I try shutting down—pushing my emotions to one side, so I don’t have to feel anything anymore. I try singing a song in my head. Sentence by sentence, verse by verse, I sing it over and over again until my head hurts.
Happy Birthday to me.
Happy Birthday to me.
Happy Birthday …
Age Seventeen – Present Day
At the age of nine, I learnt to ride a bike. I was a little unsteady at first, but being the stubborn fool that I am, I persevered for seven hours straight until I perfected it.
At the age of ten, I was given my first pair of dancing shoes, and I spent many an hour twirling in front of my bedroom window.
At the age of eleven, I received my first kiss from my very first crush, Peter. For a while, we were encased in a world of laughter, innocent play, and stolen kisses.
At the age of twelve, I met Drake Salvatore, owner of an empire and one of the most powerful men on earth. He scared the shit out of me, but at the same time, his presence made me feel safer than my mum and dad ever did.
At the age of thirteen, the roof I lived under was plagued by arguments and the constant rejection of my parents. Drake was always there to save me, though. My life was more bearable with him in it.
At the age of fourteen, my parents almost became bankrupt.
Drake Salvatore saved the day. I was sold to him—to become his on the day of my eighteenth birthday.
At the age of fifteen, I became a priceless trophy. Something to dress up and admire, but never to touch.
At the age of sixteen, Drake’s obsession with me became the source of my obsession with him.
At the age of seventeen, I became defiant. I met a few boys and proceeded to risk those precious stolen kisses I once shared with Peter. Those encounters never lasted long. I imagine Drake must have found out about them because the boys inevitably and “inexplicably” lost interest, and I never saw them again.
When I turn eighteen, payment number two will be made, and I will become Drake’s.
I’m seventeen, and I only have four months left.
Time is running out.
Age Twelve
“Evelyn, sit up straight. We have a very important guest coming over for dinner, and we can’t let him see you sitting there slouching.” My mother turns her head towards my father and scowls her disgust of me.
“Yes, Mother. I’m sorry, Mother.” Robotic responses roll off my tongue. I’m used to this. Used to the constant critical analysis of the way I dress, the way I do my hair, and the way I conduct myself.
As if in time to save the day, the sound of our doorbell ringing stops my parents from speaking of my slouching any further.
“Ooh, he’s here!” Light dances in my mother’s eyes. I’ve never seen her look so animated before. What’s so special about this man? Is he a king or something?
“William, go and answer the door, please. I need to straighten the table up a little.”
With an excitable walk I’ve never seen him use before, my father dutifully steps out of the dining room and into the hallway. My mother does start straightening something, but it’s not the dining table. Instead, it’s her hair. I frown, studying her as she carefully scrutinises her face. Her blonde hair is up in a tight bun, and her face is painted with so much makeup, that she almost looks like a china doll.
Pouting her lips, she flutters her eyelashes and puckers her cheeks before noticing my stare. “What are you looking at?”
Immediately, I look away. That’s when the door opens, and I hear the sound of a very masculine voice. I can’t hear what he says, but I clearly hear my father afterwards. “I’m so glad you accepted our invitation for dinner. I have been eager for you to meet the family.”
My father soon emerges, and ever so quickly, my mother appears, standing behind me with a hand on my shoulder.
Are we posing for a family portrait?
Momentarily, I frown, but then, I see the look on my father’s face. His look says everything. I simply must behave.
“Drake, you’ve already met my wife, Charlotte, but I want you to meet my lovely daughter, Evelyn.” My eyes widen a little at his “lovely daughter” comment, but I have no time to dwell on this as Drake suddenly appears from the doorway.
My first impression is that he’s big. In fact, he’s bigger than any man I have ever seen. Not only is he big in height, but he’s extremely muscular too. My eyes widen again, but for a different reason this time. I have never met a man so imposing or so … huge. The second thing I notice about him is his eyes. They look sinister—maybe even a little evil. I know this should scare me, and there is a little fear, but then he smiles at me, and all my fears wash away.
