Chapter Three

Emma

I look in the mirror one more time and approve of what I am wearing. It was a black dress, with a slit down the left leg. It was light and had thin straps.

I put on my heels and finish my make-up.

It doesn't take long for the maid to knock on my door and let me know that my fiancé is waiting for me downstairs.

I grab my purse and leave my room. I go downstairs and into the living room.

Boris is looking out the window, observing the view.

"Good evening" I try to sound as nice as possible "I'm ready now."

I keep in mind what my mother said. I will try to make it work, so it doesn't become a nightmare.

He turns around and looks me up and down, seeming to evaluate me.

" What is that you are wearing?"

"Doesn't my dress please you?"

The mobster doesn't answer, he just walks out in front of me. I understand that it is to follow him and that is what I do.

I try to keep calm, so things don't get out of line. It's so hard to get along with him. It feels like there is a barrier that is holding him back.

When I get outside, I see my fiancé waiting for me by the car. He was holding the door for me to get in.

"Come in!" his way of speaking sounds like a command.

I get in the car and put my bag on my legs. I hear the noise of the door and soon we are outside the gates of my residence.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to a restaurant."

I look around, trying to start a new conversation with him.

"If you have something to talk about, talk now."

"It's no big deal. I'm just here thinking about the whole marriage thing. It's a little hard for me."

"Don't even think about giving up, you hear me right, you don't have that option, Emma!" he yells startling me.

"I already said I'm not giving up. You don't have to yell at me" I hold back my cry.

I don't want this marriage. I'm afraid of everything that could happen. This man is not a good person.

Boris stops the car at the side of the road. The place was dark and deserted. Only a few cars were passing by.

"I will try to be as clear as possible. This wedding is going to happen, no matter what you say, do you understand me correctly?"

"Got it!"

"Good. You'll learn that I don't like to repeat things."

The mobster drives again and I stay still. I stare out the window at the road, trying to calm myself down somehow.

After a few minutes, we arrive at a restaurant.

He makes a point of opening the door for me. I don't know if it was to be a knight, or if it was to keep an eye on me.

I get out of the car and stand next to him. I try to take his hand, but Boris pulls me away quickly, so I don't insist.

We are led to a table, which was well away from the others.

Boris chats with the waiter who is quick to bring a bottle of wine.

"Let's talk about our arrangement. Marriage is a sure thing, but what happens within it has not yet been defined."

"What do you mean by that?" I get even more nervous.

"I'll make a few things clear. I don't like disobedience, and if there's one thing you like to do, it's disobey me."

"You're not my father, you don't boss me around!"

"I've been in charge of you since the day this deal was sealed."

I clench my hand into a fist to keep calm.

"I control everything that belongs to me, you will be no exception."

"I am not an object" my anger grew with every word that came out of his mouth.

"You will be like a trophy wife, if a certain way, an object."

The crying gets stuck in my throat. The way that man speaks is so scurrilous and sexist. What a jerk!

He must be used to all the women serving him. I'll bet on that.

"That's not fair. You don't want this marriage and I don't want it either. Why don't we..."

"Are you deaf? I told you we're getting married. And just by this behavior, it will be faster than you think."

I place my hands on the table and take a deep breath.

"Mister Mikhailovich, I want you to put yourself in my shoes, please. It's not easy for me to be in that position."

"Tell me what you want!" I give a smile.

"I want a minimum of respect in this marriage. I don't want you to treat me as a settlement, but as your future wife. If you listen to me a little, I can make this marriage work" I hold his hand "I can be the wife you desire, if you can be the husband I desire."

Boris looks at me for a while, he analyzes my hand over his with a look that didn't say much.

"I want a wife who can be able to obey me, so that things don't get out of hand. I am not a patient man" he pulls his hand away at once "If you are able to do that, then I will try to be nice to you."

This time I couldn't hold back the crying. Even though I tried it still didn't work. It is clear that he wants a puppet for a wife.

"Will you be cruel to me until this is over?"

"End? It won't end. Marriage is forever, you can't go back" Boris pours himself some wine "Stop crying. I hate people who are usually too sensitive."

"Are you going to want to boss my tears around too?" I look away.

The urge to get out of here was too much. I wanted to run as far as possible, but I knew he would catch up with me soon.

I wipe the tears from my face and take a deep breath to compose myself.

"Finished your theatrics? Because the conversation isn't over yet."

I don't know what else I could expect from this man.

The waiter asks for our orders again. I said I wasn't hungry, but Boris insisted on ordering for me.

"I can drink?" I point to the wine.

The mobster pours me some wine. I bring it to my lips and drink it all at once. So I ask him to serve me some more.

"Let's talk about kids," I choke on my wine.

"I think it's too early. I mean... I don't know if..." I get nervous and can't go on.

"I just wanted to make it clear that at one time or another we'll have to. But of course it doesn't have to be now" I sigh in relief.

If there's one thing that worries me, it's the fact that I sleep with him. Boris doesn't seem like the affectionate type.

"Where are we going to live?"

"At home!"

He didn't ask me if I wanted things or not, he just imposed on me, as if I was forced to accept.

And so it went for the rest of the night. We talked about many things related to marriage.

I didn't have much power of speech. Boris would decide and I would accept.

He even made it clear once again that for the marriage to work I would have to be his perfect wife.

But he wouldn't find a perfect wife. I will not obey you all the time. At some point or another, I'm going to face it.

At the end of dinner, he took me home. Silence was a strange thing. I didn't speak, and neither did he.

"We're at your house!" I look at my house.

Boris gets out of the car and opens the door for me. I still don't understand why he does this since he treats me so badly.

"Thanks for dinner" I hold my purse against me.

"I hope I made things clear."

"I understand everything. You command and I obey, right?"

"You just have to understand that I don't like people challenging me."

I hold back the urge to roll my eyes. This was already making me angry again.

"I already understand Mr. Mikhailovich, no need to repeat it" I try to leave but he grabs my arm.

"I'll let your father know what day the wedding will be on. As I said, I want it to be as soon as possible."

"But what about the engagement party?"

"There won't be any of that. We're getting married and leaving for the honeymoon trip" I feel my body shiver when I hear that.

Honeymoon means sleeping with him, which makes me very nervous.

"Yes, I understand!"

"What?" Boris leans me against the car "Does this make you nervous?"

I place my hand on her abdomen. But I don't push it away, I just let it rest there.

"Yes, it makes me a little nervous."

Despite how he is, Boris is a very attractive man and I feel ready to do anything with him.

The mobster puts his hand on my face and leaves a light caress. He runs his thumb slowly across my bottom lip.

"That reminds me of something."

"What?"

"I haven't tasted you yet."

Boris grabs me around the waist and takes my lips in a hungry kiss.

He was rude even in the kiss. His tongue invades my mouth and intertwines with mine. His hand comes straight to my leg, where it leaves a painful grip.

I push him away to catch my breath. The kiss was rough, to the point where my lip was bleeding. But I'm not going to pretend I didn't like it.

"Goodnight!" I run to my house.

"I'm looking forward to the honeymoon" I hear him say before closing the door to my house.

The next day, my dad told me I was getting married in three days, and it scared the shit out of me.

I didn't know what to expect from this wedding, but it didn't look good.