Love So Strong ~Hueningkai~

Chapter 20

Ari woke up to the sound of the door opening. She slowly sat up, her back resting on the wall behind her. Sergei stepped in, walking to her cell and placing the key into the lock. He opened the cell. "Get up." 

"Why should I?" Glaring up at him. 

"Boss wants you to dine with him tonight. So, you need to bathe and get dressed." 

"What if I don't want to." She looked down at her fingers, pretending to pick at her nails. 

Her body was yanked up, Sergei's hand tightly around her arm. "Yah! OW!" 

"Shut it." Sergei led Ari out of the room, turning a corner. He was walking fast, and since Ari's legs were weak from not using them, she was having a hard time keeping up. She ended up being dragged up the stairs onto the main level of the house. Ari's eyes widened at how spacious the main level was. It was more beautiful than her house back in Romania. Sergei led her up more stairs to the second level. Once they reached the top, she tried to yank her arm out of his grasp. "You are hurting me." 

Sergei didn't say a word, tightening his grip on her arm. She was going to have a bruise later. He walked them to a door, and he knocked. 

"Coming!" A high-pitched voice responded. Ari was shocked to hear a woman's voice. The door opened. 

"Ah, there she is. Bring her in, Sergei." 

He pushed Ari in and then shut the door behind her, leaving the two women to stare at one another. The woman was looking Ari up and down, making her feel uncomfortable. She crossed her arms around her body. This woman was pretty. Ari looked like death had taken over her body. 

"I'm Anya, Dmitri's mistress. Come with me, you smell terrible and look atrocious." Anya walked to the bathroom. Ari stared daggers into her head but followed. She walked into the bathroom. There was a big tub in the middle of the room, filled with water and bubbles. A long black dress was hanging near the window. A vanity table and mirror were beside it. 

"Strip and get in. I'll give you ten minutes to wash up, and then I'll be back to help you dress and do your hair." Anya walked out, shutting the door behind her. Ari stood there for a few minutes before she started taking her clothes off. She threw them in the trash since they were all torn and smelly. She walked over to the tub and dipped her hand in. It was very hot. She held her breath and placed her hands on the sides of the tub, swinging her legs in one at a time. Once her legs were in, she slowly slipped in, and boy, did it feel wonderful. She soaked for a little while, and then she started washing herself. 

Why on earth does Dmitri want me to dine him? She thought to herself. Ari looked over at the dress that she assumed would be wearing. It was a floor-length dress, with thin straps and a very low-cut front. She sighed. When she was done, she grabbed the towel and dried herself, and then put a robe on that was lying on the back of a chair. 

Anya came back in just as she was tying the robe straps. "Perfect timing. Let's begin. Dinner is in 2 hours." She ushered Ari to the vanity chair and motion for her to sit. Anya spent an hour on her hair. Blow drying it and then curling it. Once that was done, she had Ari take her robe off and put the dress on. Anya turned away to give her privacy. Ari was standing in front of the mirror, looking at herself. If her mother could see her now, she would be in her grave. 

The dress was a deep V-neck, sleeveless dress, and it got worse. The bottom had two slits that came up mid-thigh. The dress hugged her body tight. She had lost a couple of pounds, so she was more bony than usual. Anya brought some shoes over and placed them on the ground. Of course, it would be heels, black heels. Ari grabbed onto the chair and slipped her feet into the heels. She was 3 feet higher now.