Chapter 6: Open

OLLIE

“Consider it a promise, Olivia,” he murmured against my lips, his words colder than ice.

Then he was gone, and I was left alone in the restroom.

Did that just happen? Darius Rothschild not only threatened me but tried to fuck, kiss, and subdue me like a slut in his parents’ house?

I was livid, disgusted, and aroused all at the same time.

I washed my face and put my heels back on with one thing in mind—~Sarah~.

She was outside waiting for me.

My little sister was out there with ~these~ people, and now I had to go back there, back to that despicable person, and act tough.

~Convince your sister to leave Alexander.~

This motherfucker did not know me at all.

If he thought his brute force was going to intimidate me, he was in for a surprise.

~But you are tough, Ollie.~

I had a mission to accomplish.

I was not leaving my sister behind, and if support was what she wanted, then I was bringing it full force.

I was officially on the lovebirds’ team.

~Get your shit together, this is not about you.~ It’s about Sarah and that horrible family she was looking to impress.

Where was she?

I joined the group, my gaze searching for my sister.

I caught her and greeted them all in my most polite manner, then sat beside my little sis.

A spot remained empty to my left.

“Thank God you are back,” Sarah said only for me to hear.

She pressed her cold hand on mine underneath the table.

I swallowed half of the glass of wine that was in front of me like water, as if I had just run three miles.

It did little to calm my nerves, but hey, I would give myself an A+ for not running away like a madwoman after Darius mauled me all over in the bathroom.

My treacherous body didn’t get the memo, and I had the urge to rub my legs together just thinking about him.

Introductions were made by Alexander.

He started with his dad, the mighty Rothschild patriarch—Edmund Rothschild.

Silent and observant, the expression of his father remained bland.

I’d seen him in the news many times, but now at close range, I could see the resemblance to his sons.

They were all big and masculine.

Yeah, they weren’t lacking in the gene pool.

Looking at him made me wonder why I wasn’t into older guys.

~Because you are only into douchebags like Roger.~

I directed my gaze to the woman Edmund was holding hands with as Alexander introduced his mother.

Her hair was black as night, and her velvety skin was as pale as mine, but on her, it looked flawless.

Anna Elizabeth Rothschild.

~The monster-in-law for sure.~

Dressed to perfection, she held her chin high and carried herself with so much grace that it was impossible not to acknowledge her.

She shared Darius’ silver, penetrating eyes.

~Stop thinking about him!~ Where was that fucker, anyway?

I scanned the table, feeling relieved he was not around.

The other two family members seated at the end of the table were introduced as Luther Rothschild and his daughter, Vivian.

Skin and bones in an English-tailored suit, Luther Rothschild sat patiently at the edge of the table.

His round glasses and gray hair combed backward framed his sharp green eyes.

He looked so much like Edmund; nobody could deny the Rothschild kinship.

He acted and talked like one of them, but the way he remained pensive gave me the creeps.

His daughter, on the other hand, was the queen of boredom herself.

Vivian had his nose and cynical eyes, and wore a stylish French bob with light bangs on her forehead.

She looked extremely posh.

She chewed so slowly that it was painful to watch.

~I need more wine to survive this.~ Where was Rosie with the wine?

I drank what was left in my glass and took a big breath, trying to relax.

Anna spoke to everyone at the table.

“So, Alexander has brought a ~girl~ home.”

Sarah exchanged glances quickly.

Mother and son spoke as if their conversation was private.

“More than a girl,” Alexander paused, “Sarah Summer is my girlfriend,” he said firmly.

~Okay, point to Alexander.~

Edmund was quietly watching the scene unfold while Anna blinked slowly.

I swear someone could slice the tension with a knife.

“So, it’s official?” Anna’s teeth showed in a tight smile, one that didn’t reach her eyes.

“More than official.” Alexander brought Sarah’s hand to his lips for a quick kiss.

Had Sarah lost her tongue?

She looked like a lamb, wide-eyed and docile.

“Well, I guess I have nothing left but to welcome you, dear.” Anna shook her hands on her dress.

In a matter of seconds, her penetrating silver eyes were back on my sister, and then, as if she just realized my existence, she switched her stare to me.

“And you are?”

I shrugged. “I’m the sister.”

~I’m the sister? Not shit, Olivia.~

She flashed a smile to Edmund.

“Oh! We have two, dear.” Subtle, but passive-aggressive. “Do you have a name?”

Oh boy, monster-in-law indeed.

But yeah, I deserved that one.

Point to Mama Anna.

“Olivia Summer,” a deep voice said to my right.

A cold shiver ran through my spine, goosebumps all over.

I clutched the silverware so tightly my hands were getting numb.

My breathing was erratic; probably my cheeks were like a tomato as my tormentor sat in the empty chair beside me.

“Are you okay?” Sarah asked me.

~Shit, Ollie, calm the fuck down.~

I nodded to Sarah, yet I’d never felt this way about anyone in my life.

I wanted to scratch his eyes from that pretty face.

Fuck, I wanted to run from this table.

The nerve he had to sit beside me like nothing had happened.

I was in a corner; there were remaining seats on the other side.

I glanced at him, and he watched me sideways with a little smirk.

I wanted to stand up.

I wanted to leave.

Then Edmund spoke.

“How was the drive coming here?”

“Entertaining,” Darius drawled. “Olivia… She was so eager to get to know me.”

Was I a dancing monkey now?

This fucker was playing a dangerous game.

Was he planning on bringing my nudity to the table?

Reasons why you should never free the nipple in a car with a stranger.

“I’m sure you had lots of time to catch up.” Anna smiled, looking at the two of us, seemingly unaware of the palpable tension building.

“Yes, Olivia is quite an open book.” Darius offered a light, crooked smile.

The way he said the last word, only I knew his double entendre.

~Wicked~.

“Oh. Really? Well, that’s strange,” Sarah commented in light surprise.

Darius’s eyes lit up at her expression. He was clearly finding this amusing.

“What is strange about Olivia being open?” he asked casually.

His gaze stayed on me, on my red cheeks, making me self-conscious.

~Open? This son of a bitch will meet a terrible death. Soon. I will make sure of that!~

“Well, that doesn’t sound like Ollie at all,” Sarah said, bewildered.

She was so innocent.

~Fucking hell, someone please kill me!~

I calmed down, deciding to watch in silence how he enjoyed riling me up.

I tasted bad blood, the real kind, the one that was not child’s play.

I savored it.

I hated having him this near and I hated his smirk.

Most of all, I hated how he made me feel. Nervous? Jumpy?

I wanted to stay quiet, but the pressure got to me.

“Yes, I was very chatty,” I said to Sarah without looking at Darius. “I guess I do have an open personality.”

“It was definitely a ride to remember,” Darius added, staring at my lips, placing his hand on my thigh underneath the table.