The Pain We Nurture

Page 3

Two weeks later Olivia sat in the locker room of the diner, gasping as tears fell from her eyes while she dug her fingers hard into her hurt arm. She’d just closed but couldn’t bring herself to walk to her car just yet.

Gasping, she took her last Percocet and swallowed it dry.

God if you’re there, she started. Then scowled and cut the prayer off as quickly as it started. No point in praying when you”re abandoned. If God can’t help a little girl to live, why should he be bothered with my arm?

Olivia hadn’t heard from Colin, except from him reminding her of their appointment the next morning at ten o clock. She appreciated the space, as she was still reeling from the hottest sexual encounter she’d ever had and needed time to think about things.

Their night together, she’d waited until Colin left before going back outside, scooping up the money and taping it together. Placing four of the five hundred dollars in Allison’s shoebox and then using the other one hundred to buy a few groceries.

Olivia walked wearily into her apartment, the most exhausted she’d ever been. She took a few minutes to warm up some chicken noodle soup she’d made and spaced out as she stared at the food rotating in the microwave. Her vision was blurry, and she swayed rather unsteadily on her feet. She’d barely been sleeping, working almost eighteen-hour days for the last two weeks on top of seeing her new clients, and she knew she looked rough.

She ate and laid down, hearing her phone ping.

See you tomorrow at 10a. -C

She tried to type out a response, before her phone hit the pillow and she fell asleep, not having sent it.

***

Olivia woke up the next morning feeling slightly more refreshed, having been able to get a solid nine hours of sleep for the first time in about four years. Picking through her closet, she contemplated what to wear. She’d decided she’d go to the meeting with Colin to turn him down in person. It was only the right thing to do after he treated her to such a lovely dinner and had given her money.

She’d even bought and sent him a thank-you card to his office over a week ago. To show him she had manners, the necessary manners that a person needed to have. The manners he didn’t think she possessed.

Asshole, she thought to herself again for the dozenth time. There was something about him she couldn’t place. Something dangerous simmering beneath his cloak of magnetism.

Mindful of her arm, she pulled on a cheap department store cream linen dress. And accessorized with her ‘Ally’ necklace and stylish dark green ballet flats. She didn’t put on any makeup aside from mascara and gloss and brushed her hair into a shiny, flowing mass down her back. Humming gently, she got into her car and put Colin”s office address into her GPS, wincing as he was forty-five minutes away. She checked her gas level, relieved, as it was fine for now.

She smiled as she got closer and closer to Colin”s office, imagining the look on his smug face when she turned him down, telling him she never wanted to see him again. The truth, as she just didn’t need the complication. She wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for, but she knew she wasn’t it. She didn’t belong in his world.

And thanks to Gypsy coming through with the extra clients, she’d almost earned all the money she needed, and she was only halfway through the month. She sighed contentedly, happy that she didn’t need what he alluded to in his text two weeks ago.

Olivia pulled next to a tall office building, making sure it was the right one. C. McDermont and Tech Holdings, LLC. in large, intimidating, shiny chrome letters. She glanced quickly around at the car park outside of the building and saw no empty spaces. She parked illegally, not having change to put into a street meter.

I’m only going to be in there for a few minutes, anyway, she thought to herself.

She nervously gave her cream dress a smooth over with her hands before walking confidently into the glass building.

Swanky, she thought, admiring the tastefully done architecture and the interior decoration of the place.

Spotting one of the two pristine receptionists seated at a long mahogany desk with a marble countertop, she introduced herself sweetly. The letters C. McDermont and Tech Holdings, LLC. striked an imposing presence on the wall behind them. The shiny chrome letters backlit against white lighting. She frowned slightly, not having realized that Colin was such a big deal.

Olivia bit her lip, suddenly finding herself shy and uncomfortable. Wondering who she really went to dinner with. Her eyes fell on the mounted letters again.

It further solidified her decision to let him down, maybe not with glee this time. How could she involve herself with someone so apparently well off and connected? Would he know her clients? If they became involved, she wouldn’t be able to continue to work if he ran in the same circles as her clients. That was too big of a risk to take.

No, it’s better to just cut it off at the pass and keep it moving.

“I have a ten-o”clock with Mr. McDermont,” she stated confidently, inspecting the extensive area with a keen, curious eye. There were several banks of elevators, men in suits walking around, well-dressed women with their heels clacking on the marble floor. The receptionist got up and walked her to the bank of elevators, before sharply turning right and turning to face another lone elevator. This one was flanked by huge potted ferns.

She watched curiously as the woman entered a code into the wall before pressing her hand to her ear and spoke into it softly.

“Ms. Cameron is on her way up, sir,” the woman nodded at her and waved her into the elevator before disappearing down the hallway once more.

“Wait,” she called, hastily, “I don’t know what floor to pick,” the elevators closed in her face, and she scowled before looking at the panel and seeing only one button. Up. She pressed it, suddenly feeling unnerved. She smoothed her dark red hair nervously, pulling half of it to drape across her right arm and chest. Wanting its protection from his gaze in case she had another embarrassing muscle spasm.

Get it together bitch, it’s just a freaking elevator, she hissed at herself in her head as she felt the ground rise beneath her.

A few seconds later she arrived at the top of the building smoothly. The elevator doors opened, gracing her with a breathtakingly beautiful view of the skyline of Connecticut just in front of her. Her lips parted as she gasped in pleasure, forgetting herself as she felt her feet take her to the wall of windows. Mesmerized, she peered in awe at the sight outside of the windows, seeing beautiful fall-colored trees amongst the buildings.