“Evelyn,” he whispers, light sparkling in his eyes. “What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” My parents laugh, but I don’t look at them. This man seems to have a power that holds my attention. I can’t look away. I couldn’t even if I’d wanted to.
I suck in my breath as Drake stalks towards me, and like the dutiful daughter I am, I offer him my hand. My mother shoves me a little, so I stand and wait for Drake to take my hand. He does so, and soon after, I notice how soft he feels to the touch. He obviously looks after his hands very well.
Pretty soon, I feel his gentle lips, and for some reason, my cheeks flame red at the feel of his mouth on my skin. He notices my blush, lets go of my hand, and gives me a cheeky grin.
“You should be very proud of her,” he says, addressing my parents.
My heart drums as the force of his words hit hard. I don’t know why he says this so vehemently, but I’m surprised when my father speaks up.
“We are, aren’t we, Charlotte?”
“Oh, yes,” my mother quickly answers. “She’s the apple of our eyes.”
I frown again—not knowing where this is coming from—but when I look back at Drake’s smile, my own suddenly lights up. He may be scary and a bit intimidating, but I like him. He doesn’t even know me, but he apparently felt compelled to force my parents to express their approval of me—something they don’t even do privately. Could it be that he knows about the way they treat me and was somehow sticking up for me? I can’t figure it out, but I do know that I like it. In fact, I like it a lot.
“Come, have a seat, Mr Salvatore. I’ll fetch you a drink. What would you like? I have a fifty-year-old Macallan just for you.”
I remember going shopping today with my mother. She was looking everywhere for the most expensive whiskey simply because she knew this guy really liked it.
I watch as he smiles with a nod, and my mother—in a fluster—walks out of the room to fetch him a glass of this very expensive drink. I know it’s expensive as I remember my mother ringing my father to ask if it would be okay to spend over twenty thousand pounds on a bottle of drink. This drink must be pretty special if it’s worth that much.
“So,” my father begins as my mother leaves the room, “how is business treating you?” Drake rolls his eyes in my direction, and I can’t help the giggle that escapes my lips.
“Is something funny, Evelyn?” my father snaps.
Seeing my eyes widening in fear, Drake speaks before I can even muster the courage to do so myself. “It’s my fault. I pulled a funny face to make her laugh. Luckily for me, it worked.”
I breathe a huge sigh of relief—grateful to this man for saving the day. It works because my father laughs, earning him a smile from Drake. My father seems to like this. For some reason, this man’s acceptance means a great deal to him.
“Business is going really well. In fact, I’m expanding to the Middle East. That’s why I wanted to get your opinion. I hear you’re quite knowledgeable with regards to the laws of the land out there.”
My father clears his throat with a smile and pulls his chair in a bit more. He places his hands together on the table like he’s getting himself ready. “Sure. What is it you want to know?”
Drake looks across at me for a moment, and I don’t know why, but my heart starts
fluttering. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about business tonight. I’m sure Evelyn here doesn’t want us boring her with trade deals and logistics.” He gives a little chuckle, and it makes me smile. This complete stranger is making more of a fuss over me in one night than my parents have in about two years.
Don’t get me wrong; things used to be good around here. At one time, my parents did seem to care about me. Then, one day, things changed. My parents seem to have this terrible habit of spending more than they can afford. I’ve often heard them arguing over money. I’m going to a private school, and they often argue over that too. Over time, they started to resent me. I cost money and lots of it apparently.
My father looks at me like I’m a burden, but smiles in Drake’s direction and nods his head “Of course. Maybe you can pop by my office on Monday. How does that sound?”
Drake smiles. “Sounds perfect.”
