Erin
After I have recovered from James' 'uncontrollable sexual urges', he takes me shopping, but he doesn't take me to the same place as last time. He takes me to a store with so many exquisite dresses and gowns it makes my head spin. Rack after rack of lace and tulle and taffeta, all separated by size, color, and then shade. They must have dresses in every single hue visible to the naked human eye here.
I could probably even find a gown in the oh-so-lovely shade of shit-stained concrete if I looked hard enough.
How am I ever going to find something to wear?
"Where do I even start?" I ask absently, staring at the rainbow of fabrics before me. This... is overwhelming. "And how do you even know about this place?" I ask James, glancing over my shoulder at him.
"I don't think you would have much use for a ball gown." I shoot him a teasing smile.
He chuckles. "I didn't know about it until I messaged Emily and asked her for dress shop recommendations about thirty minutes ago," he replies with a shrug.
That makes sense. "Maybe I should start with size first," I murmur to myself, starting in the direction of the section marked with my size.
"Is there a specific color I should be wearing tonight?" I ask James as he follows me over.
"No, but you and I have to match," he tells me. "So what you choose will directly affect what I wear, and for the love of god, Erin, if you choose something pink-."
"I won't," I assure him, stifling my laughter. "But why do we have to match?" I persist. That seems like a strange guideline to work with.
"There was something about couples having to match on the invitation I received a few weeks ago," he replies, a hint of irritation slipping into his words.
It's still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that we're a couple. We're together. I touch the little heart pendant James gave me earlier. I am his.
I give a slight nod. "What color would you prefer I wear?" I ask, because I don't want him to end up in a bad mood because he was forced to wear a pink neck tie or something.
He stares down at me with those beautiful violet eyes and I can see the lust burning within them. "Blue. You look amazing in blue," he replies, caressing my chin. "It brings out your eyes."
I blush from his compliment. "Thank you, Master."
"Not to mention, it won't kill me to wear blue for one evening. Pink, on the other hand...," he adds, cringing dramatically just to make me laugh.
I smile up at him. "Blue it is, then," I agree, turning towards the endless racks of blue gowns.
"You start looking, I'm going to find the bathroom," James tells me before starting off in search of the bathrooms.
I smile as I watch him walk away before returning my attention to this massive task of picking a gown for the Governor's birthday party. With a sigh, I begin riffling through the gowns when someone clears their throat behind me.
I jump, turning to find an elderly woman dressed in all black behind me, her arms folded over her chest in disapproval.
"Who let you in here?" She barks, glancing down at my debtor's mark.
I wince. "Oh," I stutter, trying to gather my thoughts. But I notice James coming up behind the dress shop employee. "I was just-."
"You need to leave right this instant! I will not have your-."
"Is there a problem?"
She turns towards James, looking flustered. "Yes, this-." She drops her sentence, realizing who she's talking to.
James stares at her, arms folded over his chest, his jaw clenched in anger. Daring her to continue.
"Oh my," she stammers. "Uh, there's no problem. Take as long as you would like," she tells us.
"That's what I thought," James spits at her.
Her eyes get wide, her cheeks burning with color as she hurries off, clearly embarrassed and humiliated.
"I hope she didn't give you too much trouble," James says after she's gone, stroking my hair.
"No," I tell him, drawing out the word hesitantly. "I'm fine."
But I'm not fine. She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence but I know what she was going to say Your kind. People treat us like we're an entirely different species. Like we're somehow less than them, and it's hurtful.
"Erin?" James calls gently, pulling me from my thoughts.
I meet his gaze. "I'm fine. Really," I assure him.
He eyes me suspiciously for a moment, before glancing to the racks of different blues and teals. "Find anything you like yet?" He asks me.
"Not yet," I say, returning my attention to the dresses. We search for a while, but none of them catch my eye.
"I'm never going to find something I like," I whine in defeat as I turn to meet James' gaze. As I do, I notice a tulle gown on a mannequin in the corner behind him.
He says something to me, but I don't hear him. It's like I'm in a trance as I saunter over to the gown.
The bodice is a shade of indigo so dark, it's almost black. the dark fabric slowly fades into a dreamy, icy blue. There aren't any shimmering sequins, or flowers or adornments. Just frothy layers of tulle with off-the-shoulder straps. It's perfect.
"That's beautiful," James says softly, coming up behind me.
