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But also curious.
I steal a glance back at Xander. He’s watching me steadily, carefully. Like he’s still studying me, trying to see through me to my deeper core. I take a deep breath, square my shoulders, and turn that slow, piercing gaze back on him, analyzing him right back in return. “What is that you want from him?” I ask softly. I can imagine: inheritance, money, something like that. It’s got to be. But I want to hear it from him. I want to see on his face what it means.
Except, Xander flinches and turns away, his expression shifting to a darker one. “It doesn’t matter,” he murmurs, and for a moment it doesn’t seem like he’s talking to me anymore. It’s almost like he’s talking to himself. Or maybe his father.
Then he shakes himself and turns back to me, his shoulders squaring, just like mine. “What you should really be asking at the moment, Melanie, is what’s in this for you. As I said, this is a business proposal.”
Never has the word proposal sounded so ironic than in this context.
“I’m willing to pay you for your time and effort,” Xander continues, those dark, unreadable eyes of his fixed on mine, pinning me in place. I shiver, even though the night is fairly warm for this time of year. “Two hundred thousand dollars.”
My jaw drops yet again, for the second time that night. I thought that was something that only happened in movies, but apparently I’ve just never been shocked enough to actually do it before. Is this really happening?
Already my mind races, doing calculations. That kind of money would not only cover all of my bills, Devan’s, and then some, it would pay our rent for the whole rest of the year. It might even give me the leg up I need to quit my job at Bob’s and find a real job. Something I actually like doing. Something that pays better than minimum wage and the kinds of tips you get from small town restaurant patrons who also make minimum wage.
I rub my arms, feeling goosebumps rise along them. “Can I think about it for a bit?” I ask softly. Because part of me can’t help but think that there must be some catch. Some trick to this I’m not seeing yet.
Xander nods. “Of course, Melanie. But I promise you, it wouldn’t involve anything you don’t want to do. It would just be a lump sum payment for having some fun and spending time with me. That’s all.”
I search his gaze, my mind still racing.
His mouth quirks into a smile around the edges. “Remember how you told me you wanted to travel more? See exciting places? We could do that. I’ll take you wherever I go. You can come stay in my penthouse in New York… it’ll be an adventure. You showed me your world. Now I can show you mine.”
My throat tightens, and my mouth goes dry. Especially when he leans in closer, closing the gap between us. I breathe in sharply and catch his familiar scent. My body reacts before my mind does, without my permission, tilting toward him. I can feel my heart speed up, and my belly tenses. Even though it’s been a week, I can still remember his hands on me, every inch of my body that he touched and kissed and caressed. For days after we hooked up, every time I clenched my thighs, I could feel his cock buried inside my pussy. He fucked me so hard I was sore for days—and all I wanted was the chance to do that again.
Now I could.
As if reading my mind, he searches my face, a small smile spreading across his. “Didn’t we have fun together before?”
“Of course. But I—I’m not the kind of girl who…” I trail off. Lick my lips.
He laughs softly when he realizes what I’m asking without being able to say it. He leans back, just a little. Enough that it lets me breathe again. “Melanie. I’m not paying you for sex. I’m paying you to lie to my father and the rest of my family when you meet them. That’s all.” He arches an eyebrow. “If you wind up wanting me to fuck you again, well, that will be entirely unrelated to our transaction.”
My face flares all over again, this time with embarrassment. Embarrassment, and, I can’t deny it, lust. At hearing him talk like that. My gaze drops to his mouth. “I…”
He tilts closer to me once more. “What do you say?” His voice comes out a whisper. A breath.
My eyes flash back up to his, challenging. “I might need a little more persuasion…” I whisper, barely able to voice the words. But as I say them, it makes me bolder. I reach up to twine my arms around his neck and bury my hands in his smooth, soft hair.
