I am the Reincarnation of Helen of Troy

Chapter 9: Questions......Answered? Part 2

I opened the door to see Theseus. My stomach instantly did a flip. He looked so good  in a suit. A suit. Why did we have to dress so fancy? We weren't even leaving his house. I bit my lip, trying to ignore how good he looked. Looking up at him, I saw that he had an amused expressioin on his face. He looked like he could barely keep himself from smiling.

"What's up with the amused expression?" I snapped, instinctivelly crossing my arms over my chest. He shook his head and now he did smile. "You're always so defensive, Rosy." He laughed, and before I could think, he had wrapped his arm around me, pulling me to him. 

I froze, my body going stiff. Theseus didn't seem to notice, keeping me close to his chest. I could smell his cologne; he smelled like cinnamon. I stopped myself short when I realized that I was smelling him. I looked up at him, hoping he hadn't noticed. 

To my relief, I saw that he hadn't. He was still smiling, and I tried, unsuccessfully, to pull away from him. He kissed my hair before releasing me. I felt cold without his arms still wrapped around me. 

"You look beautiful." He told me, his voice husky. I instantly blushed because of the intense way he was staring at me. I felt like an animal being appraised with the way his eyes scanned me from head to toe. "Um, thanks." I said, not able to meet his gaze.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked. I finally met his eyes. He looked sincere, and  I nodded in reply. Without seeming to think about it, he wrapped his arm around my waist. I could feel the tingle go up my spine from his touch. 

As Theseus led me out of the room, I couldn't help but feel nervous about what I was going to have to do. I had never blackmailed someone before, and I wasn't completely sure how I was going to go about it. Should I tell him straightforward that I was blackmailing him? Or should I gradually give hints about it until he figures it out? Then, he might know my plan without even my having to say it out loud.

I still wasn't sure what approach I was going to use when Theseus finally brought me into a dining area. Like everything else in the mansion, it was extravagent in every way. There were huge windows on three of the walls, allowing alluring streaks of sunshine to rest on evrerything in the room, giving it a glowing appearance. The ceilings were at least twenty feet tall, maybe more, with beautiful carvings on the ceiling and crown molding. Squinting up at them, I saw the carvings were actually pictures. To my disappointment, I didn't have to time to look at them carefully, because Thesesus was already guiding me to the large table, big enough to fit at least twelve people. 

He pulled out a chair for me, which I sat in, kind of embarassed. No guy had ever pulled out a chair for me. Yeah, sure, the male butlers and waiters did when my father held ritzy dinners in our apartment, but I didn't think that counted because it was their job to pull out chairs for people. I tried to keep my expression even, but from the look on Theseus's face, I knew he could see through my facade. 

After I had gotten situated, he walked over to the chair right across the table and sat down too. We were sitting face to face, though we were a couple feet away from each other. I was glad I had a distance from him. If I was able to think straight, I might be able to get the answers I needed to know about the visions and be able to go through with the blackmail. As much as I hated to admit, when I was around Theseus, I sometimes got confused and less certain about what I wanted. The body heat he gave off when he held me made me lose my train of thought and get distracted from my goal of escape.  I did not need distraction right now.

Theseus snapped his fingers, and a butler instantly appeared, bearing two bowls. He placed one in front of me and I saw that the only thing it contained was water. The water was to be used so we could wash our hands before eating.Though my father was extremely wealthy, I very rarely washed and dried my hands from a bowl before eating. I washed my hands slowly, paying more attention to Theseus than of getting my hands completely dry.