"I want this one," I tell him absently, not taking my eyes off the dress.
James wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me against him. He leans down, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Then it's yours."
I don't bother trying it on since I know it will fit. Once we're done, James drives us back home so we can get ready.
Anna sees me bring the dress in and demands that I let her do my hair and makeup.
Before I can object, she grabs my arm, dragging me down the hall.
James is laughing and I scowl at him over my shoulder until we turn the corner and he's out of view. Anna takes me to one of the guest rooms on the first floor.
She curls my hair and pins it back, leaving a few smaller curls framing my face. Then she proceeds to do my makeup, painting my eyelids with shimmering blue shadow. She lines my eyes, adding dramatic black wings at the corners, and she paints my lips a bright shade of red.
She covers the love bites James left on my neck earlier, though not without making a witty comment about them.
Once my hair and makeup are done, she helps me into my dress, doing up the corset-style back. I decide to wear my plain black flats that I was wearing earlier because I don't think heels and this much dress would mix well together. Especially since I don't wear heels often.
When she's done, she takes me over to the mirror in the closet and I stare at myself.
The girl in the mirror is regal and sensual and fierce.
It's a jarring transformation.
I've been dressed up before, but never in something this luxurious and for some reason, seeing myself in such finery surprises me. Like I shouldn't be wearing this gown.
It feels forbidden.
"You're really good at doing hair and makeup," I tell Anna absently, unable to look away from my reflection. Her work is stunning.
"It's what I was going to school for," Anna admits, a hint of sadness in her words. "Before my brother got sick."
I turn towards her, surprised. "You never told me that," I say.
Anna shrugs. "Well, it's kind of a touchy subject," she admits softly, lowering her gaze to the floor.
I wince, regretting my words. "I'm sorry. That was insensitive," I say.
"I know you don't mean anything by it," she replies. "It's just, talking about those times... it's a sour reminder of a really dark period in my life. A time I would prefer to forget," she says somberly.
After a moment, she glances back up at me, forcing herself to give me a smile. "Well, I should probably take you back to your master," she taunts, waggling her eyebrows.
I roll my eyes. "Don't you dare start doing that," I spit indignantly.
"Start doing what?" Anna asks innocently with a shrug. As if she doesn't know.
I narrow my gaze. "I did not tell you about the structure of our relationship so you could tease me about it," I snap. Maybe telling Anna was a bad idea.
"Should have thought about that before you said anything," she returns in a sing-song tone.
"What was I supposed to do?! You wouldn't stop prying!" I spit back, throwing my hands out.
"You didn't have to answer," she replies nonchalantly, that frustrating, shit-eating grin plastered across her lips.
I groan. "You're exhausting!"
Anna is laughing as I continue to glare at her. "If it upsets you that much, I won't tease you," she finally concedes.
I let out a sigh. "Thank you," I say. "And besides, I can find my way back to my master myself," I add in a fake, snobbish accent. Anna and I exchange a knowing smile.
"Have fun tonight," she tells me.
"I will. And thank you for doing my hair and makeup," I say, giving her a quick hug before heading towards the door.
"Anytime," she calls as I leave the guest room, heading towards the stairs.
I'm trying to work out how I'll actually get up the stairs with all these layers of tulle when I find James already at the bottom of the stairs.
He's dressed in a double-breasted tuxedo, the same dark shade of blue as the top of my gown, his black hair styled in it's usual fashion. His black eye has been covered over with makeup, though the bruises and cuts which have scabbed over are still visible on his knuckles.
I'd be lying if I said the sight of James Harrington in a full-on tux, jacket and all, wasn't sexy as hell.
He smiles when he sees me, his violet eyes burning me.
"I really would kneel, but I don't think that would be possible in this dress," I admit, as I step over to him. I stare down at the layers of tulle.
"I mean," I add, taking the fabric between my fingers, splaying some of it out.
James laughs. "I'll allow you to break the rules this time," he teases before stepping towards me, taking my hand. "You look absolutely stunning, my darling Erin," he says tenderly, reaching out with his other hand, caressing my cheek.
His darling. I love when he calls me that.
"Thank you, Master. You look very handsome yourself," I reply, a hint of color creeping onto my cheeks as he pulls me even closer. The air between us is charged with electricity. I can feel it crackling across my skin in little pinpricks. I will never understand what he does to me.