Age Seventeen – Present Day
“Is he officially your boyfriend now?” Mandy asks as I lick my ice cream. We’ve just finished shopping where I purchased myself some sexy lingerie. Drake likes to lavish money and gifts on me. Normally, I don’t accept it—which pisses him off—but today I decided to spend a little. The only reason is so I can wear them for someone else. What better way to stick it to the great Drake Salvatore than to buy lingerie which I have no intention of wearing for him?
“Who?” I ask … even though I know exactly to whom she’s referring. Everybody knows about the great and infamous Drake around here, and most people also know that I am not to be messed with. Every boy at school gives me the widest birth possible because they know me as Drake’s girl. I’m not Drake’s girl. I’m not anything to Drake.
“You know… Mr Salvatore. He’s always around you and hangs around your family a lot. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other.”
I stop licking my ice cream and frown at her. “What do you mean by ‘the way you two look at each other?’ How do we look at each other?”
She rolls her eyes. “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you can’t see it? I guess you bought the lingerie for him, huh?” She nudges me with a wink.
“No, I have not. He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Then, what is he? Because the times when I have seen you two together you both look at each other like you want to rip each other’s clothes off.”
I gasp. “No, I do not!” I protest.
“Evelyn, please. You can’t fool me. Besides, I can’t blame you. Every woman within a hundred mile radius wants a piece of that man. Hell, even I wouldn’t say no. But for some reason he only seems to have eyes for you, my friend. Lucky bitch!”
She snorts, but I don’t find any of this funny. Yes, part of what she says is true. He is that way around me, but only because he’s waiting for me. Only because in four months time I will turn eighteen and be his forever. Mandy doesn’t know or realise this. It would be too embarrassing to tell her that my parents sold me when I was just fourteen. She would also pity me. I don’t want her pity.
“Well, I don’t want him. So …”
“Really?” she huffs. “Next time I see you both together, I’ll shoot you a nice video to watch later.” I shake my head at her, but I can tell she’s not going to stop anytime soon. “How would you feel if I made a move on him?”
My gut twists. What is that? Jealousy? It can’t be. I hate the man with a vengeance. I shouldn’t care if he fucks Mandy or anybody else for that matter, but for some reason, the ache still comes.
Mandy—the ever observant one—notices my shift in mood and smirks at me. “I thought as much.”
“It doesn’t mean anything,” I snap. “Sleep with him for all I care.”
“Okay then. I will.”
“Fine,” I answer through gritted teeth.
What the hell is wrong with me? I’m acting like a child rather than a nearly eighteen-year-old girl.
Luckily, all goes quiet after that, and I think she’s finally stopped when she suddenly speaks again. “I heard he’s killed people.”
Rising up out of my seat, I start walking to the trash to throw the rest of my ice cream in. “For fuck’s sake, Mandy,” I hiss. “Will you give it a rest?”
“I’m just saying.” She frowns, looking at the rubbish bin. “Hey, I could have finished that.”
She looks like a child who didn’t get her toy. It’s so comical that I start to laugh. When I start, so does she. “Come on,” I say, gathering my bags and wrapping my arm around her. “Let’s go watch a movie or something.”
Turning around, we’re about to head out of the mall when we almost collide with a very solid chest. We step back in a daze, and that’s when I notice he’s standing there. “Ladies,” he says as he greets us with that stupid handsome smile of his. It doesn’t help matters that he’s wearing a very expensive-looking black Armani suit, a crisp white shirt, and a black tie. His jet black hair is gelled back slightly with spikes at the front. He looks like he hasn’t shaved for a couple of days, and I hate to admit it, but it really suits him.
A little too well.
Standing here with my blonde hair back in a messy ponytail, a pair of tatty jeans, and a t-shirt which reads, “No means no,” I look positively scruffy next to him. I don’t know what he sees in me.
Drake notices the t-shirt, and of course, it makes him smirk. He knows I wore it just for him.
“Wow. I mean … hi, Mr Salvatore. How are you? We were just talking about you actually.” I nudge Mandy to shut up. I really don’t want to encourage him.
