Only Pretend by Nora Flite Page B

"Get in the car."
    He didn't sound happy. That was fine. I didn't need him to forgive me, I just needed him to not humiliate me in front of a group of strangers. Scrambling, I climbed into the passenger side of the car.
    Leonide stood outside, waving someone over from the crowd. I recognized him as the man at the phone booth. They bent heads, whispered, then finally shook hands. The sight confirmed my suspicion, added to what Leonide had said. With it, the last of my hope began to fade. There was no doubt. I was in an unfamiliar place, somewhere that no one spoke—or dared to speak—the only language I knew. I was as trapped as if Leonide had thrown me in a cage.
    He climbed in beside me, not sparing me a look while he turned the key. Strangling the steering wheel, he drove us from the town and back up the hill. I could see the house... the mansion... as we approached. Dark brown and crimson, pale grey shingles and lovely stone work. It was a splendid home.
    If only it weren't my prison.
    "You know you'll still need to be punished," he said under his breath.
    Sinking in the seat, I nodded. "Yes, sir."
    In the mirror, he glanced at me. "This is partly my fault, too." His admission of guilt felt out of place, turned my neck warm. "I should have trained you better. Letting you be alone so soon... well. Situations happen. I was distracted today."
    In my lap, my fingers knotted together. "Distracted, sir?"
    That smile of his started fragile. As we rolled up into the driveway, it became a full cactus in bloom. "Yes. I had a phone meeting today." Cutting the engine, he turned my way, brushed my chin. "Celeste, my dear, things are going to change around here."
    Change... what does he...
    Closing the gap, Leonide nearly touched noses with me. "Someone paid your matchmaking fee. My lovely girl, you're going to be married. Isn't that exciting?"
    Coldness spread from my toes to my chest.
    Married.
    No.
    Leonide could call it what he wanted. I had no power to stop him. The truth was there, though. It sat between us like rotten meat and turned his gentle touch and cloying smile into a thing worth burning to the ground.
    I wasn't getting married.
    I'd been bought.
    "It will be fun for me," he went on, pushing out the door. "The man who chose you, he has... specific tastes." Fuck, that low chuckle grated at my bones. "Tastes similar to mine. My only complaint is how quickly he expects me to have you ready." Shrugging, he came around, opened my door and offered a hand. "Well. A challenge never hurt anyone, hm?"
    Holding my words back, I let him assist me from the car. A man with specific tastes. Peeking up at Leonide as we walked into the house, I fought down a shiver. Tastes like his? I was pretty sure I knew what those tastes were.
    All along, I'd suspected the training would get worse. The cleaning, cooking, even grooming myself or dressing up... none of that was so bad.
    The hungry demon dancing along Leonide's lips hinted at the trials to come.

- Chapter Six -
    Celeste
    ––––––––
    L eonide didn't wait long to begin.
    The knock on my door woke me. That was unnerving; no one ever knocked before entering my room. Throwing my blankets off, I sat up just in time to cover myself again. Leonide was there, but he wasn't alone.
    She was dressed as sharply as he was, taller and long in the neck. Thick glasses, cropped hair the color of pennies. The woman had an aura of importance, of business. In one hand, she fingered the handle of a leather bag.
    “Morning, Celeste,” Leonide said. He inclined his head towards the stranger. “We have a guest today. This is Doctor Helen.”
    My attention flew back to that bag. A doctor?
    “Don't be rude.” Stepping inside, he shut the door with a finality. “Say hello to her.”
    “Hello.” I paused, unsure how to address the woman.
    She saved us both by just dipping her head in greeting. “Hello, Celeste. I'm here to do a check-up on you.”
    I didn't have a natural fear of doctors. Not