My fingers shook as I dialed the number.It rang twice before he answered.
“Ms.Hughes.”His voice was dark silk.He didn’t sound surprised.“I was wondering when you’d call.”
“I want to discuss your offer.”
“Of course you do.”I could hear the smile in his voice.Predatory.Patient.Like a wolf that had been waiting for its prey to walk into the trap.“My office.Tomorrow.Nine a.m.”
He hung up before I could respond.
The Volkov Capital building was a tower of black glass that cut the skyline like a dagger.I’d driven past it a hundred times without really seeing it.Now it loomed over me, casting shadows that felt personal.
The lobby was all marble and cold light.A receptionist directed me to a private elevator with a security code.The ride to the penthouse floor took forever and no time at all.
He was waiting for me in an office that was designed to intimidate.Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.Artwork that belonged in museums.A desk of dark wood that looked like it had been carved from a single ancient tree.Furniture that managed to be both minimal and obviously expensive.
And Raphael.Standing by the window with his back to me, perfectly still, perfectly controlled.He wore a charcoal suit that fit him like it had been sewn directly onto his body.Even from behind, he radiated power.Danger.The kind of presence that made you want to back slowly toward the exit.
“Sit down,” he said without turning around.
I sat.The leather chair was cold against the backs of my thighs.I’d worn a dress, something professional, something that said I was here for business.A shield.Or nothing at all.
He turned.Those dark eyes swept over me, cataloging, assessing.I felt the weight of his gaze like a physical touch, traveling down my body with measured slowness.My skin prickled.My mouth went dry.
“You look tired.”
“I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“No, I imagine not.”He moved to the chair across from me, lowering himself with the controlled grace of a predator settling into position.His knee almost brushed mine.He didn’t look away, didn’t blink, didn’t give me any space to breathe.“Let’s not waste time with pleasantries, Ms.Hughes.You called me because you’re desperate.I offered to help because I want something in return.Shall we discuss terms?”
My heart hammered against my ribs.“What do you want?”
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, close enough that I could smell him.That dark, expensive scent I remembered from the lobby, rich and masculine, with a heat underneath that made my stomach clench.His eyes dropped to my mouth for just a second before returning to mine.
“You.”
The word hung in the air between us.
“I don’t understand.”
“I think you do.”His voice dropped lower, rougher.“I’m offering to pay off your debt.All twenty million dollars.I’ll write the check to Apex Lending myself.In exchange, you give me one year.You come to me every night for twelve months.Your time, your attention, your body.One year, and the debt disappears.”
The room tilted.I gripped the arms of the chair to keep from sliding off.“That’s… you can’t be serious.”
“I’m always serious.”He didn’t move, didn’t reach for me, but somehow the distance between us felt smaller.Like he was already touching me.“I’ve watched you for weeks, Lena.Watched you fight.Watched you struggle.Watched you sell your mother’s jewelry and pretend it didn’t break your heart.”
Ice flooded my veins.“How do you know about that?”
“I know everything about you.”The words should have been threatening.They were threatening.But the way he said them, low and certain, sent a flutter through me that had no business being there.“I know you haven’t slept more than four hours a night since your father’s stroke.I know you’ve been skipping meals to save money.I know you cry in the supply closet when you think no one’s watching.”
“Stop.”My voice shook.“Stop talking like you know me.”
“I know you better than anyone.”He leaned closer.Close enough that I could see the ring of gold around his pupils, strange and bright in the morning light.“And I know you’re going to say yes.”
“You want me to… to sleep with you?”
“I want you to belong to me.”He said it like he was reading a contract.Cold.Businesslike.But his eyes burned.“For one year, you’ll live in my home.Follow my rules.Submit to my requirements.”A ghost of a smile played at the corner of his mouth.“Your body will be mine to do with as I please.At the end of twelve months, you walk away free and clear.The debt gone.The hotel yours.”
Horror clawed up my throat.“That’s prostitution.”