“Hello, mamacita,” she heard from across the room.

Turning in surprise, her hand flew to her throat. She’d forgotten for a second why she was even there. She instantly flushed, remembering what happened between them two weeks ago after dinner. And seeing him now in all his CEO power had her second guessing all her confidence.

Her eyes met his from across the expansive and lush space of his office. He had a singular wall of glass that sat behind his desk.

She remained silent. For once in her life, she was not sure how to conduct herself. Colin looked cool and in control in a dark blue suit, his blue tie matching his socks. His brown hair was styled in a sexy tousled mess on top of his head, or maybe he’d spent the morning running his fingers through it.

She wondered if he was anxious to see her.

Colin arose from the seat at the head of his desk and swiftly walked around it. His gait relaxed and controlled before bending to press his lips to her cheek once he arrived in front of her. He placed a hand on her lower back and walked her over to an intimate sitting area. The tastefully decorated section was lush, intimate, and inviting. The coffee table in the middle of the space held a manila folder and a remote. Presumably to the flat screen TV above the drink cabinet in the room.

Olivia lowered gingerly to the loveseat, trying to ignore Colin sitting next to her.

She curiously caught his gaze as he offered her a drink. Surprising him as she said yes.

“Sure, I’ll take a vodka,” she smiled nervously. He stood up once more to walk to the drinks cart.

Must be nice to blatantly drink on the job with no one to reprimand you for it, she thought wryly. She felt her mouth tip up in an amused smile. Her eyes fell to his backside, and her mouth suddenly went dry. And she struggled to smile.

What does he look like when he’s thrusting into-

“Ice?” Colin half turned his head while he was at the drinks cart. He startled her out of her musing and her lashes fluttered as she brought her gaze up to his profile, attempting to focus.

“Yes please,” she licked her lips.

That’s ok, I’ll just fantasize about his tight ass when I’m home, she smiled again. Tilting her head as her eyes lowered again. She just couldn”t help herself around him, didn”t even think she wanted to help herself.

“Chaser?”

She heard ice clink into glasses as he moved, working to make their drinks.

“No,” I’m not going to drink it anyway, Olivia thought as she smiled prettily at him. Knowing she had asked him to make her a drink so she could manipulate the meeting. She wanted a bit of control.

“Ladies have chasers, Olivia,” he murmured quietly, his voice caressing her body sexily.

She snorted slightly, looking away from him and placing her gaze to the corner of the room. Fuck you.

His eyes crinkled as he finally turned and looked at her with his eyebrow raised, as if he heard her curse him out. She cleared her throat slightly and gave him her most polite smile.

Make him work before you turn him down, girl, the voice niggled gleefully in her head. Bouncing around with joy while outwardly she stared at him silently as he made his way to back to the loveseat.

Influenced by the look of the mouthwatering drink he”d handed her, she changed her mind and decided to partake. Finding herself suddenly needing the liquid courage. He just looked too delicious, and she needed to settle her nerves.

Colin sat back down next to her on the loveseat, handing over her drink, and taking a sip of his own. He licked his lips while she shot her drink back and sucked on the lime that he offered her. Grimacing slightly as the burn immediately hit and spread, she bemoaned the dull thudding that hit her vagina, reminding her of why she didn’t drink. She became insanely turned on when she drank hard liquor, and she really didn’t have time for that.

Colin’s eyes flicked down, seeing her legs clenched together tightly. He took his time to rake his gaze over the sight of her curvy calves and knees, exposed by the dress she was wearing. His eyes suddenly flicked to her right arm, the one that he knew bothered her. Thick wavy locks of dark red hair currently covered it.

She’d accepted the glass and drank with her left hand.

“You’re still keeping your right arm close to your body,” he said quietly, observing her slender hand and fingers wrapping around her ribcage. “It’s been two weeks, and you haven’t had it looked at because I can tell that you, at the very least, need a sling,” his eyes landed back on hers as he took another deep drink of his glass, and she could tell he attempted to hide the irritation that flashed across his features.

Glancing down she saw his fingers twitch. Her eyebrow raised haughtily in a slight challenge, making a hot bolt of desire rush through him.

“I haven’t had it looked at. No,” she said simply, not bothering to elaborate.

He nodded in response, seeming to breathe through his irritation and arousal. His eyes found hers before he spoke, breaking the silence between them.

“I would like to buy the rights to the blueprint renderings of the residence I saw in your home,” Colin stated simply, snagging the folder off the table. He folded his ankle over his knee and leaned back, placing the folder on his elevated leg and just watching her patiently.

Olivia’s brow furrowed as she carefully placed the glass on the table. The heavy mass of her hair tumbling forward to spill across her front with her movements. She glanced at the table as she obsessively made sure to put the glass on a coaster.

His eyebrow twitched.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Olivia said, blinking at him as genuine confusion and shock colored her voice. She truly didn’t expect this, out of all the things he could have said. She thought he was going to ask her out on another date. Or some such thing.

Colin handed her the folder, and she took it slowly, before opening it with shaking fingers. Her eyes widened seeing her drawings that were currently in her home, now in black and white on paper in front of her. Looking quite professional. Out of her peripheral she saw him turn the TV on with the remote.

