5

Ivy pov

“Are you out of your mind?” Dominic’s voice was low, but sharp.

I crossed my arms, pretending I wasn’t nervous. “No. I’m dead serious.”

His chair creaked as he leaned back, watching me. He didn’t even blink. That silence was worse than yelling.

“Say it again,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “What, you need me to repeat it? You heard me.”

He tilted his head a little, his eyes narrowing. “No, I want to hear if you’re brave enough to say it twice.”

My throat felt dry, but I forced the words out. “Fuck me instead.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, like he was holding back a laugh. “And why would I do that?”

I shrugged, though my chest felt tight. “Because it solves your little problem. You get sex without her, and I get… leverage.”

“Leverage?” he repeated, almost mocking.

“Yeah. You think I’m stupid? I know you’re not touching my mom. And if she finds out you touched Janelle, she’ll lose her mind. So…” I stepped closer, trying not to show my nerves. “I stay quiet. You take me instead.”

He stood up so fast I took a step back without meaning to. He was taller, broader, and the way he looked at me, like I was cornered prey made my stomach flip.

“You think that’s a deal?” he asked.

“It is one.”

He walked around the desk slowly, never breaking eye contact. “You’re blackmailing me with sex. You realize how insane that sounds?”

“You’re the one who slept with one of my friends in the kitchen,” I shot back. “Don’t talk to me about insane.”

“You don’t know what you’re playing with, Ivy,” he said.

I forced myself not to flinch. “Maybe I do.”

His hand lifted like he was going to touch my face, but he stopped halfway and dropped it again. “Say it again.”

“Why do you keep..”

“Say it,” he cut me off.

My pulse hammered in my throat. Still, I looked him dead in the eye. “Fuck me instead.”

For a few seconds, it was silent. Then he laughed, low and bitter. “You’re either braver than I thought, or dumber than I expected.”

“Pick one,” I said, even though my knees felt weak.

He leaned closer, his breath brushing my cheek. “Do you even know what you’re asking for?”

“I do,” I snapped. “You think I’m some virgin little girl who doesn’t get it? Please. I’ve had worse offers.”

That made him pause. His brows pulled together. “Worse offers?”

I realized too late what I’d just admitted. My stomach twisted, but I covered it with attitude. “Doesn’t matter. Point is, I know what I’m saying.”

He studied me, his expression unreadable. The silence dragged, making my skin itch.

Finally, he asked, “And what do you get out of this deal?”

I swallowed hard. “Control.”

His lips curved into something between a smirk and a sneer. “Control. Right.”

“I’m not joking, Dominic.”

“Neither am I.” He stepped even closer, his chest almost brushing mine. “You don’t get control with me. You’d never get control with me.”

My chin lifted on instinct. “We’ll see.”

“Tell me something,” he said finally, his voice lower now. “Do you even want me? Or are you just pissed I touched your friend?”

The question hit like a punch. I hated that I couldn’t answer right away.

“That’s not the point,” I muttered.

He smiled, cold and sharp. “That’s exactly the point.”

“I don’t need to want you for this to work.”

“Then you don’t want me.”

I glared at him. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Not flattering myself,” he said. “Just making sure I know what game you’re trying to play.”

“Maybe it’s not a game,” I whispered before I could stop myself.

That made him still. His eyes locked on mine, sharp, searching.

“Say it again,” he murmured.

I exhaled hard. “Fuck me instead.”

This time, he didn’t laugh. He just kept staring, like he was trying to see inside my head.

Seconds stretched. My stomach was in knots.

Finally, he leaned back just slightly, his expression unreadable. “Careful what you ask for, Ivy.”

I hated how my hands were shaking. I shoved them into my pockets so he wouldn’t see. “I’m not scared of you.”

“Then you should be,” he said softly.

We stood there, eye to eye, neither of us moving. The tension was suffocating.

I swallowed, forcing myself to sound steady. “So? What’s your answer?”

He didn’t give me one. He just smirked, like he knew something I didn’t, and walked back to his chair.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said.

That dismissal burned more than I wanted to admit. “You’re such an asshole.”

He chuckled. “And you’re reckless.”

“Better reckless than boring.”

His eyes flicked up, amusement sparking there for the first time. “We’ll see.”

“Why are you staring at me like that?” I finally snapped.

Dominic didn’t answer right away. He stood again, slow this time, like he wanted me to squirm. His chair groaned as it rolled back.

“You think I’m going to just agree?” he asked. His tone was low, even, but it made my skin crawl.

“That was kind of the point, yeah,” I shot back.

He walked around the desk, each step steady, unhurried. I hated how my stomach tightened with every move he made.

“Move back,” I said before I realized it slipped out.

“Or what?” His voice was calm, almost amused.

“I’ll scream.”

He smirked. “And who do you think will come running? Your mother?”

That shut me up.

Exactly what he wanted.

He stopped right in front of me, so close I had to tilt my head back to keep eye contact. His height always felt like an advantage he knew how to use.

“You’re shaking,” he said quietly.

“I’m not.”

“Then look at your hands.”

I shoved them into my pockets, scowling. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means you’re bluffing.”

“I’m not bluffing.”

“Yeah?” He leaned closer, one hand braced against the wall behind me, caging me in. “Then tell me again. Tell me you want this deal.”

I swallowed hard. “I already did.”

“Say it now.”

“Fuck you,” I muttered.

“That’s not what you said earlier.”

“Same thing.”

“No.” He tilted his head, his eyes scanning my face. “It’s not the same thing at all.”

I hated the way his gaze pinned me in place, like I couldn’t breathe properly. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re sick.”

“And you walked into my study offering yourself. What does that make you?”

That one stung, but I didn’t let him see it. “Smarter than you think.”

He chuckled under his breath, but it wasn’t warm. “You keep saying that. Do you even believe it?”

“Yes.”

He leaned down so his mouth was next to my ear. “Liar.”

My body jerked at the word, heat flooding my neck. I hated that he could get under my skin this fast.

“Back off,” I hissed.

“Why? Afraid?” He asked.

“I’m not afraid,” I shot back.

He pulled back just enough to see my face again, his eyes sharp. “Then prove it.”

“How?”

“Tell me what you want.”

“I already told you.”

“No.” He shook his head slightly. “Not in a bargaining way. Not in your bratty voice. Say it like you mean it.”

“You’re insane,” I said, trying to push him back. He didn’t move. My hands barely made a dent against his chest.

He grabbed my wrist, not hard, just enough to stop me. “Say it.”

I glared up at him. “You think you’re scary, but you’re not.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Then why are your pupils blown wide?”

“Shut up,” I said.

“Say it.” He asked again.

I clenched my teeth. “Fuck me instead.”

His grip tightened slightly, then released. His eyes flicked down to my lips, and for a second, I thought he’d finally give in. My heart jumped.

But he didn’t. He just smirked. “Not convincing.”

I nearly screamed in frustration. “What do you want from me?”

“The truth.”

“That was the truth.”

“No.” His hand brushed my hair back, slow, deliberate. “That was pride talking. I want the part you’re hiding.”

“There’s nothing.”

“Liar,” he said again.

I shoved him hard this time, catching him off guard enough to get space. “Stop calling me that.”

He didn’t chase me, just turned slightly, watching with a smug tilt of his mouth. “Hit a nerve?”

“You don’t know me.”

“Maybe not, but I know when someone’s lying to themselves.”

“God, you’re so full of yourself.”

He laughed once, sharply. “And you’re desperate enough to walk in here making offers you don’t understand.”

Then he pulled me back, leaving me frozen against the wall.