He cuts off abruptly at my sharp tone. He freezes at the look in my eyes. He stays frozen, like prey sensing danger, as I slowly walk around the counter to him. I don’t stop until I’m inches away, until his head is tilting back.
When I take hold of his jaw, his breath hitches. I don’t squeeze. He’s not in trouble. I just need him to understand how serious I am. I need him to hear me.
When I can see that he’s listening, really listening, I tell him, “You belong to me now, and that’s all you need to know.”
I’m blurring my roles, I know that. But Elias needs both parts of me right now.
His eyelashes flutter. He shudders.
It’s hard to let him go and step back, but I make myself. “Get out your phone,” I order.
There’s no chance of him disobeying me now. He goes to the register and pulls his jacket from under it. He gets out his crappy old phone, which I’ll be replacing very soon.
I get out my own phone. “What’s your number?”
I already have it in my burner phone, of course, but Elias can’t know that.
As he gives me the number, I type it in. I almost forget to ask him for his address but remember at the last second. He watches me type, looking puzzled when I keep going, then he jolts a little as his phone pings.
He looks at my text, which says,You’ll be picked up at 10.He blinks.
“T-tomorrow? Ten a.m.?”
“Yes,” I reply.
“But I have to … get ready.”
“There’s nothing you need to do other than shower. A team will pack up and clean your place—”
“Whoa, hold on—”
“I’m not backtracking through all of that, Elias. I already told you that you’d be relocating. You’ll have an apartment at The Axis—”
“TheAxis? You ownThe Axis?”
“I told you I own a hotel.”
“Yeah, but …” He stares at me.
“How do you even know about The Axis?”
He jolts. “Well. I mean. It’s pretty famous.”
I kind of want to chase that because The Axis isn’t really famous, not outside certain circles, but I need us back on track.
“Ten a.m., Elias. Be ready.”
“Eleven.” At my narrowed eyes, he flushes but insists, “I need to go do something.”
Annoyed but also kind of liking his little defiance, I exhale through my nose. “Fine. As long as it’s not something pointless like laundry.”
His eyes widen. “Oh. God. I do need to—”
“Elias. Forget about little shit like that. It will be done for you. You have different things to worry about now.” I let a threat slide into my tone because he could obviously do this all night, circling around to his doubts and questions. Is that what he does in his head? Go around in these circles?
I see the second his brain stops doing it. I see his relief. He nods. “Okay.”
“Eleven,” I confirm.
