Chapter Three

The days at Vane Capital moved like a slow heavy weight on my shoulders. I arrived every morning in my only decent suit and sat behind a wide desk on the twenty-second floor. I answered endless emails, arranged meetings for executives who barely glanced at me, and organized files until my eyes burned. 

The salary hit my account on time every two weeks. It kept the lawyers fighting for Theo and paid the small rent on my shitty apartment. I kept my head down and my voice polite. Nobody needed to know the Sterling name was now poison.

But the nights destroyed me in a completely different way. When the sun went down I turned into a man whore at The Gilded Cage. Different clients every time. Different demands. I let them bend me over, push into my mouth, use my body until they were satisfied and left cash on the table. I told myself it was only temporary. I told myself it meant nothing. Yet every single time I closed my eyes I fought hard not to remember him.

Silas.

The tall brooding figure who had pinned me down in that dark suite. The powerful thick cock that stretched me so wide I saw stars and screamed into the sheets. The hard ridges of his six-pack pressing against my skin as he thrust deep and merciless. That handsome face with the sharp jaw and lethal smile that appeared when he finally removed the blindfold. The way his dark eyes looked at me like he had waited ten years just to ruin me. I pushed those memories away every night. I refused to let them win. He did not deserve space in my head. Not after what I did to him back at the academy and definitely not after the way he made my body betray me so easily.

That particular night I stood in the dressing room adjusting the tight black shirt that hugged my chest and showed the line of my collarbones. The fabric was thin enough that anyone could see the shape of my body underneath. Rafe leaned against the wall watching me with his usual half smirk.

"New client tonight," he said casually. "Room seven. This one does not want a blindfold. He wants to watch your face the entire time. Says he likes to see the expressions you make. Do not keep him waiting and do not fuck it up. He is paying very well."

I gave a short nod and stepped out into the hallway. The carpet felt soft under my shoes. Low music played somewhere in the distance. My body already carried that familiar mix of shame and numbness. I took a deep breath, I could survive this.

I rounded the corner and walked straight into a solid wall of muscle. Strong hands grabbed my arms immediately to stop me from stumbling back. The dark and expensive cologne hit me first. My stomach dropped hard. I knew that smell.

I looked up slowly and met Silas Vane's eyes. He stood there in a perfectly fitted black suit that made him look even taller and more dangerous. His jaw was clenched tight. Those dark eyes burned into me with barely controlled fury.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Kai?" he asked. His voice came out low and rough like gravel.

I tried to pull my arms free but his grip only tightened. Heat rushed up my neck and into my face. "I am working. What does it look like? Your money from that night was not enough. Not even close. I still have lawyers to pay, debts to clear, and my brother is still sitted in prison, waiting for me to fix what is left of our family. So yes, I am here. Selling what I have left."

His gaze moved slowly down my body. He took in the tight shirt, the way my pants sat low on my hips, the deliberate way my hair had been styled to look inviting. Something dangerous flickered across his face. Hunger mixed with anger.

"You do not have to keep doing this shit," he said. His thumb stroked slowly along the inside of my wrist sending unwanted sparks across my skin. "Submit to me, Kai. Give me your body. All of it. Whenever I want it. Let me call you and you come running. Let me fuck you whenever the mood strikes me. Let me own every hole, every moan and every inch of this pretty skin. I will pay you any amount you name. Name your price. I will clear every single debt your family has. I will get Theo out tomorrow if you want. I will make sure you never have to walk these halls again or let another disgusting stranger touch what I already broke. Just submit to me, be mine completely and I will take care of everything. You will not need to whore yourself out anymore. All you have to do is say yes and open your legs for me only."

The words sank deep into my chest. They sounded like salvation wrapped in chains. My pulse hammered loud in my ears. For one weak second I imagined it. No more strangers. No more nights wondering if I could stomach the next client. Just Silas and the money to fix everything. But the memory of how he had looked at me that first night came rushing back. The triumph in his eyes, the power and that look that says the great has fallen

I ripped my arm free and slapped him hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed down the empty hallway. My palm burned from the impact. His head snapped to the side.

"Do not disrespect me like that," I hissed through clenched teeth. "I may be a whore right now but I still have my pride. You do not get to stand there and talk to me like I am your personal toy you can buy and use whenever you feel like it."

Silas turned his head back to face me slowly. A clear red mark bloomed on his cheek. His eyes went completely cold. The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop.

"Do not ever raise your hand to me again, Kai," he said. The warning in his voice sent a chill down my spine.

I ignored him completely. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. I turned away from him and started walking toward room seven. The door was only a few meters away now. I could reach it. I could close it behind me and disappear into another transaction and I could forget this hallway and the man standing in it.

Silas moved faster than I could react. His hand shot out and grabbed my wrist in a bruising grip. He yanked me back hard against his chest. My back hit solid muscle. I could feel him. He was already rock hard. The thick, heavy length of his cock pressed right against my ass through his trousers. His breath brushed hot against my ear.

"Don't go in," he growled, voice dark and full of possession. "I'll give you any amount."

I froze against him, my back pressed to his hard chest, his thick cock throbbing insistently against my ass. My body reacted even as my mind screamed to push him away. Heat pooled low in my stomach. I hated it. I hated him. I wanted Silas Vane gone from my life completely. I want him erased and forgotten like the nightmare he was.

But instead of pulling away, I laughed and it echoed in the hallway. I turned my head just enough to look at him over my shoulder, letting my lips curve into a mocking smile.

"You sure about that, Silas?" I asked, voice dripping with challenge. "Can you really handle me? I am quite expensive these days. These clients pay top price because I let them fuck me however they want. I moan so pretty for them. I take cock deep and beg when they need it. You think you can keep up with that? You think your money is enough to own a whore who has learned exactly how to drain powerful men dry?"

I pressed back against him deliberately, grinding my ass against his hardness just to feel him twitch. "Because once you start, there is no going back. I will not be gentle. I will not be sweet. I will make you work for every second you get inside me. So tell me, big man. Are you really ready to pay for all of me?"

Silas did not hesitate. His hand slid around my waist and pulled me tighter against him. His other hand moved up, his fingers wrapping lightly around my throat in a possessive hold that made my pulse jump under his palm. He leaned down and his lips brushed my ear

"I can handle you, Kai. I will break you again and again until you forget every other man who ever touched you. I will fuck you so deep and so often that your body will only recognize my cock. Submit to me. Name your price. I will pay it and more. But once you agree, you are mine. Completely. No more clients. No more running. Just you on your knees whenever I say."

His fingers tightened slightly on my throat, not enough to hurt but enough to remind me who held the power. His other hand drifted lower, palming me through my pants. He squeezed my growing hardness with slow, deliberate strokes that made my breath hitch. The friction sent sparks up my spine. I bit back a moan as his thumb circled the head through the fabric, teasing me until I leaked a little. His touch was confident, he knew exactly how to make my body respond even while my pride screamed. Fuck him! 

I stayed there, letting him touch me for a few more seconds, letting the heat build between us until my cock strained against his hand. Then I spoke but my voice was husky.

"Fine. One million dollars. Up front. Enough to finish freeing Theo and clear the rest of the debts. That is my price." I paused, turning fully in his grip so our chests pressed together. I looked him straight in the eyes, letting a wicked smile touch my lips. "And one more condition. You get on your knees right now and suck me. I want to feel that arrogant mouth of yours wrapped around my cock. I want you to taste how hard I am because of you. Get on your knees, Silas, and blow me like you mean it. Show me how badly you want this broken little prince. Use that tongue properly and swallow every drop when I come down your throat. Then we can talk about the rest."