Elena

My head was pounding and my hand was shaking as I opened the medicine cabinet in my bathroom to get a pain reliever. As I moved, the huge diamond on my hand glinted in the light and only increased the throbbing. I barely managed to sleep, all through dinner and after Victor drove me home, insisting that it was his duty and for my safety, his responsibility to take care of me, all I could think about was I am marrying a man whose attitude towards me could not be described as anything more than cavalier, but also somewhat frightening.

Throughout the evening, his gaze never left me, the same absorbing gaze he had that day in front of my father's office. He kept touching me in one way or another, as if if a few minutes passed without him touching me, it would be the end. Not once did he look away, not when he was giving orders to the waiter in a firm voice, not when he handed him his card to pay the bill, he didn't take his eyes off me, and when he escorted me out of the restaurant to his car, giving orders to ours and his driver, didn't look back, and when his security guards circled around us like a human shield, it was as if we were not in the parking lot of the restaurant, which, as I understood, he had reserved entirely just for us, and in the middle of a firefight.

And in order not to shout at him that he looks like an obsessed stalker, now that he finally managed to get to me, I poured myself champagne all evening, for which I was now paying. And despite the alcohol consumed and my dizziness, I still couldn't sleep, waking up every hour or two. He was everywhere, holding my hand, looking at me as if I were the northern lights, absorbing my every word, as if mentally recording my every answer. I could feel his hands on my back when he offered me to dance and I was already dizzy, I couldn't find the strength to refuse him.

I could still hear his voice, deep and soft, promising me a tale like Bella's from Beauty and the Beast, he himself called himself a beast, though all I could see was a dear attractive facade, but his eyes burned with a dangerous possessive fire , who was tightening my heart in my chest with the thought that I was involved in something extremely dangerous by agreeing to this marriage.

I swallowed two painkillers and with a sigh washed them down with some water, leaning on my sink counter. I had the feeling that an overwhelming burden rested on my shoulders. "Elena?" my father's voice came from the bedroom and I put down the glass, wrapped myself more tightly in the bathrobe and peeked through the slightly open door. "I'm here,dad" my own voice rang like a church bell and my ears rang painfully.

My father stopped at the bottom end of the bed. His expression was lightning, red spots had bloomed on his cheeks and he stared at me. He looked like he was ready to explode at any moment. "Is everything alright?" I asked worriedly and opened the door a little more, but not enough to expose myself to his gaze, wearing only a bathrobe after I had just gotten out of the shower. "You have a visitor" he snorted and rubbed his neck, staring at the floor. "Visitor?" I closed my eyebrows and thought who could be looking for me at this time of the morning, none of my friends would even think to show their little finger from under the covers before noon.

"Yes...Victor Craven" he huffed and I blinked. "Vic...Victor? Why?" I unconsciously clutched the robe to my chest and looked around as if I didn't know my own bedroom and was about to find an escape route. "Don't ask me, the bastard doesn't even deign to look at me!" my father cursed him angrily and anger rose in my chest. I understand that my father is indebted to Victor, that our marriage is a consequence of the same obligation, but the disrespect between the two of them was something I will not accept.

"Okay, I'll get dressed and go downstairs" my father just nodded, as if he too was uncomfortable that he was standing in the middle of my room when I'm obviously not dressed, he turned on his heel and stormed out. If Victor thinks he has the right to disrespect my father in my own home, despite our obligations to him, he's going to have to swallow a very bitter spoonful, because if he really meant what he said to me last night, he's going to have to warm his attitude towards my father.

I chose a poison green jumpsuit with a wide belt, gray heels, quickly dried my hair and pinned it up high with a wide barrette, dabbed my face with a little makeup to cover up the tired bags under my eyes and took a deep breath, walking towards the door and mentally preparing myself about my meeting with Victor Craven. With each step down the hall to the stairs to the lower floor of my house, the ring on my hand seemed to weigh a pound more. Staring at my feet, thinking and rethinking everything I was going to tell Victor about family relations, I almost missed what was happening in the hall.

"What...." I froze in the middle of the stairs. My father was pacing back and forth in the vestibule, Victor was standing like a Roman gladiator, hands on his chest, legs slightly apart, giving orders to two men and a girl who were coming in and out of the front door, bringing in what seemed to be an endless number of bags. "What is all this?" I almost cried, watching the pile of bags take on truly spectacular proportions, whereupon my father stopped pacing nervously and threw his hands up in the air, and Victor turned in my direction and his eyes twinkled, a soft smile appearing on his lips that made my father's jaw dropped to the floor. If I wasn't confused, headachey, and mad, I'd find it amusing.

