Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“Did I mumble, Bianca? Exactly who do you think I am? Do you think this is a game? That I sit here behind a desk all day and shuffle papers and send emails and run the business you read about in financial magazines?”
“I know who you are.”
‘Then why do you look so surprised? And why would you ask such a silly question?” When her brows lift, I remind her. “You asked if I actually do things like that and assumed I don’t. What if I do?”
When I propel myself from the chair, she backs away, bumping against the desk, sliding along it, trying to get away from me. That’s exactly what I need, fear, even if it’s the last thing I want to see on her delicate face.
“Where are you going?” My hand shoots out, grasping her throat, holding her in place against the corner of the desk. I loom over her, bending her back as she gasps for air. My fingers flex against her slim throat. It wouldn’t take much effort to end her. Now that she knows the truth, she’s a liability. Killing her isn’t an option. But I can scare her.
I have to do this, even if my heart says otherwise. Here I am, with hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to me and heads I need to crack open to get it, and I sat here caring more about her overhearing my business details. She’s a distraction. That’s all.
But she’s not; she’s more. My subconscious reminds me I care about her, her safety, and what she thinks of me. Instead of the fact she could expose the truth to Tatum. It’s something I hadn’t thought about before. I grit my teeth, my jaw tense. We can’t continue this. It has already gone too far.
You can’t stay away from her, asshole. You’re obsessed. I ignore my inner monologue.
“You wanted to be close to me?” I snarl, smiling when her features pinch with pain. “You wanted to know me? Congratulations, this is me. You got what you wanted.”
Her blue eyes well with tears, and her chin trembles, but all that does is make me tighten my grip. I have to ignore her tears, ignore her pain.
“You wanna know the truth? If you weren’t here, I would be on my way to visit those fuckers who owe me money. They knew what they were getting into when they borrowed from me. They knew the terms, and like everyone who needs money in a pinch, now that it’s time to pay up, they don’t want to live up to those terms.”
“You’re hurting me,” she croaks, bracing herself against the desk, using the other to push at my hand. I have to. Her nails sink into my flesh, leaving behind little crescent-shaped marks. I relish in the sting of pain that follows.
“That’s right. Because that’s what I fucking do.” I lean in until our noses touch. There’s so much fear in her eyes. I think she’s finally waking up, finally seeing the monster beneath the expensive suit. “I hurt people. And I don’t stop there, either. Do you want to know how many men I’ve killed, Bianca?”
Tears spill over her lashes and roll down her cheeks.
“I thought you wanted to know me,” I whisper when she doesn’t reply. “Wasn’t that what you said? You just want to be close to me. Well, this is who I am. Sometimes, you need to be careful what you wish for, because you might get more than you bargained for.”
“Let go of me,” she grits through her teeth. The strength in her voice causes an ache to form in my chest.
“Which is it? First, you want me, then you want me to let you go. You need to make up your mind.”
Her lip lifts in what might be anger, but I recognize the growing terror. She’s afraid she’s heard too much. That I might have to silence her for good. “I asked you to let me go,” she croaks.
That’s exactly what I need to do. To let her go, now and forever. She’s the worst thing to come into my life. The biggest liability. I can no longer kid myself. She’s wrong for me, and I’m entirely wrong for her, even if my treacherous cock and body refuse to see it.
“By all means.” I release her with a shove and sneer down my nose at her. “Get the hell away from me, and if you’re fucking smart, you’ll make sure you never find your way back into my office. Because no matter how tight your pussy is or how pretty and tempting you are, one of these days, it might be you I end up having to settle accounts with. And you won’t like how that ends. I can promise you that.”
This is it. No way will she want shit to do with me now. It’s for the best. Even her fear and her trembling chin are for the best. For both of us.