And a 3D-colored rendering of the home she’d designed a few years ago in college popped up on the screen. The images turned in slow motion to showcase all angles of the exterior of the house.

The house he’d coincidentally colored the same color she wanted her herself.

Olivia sat back against the plush back of the couch as her jaw hit the floor. The images on the television screen continued turning as the images faded away and reappeared with new images, showing multiple angles of the home and landscaping as well as dozens of pictures of imaging of the inside of the home. It was an impressive presentation, and looked even better than she’d imagined when she originally drew it up. He’d colored the house in a tasteful blue gray and white in some places.

The color was broken up by stone pillars, and more stone fireplaces dotted all throughout the house. The presentation even showed recessed lighting in the house, and there was a rather impressive outdoor terrace off the master bedroom that hosted a private hot tub and outdoor television area. A screened in day bed was on the other side of the private terrace.

The man had been busy in the two weeks they’d last seen each other.

The slideshow finished as Olivia came back to her senses. Closing her mouth, she realized her face was wet. She raised a trembling hand to her face and touched her cheek gently in surprise as she stared at the dark television, lost in her thoughts. Not noticing his eyes turned a warm brown at her crying.

Colin waited patiently.

“Do you know what you just did, what you just gave me?” she whispered, her eyes now sliding to meet his, more tears leaking out of her eyes. It didn’t even bother her to cry in front of him, because he’d given her a precious gift. The ability to see her vision played out in real life.

She’d only ever imagined what he’d just shown her. Colin tilted his head at her and regarded her slowly.

“How much do you want for the drawing? What does this mean to you?” Colin asked again calmly. She met his stare silently, and he waited patiently as he could see a dozen thoughts crossed her mind at once.

“What’s the catch?” Olivia asked, her eyes narrowing suddenly as her tears dryed up.

Colin cocked an eyebrow at her and grinned wickedly. His eyes flicked down with interest as he saw her breath hitch and her nipples poked through the thin material of her dress before landing on her eyes again.

“Very smart, Olivia. I’m afraid there’s three catches. When you sell this to me, you can’t sell it to anyone else. You are not allowed to build this rendering for anyone else. This is a one and done deal. Not even for yourself,” he smiled at her not unkindly, noticing his own breath had become strained as his body tightened with tension.

Olivia narrowed her eyes slightly at him as she blinked, attempting to process this information. She realized that in giving her one dream, he was taking away another. Her dream to live in said house, or even a smaller rendering of it. And then she scoffed at her own foolish thoughts because how was she ever even supposed to afford to build it to begin with?

It was and continued to be a pipe dream that haunted her from the corner of her living room.

Her mouth turned down in a slight frown and her eyes slid down to the empty space between them. Colin stretched a leg out, the material of his pants stretching tight across his thick legs, momentarily distracting her. He cleared his throat, causing her eyes to lift back to his.

“So, I need you to think hard about the amount. What do you think you’re worth?” his elegant voice drug out the last word almost seductively, the warm hints of his accent floated across the still air between them.

A small flashback of them at diner when he asked her a similar question of what she wanted came to the front of her mind.

Again, the cogs of her mind turned.

“You went through my things when I was in my bedroom?” Olivia said in disbelief, for some reason, that being the first thing she wanted addressed. She shot daggers at him across the seat. He nodded solemnly, unashamedly, arrogantly. Though it irritated her, she dismissed it as momentarily inconsequential. The man wanted a monetary figure for her work. She didn’t have to figure out how to turn down his romantic advances.

Olivia crossed her legs and turned her gaze away from him once more, to rest on the drinks cabinet situated across from them against the wall.

She narrowed her eyes as she picked through each drink at the cart. Wondering for the millionth time which brand of liquor the drunk driver who’d killed her parents was drinking the night of the fatal accident.

Silently, Olivia focused.

She considered multiple facets about her life. Thinking about her student loans, finishing paying off her sister’s house, and the various medical bills and quickly came to an amount she thought might be suitable. She didn’t want to play her hand too soon.

“I guess that would depend on what you can afford?” she asked plainly, turning her eyes to his.

Colin gave her another one of his slow smiles, except this one seemed much more self-satisfactory. As if he had a precious secret, she wasn’t privy to yet.

“Just give me a number, Olivia,” Colin said, leaning back further in his seat and taking another drink.

“Two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. All cash, and all up front. Then the blueprints will be yours,” she said suddenly. “If you’re serious?”

Colin arched his eyebrow, a slightly surprised and impressed look flashed across his features as studied her for a minute, before nodding thoughtfully. He made a low humming noise, his thumb rubbing the knuckles of his hand which was draped across the back of the loveseat.

Olivia felt herself give him a small satisfactory smile of her own. Feeling like she was having an out of body experience.

See? Can’t afford it.Not able to help herself, she smiled wider, relishing the feeling of besting him. Then her smile disappeared as soon as it came with the next words, he exhaled heavily before speaking.

“I thought you were going to lowball yourself, so I created a third catch. This one more mutually beneficial. I’ve been working on this for two solid weeks while I waited for you,” Colin said darkly, running his fingers across his slight beard softly.

His eyes flitted to her mouth, and she swallowed hard, noticing he was remembering the brutally intimate kiss from two weeks ago. She touched her fingers to her own lips before accepting the folder he’d presented to her. She fought desperately to ignore the butterflies tightening her stomach.