"Elena" Victor walked towards me like a man seeing his girlfriend after a long separation. He literally ran up two flights of stairs at once and faced me, forcing me to crane my neck back to look at him. Was he that tall last night, or were my heels higher? Or have I become shorter during the night? "I hope my visit didn't wake you up?" he reached out, took my hand and raised it to his lips, I heard my father grinding his teeth and growling from the stairs. I didn't miss the short cold look Viktor gave him.

"No, you're not, but to what do I owe such an....early visit?" I asked and looked at my father who rolled his eyes. "Um...yeah, that...how should I say..." Viktor cleared his throat and I raised my eyebrows. "I brought some of my wedding gifts for you" he added and I tilted my head in confusion. "Wedding gifts?" I blinked and looked at the pile, which was somehow getting bigger and bigger. Is this man insane? Or a bigot? Crazy? "All these" I pointed to the bags. "Is it for me?" Viktor looked there, then at me, and nodded, smiling as if he had defeated a monster.

"This is only a part, of course, the rest will be waiting for you at our home" he squeezed my hand lightly and led me down the stairs. "Victor, we haven't set a date for the wedding yet, this...is a little too much" my gaze moved between my father, the man who was walking next to me, holding my hand with one hand, holding me low on the waist with the other ,and the bags, which fortunately stopped piling up and the two men and the girl stood on the other side of the pile, waiting for further orders.

"Too much?" Viktor sounded as if I had insulted him, and then slapped him, and I wondered again if he really wasn't crazy. "Can we talk in private?" I sighed and Viktor nodded, and I threw a pleading look when my father started to object.

"What are you doing?" I almost screamed when I closed the door of my father's office and stood face to face with Viktor, who was looking at me confused. "What is all this?" I pointed back to the door, addressing the many bags in our foyer. "I already told you, Elena, gifts for the wedding..." he began, but I cut him off with my hand in front of his face and he shut up. "Gifts or is it your way of reminding my father that he owes you?" I am usually an extremely calm person, I rarely raise my voice and even less often fight with someone. But right now, beyond my confusion at Victor's behavior, my anger was growing by the second and all I wanted to do was slap him.

"I understand that you are richer than us, I am aware that we move in different circles and that no matter how much we have, we will never be at your level" I poked a finger in Victor's chest and he lowered his eyebrows, lowering his gaze. "I know you look down on the likes of us, but I won't let you rub your money, the reason for our marriage, or our situation in my father's face, or disrespect him in my own home. If by doing so many gifts you intend to remind my father that he cannot afford the luxury of pampering me right now, you can leave my house and take everything with you!" I continued to jab my index finger into his chest even as Victor took a few steps back.

"Elena..." Viktor raised his hands on both sides, but I was too furious to let him speak. I'm scared, I'm hurt, and it's not just my headache that's the reason I'm angry. "No Elena!" I screamed in his face, feeling my eyes begin to burn and the throbbing pain in my temple intensify. "If what you told me last night is true, if you really want me to be happy with you and our marriage, stop acting like a goddamn philanthropist trying to save poor orphans and start showing respect to my father as your future father-in-law, or it's all over now! I'd rather live on the streets or die than have my husband remind me all my life why he married me and where I belong!" my throat began to steam as my voice rose with each spoken word.

"Elena, it's not that..." Victor tried to speak again, but I shook my head and this time punched his chest. "No, I won't let you humiliate me, Victor Craven!" his fingers wrapped around my wrist, through teary eyes I saw his face turn stony and he pulled me hard against him, pressing me to his chest with an arm around my waist, his lips absorbing my objections, sucking mine.

My body stiffened and froze. My mind seemed to be erased and I stared at him with wide eyes as his lips moved over mine insistently. As the daughter of a rich family, I never allowed myself to let a man so close to me. Well, once at the girls' school, I let one of the boys who came to help with school repairs kiss me, but it was a challenge and he barely touched my lips, nothing like what Victor was doing to me at the moment.

