Page 20 of His Dark Pact

“What am I doing? I’m leaving to go and live and work with someone I barely even know.”

She asked the question of no one, save for the peeling paintwork since there was no one else there. Kyle had dropped her around the block, promising to collect her again in one hour. He’d offered to help, of course, but she’d refused the invitation. The irony that she’d decided to walk to Worthington’s earlier in the night to avoid the exact same situation that saw him discover where she lived wasn’t lost on her. But in the myriad of tumultuous experiences she’d been through, her shame over that issue had waned.

What difference did it make if he saw her crappy apartment? He knew all about her debts now. She’d told him almost everything about her financial woes. There was nothing else to hide. In any case, it would no longer be ‘her’ apartment by tomorrow. Kyle might as well know how dire things were.

He might as well know who he’d just agreed to employ.

But what do I know about him?

She gulped, though she noticed how her pulse accelerated. She knew little about Kyle except that he was a man of immense wealth, and for some reason, he’d taken a liking to her.

Zipping up the bag, she perched on the edge of the bed.

Helikedher.

“I like him, too.”Who wouldn’t want a man like him?She winced at her hormonal admission, shaking her head. “What’s wrong with me?!”

She didn’t have to look too far to answer that riddle.

Lifehad happened to her.

She’d once been young and inspired, but marriage, children, Seth’s incarceration, Jonah’s education, and Graham’s death had all taken their toll. The price wasn’t only financial. Amy was worn down and emotionally drained by her losses and experiences, but she might have been able to cope had she had enough savings to stay afloat.

She didn’t have the money, though.

She never had the money, and there would have been no hope of earning enough of it without Kyle’s intervention. That’s why she was packing her bags and sealing her boxes, and that was why she’d gamble on his help.

In the ever-increasing quicksand of her money problems, she’d learned one important lesson.

Those with the least have the fewest choices.

And Amy had no choice at all.

The abrupt ringing of her phone jolted her from her mournful monologue. Grabbing the device from her pocket, adrenaline flooded her system as she noticed who was calling.

“Mr. Kyle?”

It was still weird that he didn’t want her to use his first name, but the carrot he was dangling was sweet enough for her to let that go. She recalled how viscerally her body had responded to his domineering attitude. Her nipples had hardened into tight buds as he’d taken control, and despite her reservations, she hadn’t chosen to stop him.

Why?

It was the same reason she’d accepted the role. She needed the money, and she didn’t deny the attraction she felt for the man. It had been fun to feel the tug of flirtation and empowering to feel like a woman again.

But is that feeling enough to jump into the unknown?

She shivered as she awaited Kyle’s response. Was leaving everything she knew to take a job offer with a stranger the right thing to do?

“Amy.”

Just the sound of his calming voice settled her thoughts. Shewasdoing the right thing.

“Hi.” She grabbed the handle of one of the duffel bags as she rose to her feet.

Sir.

She heard the final word in her head but couldn’t bring herself to say it. Not now her emotion had faded. Not now that the limited amount of champagne she’d drunk had been soaked up by the fabulous meal he’d bought for her. But his expectation was there, though, taunting her.

“Are you ready to leave?” He didn’t mention her omission, but she thought she sensed the imperceptible edge in his voice. Or maybe she just imagined it? It was impossible to say.

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