Page 28 of Contracted

The tip of his cigar burned bright. “You are?” His eyes burned almost as brightly. “You never mentioned wanting to leave?”

I lifted my chin. “You were a client. It wasn’t necessary to tell you.”

“You’re also his employee,” Sinead said archly. “He has every right to know.”

I glared at her before narrowing my eyes at him. “You’re not really going to use our working relationship against me, are you?”

He nodded at Sinead, his eyes hardening. “Get me her file.”

She hurried to do his bidding, unlocking the bottom drawer of her desk and shuffling through some hanging folders before selecting one. She withdrew it and handed it to him.

“Thank you.” He opened it and scanned one of the documents inside, then looked at me and said, “You signed a three month contract. You’re contractually obligated to stay with this agency for another month.”

“What?” I looked at Sinead then back to Serafino. Neither looked guilty about my situation. They looked pleased. “I never signed up for three months.”

“You did,” Sinead declared. “You just didn’t read the fine print after your one week trial.”

“You said I was signing a waiver!”

“It was that too,” she conceded. “One never knows when a client might hurt one of my girls.”

I stepped back, my vision misting with red. “I’ll be seeing you in court.”

Sinead laughed. “With the judge and jurors in Serafino’s back pocket? Have fun wasting all that money you’ve been saving.”

My bottom lip trembled and Serafino stiffened ever so slightly before I said, “That’s not fair.”

“You, of all people, should know life’s not fair,” Sinead responded.

Serafino stood. “I believe I have a solution for you.”

I looked at him, my chest as tight as my breathing. “I just bet you do.”

“Stay with me for the month you have left, all expenses paid along with a bonus.”

I inhaled sharply. “There must be hundreds of women who’d love to fill that position.”

“Maybe. But I don’t want them. I want you.” His eyes glittered possessively even as he added quietly, “Once the month is over, you’re free to go.”

I held his dark stare. “No other clients for that entire month?”

“Just me,” he said in a low voice that throbbed with an intensity I couldn’t read.

Sinead cleared her throat. “Serafino doesn’t want to share you.”

I didn’t look at her. My gaze was caught and held by Serafino’s as he added softly, “I want exclusive rights.”

I should have been thoroughly pissed off and infuriated, but something inside my chest warmed, a part of me thrilled that I’d have a whole month with the one man I should be running from. That was despite the fact heartbreak had never been on my agenda, I didn’t want to experience it—not ever—and yet something told me I was putting myself in the firing line for that exact scenario.

He sat straighter, his attention still all on me. “Deal?”

I nodded, my throat drier than dust. “Deal.”

Chapter Fifteen

Serafino

I allowed my cigar to cool down before I disposed of it into an ashtray. My lungs were tight enough after seeing the woman who had taken up my every thought.

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