Kade releases me and I shift on the bed, looking anywhere but at Vince. “The Unfortunate and I had a long night.” He clears his throat and kicks back the blankets. “Besides, I smoked a lot. I take no responsibility for my actions.”
I frown. Unfortunate? I was Nine, Baby, and Sweetheart last night. Shielding my hurt, I keep what fabric I can to hide my body from Vince. I don’t want him to see me naked ever again.
“I’m finished with her, anyway.” He tosses me my dress and the cold, mean look in his eye really hurts my feelings. “Have breakfast, then help Portia in the kitchen. I’ll summon you when I need you again.”
I stare at him—or glare. I’m not sure.
“Did you hear me? Go.”
I grit my teeth. Asshole. I didn’t expect him to declare feelings for me this morning. I expected he wouldn’t to want to talk about it and I expected he wouldn’t treat me any differently in front of other Fortunates, but I didn’t expect this.
“Yes, Master Kade,” I say, slipping my dress on over my head and climbing out of bed. I straighten the fabric and storm towards the door without a glance over my shoulder. I don’t look at Vince as I pass him. Instead, I march into the hallway with an ache in my jaw from clenching my teeth so hard. My eyes begin to burn and tear just like the time the kitchen hands were dicing onions in the kitchen and it wafted into my room, only this time, my chest aches.
∞ Kade ∞
Running a hand over his face, Kade crossed the room to his wardrobe and pulled out a black sweater. He threw it on even though it didn’t go well with his sweatpants. It’s official. I’m a giant asshole.
That wasn’t how he wanted the morning to go. He’d imagined buttered toast and berries while they lay in bed. He cringed at the thought. Maybe it was a good idea I sent her away. Imagine being caught like that instead of ‘snuggling.’ Snuggling was easy to play off, especially since Vince saw Kade smoking last night, but breakfast in bed? There was no way out of that one.
“That looked awfully romantic,” Vince teased, passing the threshold of the door and entering the room.
Worry settled in the pit of Kade’s stomach. Was there anything lying around that could tip Vince off on what really happened here last night? It wasn’t romantic—drugs and first time sex? Kade wasn’t a romantic guy, even he knew that, and last night could have been—should have been—a lot better for Nine.
“There’s nothing romantic about sex. You, of all people, should know that.” Kade kept his eyes busy and focused on the floor as he strolled around the room before dropping into his chair behind the desk. “What do you want, anyway?”
“I thought I’d see if you wanted to have breakfast together.”
He smirked and took another sip of his coffee. Kade wondered if the same smirk Vince was using now was the same one he used on Nine the night he’d taken her to the Black House and she begged them to stop.
“Having breakfast with you is the last thing I want to do,” he retorted, crossing his arms.
Vince lowered his mug. “You still mad about what happened with your Unfortunate at my birthday party? Come on, Kaden. I was drunk. It was all fun and games.”
“For you!” Kade snapped, making Vince flinch. He quickly realised yelling wasn’t the best thing to do when you’re trying to sound indifferent. “It was fun for you.”
The truth was, Kade was anything but indifferent. He thought about that night almost every night since then—Nine undoubtedly did, too. From the second he saw her naked, panicked, and crying on the table, he imagined peeling Vince from his own skin and throwing him on an ant nest. It was one thing to order an Unfortunate around, but it was something else entirely to take one from someone without permission. Though Nine didn’t have parents, she was still someone’s little girl. And if she had no one else around to protect her, then he would… and that thought sprouted not from the fact he had developed feelings for his Unfortunate. He hadn’t. Nine was his property, a gift for his twenty-fifth birthday. That’s all.
“Suit yourself,” Vince said with a shrug as he stuffed one of his hands into the pocket of his black slacks. “You know, you should try being less intense. You’d have more friends.”
Kade sighed. “You finished?”
“No, not really. I can go on and on, if you want.”
Despite the slow morning he knew he had, he wasn’t about to waste time listening to Vince give him tips on how to be ‘warmer.’ “Nope, get out.”
His lips curled into a wicked grin as he took a step back. “See you ‘round, brother.”