Chapter 4 The Photoshoot
“You look breathtaking, Bree,” My mother said from the doorway. She was already dressed in a muted champagne glass looking every bit like an Alpine socialite.
“I don’t know mum. I feel like a trophy,” I said tugging at the hem of my dress.
It was deep emerald silk, sleeveless and backless, clinging to every curve in a way that felt like a second skin. Aurick had chosen it for me, but as I stood in front of the floor length mirror in my bedroom, another Yvonne stared back at me.
“Don’t feel that way, Bree,” My mom said softly. “I can see you feel like you don’t belong here but you are with me so try to play along okay? For me?”
I sighed and nodded.
The photoshoot session was taking place in the estate solarium. A professional photographer was working around fixing the lights that were brighter than the sun.
Aurick was there wearing an expensive tuxedo, smiling, holding my mother to his side. And then there was Barth.
He was leaning against the glass wall, looking deadly handsome in a black on black suit. No tie. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing the hollow of his throat.
He wasn’t looking at the camera, he was staring straight at me.
I felt his gaze burning into my body as his eyes trailed the dress, darkening with every inch.
“Beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” The photographer chimed in an Italian accent. “Now, let’s get the children together. Barth, stand behind Yvonne. Your hands on her waist, let’s see that sibling bond.”
Hearing that, I found myself holding my breath.
Barth didn’t move for a long time. Then, he straightened up and walked towards me. When he reached me, he didn’t just place his hands on my waist, he gripped me tightly.
I stiffened, my breath hitching.
“Relax, Brooklyn,” he whispered into my ear, his lips so close that they brushed my hair. “You’re shaking and people might think that you’re scared of your own brother.”
“I’m not your sister,” I muttered, staring straight at the camera lens as the flash went off.
“Good,” Barth chuckled darkly. “Because the things I’m thinking about right now have nothing to do with family.”
His grip tightened even more as he pulled me against his chest until there wasn’t a single space between us. I felt the hard line of his body, his racing heartbeat against my shoulders. His scent wrapped around me like a shroud.
“Smile, kids!” Aurick called out, oblivious to the tension between us. “You look wonderful together.”
“Just like a fairytale, Dad,” Barth replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm but his eyes never left my face.
The photographer moved us into different positions. Every touch was a battle. A hand on my shoulders, an arm draped over my back. Barth’s touch was beyond anything innocent.
During a lens change, the photographer asked us to hold a candid pose. Barth turned me around so this time I was facing him.
“You are doing it on purpose,” he muttered, his voice low.
“Doing what?”
“Wearing this dress. Looking at me like you are waiting for me to snap,” He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of my collarbone. “You want to see the monster, don’t you? You want to prove that I’m exactly what you think I am.”
“And what are you, Barth?” I asked, trying my best to hide the inner turmoil from showing on my face.
“I’m the person who’s going to make you regret ever stepping foot into this house,” he whispered with a smile.
But as he said it, his gaze dropped to my mouth, the look in his eyes made me swallow, it wasn’t hatred this time it was raw hunger. He started to lean in, his hand sliding up to the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair.
“Barth! Bree! One more of the four of us,” Aurick’s voice broke the spell I was trapped in, making me blink.
Barth pulled away instantly, his cold look was back. He stepped back, leaving me cold and trembling despite the heat of the solarium.
After the pictures, I changed out of my dress and into my old jeans, needing to feel like myself again. I headed out to the balcony that overlooked the pool. I needed air.
I wasn’t alone.
Barth was standing at the railing, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He had stripped off the suit jacket, his white shirt glowed in the moonlight.
“The dress looked better,” he said without turning around, taking a sip from his glass.
“The dress was a lie,” I replied, joining him at the rail but keeping a safe distance. “Everything here seems to be a lie. Your dad finally thinks we are a happy family. My mom thinks I’m adjusting and you…”
“What about me?” He finally turned.
“You act like you hate me, but you can’t keep your hands off me.”
Barth set the glass down on the stone railing. He took a step towards me. This time we were alone, just the sound of the oceans accompanying us.
“I do hate you, Yvonne,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous level. “I hate that you’re in my house. I hate that you have disrupted the peace I thought I had and I hate that every time I close my eyes, I see your face.”
He moved faster towards me and before I could react, he pinned me against the stone railing.
“Don’t mistake attraction for affection, Yvonne,” he growled, his face inches away from mine. “I want to ruin you because as long as you are here, my world is broken and if I’m going down, I am taking you along with me.”
He didn’t kiss me.
He just stared down at me, his breath hot on my skin. Then, slowly, he let go and walked away, leaving me alone in the dark.
I looked down at my hands. They were shaking.
Again!