His lips were firm, but gentle and warm, and even though they forced me to shut up, he seemed careful not to hurt me. I totally panicked when I felt the tip of his tongue trying to get between my lips and I instinctively opened my mouth and bit him. Viktor grunted but instead of pulling away he seemed to take it, enjoying the pain and pressing me tighter against him making me let go for a breath as his tongue still entered my mouth and pushed mine.

His mouth tasted like mint and coffee, strawberry jam and something I didn't recognize. My body shivered, a tickling sensation warmed my chest and I relaxed into his arms, closed my eyes and let him do what he wanted. He seemed to sense the lack of struggle on my part, his embrace softened, his tongue nudged mine and spun as if in some kind of dance, inviting mine to follow him. Unable to stop it, a low moan left my throat, followed by a grunt from Victor, and then it was all gone.

Victor

Elena is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and honestly, I didn't think she could be more beautiful than this. But her outburst, the way she poked me in the chest with her finger, scolded me, lectured me on morals and education. I couldn't hold back. Her lips were all I could see, the movement of their fullness, the red marks on her cheeks, the angry green fire in her eyes. And she was so tasty! So soft and warm in my hands, she is so small that just a little force and I could break her.

Her breasts heaved wildly against mine, her lips beginning to swell from the initial force with which I kissed her, but that paled in the realization that she took her time to respond to my kiss and though that small soft moan made me freaking hard , I was more excited by the realization that Elena didn't know what to do, that she was trying to follow my tongue movements. It was her first kiss, or at least the first real one, and as I watched her hang limply and helplessly in my arms, her eyes closed and her face flushed with magic, I realized that if it was possible, I had just fallen even more in love with her.

I don't like her father, never have. Though he loves his daughter, he will never love her as I do, either in strength or manner, if he prefers to marry her to me rather than give up any of his casinos. Not that that would help. There is always a plan B, there are always other ways to get what I want. Sooner or later, Elena and I would be standing in this same place, in the same way, and she would look just as drained and stunned from our first kiss, no matter that it would take me more time and effort.

One way or another, Elena was going to marry me. She is mine, she became mine that night at that ball, she was mine all this time, in my every dream, every daydream, every thought, in every step on my way here, in every decision. Her name was written with angel fire on my black heart, her eyes and face tormented my mind in waking and sleeping state. Every second of every minute of every hour in all these 508 days since I saw her, she has never stopped being mine and I have never once been anyone else's but hers.

Elena just didn't know it yet. She didn't know that she had no choice, she didn't realize that when I called her Beauty last night, I was really her beast, she didn't realize that no matter how many steps she took and to where, every way she would go,desperately led her in my arms.

"Elena" I let go of her wrist, grabbed her chin and gently took some saliva left from our kiss on her lower lip. She slowly opened her eyes only to see me licking the drool off my thumb. Mist and fire mingled in her green eyes, following the movement of my tongue. "Remember how I told you I was the beast in your story when I proposed last night?" I asked softly and rubbed the remaining drool back onto her bottom lip, sliding my thumb into her mouth so that our two drools mingled in her mouth.

She nodded slowly. "Good because that's exactly what I meant my love" I smirked. I've never done anything I've been more proud of than I was at the bemused look on Elena's face. "I'm not a good man, Elena, I'm not a gentleman, I don't like to be ordered around, yelled at, or given ultimatums" she blinked and I slowly took my thumb out of her mouth, pressing lightly on her bottom lip and looking down to saw the tip of her tongue show as if she was trying to return my touch to the tip.

"When I want something, I pursue it, I undermine it, and I get it, my love" I continued slowly, watching as her nose wrinkled and her eyes searched my gaze for my words. "You are my fiancée, Elena, soon to be my wife, and as such, it is my duty to take care of you, your needs, fulfill your wishes, all of them" her eyebrows sank in confusion and I sighed, carefully relaxing my grip around her waist, but I held her back when she swayed.

"You want me to treat your home and your father with respect, fine. But under no circumstances will I allow you to doubt my intentions towards you, understand?" slowly, she nodded again. "Use your voice, Elena, until a little while ago, you were yelling at me, and although I didn't like it, I give you that right, but I also want you to tell me when you like or don't like something, I want you to describe your wishes in words, for me to fulfill them?" she nodded again, her eyes slowly began to clear and her mind began to process what I said.