Carefully opening the folder with her left hand, she scrunched her face up in annoyance, seeing a rather official document. Multiple money figures. Bullet points. The document was a few pages long and looked incredibly complex. She didn’t have time for this. Not bothering to flip through it she quickly checked her phone to see how long she had until her shift.

“What’s this?” Olivia asked irritably, her eyes set back on his. He stared at her as she hoisted the document slightly between them.

“Read it please,” he responded, just as shortly.

“My shift at the diner starts in two hours, so I apologize but I truly don’t have time for this, Colin. I need to leave soon, or I’ll be late. I can’t afford the luxury of taking an extended break out of my day for random nonsense,” irritated, her voice rang out in the spacial expanse of his office.

The damn man smiled at her, his white teeth flashing before taking his phone out of his pocket and speed dialing a number. A few seconds later he spoke, his eyes tight on hers.

“Ms. Belinda I am truly sorry to call on such short notice, but I am going to need you to close the diner down for the rest of the day, somethings come up. Yes. Yes, with pay for all the employees affected today. The food will of course be reimbursed. Yes. Thank you, Belinda,” he kept Olivia’s eyes with his own while he finished the call and hung up.

A minute later she was still staring stupidly at him as her phone chirped, Belinda texting her to not bother coming in for her shift and she would still be paid regardless. Her mouth fell open.

“Sit. Down,” Colin ordered, his voice stern and rough.

Olivia had risen off the seat, slowly shaking her head as the last forty minutes of being in his office hit her all at once. She plopped back down, hearing her purse hitting the floor with a thud. She ripped open the folder, tearing it slightly, she was so angry.

Smiling, Colin got up and freshened their drinks. Pouring her a little more as he knew the fury was really about to come. He quietly thanked God for a private soundproofed office.

Colin closed his eyes and inhaled with pleasure at her indignant gasp. It didn’t take long for a verbal reaction.

“You-y-you…you…” she whispered, her eyes wide as scanning the document, stopping only to flip the page to continue reading. She gasped before jumping off the couch, with an irate expression.

”Have you lost your motherfucking cojones, Colin?” she yelled at him, her whole body tense as she waved the contract dramatically with her left hand. Her eyes were wild, pinning him with her stare. Colin bit back the sharp flash of desire at her temper.

”Wrong word sweety. Cojone”s means balls, and mine are perfect if I say so myself. I think the word you want is mente.”

”Yeah okay then, that. THAT! Have you fucking lost it?” she hissed at him, her lips tight. ”I”m a p-person, Colin!” Olivia stammered.

”Obviously.Sit your ass down and read the contract.”

”NO!” she shouted, ”You can”t tell me what to do, what are you playing at? Tell me right this fucking instant!” Olivia lost it as her speech became shrill, and rapid.

Colin moved, striding to her purposefully. Olivia”s eyes widened and she stumbled back a step, falling back down onto the couch, her dress rode up her legs.

Colin didn”t slow, coming up to her then lowering himself onto her, his knees sank into the couch cushions as he straddled her legs. He lowered himself heavily, subduing her.

”Get the fuck off me-” she hissed, her neck craning back as she attempted to lean away from him and push him off her.

Colin”s eyes flashed as he leaned down into her face, he put a hand to her jaw and a finger to her lips.

”Calm. Yourself. Down. Right. The fuck NOW!” he said deathly quietly into her face.

Olivia shook her head no, her chest heaving as he settled more of his weight onto her. He nodded his head back just as rapidly, his breath washing over her face as he spoke.

”Yes. Yes, Olivia, you will calm yourself. Calm. Breathe. Good girl, now take a deeper one. Deeper. Again. Again.”

Olivia felt her heartbeat slowing as she did what he instructed, her eyes still wide as his finger continued to press into her lip. She realized they were rocking slightly against each other, and he was breathing with her as well to help calm her.

”I”m calm..I”m calm. Please get up,” she whispered, blinking slowly. Her hips relaxed into the couch and she realized she missed the weight of his body as he smoothly heaved himself off her. He walked back to the drinks cabinet, giving her room. She gave him a nasty side eye until he finished putting the space between them. She went back to the document, keeping quiet.

He was happy to stand there and watch her eyes flickering back and forth as she read. Her eyebrow arched at one spot in the document, and he smiled. His eyes lowered as he let his gaze wander freely, unashamedly. He glanced slowly down at her legs, now crossed again and she was swinging her foot anxiously.

Colin leaned against the drink cabinet, crossing his legs and getting comfortable watching her as she got to the delectable part of the document. Her little noises of disbelief bounced around his head, and he committed these noises to memory as he wanted to hear them in other scenarios.

When she got to page three, Olivia tilted her head as she stiffened and almost damn near stopped breathing. Colin watched with amusement as her eyes went wide as saucers. His own breath hitched as his need got hotter, watching her struggle for breath.

He slowly came to stand in front of her before lowering to the table and sitting. Waiting patiently as she flipped to the last page, the signature page.

“It’s going to be so good between us,” he leaned forward and pushed back a lock of silky red hair behind her ear. Tempting fate, he leaned in further and placed his lips to hers, tasting her cry of surprise and the vodka she’d just drank. He licked inside her mouth deeply, chasing more of the scent, more of her scent.

“None of it’s negotiable. The contract stands as is. I want your blueprints, and I want your body and your time,” he said as he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

”You”re a sadist?” she bit out, sounding like she was speaking through a tunnel, like she couldn”t quite make her words reach where she needed them to.

