Hollow Hearts (The Harkwright Trilogy Book 1)

by B C Morgan

  “Your ‘baby’ made this choice Mrs. Carter, no one forced her into it. As for your opinion, that's yours and yours alone,” he thrusts paper at her and she releases me to grab it.

  I already know what it is, an NDA. So nobody knows where I’ve gone, sworn to secrecy so no one will ever know where her daughter is and what may happen to her. She’ll have no one to lean on or to support her, it never occurred to me just how hard this would be on her.

  She storms into the kitchen and comes back in a few moments before slapping the signed document against his chest, he doesn’t even flinch.

  “I can give you ten minutes, then we need to leave. Do not make me come back in to get her,” his eyes cut to me, I still can’t look at him but I can feel his stare like a brand on my skin.

  He leaves and mom is ushering me into the kitchen and guiding me to a chair, as if I’m incapable of doing these things. But she’s barely holding it together and I can’t bring myself to argue it with her, whatever she needs to do to make it a little easier for herself.

  “I will miss you Luna bean and I know you think you need to do this, but I’m going to pray my heart out that they do not select you.”

  Her back is to me but I can see the way her shoulders are shaking and hear the tears in her voice, this is killing me.

  “I know mom, I’m so sorry. I know I’ve messed up, I just hope you can forgive me one day,” my voice is cracking under the strain of my emotions and she places a plate of pancakes, bacon and eggs before me before taking her own seat.

  “There is nothing to forgive my sweet girl, I’m not happy about this and I don’t even understand it. But I’ve raised you to make your own decisions and I won’t try to rob you of that right now, just stay safe and don’t lose yourself along the way,” our eyes lock and a million moments pass between us in a few seconds. Our past we’ve shared, the joys, heartache and anger. The strongest thing though, is the love. That alone will help me stay strong and make it through this. My body may be theirs but my heart and soul belong to me.

  I watch through the car window as my mom white knuckles the door frame, I can’t help placing my palm against the window and wishing I could run back to her, close the door and forget I ever did any of this.

  “You may not even get chosen, all this sentimental drivel is pointless until the selection process is completed,” my eyes cut to the rear-view mirror and lock onto a pair of eyes the color of steel gray before I look back out the window and watch all the buildings pass us by.

  “Do I make you nervous little Snowflake?”

  Seriously, a nickname. Just fuck off, if only I could say that out loud.

  My eyes cut to him again before taking in the driver, I don’t even understand why this guy is here.

  “Not one for conversation, fair enough. Just remember it’s a long drive and this may be the only time you can have a semblance of normality, but it's your choice,” he isn’t even smiling, just staring straight ahead. His eyes don’t leave the driver and I can’t help but wonder why he is so transfixed by him.

  “Why do you want to talk and why are you even here?” I sound so rude and that isn’t like me, I can feel the shame washing over me like a second skin.

  “I’m here to make sure the driver doesn’t do or say anything he shouldn’t. As for talking, I don’t socialize a lot with my job and you're here. It’s proximity, nothing more.”

  “I’m not into idle chit chat, please I just want to be left alone,” I can hear the quiver in my voice, I wonder if he can too?

  “Have it your way,” that’s all he says as I return my gaze to the window and watch my life as I know it, just fade away.

  We park a couple hours later and I’m confused, I don’t understand why we would be here. I also don’t understand why this parking lot was closed in by an electrified gate, it doesn’t make sense. I was here the other day so who are they trying to keep out or worse, in?

  “This is the Harkwright office building, why would we be here?” I don’t care if I have to talk to this mountain man, my curiosity is winning out.

  “They won’t allow you into the Academy until you’ve been selected. Don’t fret Snowflake, no one will see you until they're supposed to,” his gaze roams over me and my skin prickles, the sooner I’m away from him, the better.

  “What happens now?” I can’t stop myself from wringing my hands in front of me and he scoffs at my nervousness.