"Okay?" I asked and she blushed even more. "Okay" her voice came out hoarsely and she clamped her mouth shut in embarrassment. "Now I'm going to let you go, we're both going to go back out there, and even if you don't believe it, I'm not giving you all this to show your father that I can take care of you better, but because I want to take care of my future wife. Also, to fulfill your wish, I will treat your father more respectfully, but don't expect an apology from me, okay?" she didn't like that, but Elena replied with a curt 'okay' slipping out of my hands and yet, I noticed how she struggled to stay upright, feeding my ego from the effect our kiss still had on her.

You wish, I fulfill, my love. I could bear Nicholas Mascot's sharp eyes, as much as he softened his gaze as he watched Elena sullenly unwrap the presents I had brought her. I can take it and not kill him with a look for selling his daughter to help him again, as long as Elena is happy and I'm the buyer, of course.

"What shall I do with all this?" Elena sat on her heels in front of all the clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry that were contained in the bags. I wanted to tell her that all this had been ready for months, that until now it had been hanging on hangers, waiting on the shelves, and the bags had been carefully stored under every garment, pair of shoes and jewelry. "When you move in with me, you're going to need a lot more to fill your half of the closet, Elena" her eyes darted to me in horror, and Mascot grunted and crossed his arms over his chest, earning a warning look from his daughter.

Elena is fair. And even if she yells at me in private, she scolds her father in front of me, albeit more softly, but I can live with that too. Mascot and I don't like each other, but at least we are both ready for anything for Elena. Not that we're going to be friends, but as long as we try to keep our distance and a good tone, he won't mysteriously disappear, and if he does, I'll find a way to comfort my wife.

"This won't be a wardrobe, but a storage room" Elena snorted again and I smiled. "If you want, you can make changes, I don't mind" I shrugged one shoulder and Elena shook her head with a desperate expression. "Not trying to buy my daughter?" Mascot leaned forward with a sly expression. "Dad!" Elena jumped to her feet and stood in front of me facing her father, giving me a wonderful opportunity to enjoy her ass.

"Enough, Elena!" Mascot raised his voice and stood up as well. I know I promised Elena that I would respect her father as my father-in-law, but I will not allow anyone, not even her creator, to disrespect my wife, much less raise his tone towards her. "Do you really believe that a man like him is so kind and caring? He's just trying to buy your favor to show himself a man!" very slowly, so as not to scare Elena, I stood up, wrapped my arm around her and spread my fingers on her stomach.

"I advise you to choose your next words extremely carefully, Mascot" I felt Elena's stomach contract and tighten under my palm and I moved closer behind her to give her the support of my body. Elena is not used to seeing her father like this, I can only guess what Mascot told her about me, as well as guess what she is thinking and feeling at the moment. The last thing my wife-to-be needs is to see her father's true face when she is on the verge of breaking down trying to come to terms with the turn of events in her life. "Elena is your daughter, but very soon she will be my wife, and as much as I want to fulfill all her wishes, I will not allow even you, even though you are her father, to raise your voice and shout at her!" if Mascot is smart, he will notice the warning in my tone and close his ears, if not, Elena is leaving with me right now.

"Don't tell me how to talk or how to treat my daughter!" Mascot growled at me and Elena sobbed, which only fueled my anger. "I tell you how to talk and behave with my wife!" I shot out and Elena flinched against my chest, grabbing my wrist tightly. "I'm sorry Elena, but being my wife means being treated with respect" I leaned into her ear and she turned her head slightly and looked up at me. The wetness in her eyes stabbed me right in the chest and I cupped her cheek, wiping away a lone tear that threatened to ruin her makeup.

"Everything will be fine my love" I smiled at her but I was nowhere near as nice as I looked at Nicholas Mascot again. "The wedding will be exactly in a week" I started firmly and Elena tried to protest but I stopped her by squeezing her stomach. "Elena will choose the place and everything necessary, and my people will see to it that everything is ready by next Saturday and not a day later. Until then, in order not to break my promise to Elena again, I will limit my visits to your home, but if I find out that you yelled at her again, if I find out that Elena was even slightly upset, if she shed a single tear, if you only hint to her that this marriage is something more than what it is, a real marriage, if I find out, that she has heard even one word from you, in an attempt to convince her that everything I do for her is an attempt to buy her, and once again show disrespect like the future Mrs. Craven that Elena is, the next time we meet you will lose everything, and Elena her father!"