For
My wonderful editor Debbie Kuhn
and for
Karen Hulseman, Lauren Luman, Susie Steinle, Hazel Godwin,
Heather Amber Pollock, Paramita Patra, Stacey Ryan Blake, Lupita Gonzalez,
Melanie Moreland, Kay Hutcherson, Pam Stack, Barbara Danks,
SueBee Crue, and Ava Harrison.
“She was powerful not because she wasn’t scared but because she went on so strongly, despite the fear.”
—Atticus
I failed to escape.
A blur of movement caught my attention as someone stormed toward the BMW. The driver’s side door was flung open and Carter Godman dragged me out, pulling so violently I knew there’d be bruises later. My heart pounded and I felt heady from the rush of fear.
Soon, everyone would know I’d tried to leave.
Struggling with Carter would only make things worse. Maybe I could talk him out of telling my parents.
They were here, somewhere, mingling with the other distinguished guests in the ballroom—drinking the Godmans’ champagne, eating their canapés, and working the room along with the rest of Washington’s elite.
Carter’s decision to steal away for a smoke break out back had been badly timed—he’d caught me attempting to drive off in his brother’s car.
There were no words exchanged between us; not when a member of the valet staff could be the eyes and ears of the tabloids.
My future brother-in-law was just as cruel as the rest of his family. No doubt he’d suffer no repercussions for treating me like this. With an ironclad grip on my forearm, he hauled me back inside his family’s manor.
I teetered on high heels, tripping on the hem of my beaded pink tulle gown as I tried to keep up. Feeling humiliated, I prayed we’d not encounter any of their staff along the way. Only a Godman would dare treat a Bardot in this fashion.
We finally made it to the private sitting room, where Carter caged me between his body and the wall, gripping my throat. A trickle of sweat snaked down my spine.
Carter stared down at me, his expression furious. “Just where do you think you were going?”
I’d known they would try to talk me out of leaving if I was caught, but I hadn’t expected this. Now I realized what they really thought of me.
“Nowhere.”
“I don’t believe you.” His pupils were dilated, proving he was garnering pleasure from threatening me.
This was what privilege looked like; all wrath and revenge with no fear of any consequences. Carter was the youngest son of a trillion-dollar banking tycoon. But his cockiness prevented him from advancing in his daddy’s business—his temperament was too unstable to trust with any kind of responsibility.
His father, Gregor Godman, had wealth that was beyond comprehension…the kind of new money that allowed him to own islands. He was a man destined to sit in the most distinguished seat in the Oval Office in less than thirty days—if all went well and no one fucked up. Unfortunately, that included me.
Six months ago, when I was still a naïve nineteen-year-old, I’d met Gregor’s oldest son, Damien. It had not been by chance. We’d been unaware at the time that our relationship had been arranged by our parents.
I’d hardly seen Damien Godman over the last few months. When our paths did cross, he was dismissive and rude. Clearly, the realization of what we really were to each other—a fusing of two dynasties—had been just as devastating for him.
I’d been purposefully caught in the crosshairs of his family’s empire and ambition and there was no getting out of this alliance.
And now Carter and I were alone in one of this ostentatious mansion’s thirty rooms, where he could do whatever he wanted to me and get away with it.
I tried to wriggle free. “Your brother—”
“Isn’t standing here.”
“You’re hurting me.”
He relaxed his grip on my throat slightly. “We expected more from you, Pandora,” he said in a low sinister tone.
“Damien will wonder where I am,” I insisted.
“Wait until I tell your fiancé that you were ready to walk out on him on the very night of the big announcement.”
I swallowed hard at the thought.
“It isn’t what it looks like.”
He made a harsh noise like a game show buzzer. “Wrong answer. Explain to me what you were doing trying to drive off in my brother’s car.”
Looking over his shoulder, I saw the plush couch where I’d sat a few weeks ago while having high tea with the matriarch of their family. We’d swapped pleasantries to pass the time and I’d tried my best to impress her, sharing details of my elite schooling in Switzerland. I’d proudly told Mrs. Godman about my flair for learning foreign languages, competing in sports and refining my culinary skills, and that I also had a natural aptitude for computer science.
“You won’t have any use for that sort of thing,” Mrs. Godman had told me, her words striking hard. I’d always imagined I would be more than just someone’s wife. After that meeting, I realized what marrying into this family would truly mean for me. I would lose my freedom, my independence…and my self-respect.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you.” Carter towered over my petite frame, his tuxedo camouflaging the animal inside of him.
I felt powerless against his strength. Tension as thick as the smoke radiating from the nearby black marble fireplace settled over us. Resting upon the mantelpiece was a doomsday clock that ticked away the minutes. Soon the official announcement of my engagement would be made to the hundreds of guests who’d gathered in the ballroom. The press would be notified and then the wedding frenzy would be set into motion. I’d be counting down the hours until my miserable day of reckoning when I’d finally become Mrs. Damien Godman.
“You’re scaring me,” I whispered.
“You remember who my father is, right?” Carter asked, sneering.
A voice boomed from the doorway, “That’s hardly any way to treat my fiancée.”
Carter’s older brother walked into the room—the man who used to make my heart soar whenever I saw him…right up until the day he’d made it clear he didn’t actually like me.
Carter glared at Damien. “I stopped her from leaving. You’re welcome.”
Damien shot a look of disapproval my way. “I see.”
He was a tall, ruggedly handsome man of thirty-two. The epitome of what a gentleman from the ruling class should be—all new money and decadence.
I’d once found Damien’s confident jaw, dark intelligent eyes, and full, sensual mouth incredibly appealing, back when I’d watched him from afar and before we’d been formally introduced. I’d flown too close to the solar glare of a man whose aggressive tactics intimidated all who came close to him.
Damien Godman was his father’s son.
My affection for him was fading. I’d been in love with the idea of him. The idea of an us.
“She thinks nothing of embarrassing this family,” said Carter.
“Tell him to let me go,” I pleaded as my hand snapped to Carter’s wrist, trying to ease the pressure of his grip.
Damien eased his hands into his pockets. “Carter, you’re being very rude.”