Page 40 of Ruthless Lullaby

Even more bizarre than those nudes.

And performing naked on stage, a little over an hour ago.

Maybe even more bizarre than the way my body reacts to him, even now.

Who the hell is this man, anyway?

It strikes me again how little I know of him. Sure, I know him as my boss at work, I know his ridiculous demands, the tension his presence stirs in the office, and more than anything, I know the desire my body responds to his presence with. But I know nothing about who he is, what his private life is like,and how he spends his days when he's not barking orders at his employees.

As I ponder this enigma of the man before me, a sudden thought occurs. If he's so keen on having an heir...

"You have no kids?" I blurt out, the question escaping before I can think better of it.

His expression suddenly changes, becoming distant. And I swear something swirls in those dark depths. Only for a brief moment, but I don’t fail to miss it. "I do, but I don't."

"How is that possible?" I say before I can stop myself.

"I had a daughter, but she passed away," he says flatly. "And that's all I will say on the matter.”

My breath hitches. I did not expect to hear that, not from a man like Maron Korolev. Looks like I’m not the only one who was deeply scarred in the past. I nod my head in understanding.

"Now, let's focus on the document in your hand," he says.

"Look, um… the offer is tempting…" I hesitate. But before I could continue to protest and tell him how ridiculous this is, my thoughts inevitably drift to my mother. With tonight’s gig, I should be able to pay her latest treatment, but what about the future? What if more treatments are needed, which is likely? I can't bear the thought of losing my mother, especially because of financial costs. The guilt of what has happened in my family already weighs too heavily on me, consuming me every single day of my life. I lost Emily, and now, I am also starting to fear losing Alexis to addiction if I don't intervene. Am I losing my mother too?

No. I refuse to accept that.

Maron must see the hesitation on my face. He sighs, running a hand over his slicked-back hair. "Listen, Mindy. I'm not going to pressure you into anything. This is a "take it or leave it" type of offer. We do background checks on all our employees and while I don’t know all the details, I know you’re dealing with some serious hardship. If you want a way out of it, this is your shot. But if by some chance you decide to refuse, I will respect your decision."

"Didn't you offer me a chance to stay at Global Media?" I ask. "Didn't you say I could…”

He moves closer, his face only stopping inches away from my lips. I can feel his hot breath against my cheeks, flooding my mind with sex hormones all over again. "Forget Global Media. Let’s face it: being an employee will never give you the kind of benefits this contract offers."

I feel my body getting turned on by his closeness all over again. I’m drawn to him like a magnet, like a moth to flame.

Why?

Why do I have this reaction to him?

My eyes lock with his, heat radiating between us. My tongue darts out to moisten my lips as I challenge him, "So… what if I say no?"

A devilish smirk plays on his lips as he responds, "Then you’ll leave me no choice but to follow through with the termination of your work contract. And you will never see me again. You have my word. But we both know that's not what you truly desire."

Asshole.

“Right,” I say, feeling irritated by his arrogance. The thought of those embarrassing photos still makes me cringe. Even if he offered me a chance to stay with Global Media, I don’t know if I could continue after what happened on Friday. "Not that I could return to a company where the entire management was served my naked pictures on a silver tray."

"I told you already," he murmurs, his breath hot against my skin. "Only I saw those. And once I did, I had the IT guys wipe them clean from our servers."

My mouth falls open in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

He smirks and leans in even closer. Our lips almost touch. "I couldn't risk my male employees getting off to your photos.” He stops. “Like I did," he adds with a sly wink.

His proximity along with the thought of him pleasuring himself to my naked photos sends a wave of desire through me all over again. Heat rises to my cheeks as I imagine him lost in carnal pleasure while staring at my naked body. If I had my panties on, I’m pretty sure they would be destroyed.

"So, let's cut this short, Mindy," he interrupts my train of thought. "You have the option to say no. You are already aware of the consequences.” He trails off suggestively, allowing his words to sink in. "But if you choose to say yes, I’ll make it worthwhile. You will live in my house and you will have all your expenses covered. You can even keep your jobs until you become pregnant. Once that happens, your main focus will be taking care of our family. The choice is yours."

I can’t believe I’m even considering this ridiculous offer. What kind of desperate, sick idiot have I become? Yet, the thought of Maron Korolev walking out of my life for good doesn’t seem to sit well with me either.

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