I wouldn’t force her to sleep in my bed.There would come a time for that, but the truth was, I didn’t want to fuck her right now.The trade—the debt—left a nasty taste in my mouth, and I wanted no part of it.It was only because I refused to trade Maeve, or let another person have her, that I had decided to go through with this.
I showed Maeve to her own room, and I thought it was only fitting that she took the top floor.It was fully furnished, along with a whole new wardrobe, a comfortable bed, everything a woman could ever want, apart from freedom.There were no rules, other than she could not leave.
Her life was forfeited.This was not my fault.This was the deal her family made.If Maeve left my ownership, she could be hunted down and killed.
There were several ways a woman in Maeve’s position could escape, the main one being a life for a life.If Maeve opted to kill someone in her family, or her whole family, that would deem her part removed, and the debt paid.
Another death.Maeve would have to die.
The final, marriage.
I know it’s archaic and bullshit, but she would essentially become my wife, and that would wipe out the debt, and Maeve would be free.
Unfortunately, death was the only outcome there.She could not marry me, then divorce me.There was no time limit.We would be married for life.
It sounded unfair, but rules were made for a reason, and we all stuck by them.For the most part, it kept the peace.
This was how my father made his deals.
This was not how I made my deals.
Once Maeve was shown to her room and I gave her the grand tour of the house, I was done.This had all happened three weeks ago.Yep, a debt collected.
Maeve lived in my home.I dealt with business as much as I could within my home, but I did have to leave from time to time.Deals needed to be struck face-to-face.I got a constant update from Albert, my butler, who ran my home with efficiency.For the first couple of days, Maeve did not leave her room.Food was delivered to her, then taken away.She kept to herself.
Clearly, she was expecting something else, as slowly she started to venture out.Little by little, she explored my home, and Albert continued to give me updates.It was cute.
Whenever I returned home, she was nowhere to be seen.I ate my meals alone, but I didn’t mind that.I had never been someone who wanted company.People tended to irritate me.It’s why my father often said I was going to die a lonely old man.
From my experience, people had agendas, and I was not interested in their bullshit.They were always trying to manipulate and force you into things you didn’t want to do.I couldn’t stand that.I didn’t want that.My life was much more peaceful away from all of that.
Until Maeve.
I’d told my father under no circumstances would I collect his debt.Just before he died, he had to show me the files and the details on what owning Maeve would entail.She was not a quitter.She was a fighter.Everything I learned about her called to me in my blood.I couldn’t deny the fact that I fucking craved her more than anything in my soul—which is why I didn’t mind this stalemate we were currently in.Maeve was getting comfortable.
I am many things.First and foremost, I’m a businessman, only I don’t deal with the kind of business you read about in the newspapers.I own many different businesses, from casinos to brothels, to drugs and guns.It all started when I was younger, and while my father built his own empire, I was taking care of mine.I started as a fighter, using my fists to create a reputation, and to make a lot of people afraid of me.Even to this day, I am unbeatable.My father started out as a small loan shark, lending out money, and interest for repayment went through the roof.He had deals going down, a lot of bad shit, especially with the Mafia and the Bratva.Maeve’s father was one of the men who loaned the money.
Joseph Taylor was a fucking snake.The bastard had deals going with the Mafia, Bratva, and my father.I didn’t know all the nitty-gritty details, but Maeve’s father sold out mine in an attempt to kill him, which sent the Mafia to my father.If he had not been the kind of man he was, all of this would have been gone.It nearly was.
My dad was a sweet talker.He struck a deal.Told the Mafia that came calling exactly what was going down, and that is why this deal was struck.The Mafia had been willing to let the whole Taylor clan die.Maeve’s fate was decided in that moment, before she was even born.
My father had wanted to kill the Taylors for a long time.I have killed a lot of people, and the number does not bother me.In fact, I don’t even remember the number, that is how unimportant it is to me.Death is part of life.
I took my father’s loan-shark business and made it what it is today.I was more powerful than my father ever was.The Mafia and Bratva came to me for help, and I’m the one that kept the peace.It’s funny how twenty-one years could change a life.
Change was inevitable.You’ve just got to be strong enough to see an end goal, or maybe not even see that goal.The truth was, I didn’t see any goal.All I did was fight every single day to be the man I was—the top dog, the one people feared.I loved and relished it.Which is why I shouldn’t be waiting around for fucking Maeve to get comfortable.I should be taking what I want.
I am many things, but a rapist and abuser I am not.In time, Maeve would come to me.I saw the interest in her eyes.It would take time to flourish, and I’ve never been a hotheaded bastard that couldn’t keep it in his pants.
She would come to me.
