Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 169305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 847(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 847(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
“You’ll be working for me—under me—at my whim,” he continued, undeterred and unimpressed by my rejection. “You’ll serve, obey, and cater to me. Paying off your debt for trying and utterly failing to steal from me—”
“Listen here, Sir Jerk-a-lot. I didn’t actually steal from you. No proof, no crime. All you have to show for your accusation is a small dent on a glass case. I’m not my stepsisters. You cannot stress me into being your bitch.”
“I never mentioned a dent on a glass case.”
Oops. I never made stupid mistakes like this. Never got so heated I abandoned my wits. Zachary Sun had managed to upend years of strict self-control. Of the practiced calm expected of a world-class fencer. Well, former world-class fencer.
The telltale pulse of regret crept up my neck. “You did five seconds ago.” I doubled down on my lie and lifted a hand to stop his retort, refusing to fall into the hole I’d dug for myself. “Before you say anything, remember—no proof, no crime. I simply got lost in your library. That dent in the glass was already there.”
“The surveillance cameras tell a different story.” He raised his phone with his free hand, wagging it. A clear shot of my face flashed at me.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
I’d checked for cameras on the ceilings, but it hadn’t occurred to me to check for hidden ones. Fine. It had. But my desperation got the best of me.
I pulled my shoulders back, feigning confidence. “The surveillance cameras don’t have a mouth. My lawyer, however, will, and I bet she can get pretty creative about what happened there. A powerful man. A cornered woman in a nightgown.” I cocked my head to the side. “You do the math.”
In fact, said lawyer wouldn’t have to make up a single thing. Zachary Sun had trapped me in his office and forced me to stay, dressed only in lingerie. A pesky little thing called false imprisonment. A felony punishable by up to thirty years in prison. I’d looked it up first thing in the morning.
Zach arched a single brow. “You can’t afford a pair of shoes that stay on your feet, and you expect me to be concerned about your legal representation? Last I checked, Google can’t represent you in a court of law.” He stared me down. “Who’s letting their pride stand in their way now, Little Octi?”
And still, I refused to back down. I opened my mouth, a saucy retort ready to launch at him. He stopped me with his knife to the mouth. He used just enough pressure to part my lips. Whatever he saw had his pupils dilating. It lasted half a second before his eyes tapered.
He shook his head, washing away whatever the heck that was. “The deal isn’t an offer. It’s your only choice to survive.”
“You want me to dust your shelves and suck your toes to remind you that you’re better than me? Hard pass. I’m not fulfilling whatever sick fantasies live in that twisted head of yours.”
“I can assure you that the absolute last thing I fantasize about is your touch.”
“Fine.” I backed away from his knife and pushed up my sleeves, feeling uncharacteristically hot all of a sudden. “I’ll fess up.”
“I doubt you’d even recognize honesty if it hit you in the head with a nametag.”
His dig bounced right off my shoulder.
“Say, hypothetically, that I wanted to steal from you. So, what?” I shrugged. “It’s not like I succeeded. Nor is there ample proof. The room remains perfectly intact. At worst, I’ll get some probation time and community service for trespassing. Bring it on.”
With that, I whipped around, ready to bolt, but he snatched my wrist. So much for not fantasizing about touching me, jackass. A sneer hiked across my lips. I pivoted, eager to point that out. But by the time I turned, Zach had already released my hand and stumbled back. Sheer confusion laced with revulsion marred his flawless features. He stared at the hand that had touched me, then at my face, then down at his open palm again. He looked like he was waiting to see if it would burst into flames.
Ouch. How horrid was I to him that he’d almost yelped? Another foreign emotion snuck into my gut. Hurt.
I crossed my arms, digging my short nails into my elbows as much as I could with their abysmal length. “If you find me so disgusting, don’t touch me.”
He straightened his back, loosening his jaw into the same terrifyingly neutral expression. “You will work for me.” The words came out slow as he stitched together his composure, thread by thread.
“I will not.” I shook my head, looking around us. “Why the hell would you want me to, anyway? You think I tried to steal from you. Are you begging for a repeat or something?”