8

The view was beautiful. The Claza gardens were on full display. Their table was closed off to the public. She realized just how rich he was. She had practically grown up in the Claza.

So many family memories here. Not a lot with her father. They sat down. He grabbed her chair with her in it and slid it closer to his. A possessive gesture Bunny should have seen coming after last night.

The way he was treating her made her second guess if last night had happened. But she knew it did.

She didn't know what to say, so she obeyed and sat quietly. A waitress came and placed three drinks down at the table. He had ordered her a mimosa. She picked it up and took a sip. It tasted exquisite. A few seconds later, a man who looked similar in features and stature, but dressed and looked much younger than Rome arrived. Rome got up from his seat and hugged the man tight in greeting. The young man then turned his gaze towards Bunny, smiled at her and went to shake her hand. Rome intervened.

"Don't." Rome advised.

The young man respected his wishes and retracted his hand. He motioned for the young man to sit and he did. He followed him in the action.

"Brother, I am sorry to trouble you with my life," said the young man. He sounded much more mature than his young features led on.

"It's no trouble. I told you when you were 15, I would always look out for you. I paid the debt and opened up an account. I will transfer funds in it weekly." Rome assured the young man in a gruff, irritated tone.

"I don't know." The young man countered.

"What don't you know?" Rome asked annoyed now.

"It feels like a hand out." The young man explained.

"It's not a hand out if it's family. You are my brother. We may have different mothers, but our father brought us together."

She watched the younger brother hold his head down. Rome leaned forward.

"Your mother may be gone, but you still have family, little brother."

Bunny felt like she was intruding on his life. She didn't know this man from Adam. Yet, here she was watching him be generous, loving and a great big brother. She was reminded of her younger sisters. All she wanted was to protect them and for both of them to succeed in this dreadful life. She was trying to make sure they did.

She realized they had more in common than she cared to admit. Rome stood up, then reached for her hand. She took it, and stood up. They briskly exited the hotel and got back into the car that awaited them in the valet area.

"Aren't you a good pet? I bet Baxter takes you everywhere." Rome teased her.

Bunny didn't say anything. She and Baxter were never exclusive. He had been on the verge of asking her to be his full time mistress. Now, she was stuck with this overbearing brute, who enjoyed saying hurtful things to her.

She wondered if he did it to get under her skin, or if he was just naturally this cruel to women he thought held no real value.

"You're not very talkative." He noted aloud when she did not take his bait.

"It's hard to be when you're being held hostage." She quipped.

He laughed aloud at that. "Darling, your outfit cost two grand. No one who is being held hostage can say that. I told you before. You are free to go."

"But Baxter will be hurt."

"F*ck Baxter. Worry about you, babygirl."

"You don't think I am?" She asked him.

"You're a whore-"

"You use that word rather loosely. You know nothing about me." She stared daggers at him, folded her arms and turned her head.

"Bunny Van Dorn of the crumbling Van Dorn empire." He smiled as the shock and humiliation of him knowing exactly who she was washed over her face. He let out a small chuckle and continued. "Daddy's doing hard time and no one in polite society will give you and that drunk mother of yours a chance."

She swallowed a knot of white hot anger. He was being purposely rude to her. This was all a so sordid.

"Yea, princess. I know all about you. Baxter bragged to me about how a stuck up Princess fell off her throne and would now do anything for a couple of Benjamin's. He also said you were a hell cat in the sack."

She let out a yell in anger then and slapped him hard across his face for those insulting remarks. The car quickly pulled over and stopped abruptly. The driver was about to get out.

"No. Don't! I'm fine." He told the men who were at ready.

He rubbed his jaw. He looked at her. She was angry with him. Rightfully so. Her arms were crossed over her breasts. Her knees were pointed towards the door. She stared out at traffic and the scenery. He had been egging her on since he got her here.

Why? Rome didn't know. It could have been because he hadn't expected to have such a visceral reaction to her. He saw her and wanted to f*ck her then and there. Once Baxter told him who he had gotten his clumsy paws on, something deep within him had to have her and make her pay for the way she had treated him when they had attended the same boarding school all those years ago.

It still pissed him off that she still did not recognize him. Had he been that weak and ugly back then? He wondered. After Baxter spilled his guts to him he immediately searched her up on the internet. Her pictures had been very French Vogue high society.

Looking at her in her present state, she was 15 pounds lighter, probably from the stress of her father's misdeeds coming to light, Rome had deduced. She was also dressed much sluttier than even he could have imagined. He usually not attracted to her current aesthetic. He had thought his childhood crush and fantasy would finally be put to rest because he would be completely turned off and dare he say, avenged for how cruel and bitchy she had been to him in Boarding School. Watching the elite crash and burn was a guilty pleasure of his.

He had front row seats. Unfortunately that did not happen for Rome. He saw her in her tight clothing and he couldn't help but focus on her nice, full breasts and the curves that were more prominent because she was a woman now. Damn her, he silently cursed her. She had kept him distracted and awkward as hell in school. She seemed to still have that effect on him. He knew the only way to hide that was to act angry with her, so he did.

He had slipped up last night and had gone rogue. He had no control when she was around and his fingers couldn't help but to touch and know if she was as soft as he had fantasized about all those years ago. She could never know that. He told himself.

He spoke then, "I deserved that."

Silence.

"Let's go." He told the driver and the driver obeyed.

They were back on the road and 22 minutes later, they were arriving at their next stop. It was in the wealthy part of town. She noticed the luxury cars in the nicely manicured circle driveways as they drove past. Bunny could tell the plaza they were visiting today had just been built.

Her attention was brought back to him when he spoke again, "This is the pelican boutique. A woman named Angelique owns it. She has picked out some items for me. Go get them for me, please."

Bunny was suspicious of the stranger already, but this request made her even more so. They had just left a shopping center earlier. Bunny didn't trust Rome now and she felt like she probably never would.

"It's not guns or drugs or anything illegal is it?" She asked, like she was asking him about the weather.

He laughed.

That made her nervous.

"No. No guns or drugs. Just go." He instructed her.

She swallowed hard as he opened the door for her. She got out and walked into the boutique with him looking on. Her nerves were getting the better of her. She opened the glass door and went inside. It was a very stylish boutique she noticed right away. With venetian rose wallpaper and gold inlaid trim.

The dresses on display were all chic and expensive. It was a boutique she would have shopped at had her father not ruined it all for her.

"Hello, welcome!" A beautiful brunette greeted her with a warm smile.

"Hello." She called back. "I am looking for Angelique."

"I am she. And you are..."

"Bunny...Bunny Van Don." She watched her to see if her facial expression would change upon hearing her last name. It didn't. She was relieved and kept talking."Rome sent me to collect some purchases he has made."