Bred By the CEO

Now, a week since coming home, she had to deal with all the choices. Rose couldn’t put it off forever, not when she wanted to be Mrs. Blackwood more than anything in the world. Today was all about the dress.

“Have you picked a wedding dress?” Darius asked, coming up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pressing a kiss to her neck.

“No. I have no idea what I’m doing. Maybe I should call Anna.” She’d never been much of a girly girl when it came to clothing. Even when Darius had paid for her wardrobe because he wanted a certain image within the company, the women at the store had picked everything.

“I think when it comes to a wedding dress, you look through them all, try them all on, and the one that makes you feel like a princess, that’s the one you try on.”

“But what if none of them make me feel like a princess?” she asked.

“Then we go elsewhere. Trust me, I’ve been to plenty of weddings, and I cringe thinking of all the brides I’ve heard say the same thing.”

Rose chuckled and leaned back against him. “I’m sorry. I’m worried about messing this up and ruining everything for you.”

Darius sighed. “You could never ruin this day for me. It’s our day, and that’s something to be celebrated.”

“How do you always know when to say the right thing?” she asked.

“Simple, you’re the woman I’m saying it to.” He continued to kiss her neck, and Rose felt an answering spark rushing through her whole body. She was so aroused, and all she wanted to do was go to bed with Darius. It was on the tip of her tongue to say exactly that, but all of a sudden, his cell phone went off.

It wasn’t the first time they’d been interrupted, and she doubted it would be the last. He was responsible for many people, and she didn’t want to get in the way.

Darius groaned.

“Answer it,” she said with a chuckle. “I have some serious decisions to make.”

She didn’t have any girlfriends, and when she tried to call Darius’s sister earlier, she hadn’t picked up. The other woman had to be busy. Surely. Either that, or she had to be a world-class actress, and like his father, didn’t approve of her marrying Darius.

She rubbed at her temples, hating how easily she slipped into negativity. This was what happened after being let down by people close to you time and time again.

What she needed to do was focus on the present and enjoy her wedding planning. As a little girl back in foster care, she never imagined one day wearing one of these beautiful gowns, preparing to marry a man who loved her as much as she loved him.

Rose gripped the edge of one of the dresses and pulled it off the rack, staring at it. The dress was a simple one with thick straps and a medium-cut bodice that would hide a multitude of sins. Its Empire line dropped out, and she just knew this was to hide potential pregnancies, and even though Darius hadn’t worn a condom, she wasn’t pregnant. At least not yet.

After placing the dress back on the rack, she started to split them into two sections. A definite no, and a possible yes.

From twenty dresses, she’d gotten fifteen possible yeses and five definite nos. Darius still hadn’t returned, so she grabbed the first dress and made her way to the bedroom. After sliding out of her loungewear, she stepped into the dress and attempted to work the clasps closed, only it wasn’t working.

She had no choice but to ask Darius to help her with the dress.

Holding the bodice against her chest, she stepped out of the bedroom and went in search of Darius. He was standing in the sitting room, remote in hand, flicking through the channels on the television.

The frown on his face alerted her to something bad happening.

“What’s going on?” Rose asked.

“I just got a call. I’ve been advised to watch the news.” Darius stopped on a channel, and Rose frowned as an advertisement segment was playing.

All too soon, it zoomed in on the news reporters.

“Now, we have an exclusive to share with you all. After nearly five years after disappearing, we have spoken to the reclusive daughter of Arnold Blackwood. She is the only sister of Darius Blackwood, and as you all know, his engagement to a Rose Henshaw shocked the bachelor community. I will allow the report to speak for itself, but I would like to warn you, this is not a pretty tale.”

The camera suddenly focused on Darius’s sister, who was sitting in what appeared to be a conference room. She was dressed in a pair of jeans, a blouse, and a pair of sneakers.

“Thank you for coming,” the reporter said.