Page 28 of Seduced By Contract

I leave the VIP area and walk through the nightclub, ignoring the glances from the patrons. After almost a week, I feel secure enough to ignore them without fearing being kicked out.

As I walk towards the exit, I wonder if I could negotiate with any of these men the way I will with Zeus.

I scrunch up my face in a disgusted grimace.

Never. I know perfectly well that the deal with Zeus only seems so easy to swallow because of the wild attraction he ignites in me. I would never let any man touch me if he couldn't make me feel something for him. And in that regard, the arrogant Greek is the absolute champion.

Drew, the security guard who always stands watch in the back of the nightclub, greets me with a smile. I'm slowly making friends with them, and even though it's in an awkward way, the staff is becoming a kind of family to me.

I step out into the stifling night air and am surprised when I find the first man who's ever made my heart race waiting for me, leaning against his car. I notice that, just like the day he drove me home, there are bodyguards nearby.

He's all in black: jeans and a button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms. I can't help but give him a once-over, letting my eyes slide over the jeans that outline his strong thighs, the taut abdomen that I can sense even under the fabric, and finally that perfect, cynical face that drives me crazy.

He doesn't move, because he knows I'm at a disadvantage, since I'm the one who sought him out.

Even with no experience beyond what I've gained from being the daughter of my father—the worst kind of hustler—I somehow know, in a way I can't explain, that Zeus and I are very similar at our core. Both suspicious and goal-oriented when we want something.

I walk up to him, our eyes locked, and when I stop in front of him, I don't touch him. Still, it's like a magnetic field surrounds us. The attraction between us is almost palpable.

"Madison."

"Zeus."

"You're late."

"So what are you going to do about it? Punish me?"

Jesus, where did that come from? I'm not in any position to be sassy today.

His hand reaches for my hair, but to my disappointment, he only tucks a strand behind my ear. He leans in, and I shiver as he whispers into my ear, "You can bet on it."

The force with which he draws me in is so strong that I steady myself against his biceps, holding tight. He pulls back just a little to look at me, and what I see in those stormy blue depths makes me take a step closer.

His hand moves to my coccyx. "Let's get out of here, Madison," he says, repeating almost exactly what he said on the first day. This time, though, I let myself be led.

We get into the car, and to my surprise, he checks whether I've fastened my seatbelt.

I'm used to being independent, and I don't want him to be careful with me. That's not what our relationship will be about.

"You weren't going to call me. What made you change your mind?"

I try to hide my shock. "How do you know I wasn't?"

"Because I think I offended you in some way."

God, he's so straightforward.

I was naïve to think I had the upper hand in this game.

He's right, of course. I was very offended by being treated like a temporary plaything he would discard after a month. At this moment, however, all my wounded pride seems like hypocrisy, because what I'm going to ask of him is much worse.

"As I told you on the phone, I have a counterproposal to make."

"Why did you change your mind, Madison?" he insists, as if I hadn't said anything.

I could lie, but I know it's pointless. "Because I had to."

"Larry, take Miss Foster home." His voice is as icy as it gets, showing for the first time the man the whole world must know, not the seductive lover.

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