Colin nodded, tilting his head as he regarded her silently.

They stared at each other for a tense minute, neither of them willing to be the one to cut the tension mounting between them.

”You don”t even know me, Colin. We don”t know each other. I could be childish, immature, make your life a living hell. You don”t even know if I”m good in bed. I could be a lousy lay.”

Colin barked out a laugh. ”Oh come on Olivia, don”t insult my intelligence this way. I wouldn”t be attracted to you if you were like a child. You are not like a child. I pay attention, and have been watching you carefully. You are smart, you act safe. I observed your behavior in the diner when we first met, when we went to the Italian restaurant you didn”t even want to let me drive. Your phone call on the way home, though disturbing, speaks to very grown issues that you are dealing with, and have been dealing with for quite some time.” Colin tilted his head and crossed his arms, tapping one hand on his bicep. ”I even listened to how you handled your business. Quite efficiently and admirably if I may say so myself. Even now, you aren”t taking the money easily even though we both know how badly you need it. You are cautious. I am a little worried about your manners, that mouth needs some fucking taming. And as far as the lousy lay, hmmm,” he bit his lip and groaned, the sound vibrating between them as his eyes lowered to the juncture between her legs.

Olivia felt her heart crawl into her throat and lodge itself rather uncomfortably. She fidgeted, squirming.

Colin stared quietly for a minute before his eyes flickered up to hers. ”Something tells me that”s not true, but I promise you, I have more than enough energy to tame that mouth and that pussy. Something tells me they”re both hardheaded and you know what they say about a hard head.”

Olivia”s jaw dropped open at his last sentence and she sputtered, knowing he was right. She had a wicked mouth. She opened her mouth to speak, and Colin interrupted her.

”That was not a question. The taming starts now.”

She sucked in an indignate breath.

”Ok back to the fucking point. You want me to be like a sex slave. You want to have sex with you, whenever, however, wherever, as much as you want. I”m to give up my home, to live with you? For two freaking years? I have to call you ”sir”? I can”t buy my own shit, I have to give up my car? I have to give you my phone? MY PHONE, Colin? I”m gen z, I can”t fucking deal with that-”

Colin interrupted her. ”Reread it, only your burner phone. You”re done with the side hustle. And I mean allll the fucking way done, Olivia.”

She continued on like she didn”t hear him.

”And let”s not even talk about the-the-” she paused, flipping through the contract to find what she wanted. ”use of electricity, and-and foreign object insertion-Colin. Colin,” she looked back up, ”Is this some sort of joke? Am I being pranked like that show punk”d? Are there cameras in here? I mean... Am I to be expected to wait at the door for you when you get home too? Like ”your every wish is my command, sir”.”

”You done being a fresh little witch?” Colin rasped, his eyebrow arching.

”Oooohhhh!You had better be so fucking thankful you said witch with a ”w”,” she flashed her eyes at him.

”Take this fucking seriously, Olivia.” Colin”s eyes flashed back at her. ”This is in fact not a joke, and stop treating it like it is to try and dissociate yourself.”

Olivia”s head recoiled, offended. They stared at each other for several heartbeats and reality sunk in when she realized this wasn”t in fact a joke. He was dead serious. She huffed out a breath, not realizing she”d been holding it until her lungs burned.

Oh my God...

“Why me… can’t you have anyone you want?” she said, her voice quivering as the weight of the situation settled heavily on her. Seeing her slight distress, he reached forward and fluttered his thumb across her cheek. His brow furrowed as she stared rather seriously into her eyes.

His heart squeezed.

“I’m a fucked-up person Olivia, as evidenced by the contract in your hand. That day you let me in from the rain you saved my life, and you didn’t even know it. I wasn’t there by chance, I was trying to wreck, praying for someone to hit me in the darkness out in that storm,” Colin stopped, seeing Olivia’s shocked expression. “But then I saw you through the window at the diner, and something about you called to me.”

He paused and they stared into each other”s eyes for a heartbeat before he smiled at her gently and resumed speaking.

”I stood there watching you for a while when you were closing that night. And your determination fueled me. I want you, Olivia,” he whispered her name rather reverently and her eyes bored into his. Her own deep-seated pain recognizing his in his eyes, knowing he was telling the truth.

Trauma understood trauma.

“You were trying to kill yourself?” she was barely even able to make the words escape her mouth.

Her heart pounded painfully, and she felt her skin break out and her belly flipped a nauseating somersault making her sway slightly in her seat. She tried to hid her fingers trembling, her mind raced, trying to figure this charismatic man out.

Looking down, Olivia felt her heart breaking for him. She’d never had anyone tell her they wanted to kill themselves before and it was jarring.

“Why?” she felt her hand slide forward towards him, before pulling back nervously. Not sure how she felt about comforting this obviously complicated stranger.

Colin tilted his head again as his eyes stayed trained on hers, a deep exhale left him as if he was disappointed in her reaction. Like he craved for her to touch him and she was denying him.

Olivia tensed, feeling his breath brush her fingers with their close proximity. She flexed her fingers, waiting for a response.

“I want you to know that I am in therapy every single week without fail, and I see a psychiatrist for treatment as well. That was my first ever attempt in twenty-three years, but I had a horrible trigger that day and could not pull myself out of a panic attack. I cannot talk about the why right now. Just know, you won’t have to worry about that,” he reassured her, his fingers tapped rhythmically on his leg.