  “We’ll travel up in a private elevator where you will be escorted to your own room. That is where you will stay until the Harkwrights are ready for you,” he looks me over before saying, “after you,” he holds his arm out and I take a step forward and then another. I’m counting each one I take to distract myself from the dread that is pooling within me, but all too soon we arrive at the elevator. All I can do is enter and wait for our floor to arrive.

  “Any advice?” I inquire as I watch the floor numbers pass by, quicker than I expected or I guess, wanted.

  “Fuck me Snowflake, you’re definitely feeling more chatty now,” his eyes of steel cut straight to me and I gulp hard.

  “I’m nervous and apparently I get chatty when that happens,” it makes sense, I can’t seem to shut up around Cole and I’m nothing but a bag of nerves when he’s close by.

  “There’s fifteen guys and you only need to win over one of them, in theory. You are competing against a hundred girls and they will choose only half of you. If you get picked, watch out for the Harkwright prince. If the devil is the master deceiver, then he’s got some serious competition on his hands. No one deceives like Emmet Harkwright and I’ve heard a few people call him the devil,” that’s more information than I was expecting, but still nowhere near enough.

  “What’s your name?” I should hang my head in shame right now.

  “Not going to happen.”

  “How many girls have you escorted to this place?”

  “That’s your last question, you sure you want to ask me that?” I nod my head and he stares me straight in the eyes.

  “Including you, two. Don’t ask me what happened to the other girl. You wouldn’t be able to sleep at night,” his entire being surrounds me and drains me of every last bit of warmth I possessed.

  The elevator dings to let us know we’ve arrived, I step out but he doesn’t follow. He points at a door and gives me a grim smile as the doors slide close, I guess there’s nothing left to do but claim my room and wait to be summoned.

  I turn the handle and push my way into the room, I wasn’t expecting to find a girl in here. Especially not the one who helped me pick out my clothes in that stuck up boutique, I swear they’ve done this to knock me even further off kilter.

  “Hi,” I whisper, closing the door behind me and taking in the vanity table, stool and more makeup than I can name spilling out onto it from a bag.

  “Yay, I was hoping I’d get you. Well, in all honesty I was hoping you wouldn’t be here at all but you are so, yay,” she claps her hands but despite her radiant smiles and bright eyes I can’t help but pick up on the slight tremble to her hands.

  “I don't understand, what’s going on? What are you doing here?”

  “Ms. Vanderbilt felt I would be the best fit for this room and I’ve never been assigned a girl before, I usually just drop the clothes off and wait around in case I’m needed. Because of that, I felt it may be you. I’m here to prepare you for your showing. It sounds barbaric I know, but we have to present you in just the right way. Numbers are against everyone and if you really want to be selected then I have just the dress for you,” she is talking really fast, I think she may be as nervous as I am.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” I say as I pull my sweater over my head and we share a smile before she looks at the door for a long minute and shuffles off to collect a dress. I can’t tell what it looks like, but it’s blue and sparkly and I already think she may have chosen wrong.

  “Hey, I know that look. Don’t doubt me hon, I’ve got this covered. So, idle chit chat or nervo
us silence?”

  I like this girl, I want to choose quiet but I think she may need this and at least I’ve got a friendly face until my summoning.

  “How did you get involved in this?” I ask and her eyes widen for a moment before she guides me to a chair and starts running a brush through my hair.

  “That is far from idle, but okay. My aunt owns the boutique and there’s a long running agreement between her and the Harkwrights. Not only does she get exclusive rights on supplying the clothes for the duration of the girl’s stay, she also supplies the dresses that are required for today and any parties that they may be required to attend. In return, she helps the girls to get ready and look like the best version of themselves,” she sprays a sweet smell through my hair and her fingers drag over my scalp making me sink into the chair. “My mother sent me here when my Aunt offered her a generous amount of money to let me work here. Basically I was sold to my Aunt,” she sounds detached, and I hurt for her. “I get paid for my efforts but she’s… difficult at times. The thing is, I love fashion and working for her can only help me later.”

