"I already did." His gaze dropped to my mouth lingering hungrily before returning to my eyes. "And tomorrow when you look in the mirror you’ll see them. You’ll think of me. Just like I think of you every damn second. Every time I close my eyes. Every time my cock gets hard."
The air between us crackled with raw electricity. For one reckless moment I thought he might kiss me. Part of me wanted him to pin me against the desk and take everything.
Instead he finally stepped back giving me space I didn’t want.
Metal glinted beneath the office lights. My eyes narrowed. Keys. Motorcycle keys.
I stared. Then stared harder. Then looked at him. Then back at the keys. My brain struggled to catch up.
"The motorcycle keys are for you,” he said.
"What game are you playing?" I gasped.
His gaze never left mine. "No game."
Liar. Absolute liar. I could practically hear the trap waiting. The problem was that I couldn't see it yet. And somehow that made it worse. Slowly, Santino extended his hand. The keys dangled between us. Silver. Ordinary. Completely impossible. My pulse stumbled.
"Do you know how to drive?”
“Yes,” I whispered, remembering learning on an old bike Papa let me take from our Estate sometimes. I was the only one allowed such freedoms, because I was his favorite. He never let me forget it.
“Take them."
The room went quiet. The storm outside seemed to disappear. Everything narrowed. The keys. His hand. His eyes. I didn't move. Couldn't move. Because there was only one thought running through my head.
Leave. I could leave. The possibility hit me so hard it almost hurt.
My gaze snapped toward the windows. Toward the darkness beyond them. Toward the estate. Then back to him. Suspicion arrived. Violent suspicion.
"You've finally lost your mind,” I said.
"That happened years ago,” he reminded me. “But I’ll tell you more after your first joy ride.”
"There's security everywhere,” I muttered. “And the gates."
"They open,” he shrugged.
"The guards." I raised a suspicious eyebrow. “They’d let me go?”
"They work for me,” he said firmly. “They do as I say.”
I stared. Then stared some more. "What exactly are you saying?"
For the first time all evening, Santino's smile disappeared. Completely. Leaving nothing behind except certainty.
"I'm saying if you want to leave..." His voice dropped. "...leave."
The words hit like a punch. I froze. Because he wasn't joking. Wasn't teasing. Wasn't playing. The realization unsettled me more than any lock ever could. Slowly, carefully, I took the keys. Cold metal settled into my palm. Real. Heavy. Possible. My throat tightened.
"You'd let me go?"
A long silence followed. "I said you have a choice."
Something strange moved through my chest. I hated it. Choices weren't supposed to exist here. Prisons weren't supposed to come with exits. Monsters weren't supposed to hand over keys. The whole situation felt wrong. Dangerously wrong.
I looked down at the keys. Then back at him. "What’s my choice?"
A slow smile returned. There it is. The trap. I knew it. I absolutely knew it. "I want to make another bet."
