The Deal Taker (Book III)

Chapter One - What's My Line? 2010

It was bizarre to leave my bedroom tonight, especially wearing something classy and expensive. I knew when my clothes to wear tonight were hanging in the bathroom it would mean I’d have to interact with people.

I hate people.

I walked down the stairs in my heels, trying to make my walk elegant and not my usual threatening stomping. My chin was high up, my back straightened, and my hips swayed, but not too much. I even made sure to keep a warm and kind expression, a kind of difficult thing to do for me.

My left hand gripped the doorknob of the library, making me take notice of the engagement ring with the ruby shining at me. I admit, I had the thing in the nightstand up until this point. It was just all too much for me to handle. I immediately pushed the thoughts away and opened the door.

Matthew stood open as soon as I entered the room, sporting a grey suit and red tie, unsurprisingly. “Anna,” he greeted, taking my hand and pressing his lips to mine.

This kiss lasted a few seconds longer than I was used to. I took a deep breath when he pulled away.

“You look beautiful. Kym did well.”

Kym, apparently, is my new personal stylist. Yes, you may scoff or laugh at the thought of someone having a personal stylist. I did. According to Matthew, it as a major statement to have your own personal staff. It was expected. Kym, although nice in her own quiet way, is a bit strange. She didn’t say anything to me at all when she did my hair and makeup. She picked out my outfit wordlessly and only spoke when she apologized for the curling iron being too hot.

“How are you feeling?” Matthew asked as he guided me towards the sofa.

I had difficulty adjusting to a comfortable position, thanks to the pants. “I think I currently have underwear crammed up my butt right now because of these pants,” I complained.

Matthew tried his best not to laugh at me. I think my bold personality concerned him because his guests might find if off-putting. “I think you look sexy.”

I gave him a raised eyebrow and pursed lips kind of a look. “Alrighty. I should change then, huh? Wouldn’t want to tempt you before the wedding and I’ve got some clean sweatpants in my room—“ I went to stand in the middle of my sentence, but Matthew caught me by my wrist.

“I’ll try to resist. It’ll be a challenge, but I’ll keep my hands mostly to myself.” He gave me a crooked smile. “Also, we need to discuss what to do when guests arrive.”

I plopped my leather butt back down and kicked my feet up on the coffee table. “When will guests arrive?”

 “Tonight, actually. Nicholas, Beth, and one or two other close friends will arrive later on. The majority of the guests will arrive the night before the wedding.”

Nicholas I was completely fine with. He is one of Matthew’s closest friends and the first person I met here, even before Matthew. Beth, however, I kind of hated. She was a complete bitch when I first met her, constantly complaining about my appearance. In addition to that, Beth turned Lacey, a person I consider a friend now, into a vampire years ago because she wanted a slave/stylist for eternity. Talk about selfish. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

“Nicholas and Beth don’t know anything about the deal, and I plan to keep it that way. No one should know. Unfortunately, Nicholas is rather observant and catches onto things quick.”

“So we have to convince him…?”

“Exactly.”

“What all does Nicholas know about us?”