The Entitled (The Entitled Duet 1)

“What the hell? Reed!”

“Off.” The screeching and TV blink off. Reed’s commanding voice swings me toward him.

“It’s voice activated, remember, Kitten?”

He’s leaning in the doorway clad in a black tuxedo, and I want to drop to my knees and blow him, he’s that hot. He must read it in my eyes because the cocky smirk is back.

“We don’t have time for that. You need to get dressed. It’s getting late.”

“Sorry.” I shake myself back to the present. “It took us forever today. Some of us have to work at making ourselves look fabulous.” I nervously pull my hands through my hair.

He cocks his head at me but says nothing. I hate when he does this. It’s a control thing. Obviously, he hates my hair. I open my mouth to explain, but he puts his finger to my lips, then slides his hands down my arms, lacing our fingers together as he takes me upstairs.

Why isn’t he saying anything? I can’t stand it any longer. “You hate my hair! It’s still long. I had to have her cut some length. It was fried from the bleaching.”

“I love it.” He grins. “You have never been more breathtakingly beautiful.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Let’s get you into your dress. It’s already five, and we need to leave soon.”

Nodding, I enter my large walk-in closet and pull out the gown. It’s a Valentino with beige, skin-toned flowers in gauze.

I shimmy into it and turn around to look at myself in the full-length mirror.

Reed steps up behind me and zips the dress. After stepping into my obnoxious, expensive Jimmy Choo pumps, I turn and look at myself. The dress clings to my curves. My breasts are pushed high. It reminds me of Marilyn Monroe’s dress when she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.” Except I have gauzy flowers instead of sequins. It doesn’t matter—it’s a gorgeous dress and works perfectly with my new dark hair and kickass makeup. I can honestly say Reed is right: I’m breathtaking. My gaze follows him. Like a dark panther, he walks to his dresser and pulls out a turquoise box. My heart does a little flip.

“With all my spare time today, I decided to shop for you.”

The excitement makes me shiver and I puff out some air as he opens the box. “Shit! That’s a lot of big diamonds.” My eyes search his.

His full lips break into a smile. “Yes, there are a lot of big diamonds.” He turns me, sweeping my hair out of the way, his nose fitting right in the spot where my neck ends and shoulder begins. He breathes in and latches it on.

“Stunning.”

My fingers sweep over the large diamonds.

“I love it.” My voice is raspy.

The necklace is cold and heavy. His hands sink into my thick, straightened hair, pulling me tightly to his chest.

“I love the way you smell, Kitten. Have I ever told you that?”

I laugh. “All the time.”

“Then have I told you how much I love spoiling you?” He spins me around so that I can look at myself in the mirror. My eyes widen at our reflections. My dark blue eyes find his light blue. It’s almost as if I can see inside him. Reed takes his finger and traces what is now the purple bite mark he gave me earlier. I decided not to cover it up. If anyone sees it, they will know who I belong to.

He murmurs in my ear as his eyes stare at me in the mirror.

“I should get my grandfather to open up the family vault.” I watch as his hand tightens around my neck, bringing my back flat against his chest. He whispers, “That vault holds a lot of secrets. Journals, art, and family jewels. Hundreds and hundreds of years of jewelry and gems. Some are priceless, given to my ancestors by kings and queens.” He licks my ear. “Are you impressed?”

I smile, nodding my head yes. Playful Reed is out tonight.

“You want to hear a family fairy tale, Kitten?”

My excited breathing fills our quiet room. Outside, the sky is dark, and New York has all her welcoming lights glittering in our room

He chuckles. “I see that you do… Once upon a time, my great-great-grandfather fell in love with his best friend—a girl he had known since she was a child. The story goes that she was wild and beautiful but a complete pain in his ass.” His eyes never leave mine as we stare at each other in our full-length mirror.

“She was also years younger than him. So, he leaves to seek his fortune in America, and when he returns to England, she’s grown up and is engaged to his brother.” He chuckles, nipping my neck.

“Hmm, really?” I smirk at him.

“Yes… really! The moment their eyes connected after so many years, he fell so in love with her that he killed his own brother to save her.”