Chapter Ten

Lyrical

M y mother's stylist combs through my hair and anticipation fills my chest. The engagement ball starts in thirty minutes and I'm not ready to tell the world that Snow is going to be my ball and chain.

My mind plays the night Snow took my virginity like a broken record. I cried myself to sleep the moment he left. I feel so disgusted for wanting him to do it again. I feel so disgusted for wanting him . I shouldn't want those things with him, especially with how he treats me. I want him to treat me like a whore, and deep down, I wanted him to take my virginity the way he did. The worse part, I was hoping he would hit me up to fuck me again, but he didn't.

When I'm on my way to classes, I know he's following me. Though I don't know about his reasonings. He follows me everywhere I go.

I would say I'm disturbed by it, but I'm not. I'm used to him lurking around me. When we were in high school, he followed me everywhere I went. I used to refer to him as my shadow. He cock-blocked any boy I spoke to, and if he got a whiff of a man on my radar, I suspect he threatened to hurt them. I wonder if what Bailey used to tell me was true, that he had a crush on me. She insisted we should hook up already, since we're going to be married.

I get up from the vanity and wiggle my way into the mermaid gown that flares at the end. My face is covered with makeup and my hair is in large curls flowing down my back.

I look at myself in the floor-length mirror and try to keep the tears at bay.

This is me one step closer to signing my life away to a man who hates me.

My mother smiles through the mirror. She's waited for this day. In fact, she planned it before I was even born. For her daughter to be married to a billionaire and follow a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. It's a stupid-ass tradition.

"You look so beautiful, Lyrical," she says, tears in her eyes. "You will make a beautiful bride."

I don't respond because this isn't what I want for my life.

I clear my throat, and she loops her arm through mine. Once we stroll to the ballroom, I'm overwhelmed by all the people here. Being at my engagement ball is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Every woman wears a purple gown, and every man is in a tux with a purple tie. My mother planned the engagement ball so, of course, she will pick the color associated with the American Billionaire Club.

I glance up to find an expensive-looking chandelier made out of gold hang from the ceiling. The waitress and waiters wearing all-black suits maneuver through the crowd, passing out champagne flutes and various finger foods. The room fills with chatter, drowning out my thoughts.

I spot Keanu, Irvin, and Jameson, and they look dashing in their suits. They stand in a circle, speaking with Snow. I suck in a breath at the sight of him. He looks striking in his suit. His white hair has been cut short, and his muscles are thick and hard through his suit jacket. He looks bored and uninterested, but when his eyes capture mine, the hint of a glint shines in them. His gives me a once-over, a smirk spreading across his face. He bites his lower lip and winks at me.

My mother ushers me to a golden chair that resembles a throne, and I sit down slowly, trying not to wrinkle my dress. People gasp when they see me, because they are now realizing I'm the one who was chosen to be Snow's wife. This is part of the ritual, where I pretend like I accept the marriage, but it's all for show. People whisper amongst themselves. My heart beats in my chest, blood rushes to my ears.

Snow's face is devoid of emotion, but he leans in and whispers, "You're so beautiful."

My cheeks flame and goosebumps sprout on my arms. Not sure if it's from him or from the cold air. When he gets on one knee, he removes a box from his pants pocket. He opens it, a huge-ass diamond ring glinting from the lights.

"Marry me?" His tone is monotone.

I want to say no so bad. I want to embarrass him like he embarrassed me. I want him to feel the pain he caused me, but I can't embarrass my parents nor his. Snow wouldn't take no for an answer anyway, so why bother? Even if my parents give me a way out, he'll force me to accept the engagement. I take my time before answering, enjoying the view of him on his knee before me.

My heart leaps in my chest as I feel the eyes on me. "Yes."

He slides the ring onto my finger, and everyone cheers as he pulls me into a hug, placing his hand on my lower back. He presses his lips to mine, and a shiver snakes up my spine. Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and I melt like butter.

He slips his tongue into my mouth, and I slide my own into his. We stand there a second or two longer as we continue to kiss. He nips my bottom lip before pulling away. My gaze snags onto Snow as he steps back, the look of complete shock over our kiss on his face. A pool of emotions flashes through his eyes, then he clears his throat. His demeanor is weird.

He leans forward, bending down, whispering in my ear, "You're mine. Now the whole world knows it."

I don't have time to respond because his mother comes up to me, hugs me tight, along with his father. She has bags under her eyes and a few tears slide down her face. She's lost a lot of weight, because the last time I saw her, she was plump, but now she's tiny. His father looks the same. Powerful, elegant, and dominant.

They say their congratulations and welcome me into the family.

The band plays a slow love song and nervousness hits me like a tidal wave. Snow grabs me by the waist, and we slow dance, everyone's eyes on us. Cameras flash, and there is no doubt this will be all over social media tomorrow.

"You look beautiful wearing my ring, Blue," he murmurs. "I can't wait to shove my dick inside of you, owning your pussy again."

I hate that he knows what I want and what I love, but I hate even more that he's the only man who knows how to give me what I want. I'm still sore from the other night when he took my virginity. "I'm only wearing your ring for tonight. I'm not wearing your ring nor am I referring to you as my fiancé after this party." I shake my head. "I don't want to have anything to do with you."

"You weren't saying that when you were taking my dick like a good girl. Tell me, is my Blue sore?"

His words annoy me. "No, actually, I couldn't feel anything with your pencil dick," I lie.

The bastard laughs at me.

I storm off to the balcony overlooking the city. I watch as people stroll along the sidewalk and cars litter the busy street. I don't think I'm ready for the city life once I'm married. The moon is high in the sky. I need fresh air and I need to get away from him to put some distance between us.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who's not enjoying the ball."

