He lowers his gigantic frame into the chair beside mine—which was already pushed back from the table—and leans down to take something out of the bag underneath.I blink as he slips a fancy black folder in front of me.
Skepticism roars through me, and my mental processes shift into overdrive.
“What’s this?”I ask with my hands firmly in my lap.
“It’s a job offer.Before you say no—” he reads me too well, but I can’t prevent my shoulders from tensing, “read the terms.Comb the fine print.Take it home and mull it over for a few days.I may die from anticipation but…”
He stops when I meet his gaze.I don’t know what emotion my face displays, but whatever he reads there halts him in his tracks.
“I’m expanding my company and need a computer programmer.You’re the only one I trust for the job.”
I lift my brow in disbelief.The two vertical curved barbells in my right eyebrow shift underneath my skin.
We haven’t met in ages.He hasn’t reached out to me once in fifteen years.Not a single update.He doesn’t know anything about me.
He runs his fingers through his hair and sighs before dropping his elbow to the table.
“Everything is negotiable.Look it over before you give me an answer.”
I barely resist the urge to pull my lip ring into my mouth as curiosity rises in me.Reading whatever is on the document won’t hurt me.I am not in danger.If I flip it open and it isn’t a job offer, I’ll slam it closed and walk away without ever looking back.If it is, I’ll glance over it, pretend to consider, then decline.
Before reaching for the folder, I slip my ring onto my finger and inhale a long, full breath as relief washes over me.
Sebastian leans back in his chair, but his bulk beside me is still intimidating.
The document steals my attention.
I make enough money from patents and royalties to cover my living expenses every month, but my father’s medical bills and the money my parents need to survive come from my freelancing, and I’ve hit an unexpected ceiling while working for myself.There are only so many hours in a day and only so much I can ask clients to pay for my services while limiting myself to legal tasks, and I can’t offer myself the benefits of a large company.
The thought of walking into an office as an employee—with other workers as peers and competition—curdles my insides, but I remind myself this isn’t high school.I’m not a child.Surely other people in the workforce are younger than I am.There’ll be no reason for anyone to single me out.
If I take Sebastian’s offer, I can pay off my father’s debts in two years instead of ten, while simultaneously improving his level of care.My mom can quit her second part-time job and stay at the house with my dad for more hours during the day.If they both weren’t so proud, maybe I could convince her to quit working altogether, but my hard work would be too much of a burden for them.
I swallow my trepidation and fill my lungs until my ribs hurt.My nipple piercings rub against my shirt.Warmth pulses between my legs as wetness coats my labia piercings.
I look up from the document and meet Sebastian’s deep brown eyes.My heart lurches in my chest, but I twist my ring and curl my hand into a fist to use the sharp edge of the gemstone to center myself.
I should stay as far away from Sebastian Sterling as I possibly can, but he’s offering me a deal I can’t refuse.
His eyes dip to my mouth.My stomach bottoms out at the hunger in his gaze.I release my lip ring—uncertain when I sucked it between my teeth—and know with every fiber of my being that I’m about to make the biggest mistake of my life.
But I do it anyway for the two beautiful souls who tried to be my place of belonging but fell painfully short because of the cruelty of the world.
I’ll work for Sebastian, but only until I clear my father’s debts and ensure his long-term care is funded.
My throbbing body and fluttering heart as he lifts his mesmerizingly intense brown eyes to mine say otherwise.
Curses.I suck at lying even to myself.
Chapter 4
Sebastian Sterling
My heart thunders in my chestand pounds in my ears as I wait for Penelope’s response.
I fight the urge to tuck her hair behind her ear and trace her piercings with my fingertips as she studies the papers.
So much has changed since my last year of high school.I’ve changed.She’s changed.Even though I don’t know her story, it’s clear life has thrown much more than I could ever imagine at her while we were apart.