  “I hope it works out for you,” I whisper as our eyes meet through the mirror.

  “I hope the same for you.”

  An hour later and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. I thought she would have taken away some of my paleness but she’s changed very little in the way I look. She has pulled my hair away from my face, the majority of it is down except from the strands that usually circle the sides of my face, she has them held at the back of my head with a silver clip keeping it attached. She’s even curled the sections that are falling freely and it’s beautiful, because of how simple it is.

  There isn’t a hint of blush on my cheeks, but she has removed the circles that were lining my eyes so even though I still look as pale as a damn ghost, I’m fresh faced and healthy looking. The only makeup I can really see is the light blue on my lids and the light layer of eyeliner circling my eyes. My eyelashes are thick and look fuller than ever before. I can’t believe I can look like this. It’s me, but a version I’ve never seen before. All the attempts I’ve had with makeup always went terribly wrong so I avoided it.

  “Okay, it’s time for the dress and then you’re done. Just in time too, they’ll be coming to get you any minute now,” she gives me a sad smile before picking the dress up once more and laying it on the floor.

  “You need to step into it, but first you need to put the bra and panties on. I would offer to leave the room, but I doubt I’ll be the only person to see them today.”

  Fuck, who’s going to see me in my panties... I wasn’t expecting to lose my virginity so soon.

  I pull my cami off, being careful not to mess my hair up and unhook my bra, swallowing hard as the straps slip down my arms and it’s only my hands holding the cups in place. She looks at me with nothing but sympathy shining within her eyes before bringing a silvery blue lace bra over. Mine falls to the floor before I quickly replace it with the lace one, it hugs my breasts perfectly but it hides very little. I’m sure this would make most girls feel sexy, but I feel sick to my stomach, nothing sexy happening over here. She passes me the panties next that although it isn’t a thong, it may as well be. There’s a lace band running over my hips and the lace and cotton mesh lies between my legs and over my ass, but only covering my cheeks half way.

  “They prefer thongs but I thought this would be a suitable compromise,” she says, and all I can do is jerk my head in a nod.

  She takes my hand next and leads me over to the dress, giving me stability as I step into it and she pulls it up over my body. She does the top up at the front with clasps very similar to what you find on a bra and then she fluffs the skirt out before kneeling at my feet and sliding a pair of small heeled shoes onto my feet. Silver and sparkly and surprisingly comfortable to wear.

  “Time to see the finished look,” she leads me over to the mirror and my mouth falls open, she really does know what clothes will suit me. This girl has a gift.

  It has a pale blue corset which hugs my breasts and pushes them up but without revealing too much. It goes in at my waist and shows off what little I have in the hips department before falling into a silver tulle skirt that falls to my knees. I can’t resist doing a little twirl and watching the way it flies out around me, I feel like a princess and I’m surprised by the smile it puts on my face.

  “You look beautiful Luna,” she holds my hands and I wonder what life would have been like if I’d had a friend like her.

  The door handle turns and she steps away and moves to stand against the wall with her hands folded before her, I look up to find Ms. Vanderbilt looking at me. I can’t read anything on her face but the girl looks surprised to see her.

  “Come Miss Carter, the selection is about to begin.”

  I look at the girl who helped me but she doesn’t say anything, it’s like she's become a statue and I guess a bye isn’t in the cards for us. I give her a slight smile anyway before crossing the threshold and falling behind Ms. Vanderbilt.

  She doesn’t say anything until we step into a different elevator this time and as the doors slide closed, she inserts a key into the elevator wall which opens a hatch with a red button sitting inside. With a single push the hatch seals itself closed and then she turns around to face me, a grim look set upon her face.

  “Despite my best efforts, they have chosen you to attend. For your sake, pray they do not select you. We have plenty of untouched girls here Miss Carter, but none of them have the air of purity that you possess. They will eat you alive,” her tone is cold, and it matches her eyes perfectly.