Olivia followed the movement, seeing it was more of a soothing reflex than agitated gesture.

Olivia nodded; not quite sure she believed him. “Um…because no offense but I don’t think I could mentally handle walking in on a… on a…” her eyes met his before looking away hastily. She wet her lips, changing tactics. “It takes an awful lot to sh-shock me, Colin,” she said quietly, holding the contract to her chest, and meeting his gaze. “I’d have to do these th-hings, with y-you. To get the terms of the contract? No, this is too… convenient to be true,” she refrained from saying good.

Some of the stuff described in there wasn’t good at all. She blinked away from him in embarrassment, flushing a deep red as she thought about the acts listed on page three of the contract and swallowed hard.

“And page three… I don’t think I like page three,” her voice was unsteady, her eyes couldn’t meet his any longer. Her fingers shook as nerves began to once again get the better of her.

“It’s non-negotiable. If you don’t agree to page three, then everything else is moot,” he said quietly, tilting his head. “Page three won’t be happening for several months. We’ll have to work our way up to that. So your body won’t go into shock right away. We will need a lot of trust between the both of us to navigate that act. And I promise to make the pleasure outweigh the pain,” he suppressed a groan, fighting the lightheaded feeling of his blood draining from his head down to his cock.

Olivia’s eyes were wide as she finally met his and she stared silently.

Colin nodded solemnly. Page three of the contract was pretty intense, even by his standards.

“But… what about the board binding? And the use of electricity?”

Colin shook his head no. Refusing to repeat himself.

Swallowing the rest of his drink, he cleared his throat quietly, leaned forward, and held her gaze once again. Something clicked in her head and her eyes narrowed as her eyes flicked to his once more.

“Wait a fucking minute…” she said tightly, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat as her eyes flashed dangerously at him. “Are you doing this because you think I’m a prostitute? Because of my phone call the other night?”

Again, Colin shook his head no, eyes still calm and steady on hers. Olivia”s eyes narrowed at him even more, and she could hear her breaths coming faster as her face reddened further. She tightened her lips when she heard a low rumble emit from his chest.

“Take the offer, Olivia,” Colin’s eyes turned hard once more, losing their softness at the threat of her refusal.

“Why are you doing this? This is insane. It’s certifiable!” she said softly, turning away from the document and placing confused green eyes on his.

“Because sometimes the difference between those who are successful, and those who aren’t is only opportunity. They just need someone to give them a chance,” he said quietly, turning his brown eyes onto hers. “But my chances come with a hefty cost, I’m afraid.”

Olivia silently stood from the couch, watching him stroke his five-o clock shadow thoughtfully.

Please. Please say yes. I’ll help you make a beautiful life, baby. Don’t be stubborn, Colin thought. A small grin gracing his face as he silently willed her to accept the agreement. His eyes flashed threateningly as he noted her pregnant pause.

Huffing a breath, Olivia bent to snatch her bag up off the floor. Standing back upright she threw the contract onto the table in front of them with a slap. Her eyes met his as she straightened her shoulders.

“I would be interested in selling the blueprints, not the contract. It sounds like I damn well would be a prisoner,” she said, folding her arm across her torso as she regarded him.

“The two offers are joined, if you do not take the contract, then I will not buy the blueprints,” Colin said softly. He stood up and folded his arms tightly, mirroring her stance, looking down at her.

Olivia twisted her lips and arched an eyebrow. “That’s nonsense, you literally just offered me the-“

“I said no, they’re offered together. And I know how much you need the money,” he said seriously, tilting his head.

She tilted her own head to meet his glare head on, staying silent. Her plump lips pressed tight together. Bold, he took a step forward into her space.

“You are so fucking arrogant, it’s sick,” she whispered, goading him.

“I know. I am what I am, and I make no apologies for who I am whatsoever,” Colin replied, seeing her gaze rake down his form rather judgmentally.

She took her own step forward, putting herself in his personal space.

“See? You”re proving my point already. No deal. I couldn’t fucking survive living with your ego for two hours much less two years,” she quipped, her voice going slightly higher as she stepped into his space even more. “And you’d want me to call you ‘Sir’ too? Please, get the fuck out of here. I wish I would,” they were almost pressed into each other’s fronts.

Colin smiled at her and bent forward into her ear. Olivia tensed as the hair of his beard scraped her cheek gently.

“We’ll be testing that theory on your back, on your knees, with you screaming and clawing beneath me on every surface in my house. You may be right, you might not survive two years, but it won’t be because of my ego. It’ll be because of my cock, baby,” Olivia”s lips parted as he took the final step forward between them and his breath washed over her ear and her neck, making her whimper, and her flesh break out in goosebumps.

He continued to speak. And she found herself almost unbearably aroused at his rough words.

Colin dared to pull her dress up gently and place his fingers against her lace clad mound, sliding inside and agitating her clit as he deepened his voice even more. Olivia shivered, biting her lip to keep from crying out.

”I have a very demanding, and voracious appetite for sex, as you read. That business against your apartment door was nothing compared to how I’m going to fuck you,” he paused, hearing her ragged breathing, and letting the words sink in. “I’m not just going to fuck your sweet tight body, but I’m going to fuck your mind too. And I’m going to make sure it hurts so that the lesson sticks,” Colin”s rasped, desire making his voice thick.