He sweeps one of the little curls out of my face, staring into my eyes intently. "I'm just wearing a suit. You on the other hand, look like you own the world," he says before pressing a soft kiss to my lips.
My whole body shudders with a sigh of ecstasy. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of kissing him. When he pulls away, my disappointment must be evident on my face.
"I don't want to ruin your lipstick," he explains.
I throw my arms around his neck, stroking the edges of his hair with my fingertips. "What's a little ruined lipstick?" I tease, standing on my tiptoes and leaning in, so our noses are touching.
James lets out a low groan. "Are you not sore enough already?" He asks me, seeming a little perplexed.
I think about the lingering pain between my thighs, letting out a nervous laugh. "Oh no, I uh... I'm sore enough," I stutter, embarrassment lacing my words. He was not gentle with me earlier.
James gives me that sinister smirk that never fails to send my heart fluttering. "Then don't do things that you know arouse me," he growls in response, every word dripping with desire.
I pull away, a puzzled expression crossing my face. "What exactly did I do to arouse you?" I ask, genuinely confused. I made a teasing remark about lipstick.
He stares down at me for a long moment, his eyelids heavy with lust. "Everything." The word is a breathless whisper in the space between us. Then he presses his lips to mine again.
I melt into the kiss, a gentle moan escaping my throat. All my nerves tingle at once, butterflies dancing in my stomach. When he finally pulls away, I open my eyes slowly, staring up at him with a soft smile on my lips.
"I love you," I breathe out tenderly.
"I love you too," he replies, dragging his thumb along my jawline.
"Did you ruin my lipstick?" I ask in a dreamy half-whisper, deciding to keep up the joke.
James smirks. "Not nearly as much as I would like to," he replies, his voice low and gravelly.
I swallow, trying to fight the warmth spreading between my thighs. "Well," I start, getting a little flustered. I glance around the foyer before returning my gaze to his.
"Should we head to the Governor's birthday party?" I ask, needing to change the subject before I decide that I'm not sore enough after all.
James checks his watch. "We still have an hour until we need to leave. The Governor's Mansion isn't that far from here," he tells me. Then he sucks in a breath before grimacing.
"I should also mention that Kendra will be there tonight, and she probably won't be very pleased with you for getting one of her operatives caught," he tells me, a hint of irritation slipping into his words.
I furrow my eyebrows together. "Why haven't you gotten Kendra arrested for her affiliation with the A.E.D.P.?" I ask him curiously. If he knows she's breaking the rules, why hasn't he spoken up? It doesn't add up.
His face falls a little and he wanders over to the sofa in the foyer, taking a seat. He rests his elbows on his thighs, clasping his hands and turning his head to stare out the window.
After a moment I join him, sensing that I've asked the wrong question. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up," I say, silently kicking myself. This is the third time today that I've been grossly insensitive. I really need to work on that.
James turns his gaze back to me. "Don't be sorry, Erin. It's human nature to be inquisitive," he replies simply, sitting back. He props an ankle on his knee, reaching for my hand. I slip my fingers between his and he gives me a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I could never fault you for that."
A comfortable silence opens up between us and I can't help but wonder what he's thinking about. I find out a few moments later when he breaks the silence.
"Kendra is a complicated person," he says vaguely. There is a sadness in his words.
I watch him intently, seeing the pain behind his eyes. I finally make the decision to ask because it feels like the right moment. Like he wants me to ask. I squeeze his fingers tight, having to fight past the lump in my throat to say the words.
"What happened?" My words are slow and gentle.
James glances at me sidelong, a shadow crossing his features. He takes a deep breath, shutting his eyes and silently nodding like he's making an agreement with himself. Finally he opens his eyes again.
"I swore I'd never bring that incident up again," he starts quietly, running his fingers through his hair. He meets my gaze, and I can see the confliction in his eyes.
"Then again, I also swore I would never trust anyone again, or fall in love again," he pauses, shaking his head in disbelief.
"And look where that got me?" He asks rhetorically, laughing a little.
"I was wrong. I love you, Erin. I love you and I trust you," he breathes out, bringing our clasped hands to his lips and pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. There is a warmth in his eyes that makes my heart flutter.
"So, I'll tell you everything."
A/N: Annnnnd we're finally going to learn James and Kendra's history. What do you think James is about to tell Erin? I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! It was so much fun to write. Thank you for continuing to read His Slave!