Chapter 12 #2
My climax ripples through me, a tidal wave of pleasure that leaves me breathless, trembling. It’s a release, a surrender, a binding agreement. I’ve accepted his terms, his conditions.
His warm palm slides up my thigh, deliberate, lazy. I’m still trembling, my body betraying me in ways I don’t want to examine. As I try to shift, his grip tightens—possessive, unyielding—keeping me exactly where he wants me.
“Such an exquisite toy,” he murmurs. The praise slides into me like a hook behind my ribs, sharp and unshakable.
With a low growl, he dismisses Rafe and Matteo like they’re nothing. I try not to die of humiliation, knowing they saw—and heard—how he made me come all over his hand.
His hands trail up my stomach and over my bra, palms cupping my breasts, thumbs grazing my nipples through the lace. It shouldn’t feel good—but it does. Too good.
As soon as the two men are gone, his tone sharpens, but he doesn’t stop touching me. “Listen closely, Toy. I don’t like repeating myself.” His tone is low and serious.
I nod, breath shallow as understanding dawns on me. Men like him are used to the world bending on the first command, and right now, that includes me.
“The internship is yours,” he says like a verdict, not a reward. “I won’t waste your talent on filing paperwork or grabbing coffee. You’ll be mine to command. I’ll decide when you breathe, and how sweetly I want to hear you beg.”
The air thickens, his words coiling like a forbidden promise.
“I’ll control your calendar and facilitate your commute. You’ll work when I say, and if I want you kneeling under my desk between meetings, you won’t hesitate—”
“The hell I will,” I hiss, struggling to get off his lap.
But the bastard wraps his hand around my throat, squeezing just enough to remind me who’s in charge. He chuckles darkly. “Don’t bother pretending you won’t do whatever it takes, Piper. You’ve already proven that much to me.”
“You’re a pig,” I spit, outraged.
I don’t even know why I’m acting like this. I was just riding his lap, and I didn’t mind being on my knees for him. Yet, when he says it now, it makes me feel like I’m nothing more than a glorified whore that needs to be available when he wants me.
He sounds amused. “I’m worse than you can even imagine. But that doesn’t change a damn thing. You’re mine, and you’ll do exactly what I say, when I say it.”
His fingers drift along my thigh like he’s marking the edge of a map only he’s allowed to read.
“You don’t belong to the company,” he growls, voice low and possessive. “You belong to me.”
I let out an annoyed breath. “Is that all?” I ask, layering my voice in sarcasm.
“It’s all you need to know,” he replies, and I swear I can hear a grin in his tone. “Are you ready to sign the contract?”
Am I ready? No.
He’s right though, I don’t need to know anything else—I don’t want to. I just need to sign and pretend this never happened. Because if I think about it too much, I’ll break before I even begin.
I have a feeling that denial is going to become my new best friend until I graduate.
Going into this interview, I knew there’d be a catch, and here it is. Being owned until I’m officially done at Georgetown is nothing compared to what I’ll gain. So yeah, I can suck it up.
“I’m ready,” I say, ignoring the tremble in my voice. “Can I remove the blindfold now?”
He chuckles. “No need.” He doesn’t offer me any comfort or explanation.
Before I can process his words, he lifts me to my feet and guides me to a flat surface. A pen is pressed into my hand. His fingers close around my wrist, firm and inescapable, guiding me to where he wants my name.
“Say the words,” he breathes, his lips grazing the shell of my ear. “Let me hear you surrender, Piper.”
“What words?” I ask, even though I’m scared I already know.
“Say you agree.”
A shiver runs down my spine. “I agree.”
“Say you’re mine.”
I clamp my lips shut, refusing. But when the silence stretches, thick and waiting, I know I have to say something. So I settle on a compromise I can live with.
“You said I’m yours.” There. A half-lie dressed up as obedience.
“What a naughty toy you are.” His tone is amused, but the words let me know I haven’t fooled him at all.
I shut my brain off. No second-guessing. No hesitation. I grip the pen tighter and scrawl my name across the page. As soon as I finish, he releases me.
There’s no time to wonder where he’s gone before he’s back, ordering, “Lift your arms up.”
My body obeys him faster than my brain can argue, and that fucking infuriates me. Then I realize what he’s doing; he’s dressing me. And suddenly, I’m glad I didn’t hesitate. If I had, I might’ve said something stupid.
I t ilt my head to the side. “What now?” I ask, forcing the words to sound stronger than I feel.
“Now, I’ll escort you to the lobby. Then, your paperwork will be filed, and your advisor notified,” he replies, sounding like he’s checking things off his to-do list. Yet, his deep voice still manages to make it sound sexy.
“Okay,” I manage.
“Are you ready for your life to change, Toy?” The question makes me shiver, and causes goosebumps to erupt all over my skin.
He really needs to stop asking me that. I’m not ready for anything, I’m just really fucking good at pretending. “Sure,” I answer, hoping he can’t hear how hard I’m faking it.
He links his arm with mine and leads me out of the room.
The further we walk, the more sounds I hear; people talking, footsteps echoing. But none of it registers. I’m too focused on the man who just fingered me. It feels surreal… and so fucking hot I hate myself for it.
“Here we are,” he suddenly says, bringing us to a stop. “Miss Wilson will be here shortly. She’ll give you back your handbag and blazer. She’ll also arrange for someone to drive you home.”
I don’t even question how he knew I was wearing a blazer when I arrived. “Wait,” I beg, digging my fingers into his arm. “If I’m to work for you, shouldn’t I know your name?”
He chuckles darkly. “Why would you need to know that already?”
I gape, lips parted, something sharp stuck in my throat that I can’t name. It’s not a protest or surrender. It’s worse than both—I want to know.