Olivia felt her panties soak with his words as her clit twinged painfully as he manipulated her expertly, carrying her all the way to the brink and holding her there. She swayed into his chest, sagging as desire overtook her senses.

Colin moved suddenly, surprising her.

She hissed and cried out as Colin”s hand left her clit and his fingers pressed into her sore arm at the same time he grasped a straining nipple with the fingers of his other hand. Shocked, she jerked against him in pleasured pain.

”Now, imagine tiny bolts of electricity on these sensitive nipples while I have my lips wrapped around your clit, making you orgasm over and over again. Making you take it like the good girl I know you can be,” Colin”s elegant voice drilled deep into her brain, making her lose her mind.

Leaning her head forward to rest onto his chest, she moaned miserably. The two sensations clashing and making her knees liquify as a weak orgasm rolled through her body. Olivia shivered as she felt her skin break out in goosebumps. She raised her head after a minute, staring helplessly into his eyes. Her breath was ragged, her chest heaved as she battled with confusing emotions.

What the hell was that? Olivia thought, her eyes flickering between his.

Colin”s hand moved from her nipple to the back of her neck, feeling the warm dewy flush of her skin.

“You have a little girl who would be most appreciative of her aunt’s decision,” he spoke again. Not at all ashamed to use what little collateral he had against her. “It’s only for two years,” Colin pressed.

“Yes, but you can add on time as you please when you buy me things, it seems like?”

“Within reason,” Colin said, smiling slightly at her as she frowned at him.

“Within who’s reason?”

“Mine,” his chocolate-colored eyes turned darker, the irises dilating suddenly.

“Obviously,” she snorted. “What’s to keep you from taking advantage of me?” she asked.

“The whole point is to take advantage of you, and in doing so you’ll become a very rich woman,” he said, pressing his thumb slightly deeper into her neck. Watching her green eyes lower slightly.

Colin smiled wider as her lips parted slightly in surprise.

Olivia nodded silently, her eyes going back to the blueprint of the house she desperately wanted for herself but knowing instinctively that it was a pipe dream. It would be better to cut her losses and get the money they so desperately needed while there was a chance.

She blinked back tears, giving away her dreams for this home, to this man she barely knew.

“I know you said it”s non-negotiable, but I really don’t think I like page three,” she whispered, her eyes trained on his chest, unable to look at him. His chest expanded at her words, and she shivered, hearing a rough, barely suppressed sound emit from him.

God, the sounds you’ll make when we enact page three. Fucking hell… Colin took a deep breath to steady himself, the thoughts of her screaming, begging, and crying pulling him off kilter.

“Out of all the things, page three is the least negotiable one. Per the agreement we can only do that particular act twice a year. I meant it when I said this will take months of us building trust. Both of us, I’ll have to trust you too. Because page three will require you to give up all consent, not even a safe word to use. I can put a clause in stating that we will not engage in acts on page three until at least nine months out from today if it would make you feel better,” Colin assured.

Olivia rolled her lips, contemplating. Trying to see a way out, when she really knew what he was offering would change all of their lives.

“I don’t even know you. How do I know you’re even telling me the truth about all of this? If you can even afford it,” Olivia bit out to him, narrowing her eyes again at him.

Challenged, Colin narrowed his back, preferring to remain calm until after she signed. He reached into his pocket and opening his phone he logged into his banking app before pulling up his accounts. Facing the phone for her to see, he couldn’t help the self-satisfied smile that he felt on his face when she clocked how many commas were after each account. Olivia”s face was priceless. She closed her eyes on a deep exhale, and he could see her resolve leave her in waves.

”I can”t fucking believe I”m saying this... but deal. I accept,” she gritted.

Colin turned on his heel, snatching up the document from off the couch and walking to his desk again so that he could sign the contract before turning the packet and presenting Olivia with the signature page.

He felt his body catch on fire as she slowly signed her name on the paper in a big, beautiful scrawl. He leaned back, regarding her intently as they both sat there in complete silence. Neither of them speaking for long minutes as the shock set in.

“I will have you know that I don’t do shit like this. I don’t let men fuck me, and I definitely don’t get ordered around by them. I’m only saying yes, because my niece’s life is on the line,” she said, her voice sounding hollow.

“Hmm-hm,” Colin hummed, his finger rubbing his lip. They both knew what the unspoken irony was between them. If she didn’t then, then she does now.

Colin made the first move.

Noticing Olivia”s hands shaking, he leaned forward and dialed her apartment complex on his own phone, putting it on speaker. He sat back and watched with pleasure as she broke her lease, giving up her home that had been hers for the last four years.

He nodded at her as she took out her burner phone and dialed Gypsy, telling her that she needed to cancel her appointments for the rest of the month, that she would no longer be utilizing the service, and her phone would be cut off permanently. She then handed him the phone and watched silently as he placed the burner phone in his pocket.

Olivia’s next call was her boss Belinda, and tearfully told her that she’d be quitting, but she would still be seeing her as she would drop into the diner sometimes. Colin hummed in pleasure as she then called the bar to officially quit there as well.

At his instruction, she made another call to hire a moving service to pack up her apartment, reading off Colin’s Amex card credentials to pay for the men to pack up her things and take them to a storage unit. Which again, he arranged a two year fully paid agreement. Her next move was to send him an encrypted email with all her banking information as well as her credit card account information.

