“Perfectly clear.”

5: Anticipation

Elsa touched the contract and a prevailing sense of power anderotic energy pumped through Victor’s veins. She had no idea whatshe was in for and the anticipation of having her nearly turned hisnerves to ash. When he had tasted her only a few minutes earlier,it took every ounce of self-control not to take her right there andthen. He wanted to fuck her in painful ways and make her scream. Heblinked long and hard, trying to contain the throbbing ache in hisrigid shaft. He lifted his hand, allowing her to flip thecream-colored, linen paper over to read the words he had written.She scanned the paper quickly and her eyes flicked up to his with alook of uncertainty on her face.

“That’s all?” she quirked her eyebrows athim.

He inwardly laughed. Yes, that was all. Twosimple rules, four straightforward words with endlesspossibilities: My house. My rules. She may have thought themeaning was uncomplicated, but he would prove her wrong, just as hehad done with all the others. To dominate was what he lived for; tobreak down and make his lover submit and obey was his drug, and hisword was abso-fucking-lute.

“Can you?” he asked as he circled his indexfinger made slow deliberate circles over the corner of thepaper.

Elsa’s eyes scanned his face and fixed on hismouth. She was serenely beautiful when contemplative and a curiousswooping pulled at his insides. When she didn’t immediately respondand her eyes diverted to the tabletop, he reached over and fingeredher chin. He demanded eye contact at all times so he could decipherher emotions. Her breath hitched when he touched her and hecouldn’t help but smirk. He enjoyed the way she reacted to him. Herinitial confidence melted away when their eyes met, revealing hervulnerability. She was afraid of him. As she should be. He likedher fearful.

Or was it something else she was afraid of?He stared into her eyes as he held her steady, his eyes flickingback and forth between each of her brown irises. No, she wasn’tafraid of him; she was fearful of losing him and what he had tooffer. He had seen this look far too many times before and not juston the faces of his Chapters, but the many women whom he haddated.

Her lips parted and she licked them uneasilyas he sat silently scanning her expression. When her body shiveredslightly and her eyes searched his face for approval, heimmediately pulled his hand away and intentionally shut out anyawareness of her feelings. He was disgusted, not only with Elsa,but with himself. He hated weakness in any form, but mostespecially the kind that came from sentimentality and love. Fucklove and anything remotely like it. It was a waste of time andeffort and nothing good ever came of it.

He swiftly redirected his focus. He wouldsimply learn what he could from her and move on to the next Chapterjust like he had done so many times before.

“Well? Can you or not?” he asked,clipped.

When she answered, the air around them seemedto electrify. “I can.”

Let the games begin.

***

Elsa knew she was enteringthe lion’s den by agreeing to Mr. Black’s seemingly simple requestand that her resolve would be tested, but she couldn’t resist thetemptation. Nor did she want to. How could she when she saw thoseentrancing eyes staring back at her? Never in her life had she meta man like Victor Laurenzo and not once had anyone looked asexposed as he did when he looked into her eyes. He appeared to beafraid of the very thing she was. Or was she just deluding herself?Maybe it was all part of the handsome yet deceiving mask he wore.She supposed he would either make her his victim or shield her withhis life. She hoped for the latter, but she was willing to take therisk of finding out which one it would be.

Digging into his briefcaseagain, he brought out a pen and held it out to her, but when shereached for it, he pulled it just out of her reach.

“Once you sign this,there’s no going back,” his gruff voice held a note of challenge asdid the wistful expression on his face.

Elsa knew better. Themake-shift contract in front of her was neither legal nor binding.Surely a man of Mr. Black’s intelligence knew that. Keeping herthoughts to herself, she nodded and attempted to take the pen fromhim. As if he had read her thoughts, he held the pen at bay oncemore.

“If you think you cansimply back out of this agreement at any point, Ms. Cassidy, youcouldn’t be more wrong. Though this piece of paper may not be legalin a court of law, I follow my own set of laws and rules, and Iwill hold you to this agreement regardless.”

She quickly lowered herhand and placed it in her lap. There was a certainty in his voice –the kind of certainty that told her that nothing less than her allwould be acceptable. A loud ringing in her ears blocked out allsounds as she sat unmoving and gaping at him.

“For how long?” the wordscaught in her throat.

His pupils flaredinfinitesimally and his response came without hesitation. “Until Isay otherwise.”

Suddenly Mr. Black’s simplerules didn’t seem so simple.

“Are you going to hurt me?”she finally found the courage to ask when he sat silentlyunresponsive.

“Everything done withinthese walls will be done with safety in mind. No irreparablephysical damage will be caused.”

Mr. Black definitely had away with words, but he didn’t answer her question. Not directlyanyway and the secret expression on his face told her he washolding something back. And what about her emotional well-being?Would there be irreparable damage caused to that?

Remembering what she hadread about in an erotic book, she asked, “So what you’re saying is:everything will be safe, sane and consensual?”

Victor clicked the penseveral times, one side of his mouth twisting upward as he let outa short, breathy laugh. “Not exactly, but two out of three ain’tbad.”

Her eyes widened to hisremark. He had already mentioned safe and consensual… so apparentlysane was the one thing off the table. Holding the pen out to her,he wordlessly dared her to take the bait he had laid out forher.

It was too easy for Elsa toget caught up in the way Mr. Black was looking at her. With herheartbeat throbbing in her ears, she took in the vision of him onelast time before she made her final decision and signed her freedomaway. His beauty was devastating, his shimmering green eyes deviousand alluring, his deep-crimson mouth inviting, and his sweetlyintoxicating musk overwhelming. The possibilities of the unknown,the danger-factor, and the intrigue of a captivating stranger wereimpossible for her to resist.

She lifted her hand and asit moved closer toward the pen, her limbs suddenly became heavy andwarm. She pushed forward, impelled involuntarily by her own passionand curiosity. She was doing this.

With pen in hand, the tiptouched the paper when a wicked thought crossed her mind. Sheglanced up at Mr. Black and licked her lipspurposefully.

“Are you sure you wouldn’trather have my signature in blood?”

***

Elsa’s words hit a nervewith Victor and the look she was giving him was so galvanizing, itsent a shock wave though him. Their eyes locked as their breathingcame in unison and her eyes implored him for hisresponse.

“The blood will come later.For now, I’ll settle for ink,” he couldn’t help butsmile.

Her eyes never left his asshe scrawled her signature. She was now his to do with whatever hepleased. He neatly folded the piece of paper and placed it into hisbreast pocket near his heart. It would remain close to him at alltimes until their time was over.

His eyes roamed over herbody while she waited for his command. “Stand and remove all yourclothing,” he breathed out softly.