxedo off and rips his blouse underneath off, then rips the sleeve off to tie it around my thigh where the blood is seeping out. He ties a knot tightly around my thigh, making me grunt in pain. He stands up and puts his hands out to me. I look up at him and I take his hands as he lifts me up. “Are you okay? Well no shit, but … “ he cuts himself off looking at me with worried eyes. “I’m fine.” I say back, limping over to Anthony. “I just got off the phone with some people who’re gonna get your father. We can discuss funeral arrangements later if that’s okay with you.” He says, helping me over to Anthony. “That’s fine.” I reply, paying more attention to Anthony. “I don’t have everything I need here.” Mom says. “Could they come home with us? Please?” I ask Xavier. “That’s a risk. You should know that better than anyone. My family