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“You’ll be spending the night with me. I live close by.”
I pick at a loose thread on my shirt. I’ve been able to keep Alexander at arm’s length over the past week. It’s not that I don’t want him—in fact, it’s the opposite. The force that I want him with scares me. And I need to keep things slow. I need to keep some tiny bit of control.
But it’s not like this gala is some kind of commitment. And lots of couples spend the night together. Hell, some people even do it after a first date.
“Okay. But I’m holding you to your word. Don’t you dare leave me by myself.”
“I won’t.” His voice is firm, and I let myself believe him.
When he pulls up in front of my house, he has the car in park and his hands unbuckling my seatbelt before I’ve even reached for my bag. His lips crash against mine, his hand holding my head securely in place. It’s like he just can’t get enough of me.
“You need to pack a bag.”
I barely register the words, too dumbfounded from his mind-numbing kiss. “What?”
“You’re staying with me this weekend. I have meetings all morning tomorrow, but after that, I’m yours.”
He peppers kisses along my cheekbone while I try to douse the fire igniting inside of me.
It doesn’t work.
“I’m not your property,” I manage. I jerk away from him, glaring into his stupidly-perfect brown eyes. “You can’t just order me around like this.”
His eyes cloud over, and with a twinge of regret, I realize what’s coming. What I’ve set off.
His hand snakes around my throat. “You want to do this the hard way, little bird?”
I know I should back down. Bring my laptop, write during his meetings, and enjoy myself in his giant, luxurious house. But the thought of being that close to Alexander, for that long—I’d lose myself.
I’d forget that I’m not his. That he forced me into this. That I want out.
But my body refuses to cooperate, tensing instead of relaxing. Rebelling instead of giving in.
“That’s kidnapping. I’ll call the police.”
Alexander laughs. Not mockingly, not bitterly.
He’s amused.
“If you believe that I think it’s beneath me to pay off a couple of police officers, you’re wrong. Not to mention my public reputation is flawless. No one would ever believe that Philadelphia’s golden boy would kidnap a girl like you. Definitely not the police.”
“You’re lying,” I snap.
“Try me.” He settles back into his seat, a smug look on his face.
This could be my way out. He kidnaps me, I file a restraining order, and then we’re done. He literally can’t be around me. So he can’t force himself onto me.
But what if he’s right? I can’t deny that the Hendricks’ name holds a lot of power around here. And it’s no lie that most people would take Alexander’s word over most women’s.
As if he’s reading my mind, Alexander says, “You can’t get away from me, Sophia. So you might as well stop trying.”
After a moment of silence, I say, “Is that what you want?”
His eyes narrow, and I know I have him right where I want him.
“Do you really just want me to surrender to you? To give up? To resign myself to a loveless, toxic future with you so you can control me?” I scoff, feeling satisfaction creep through me at the anger etched into his face. “At least I won’t have to worry about money anymore. Just an asshole of a husband.”
In a split second, he’s in my face, stealing the air I breathe. “You can’t weasel out of this, Sophia, and you can’t manipulate me. You’re mine, and the more you struggle against that concept, the harder things will be for you.”
