I close the distance between us, forcing her to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. “I need to know if you leave this building for any reason. Complete compliance.” My voice drops. “While you’re here, you follow every instruction, every rule, without question. Break any of my terms, and our agreement ends immediately.”
I trace her jaw with my fingers, feeling her pulse jump beneath my touch. “Do we understand each other?”
She jerks away from my hand but holds my stare. “What about payment?”
A smile curves my lips. “You don’t have enough money to offer anything interesting.”
“Sex is off the table,” she snarls, green eyes flashing. “Any kind of intimacy is nonnegotiable.”
“Noted.” I incline my head, studying her. “I’ll think of something suitable.”
Eve’s gaze darts to the door, weighing her options. Finally, she straightens, squaring her shoulders despite the pain I know it causes her. “If we can’t be clear on the terms and how I can compensate you, I’ll need to leave.”
The response catches me off guard—a rare occurrence. But years of negotiations have taught me to adapt quickly.
“Wait.” The word leaves my mouth just as Eve’s fingers brush the elevator call button. “There is another option.”
She turns, wariness etched in every line of her body. The defensive posture reminds me of a cornered animal—dangerous but ultimately trapped.
“I could use someone with your… particular skill set.” I maintain my position, giving her the illusion of space. “Your investigative abilities, your connections in places I don’t typically reach.”
Her eyes narrow. “You want me to work for you?”
“Research capacity only,” I clarify, watching her reaction carefully. “When needed.”
“For how long?” The question comes sharp, precise—ever the journalist probing for details.
“Only during your stay here. While you’re under my protection.” I keep my voice neutral, though satisfaction curls through me as I watch the subtle shift in her expression.
There it is—that familiar gleam in her eyes, the one that once tore through my carefully constructed world. I see the wheels turning in that clever mind of hers, already calculating the potential access to information she might gain from this arrangement.
How naive. As if I would let her anywhere near anything truly sensitive.
“You’d have to sign an NDA, of course,” I add, noting how her lips press together at that detail. “And any research would be strictly compartmentalized. Need-to-know basis only.”
She shifts her weight, wincing slightly at the movement. “And this would cover my… debt to you?”
“In full.” I nod, knowing I have her. The journalist in her can’t resist the potential for insider access, even if it is carefully curated.
I study Liv as silence stretches between us. Even battered and cornered, she maintains that steel core I remember—the one that had made destroying her so appealing eight years ago. And now, watching her weigh her options with calculated precision, I have to admit she is one of the few people who can match my own capacity for strategic thinking.
A worthy opponent. The thought is both irritating and… stimulating.
Her green eyes meet mine, sharp despite her exhaustion. I can see the moment she makes her decision.
“I accept your terms,” she says, voice steady. Always the professional, even in surrender.
I extend my hand, noting how she hesitates for just a fraction of a second before taking it. Her grip is firm, betraying none of the vulnerability she’d shown earlier. The contact sends a familiar spark of electricity through my arm, one I carefully ignore.
“Then we have a deal.” I keep my tone neutral, even as satisfaction courses through my veins. She has no idea what she’s just agreed to and how completely she’s played into my hands.
The handshake lasts precisely three seconds before she withdraws, but I can still feel the phantom warmth of her skinagainst mine. Like a mouse stepping into a carefully laid trap, she’s sealed her fate with that simple gesture.
The predator in me purrs with contentment. Liv Consoli is back in my world, and this time, she won’t be slipping away so easily.Time for revenge.
Chapter 3
Eight years of spite walks ahead of me down the hallway. At least I have a very nice view of his ass as we walk in his expensive penthouse over looking the city.