  “Why are you telling me this?” I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper as her eyes drill through mine and down into my soul.

  “Because I’ve known girls like you before and one way or another, this place will destroy you. It doesn’t matter now but if you take anything I say with you, let it be this. Beware the prince, nothing with him is what it seems and he won’t just claim you, he will own, consume and ultimately destroy you.”

  My chest is heaving, and this corset isn’t doing a damned thing to hide it, as the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open into yet another hallway and I’m led to a door with the number sixty adorned upon it.

  “Remember that number Miss Carter, that is how you will be addressed throughout this process. Do as you are told and only speak if they request it, good luck kid, you are going to need it.”

  The door slides open and I step inside, it closes and seals me in, with an air of finality. I’m not sure what I expected to find but a room with a small stage and a chair sat upon it surrounded by LED lights was not it. I can see the mirrored wall and it doesn’t take a genius to know it's only a mirror on my end, I guess this is how the guys will look at me. Looking around, I can see a camera in one corner with a red blinking light and speakers in every other corner of the room.

  I don’t know what to do, am I supposed to sit or stand here? I don’t want to presume anything or make a choice that will act as a strike against me before it’s even begun. Unless, this is part of the choice, to see how I will react. No doubt there are already eyes on me, I can feel the weight of them and I need to stop my heart from racing and calm my breathing.

  Wandering around, I run my fingers over the cool glass, using it to ground me. Taking in every mark on the hard worn floor and the slight flecks of paint that seem to be missing from the walls. Trying to keep my mind busy, I count how many steps it takes to get from one side of the one way glass to the other and then I move away. Walking over to the chair, I can see a note fixed to the seat. I bend over slightly to pick it up and glance over it to see what I need to do.

  Take a seat and do not fidget.

  Okay, then. I fold myself into the chair, making sure I keep my back straight and I cross my legs being careful not to flash the mirror. Screw them, I’m not going to give them a show of my own volition. I can barely stand even being in here, it’s claustrophobic and I want to move. But I can’t,
so I keep my head staring straight ahead and I wait.

  A hundred and twenty breaths inhaled and exhaled before the speakers crackle. Twenty blinks before a song filters through the room and countless beats of my heart when a voice - so powerful and dark I would do anything to both hear it again and run from it - plays over the speaker and flays me alive.

  “Stand number sixty and turn three hundred and sixty degrees… slowly.”

  I get to my feet and do as I’m told, I keep my back straight and my head held high. Easy to do seeing as there isn’t anyone to look at, I’m starting to think I can do this. I need to stop focusing on the negative and remember that I am in a room on my own. I’m pretty much in my element, I enjoy my company or at least, I’ve learned to enjoy it.

  “Sixty, turn so your back is to the glass and touch your toes, keep your legs straight and bend as far as you can go.”

  I keep following the instructions, from touching my toes to spinning fast enough my skirt flares up and then I’m ordered to sit back down. I know they’re addressing the other girls and I wish I could hear what they are saying, to give me an idea of what to expect or what the differences are. Am I succeeding? Failing? I have no idea.

  “Number sixty, tell me about the boyfriend you had. The kisses and touches you shared. Spare no details,” his voice rolls over and covers me like it’s a tangible substance.

  “W-we were fifteen, and he asked me to the movies, I was going to say no but my sister told me to give it a shot,” I probably sound like an idiot with the amount of breaths I take between my words, but if I don’t, then I’ll stutter like nobody’s business. “We had fun together, and we became an item. We were together for a couple of months, he was my first and only kiss. I dumped him because I wasn’t the only one he was seeing. He told me he wasn’t ready to go further either, but it turns out he just didn’t want to go beyond kissing with me. There was no touching other than the odd hand holding or arm wrapped over my shoulders and the kisses were as innocent as you can get.” I let out a relieved breath as I finish and I fold my hands behind me to hide the fact that they’re shaking.