Page 74 of Five

“We’re just going to go over the ground rules. And”—he brushes the back of his knuckles down my cheek, sending a shiver of chills up my spine. Not the good kind—“and make sure we’re all on the same page.”

“OK,” I say. I mean, what else can I say? So I walk over to the love seat, relieved to stop his creepy touching, sit in the middle and arrange the skirts of my dress so that they fan out around me. Maybe he’ll take the hint and stand for this… discussion.

But he doesn’t. He sits right next to me. Very close to me. And that’s when I notice that slit up both sides of my dress is baring my thighs.

His hand wanders, slipping in under the many layers of chiffon.

“OK,” I say, swatting his hand off and standing up. “I don’t know you, Frank. I mean, we’re acquaintances, I guess. We’ve had a bunch of classes together and stuff. But if you brought me in here to—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he says, putting his hands up. “No, Rory. Sorry. You’re just so pretty. I lost my head for a moment.”

He’s lying. He was probably told to do this. To see how I’d react. I bet Mia is getting fucked in a room just like this one at this very moment. Kallie too. Hell, probably every girl out there tonight except me is happy to be here.

And Tera, I remind myself. I don’t think she wants to be here either.

“You can stand if you want. I don’t mind.”

“I don’t really care if you mind, Frank. I don’t need your permission to stand, OK?”

He just smiles at me. It comes off as an indulgent smile. Which means I totally do need his permission. “Rory,” he says. With the practiced patience of a well-privileged man used to getting his way. “I’m getting the impression that you’re… here against your will?”

I do something that’s halfway between a snort and a laugh. “No, of course not.”

“Of course not,” he echoes. “You’re the one who asked to be part of Palladium House. You ran for office, became secretary—the third highest-ranking female official. You’re here tonight, dressed up for… what? Exactly?” He lets the question hang there in the air between us.

“I don’t know. It was a secret, Frank. None of us knew except Kallie,” I huff. “And she never told us anything. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Frank gives me another one of those infuriating smug smiles. “Yes, you do. You know exactly what’s going on. You let me put that ring on your finger, right?”

“So this is an arranged marriage?”

“Did you hear anyone talk of marriage out there?”

“No, but—”

“It’s called a pairing, Rory.”

“So we’re not getting married?” I’m so confused.

“Of course we are.” He chuckles, taking my hands in his. “You just said yes.” I open my mouth to object, since he’s talking in circles, but he cuts me off. “How could we ever be paired if we’re not legally bound to one another? That makes no sense. You’re going to get all my secrets. I need to trust you, and one way we ensure that trust is to use the legal act of marriage to make sure you can never betray me.”

“Because a wife can’t be forced to testify against her husband,” I say, catching on. “So this is just… a legal partnership. A business transaction.”

“Yes,” Frank says. But then he leans into my ear, and whispers, “But that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy you.”

Jesus Christ. I’m officially on the train to Crazytown.

“If you want me that way,” he adds.

I throw him a suspicious look.

“I’m not here to force you, Rory. And come on, let’s relax and have tea while we discuss this. That is why we’re in here.” He pans his hand towards the lone love seat and I just stare at it for a moment, running all my options through my head.

I could leave. Walk out of the ceremony and then keep going. Walk right out of Palladium House. But then I wouldn’t ever learn the secrets that come after. The secrets that will be divulged during Eat Meet next weekend.

So… I let out a long breath of frustration and comply. “I’ll stay. But don’t think this gives you permission to slip your hand under my dress again, Frank.”

He just laughs at me.