I glance to my left at Professor Carter who looks good in his tux. I don't respond as I look back at the well-lit skyscrapers. He's been my art professor since freshman year, and Bailey had a huge crush on him. He wouldn't give her the time of the day because there is a rule that professors aren't allowed to fraternize with their students.

He stands next to me, but not in a weird way, and his cologne filters through my nostrils. We're in complete silence, listening to the muffled noises coming from the ballroom.

I don't have anything to say to him. I notice a wedding ring on his finger; I had no idea he was married.

"Are you're going to make sure you have your painting ready in the next few weeks?"

He handpicked me and a few other students to display our best work in a museum, and this can make or break my career.

"Yes."

"Good. I can't wait to see it, you have so much potential to be an artist." His smile is cheery.

I wish I had the confidence in myself that I fake. My work is far from perfect, I'm constantly learning.

Someone clears their throat, a woman who has streaks of gray in her hair and is wearing a floral dress. She comes up to Professor Carter, offering me a fake smile.

"It's time for us to leave."

"I'm Lyrical, it's nice to meet you." I hold out my hand, but she just stares at it.

"I know who you are." Her eyes move to her husband. "Let's go."

"Congratulations on the engagement," Carter says.

What was that about? She comes to my event and is rude to me.

Shaking my head, I continue to gaze up at the sky.

Someone intertwines their fingers with mine, and my gaze shifts to Snow, so I try to pull away, but he keeps his fingers interlocked with mine. Usually, I'd want him to take me to the back room somewhere and own every inch of my body. I'd want him to hurt me in the most primal way, but not right now. I want to beat the fuck out of him. He grabs my forearm, dragging me to the double doors leading back to the ball.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

I want to snatch my hand away from him, but we have prying eyes on us, and if anyone gets a hint we're not a happy couple, the media will eat it up like candy. His family doesn't need another scandal like the car accident on their hands.

He yanks me into a storage room, and I push on his chest hard, but he doesn't flinch. He places my wrists above my head, sliding his hand under the top of my dress, yanking my nipple, pulling hard. It stings but feels good at the same time, causing my core to tingle. He pulls away, searching the shelves for something, and he finally grabs some duct tape, tears a piece with his teeth, wrapping it around my wrists tight.

"What are you doing?" I say in a panicked tone.

"Showing you who you belong to. You want to be treated like my slut, so be it. You don't want to call me your fiancé and not wear my ring, that's fine, but you will have to deal with the consequences. Try not to cry too hard, I'm not going to be gentle."

With that, he tapes my mouth shut.

I feel my panties dampen and my nipples are so hard they can cut glass.

This is what I wanted, but not from him. Not the man that haunts my nightmares.

He unzips my dress, yanking it down. He eyes my lacy white panties and circles his fingers around my nipples. Then he grabs a fistful of my ass before slapping it hard. Pain shoots up my spine.

"When will you learn that you belong to me and you will be mine forever?"

I don't respond.

"When should I fuck your ass? On our wedding night?"

I shake my head and make muffled sounds. I'm not ready for anal; I heard it hurts like hell.

He unzips his pants and pulls out his hard dick.

My mouth waters at the sight of him. I want to drop to my knees and suck him hard. He shoves my panties to the side, brushing my clit, and I whimper.

I want to be taken without permission, and he knows it. He knows how much I crave this. He knows I don't want to have any power.

"This is page eighty-five. Where I have you duct-taped and you want me to fuck the shit out of you."

I shake my head.

Those are fantasies, ones I didn't intend for him to see. He needs to stop using my sex fantasies as a way to control me.

He shoves two fingers inside of me. "You're so wet, Lyrical. So fucking soaked. You're about to enjoy what I'm going to do to your body."

No one will ever hear us because I can't even scream. He has complete control over me and there isn't anything I can do about it. Adrenaline spikes my blood from the thrill of him using me as his sex toy.

He pushes me against the wall, and he faces me against the shelf, and I'm struggling to hold myself up because of the duct tape around my wrists. He shoves his fat dick inside of me and I sigh.

"You love this shit. You love me fucking your pussy hard. You want to be my slut. But I need you to nod your head and agree that you're mine."

I wish I could say I'll never belong to him, but instead I shake my head.

He grabs my hips and pulls out before slamming into me hard, his finger on my clit. My core clenches and I'm snug around him. I feel my wetness leaking around his dick.

"That's it, milk my dick, baby." His tone is husky. "God, your pussy feels amazing. So tight. Meant for me. Do you know how many nights I dreamed of coming inside of you?"

I arch my back as my orgasm shatters through me and my body sags against the shelf, but he holds me up, keeping me in place as he fucks me hard. My moans are quiet, and sweat builds on my forehead. He thrusts so hard inside of me that the things on the shelves rattle.

"You're going to wear my ring whether you like it or not. Once we're married, you're mine permanently and I'll do to you whatever I want."

Marriage is a piece of paper. You don't own me.

He bites my shoulders, and I moan. I can't get enough of him. Of this.

"Down on your knees, Blue."

He spins me around, removes the duct tape from my mouth, and I scream at the pain. Once I drop to my knees, he slides the crown of his dick between my lips.

Tears gather in my eyes as he fucks my mouth, and I feel his dick in the back of my throat. I choke and gag, my jaw aching.

This is too much. I can barely breathe.

"That's it. Taste yourself on my dick. Lick it clean."

Several moments later, I feel him throbbing inside of my mouth, his salty cum on my tongue. He keeps his dick in my mouth until I swallow every drop.

He strokes my cheek. "Good girl."

Next, he tears the duct tape from my wrists, and he stuffs himself back in his pants. Without another word, he leaves me in the closet in a mess.