Velvet

Chapter 1

I was dancing around the ballroom. The music swayed my body and lifted my soul up and carried my whole being around the universe. I felt free. I felt safe. I could feel reckless abandon creep up on me, making me feel giddy in ways I've never felt before. Sadly, that all came crashing down when my future husband grabbed my upper arm and pulled me away from the symphony and the clouds it let me float on.

"What are you doing?" He gritted out.

"Uhhh, dancing?" I sarcastically say, tugging out my arm from his grip. " Am I not allowed to have fun the night before our wedding?"

"Look Bethany, I know our wedding was arranged, and that this is not what either one of us want but we don't have much choice in the matter. So can you at least act like a sophisticated woman and not some giddy little child attending a ball for the first time?" Nick gripped the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"I don't understand why I can't have fun. You're not the only one affected by our parent's decisions. I might as well have fun while I still can."

"Look, let's not do this right now. Don't start anything or else." He grips my arm again and drags me to the corner of the ballroom, under a granite pillar adorned with purple and red flowers.

"You're the one that's starting stuff. Also threatening me, really? That's low even for you."

"I don't love you, okay. But my reputation is on the line if we don't get married. So it's happening. Don't cross me."

"So that's it? I don't get to have a choice? My whole life is decided for me and I have to suffer in silence?" I glare at him, hard. "I'm going to my room. Don't follow me."

As I stomp away, I hear him mutter, "God, why do women have to be so difficult."

I stop in my tracks as a tear rolls down my cheek.

"Maybe you should get your parents to call off the wedding if you hate women so much." I say in a steady, strong voice. One that I could barely muster up without my voice breaking. God, I hate crying when I'm so pissed off. I feel weak. I didn't get a reply other than his footsteps walking away from me and into the bustling crowd.

"You're not weak. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise," a soft, velvety sounding voice said from behind me. 

"Huh?" I turn around and come face to face with the prettiest woman I've ever seen. Her auburn hair was the first to catch my eye as it was cropped in this pixie, shaved at the sides hair style that I couldn't quite put a name on. She was in this form fitting tuxedo with a faded purple tie that beautifully contrasted against her eyes that looked like they would brighten up the whole room.

"Would you like for me to walk you back to your room?" She asked, awkwardly reaching for the back of her neck. " I just mean- uh- I don't want that douche following and doing something horrible."

"Y-yeah sure. May I ask your name?" We begin to walk down the hallway, servers flying past us to reach the main ballroom.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. It's Bex. Formally known as Rebecca Reed, but I prefer Bex. It's more bad ass. Besides, my friends and family refer to me by that name," The beautiful woman - I mean Bex- says.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Bethany. Wish I had a cooler name but I'm just plain Jane Bethany." We make a turn into the stairwell and go up the steps.

"What If I called you B?" She looked at me inquisitively.

"Yeah . . . yeah, I'd like that." I say, shyly. She chuckles.

"So where's your room anyways?"

" OH! Just up another flight and to the left." I lift my dress up and continue up the stairs, her trailing a step behind, being careful to not step on the bottom of my dress.

"May I ask another question?" I look behind me.

"I think you just did," I laugh. " But shoot." She pauses . . . and then laughs.

"I guess I did. What I was going to ask was why are you going to marry King Douchenozzle?" 

I sigh. "It's kind of a long story..."

She sits on one of the steps. "I've got time. If you want to let it out."

Hesitantly, I sit on one of the steps, facing her as I begin to tell the whole story.

"Our parents are business partners for this huge law firm. They were like long time best friends, I guess? Anyways, as soon as Nick, King Douchenozzle, was born, it was pretty much decided that him and I would be engaged and married off to make a stronger alliance against any competing enemies that our parents have. Nick would later take his family's business that will merge with mine as soon as we are wed, and I guess I was supposed to play this dutiful wife. Which by the way is complete bullshit but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm stuck."

"What if I could get you out?"

"Why would you help me? We don't really even know each other." She rests her hands on my shoulder.

"I've got my reasons. You will find out soon, if you accept." From downstairs, gruff voices were laughing. Their footsteps sounded sluggish and like the owners drank too much. One of those voices soared above the rest and put fear into my heart. Nick.

"Please help me." My voice quivers. She looked at me sadly and then stood up.

"Follow me."

Bex gets up and takes my hand.

"There's a lot that you don't know . . . . no offense. Those enemies you talked about are worse than what you may think they are."

"What are you talking about?" I pause.

"Your parent's corporation is Laytag Law, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And I'm gonna assume that one of those 'enemies' you were referring to is Bonchnet Law?" Bex asks.

"Yeah? How do you know?"

"Those 'law firms' aren't law firms. That's just a cover for the public eye. Your parents are the head of an underground mafia. I thought you would have known about it considering you're their daughter."

"You're crazy."

"I thought you'd say that." She takes her hand and fishes around in her front pocket until she produces this I.D. tag with a logo that sort of looks familiar. It's a red tag with a yellow rose behind her picture and her information. "I work for the Yellow Rose and I hate to break it to you sweetheart but you're coming with me."