He looks smug at the thought. “Really? And what things were you saying? All nice I hope.”
I nudge Mandy again, silently telling her to shut up, but of course she doesn’t. “In a nutshell, I was just telling Evelyn how nice you two look together.” I roll my eyes and notice Drake’s smile growing wider.
Nice one, Mandy. Nice one.
I decide to get her back. “She also said she’d heard that you killed people.”
She gasps. “No, I did not!”
I shrug my shoulders. “Whatever.” I turn my attention back to Drake, who’s staring at me. He’s always staring at me. For some annoying reason, it never seems to be in a creepy way, though. As much as I hate to admit it, I like it when he stares at me.
“What are you doing here?” I try to sound more bored than anything, but it’s hard when I have Mr Distracting standing in front of me with that handsome face, gorgeous body, and delectable smell. I don’t know what aftershave he’s got on, but man he smells good.
“I was thinking of buying some new shoes, so thought I’d stop in here for some.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you.” I try pulling Mandy away, but she’s stuck in place, staring up at Drake as she flutters her eyelashes at him.
“I see you two have been shopping.” He obviously chooses to ignore my remark and instead gazes down at our shopping bags. “Pick up anything nice?”
“Oh, yes,” Mandy gushes. “Evelyn got some beautiful lingerie.”
Snapping his head to me, Drake smiles widely. “Did you now? I’ll look forward to seeing it on you once you move in with me. In fact,” he suddenly snaps his fingers and a couple of his men come over, “why don’t I just take your lingerie for you? That way, it will be there waiting for you once you do move in.”
His two henchmen come over, retrieving not just my lingerie bag, but all of my bags. I’m too pissed and Mandy’s too shocked to say anything about this.
“You’re moving in with him?!” she shouts.
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes. “No, I’m not.”
Drake starts laughing, but nods his head in Mandy’s direction. “Yes, she is.”
“So you are boyfriend and girlfriend?”
Drake smirks. “I would say we’re a little more than that. Next year, Evelyn will become my wife.”
With my mouth open wide, I glare at Drake. Did he just say what I thought he said?
I feel a slap on my arm and it makes me jump. “Why did yo
u hide this from me? You said you weren’t serious.” She starts giggling. “In fact, I was just telling Evelyn how handsome I thought you were.” She giggles annoyingly again. “I was hoping to ask you out, but now …”
Drake offers Mandy a heart-warming smile. “As lovely as you are, Mandy, I’m promised to another. I only have eyes for Evelyn here.”
“Aww, that’s so romantic.” She nudges me again. “Don’t you think that’s romantic?”
No, I do not. I also didn’t find it romantic when he got his henchmen to steal our bags from us. “Do you think we can have our bags back now?”
“Evelyn,” Mandy scorns. She leans in and whispers, “Stop being so rude.”
Ugh. If only she knew what was being forced upon me against my will. I’m not an object, but yet I’m being made to feel like one. I barely have my freedom now. What’s it going to be like once I turn that magic age?
“It’s almost lunch time. Do you ladies fancy some lunch?”
“Actually, we were just about to—”
“We’d love to,” Mandy interrupts.
I snap my head to her. “I thought we were going to the cinema?”
“What were you going to see? I could take you there too if you’d like. I can be at your disposal.”
I suddenly want to escape. I can’t go to lunch with this man, and I certainly cannot—without a doubt—sit in a darkened room next to him. His body already does things to me that I don’t want it to. Not to mention that the smell of him is hitting me right between the legs.
God, I hate this man!
“We would love to,” Mandy says, tugging at my arm. “Why don’t we get your shoes, and I’ll have a look at what time the films starts?”
Drake smiles widely. It seems that no matter what I feel, this is their plan. “That sounds good to me.” He motions to one of his men. “Reese, go take the ladies’ bags down to the car. We’ll be in Berluti when you’re done.”
Reese gives Drake a sharp nod. “Yes, sir.”
POSSESSION Page 2
