Page 22 of Prized Possession

“Look, let me be straight with you, Jake. You wanting to play so badly is a red flag for me. Of course, I’m going to use every chip I have to up the bid in an effort to stop you. You’d have to put something massive on the table to meet me.”

I keep my voice neutral, hoping he can’t hear the way my heart is racing. It’s pounding so loudly, I can almost hear the blood whooshing through my ears.

“You know how much I want free access to the girls at the club. What if I promise not to cause drama?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows at me like he stands a chance at charming me.

I roll my eyes at him, taking a small sip of my whiskey, just to let the tension build. “I expect you not to cause drama in my club anyway, so that’s not a bargaining chip. It’s gotta have high value. Something you’d normally never give me.”

He lets out a huff. “Fine, you name your price and we’ll go all in.”

“I don’t think you want to give me a blank cheque here, Jake. What if I choose something you would really hate to give up?”

He narrows his gaze at me, though I notice he has to blink a few times, no doubt to counteract whatever blurred vision the alcohol is giving him. I think he may have just realised I have a plan, and I wait for him to call me out on it.

The silence stretches on while Jake ponders my question, before finally saying, “Then I’ll have to make a choice, but I won’t know untilyou ask.”

I give him a tight smile, trying to hold back the grimace.Here goes nothing,I think to myself.

“I want Chloe.”

His eyes widen before his face darkens, and he balls the hand that’s been resting on the table into a fist. “What the fuck?” he yells.

I hold my hands up, trying to pacify him, as I explain further. “It’s not what you’re thinking. You know how much I fucking hate Scott Caprillo. He’s been a dick for years, and this is the perfect opportunity for me to mess with him.

“For my bid, I want to win your sister for sixty days. She will have to live with me and do as I say during that time.”

Jake leans forward, looking more confused than he was a moment ago. “So this isn’t about Chloe, it’s about Scott? It’s not some weird way to get me to give you permission to fuck my sister?”

I laugh loudly, caught off-guard by the abruptness of his comment. “No, this is to mess with Scott. I mean, your sister isn’t bad looking, so I wouldn’t say no to fucking her, but that’s not what this is about.”

His eyes darken at my mention of fucking her, and I hate how poisonous the lie feels on my tongue. His sister is fucking gorgeous, and I want nothing more than to claim her and make her mine, but that’s never going to fucking happen, so this is the best I can come up with.

“But she’s supposed to get married in six weeks,” Jake adds, almost as an afterthought.

“If I win, she’ll have to delay her impending nuptials. Yet another bonus in my plan to piss off Scott.”

Jake lets out a long sigh. “Everyone in my family is going to be so fucked off with me, but I’m in.”

“What?” The word tumbles out before I can stop it, shock hitting me when I hear him agree to the deal. I thought I’d have to negotiate a lot more to try and convince him.

“Honestly, I hate the idea of Chloe marrying that arsehole. If you win her for two months, it gives me extra time to come up with a plan to get her out of the marriage. She’ll be pissed at me for using her as a bet, but she’ll be even more of an arse with you for suggesting it,” he says with a laugh. “But anyway, none of this will matter if I win.”

He sounds confident, and I have to admit, I’m a little nervous. My plan only goes as far as getting him to agree to the bet, after that, I have to let the cards fall where they may. I just really fucking hope I’m holding the winning hand.

“So, to confirm, this is the bet… If you win, you are allowed to date or fuck any of the people employed at Caged, with no restrictions. But you do still have tobe mindful that it’s my business, and you need to minimise the amount of trouble you cause.

“If I win, I get full access to your sister for sixty days. Chloe will move in with me, and she’ll be expected to do whatever I say. Do we have a deal?”

Jake pauses for a minute, taking in the deal one final time. His gaze is locked on mine, and my heart races. I keep mentally reminding myself to fucking breathe.

“Just one more thing to add… Whilst Chloe has to do everything you say, it doesn’t include anything sexual,” he states firmly.

I shake my head in disbelief. “I don’t need to force women into bed with me, Jake. I would never make her do anything like that. But if she chooses to, that’s something else all together.”

“You are not fucking my sister,” he grinds out, slamming his fist on the table.

“I’m not saying I will, but I’m also not saying I won’t. You never know what will happen over the sixty days. Besides, wondering what I may or may not do to Chloe will be part of the torture for Scott,” I add on, hoping he buys my excuse.

Jake’s never going to give me permission to fuck his sister, but I don’t want him to say it can never happen either. I’d never betray my friend, but staying away from Chloe for sixty days, while she’s living in my house, will be virtually impossible.

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