After a tense conversation about Allison’s medical expenses where Olivia was unable to tell him how much her care would be for the next two years, he had her call her sister to get her banking information as well. Promising to dump an undisclosed amount of money into her account so Vanessa would be able to pull from those funds, instead of relying on Olivia every month.

Olivia shook her head rather numbly, dreading having to deal with explaining that to her later. Vanessa sent the account information and Colin stepped aside to quietly make a phone call to his bank to expedite the process.

Olivia then signed a release of information to relinquish medical information, and an airtight NDA. She sent him her body measurements, her foot size, her preferred hair style, and had her college transcripts electronically sent to him.

She then waited patiently as he called some big wig dean at the Architectural school in the area and got her enrolled for the rest of the school year starting in the fall session. And was somehow able to plan out the rest of the classes she needed to graduate. Adding an additional four months onto their contract as a few of her credits didn’t transfer and she’d need to retake them. They had to revise and resign the contract to add the extra time.

Two and a half years almost, she was tied to him.

He then had her pull up her student loan information and pay off the entire balance, one hundred and twelve thousand dollars. Erased at once. She then called her sister again, promising that she would be over later to explain.

Explain what exactly? Olivia didn’t know…the temporary signing away of her life? The fact she agreed to be a move in sexual submissive to this sadistic powerful man who apparently was Oprah-rich.

Olivia sat on the couch, her chest heaving raggedly, she tensed in distress as her heart pounded uncomfortably at the magnitude of what she’d just done, and the possible ramifications of her actions. This man was going to fuck her, probably hurt her. When? She didn’t know, but it was coming at some point.

Her face flushed and her hand came up to her throat, knowing that they were both thinking it. She shuddered and kept her eyes averted from his.

Dueling emotions of desire and fear of the unknown filled her, making her weak.

She turned her gaze to him and blinked slowly. “I literally only asked you to make me a drink because I just wanted to have you do something for me that I would turn down. Because I wanted some semblance of control. Now I feel so stupid,” she whispered, swallowing thickly.

Olivia”s eyes searched his desperately, remembering how passionately he’d treated her when he had her against her apartment door. She flushed, feeling dizzy.

“Will you be gentle with me…sometimes? That”s probably a question I should have asked before I signed,” she whispered, too shocked to cry and not knowing if crying was what she needed.

Colin furrowed his brow and tilted his head slightly, seeing her face pale slightly. Worried at her expression, he made her lie on the couch and got her a small bottle of water to sip on. He knelt down next to her, holding the water to her lips, and ran a soothing hand down her arm and hip. Olivia closed her eyes, overwhelmed as a whimper left her throat breaking up the silence between them.

“I will not mistreat you, Olivia. We will work on building our trust. That’s why the timeline of the contract is so long. A lot of my pleasure is going to come from taking care of you, mama,” his deep voice wrapped around her almost hypnotically.

The stroking rhythm of his caresses barely penetrated the sudden onslaught of her emotions. She lay there deathly still, in shock.

I literally signed myself away to someone else for two and a half years.Like a sexual slave. This really takes the cake, Olivia made a small sound in her throat, her eyes popping open and finding his watching her carefully. They stared at each other in silence as he continued his long sweeping motions down her body.

“Think about what you’re gaining. You’ll get to finish your degree, I’m going to help you start your business, you don’t have to cook, clean, lift a finger for anything other than to please me.”

“But I’ll have to call you ‘sir’, kneel, let you have access to my phone, you can do… whatever you want to me.”

“Not without trust.We will build this relationship together. I’m not going to throw you off the cliff headfirst baby.And to answer your question, yes.There will be times when I am gentle with you, but there will also times I will not be gentle with you. But I will not be unkind to you, and I will not treat you badly. I just want to be close to you,” Colin’s voice somehow became deeper and softer at the same time as his fingers stroked her cheek.

“Okay…uhm…I’m actually tired. Like really tired. We”ve been here for hours,” Olivia felt a tear escape her eye as she looked at him, her cheek resting on the couch cushion. He leaned forward and caught it with his tongue before kissing his way to her lips.

“Then I’ve got the last phone call.”

Olivia sighed as Colin made the last phone call on her behalf, a tow truck to pick up her trusty beater off the street. He had the receptionist who put her in the elevator come up, and sent her car keys downstairs to give to the tow truck guy who was hauling it off. He watched the white ticket flicker on her windshield in the breeze as it rolled away.

Then they were alone, with no more emails, phone calls, or loose ends to tie up. Colin sat back down next to her after she sat back up and stared at him across the intimate expanse of the loveseat. She was quiet for a bit, watching him play with a long lock of her dark red hair.

“What now?” Olivia whispered, shell-shocked.

She blinked at his slow grin as he reached forward, grabbing her and pulling her into his lap. He lowered his head down, placing his lips on hers gently before tilting his head and licking deeper. Taking his time as he explored her mouth thoroughly. She reveled in that heady electrical feeling that sparked between them as their lips smacked together wetly. She blushed as he spent long minutes groaning as he made a meal of eating her mouth. Pulling away he whispered into her ear.

“Now, I get to take my time to discover every inch of you. Now, the real fun begins,” he said, grasping her hand and hauling her up gently by her left arm. “Welcome to your new life baby,” he smiled, escorting her to the elevator with his lips to her hair.

Colin led her to his car, where she waited patiently for him to open the passenger door.

Sneaky bastard put that in the contract. She was no longer allowed to open her own doors.