Chapter 6
Elara
Sunlight sliced through the blinds like knives-sharp, unforgiving. I woke slowly, body heavy, limbs tangled in sheets that smelled of him. Damian.
The penthouse bedroom was vast: dark wood, charcoal walls, king bed that felt like a throne. I was alone in it. The space beside me was cool-no warmth, no imprint. He'd been gone for a while.
My skin ached in the best way: faint bruises on my wrists from where he'd pinned them, tender spots on my breasts from his teeth, deep soreness between my legs that throbbed with every heartbeat. I shifted and felt the sticky evidence of last night-his release still inside me, trickling out when I moved. No condom. No barriers. Just raw, reckless claiming.
I pressed my thighs together. A shiver ran through me. Shame. Hunger. Something darker I didn't have a name for yet.
I sat up. The blindfold lay on the nightstand-folded neatly, like a trophy. Next to it: a glass of water, two painkillers, and a note in that same sharp handwriting.
Shower. Dress. Breakfast is waiting.
We're not finished.
No signature. Just the command.
I stared at the words until they blurred.
The en-suite bathroom was obscene-marble everywhere, rainfall shower big enough for three, heated floors. I stood under the hot water for a long time, letting it pound against my skin, trying to wash him off. Soap lathered over the marks he'd left-reddened bites, fingerprint shadows, the faint outline of his hand on my ass from when he'd bent me over the table.
It didn't work. The marks stayed. And deeper, inside, I still felt him-thick, pierced, relentless. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face when he came: eyes locked on mine, jaw clenched, a low groan that vibrated through both of us as he filled me.
I turned off the water. Dried myself with a towel softer than anything I'd ever owned. Wrapped it around me.
On the vanity: a new dress. Black. Satin. Short. No underwear laid out. Message clear.
I slipped it on. The fabric clung like a second skin, cool against my heated flesh. No bra either-nipples visible through the thin material. I looked in the mirror.
Ruined. Beautiful. His.
I walked barefoot into the main living area.
He was at the kitchen island-shirtless, low-slung grey sweatpants, hair damp like he'd showered earlier. Muscles shifted under tanned skin as he poured coffee. The piercing in his cock was hidden now, but I knew exactly where it was. How it felt.
He didn't look up at first. Just slid a mug toward me.
"Black. No sugar. Like you like it."
I froze. "How do you know that?"
He met my eyes. "I pay attention."
I took the mug. Hands unsteady. The coffee was perfect-strong, hot, grounding.
"Sit," he said.
There was a stool at the island. I sat. Legs crossed. Dress riding up my thighs.
He leaned on the counter opposite me. Arms braced. Muscles flexing.
"You're quiet," he observed.
"I'm thinking."
"About running?"
I swallowed. "About everything."
He nodded once. "Good. Think. But don't lie to yourself."
I looked down into the coffee. "You blackmailed me here."
"I gave you a choice. You made it."
"You took photos. Threatened to send them."
"I did." No apology. No regret. "And you still came."
Silence stretched.
I set the mug down. "Why me?"
He studied me. "Because the second you met my eyes on that dance floor, you didn't look away. You challenged me. And no one challenges me."
"That's it?"
"No." He rounded the island. Stopped in front of me. Tipped my chin up with one finger. "Because you taste like sin. Because you come like you're breaking apart. Because you left without a word and I haven't stopped thinking about you since."
His thumb brushed my lower lip.
"Because you're the first woman who made me want more than one night."
My heart slammed.
He leaned closer. Breath warm against my mouth.
"And because I'm going to keep you."
I pulled back slightly. "I'm not a thing."
"No." His hand slid to the back of my neck. Firm. Possessive. "You're mine."
He kissed me then-slow, deep, claiming. Tongue stroking mine like he was tasting every secret I'd ever had. I kissed back-anger, need, surrender all mixed together.
When he broke away, I was breathless.
"Finish your coffee," he said. "Then we're going to my office."
"Your office?"
"Blackwood Enterprises." He straightened. "You're starting work today."
I stared. "What?"
"Senior graphic designer. My personal team. Salary triple what you were making. Benefits. Your own office. Starting now."
I laughed-short, disbelieving. "You can't just-"
"I can. And I did." He walked to a side table. Picked up a slim folder. Dropped it in front of me.
Contract. Offer letter. Non-disclosure agreement. All already signed-his signature bold, black.
One line for me to sign.
I opened it. Read the terms.
No mention of sex. No mention of possession. Just work.
But the subtext screamed.
I looked up. "This is insane."
"Sign it."
"And if I don't?"
He stepped between my legs. Hands on my thighs. Pushed them apart. Dress rode up.
"Then I delete every copy of those photos," he said quietly. "I rehire you at your old agency. I disappear from your life. And you spend the rest of your days wondering what it would have felt like to be owned by me."
His fingers slid higher. Found me bare. Wet.
"Or," he continued, circling my clit slowly, "you sign. You work for me. You live here. You sleep in my bed. You come on my cock every night until neither of us remembers what life was like before."
I moaned-soft, broken.
His fingers pushed inside. Two. Then three. Pumping slow.
"Choose, Elara."
I gripped his shoulders. Head falling forward.
"I-"
He curled his fingers. Hit that spot.
I came-hard, sudden-crying out against his neck.
He held me through it. Whispered against my ear.
"Sign."
I reached for the pen. Hand shaking.
Signed my name.
He took the contract. Set it aside.
Then lifted me onto the island. Spread my legs wide.
Dropped to his knees.
His mouth claimed me-tongue, lips, hunger.
I threaded my fingers through his hair. Held him there.
Let him devour me.
Because I'd signed.
Because I'd chosen.
Because somewhere between the blackmail and the blindfold and the bare, raw sex-
I'd become his.
And he'd become mine.
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