“Fine,” he grunts, putting me back on my feet.
“Give me an hour. You can go find me a snack or call your hitman friends,” I tease, and he reaches out and smacks me on my ass.
“Be good.” He gives me a hard stare, which I think is supposed to scare me. I’m sure it would scare anyone else, but it makes my nipples harden and my panties wet.
“I promise, Daddy.” I bat my eyelashes at him, and his gaze changes. He’s about to pounce on me, and my body is getting hot for it.
“Are we ready?” The saleslady comes striding back in with a rack of garments. There’s another woman behind her pushing in a cart with even more on that one. They are all pink and fluffy, just as I requested when I called yesterday.
I’m picking out a dress so Dutch can take me out to a fancy dinner and then to a play I’ve been dying to see. I want to find the perfect dress to drive my husband crazy.
“We are,” I tell her as I push Dutch out of the room.
“You’re testing me.”
“Punish me later,” I tell him and then wink.
He gives me one last reluctant look before he’s off, and I stand there for a moment realizing this is the first time since I’ve known Dutch that we’ve been apart. I turn back to the saleslady to get started because I already miss him. I’ve felt so alone all my life, and now that I have Dutch, I know I will never feel that way again.
I smile as I try on dress after dress. When I see my reflection in the mirror, there’s no uneasy feeling like I had when I was with my fake mom. I’ve come to realize I was a pet to her. I never knew if she was going to praise me or smack me on the nose. The only thing I haven't figured out is why my fake father Tomas was always so good to me. That one still nags at me from time to time.
“I’m going to package these for you. Would you like them sent to your hotel?” Della asks.
“Yes, please. I’m going to wear this one out.” I answer as I run my fingers down the pink silky fabric. The dress is tight at the top and ties around my neck with a little bow in the back. The bottom flares out and comes to mid-thigh. Dutch is going to love it. I lean down and slip my shoes back on my feet, but when I stand up my heart stops.
“Iris,” Tomas says, and my body is frozen in place.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper as he steps into the dressing room.
I look at my fake father in a wrinkled suit with his hair out of place. I’ve never seen him so disheveled in all my life, and it’s unnerving.
“Sweetheart, I didn’t know Helen was trying to push those boys on you. I would never have allowed that.” His fists are clenched at his sides. “She’s lucky I didn’t snap her fucking neck.”
“As nice as that is to hear, what does it really matter at this point?” What the hell? How is that the first thing he says to me? And why does the look in his eyes send a chill down my spine?
“I love you, Iris.” He takes another step closer, but I don’t believe him. They don’t know what love is. I didn’t really know until a few weeks ago.
“The money,” I remind him.
“The money was a bonus. I realized that as you started to grow up and I formed a new plan. I was the one that was going to put an heir inside of you. Helen could never have children, but you can.” He starts to move closer. “I would have loved putting them inside of you.”
I’m paralyzed. I open my mouth, but no words come out, and I don’t know why I’m even shocked at this point. He kidnapped me; why wouldn’t he be capable of something like this?
“You look very pretty in your dress.” He licks his lips, and his fingers twitch like he wants to touch me. “I never liked the things Helen put you in.” He says it casually, like he’s not about to die.
Dutch will tear him into bite-sized pieces.
“You need to leave. Dutch is going to kill you.” I’m finally able to speak. I take a step back, not realizing there is a sofa there, and I fall backwards onto it. Tomas towers over me. I’d forgotten how tall he was. From this position he’s frightening, and I have nowhere to go.
“You think he’s any different from me? He took his chance to get the money. He’s used you too.” He reaches for the buckle of his pants, and on instinct I lift my foot and kick out as hard as I can.
Somehow I manage to nail Tomas right in the balls, and he lets out a high-pitched scream as he doubles over in pain.
“He is nothing like you!” I scream and scramble away.
It’s then I see Dutch running up behind him. He wraps his big hands around the back of his neck and lifts him like a dirty rag. He tosses him across the room, and Tomas hits the mirrors along the wall. They all shatter and fall to the floor with him, the sound echoing through the space. Tomas lies there unmoving, with shards of the broken mirror all around him.
I can’t look away as Dutch makes his way over to Tomas again. This time he picks him up by the hair, and Tomas cries out. Dutch leans in close and says something to him, and I hear Tomas whimper. Dutch releases his hold, and he falls to the floor like a pile of garbage.
