Bound by Power

Nina's day had been hell, but she was about to walk into something worse.

Twenty-one floors in an elevator that moved like it was powered by asthmatic hamsters, clutching a bottle of wine that cost more than Ryan's contribution to rent this month, which was zero, as usual. Fourteen hours of making rich bastards richer, and all she wanted was to surprise her boyfriend with something that didn't involve spreadsheets or his hand.

The spare key turned smoothly. Inside, the lights were low, candlelight spilled from the bedroom in warm, golden pools. For one blissfully stupid second, Nina thought maybe he'd actually done something romantic.

Then she heard a woman moan, low and disgusting. "God, Ryan, your mouth.... don't stop..."

Nina's brain short-circuited. That wasn't the TV, that was live. That was some bitch moaning her boyfriend's name in her god-damn apartment.

The wine bottle hit the floor, she didn't even feel it leave her hand. Her feet moved on autopilot, carrying her toward the bedroom where the door hung open like an invitation to her personal hell.

And there they were.

Ryan, her own Ryan, the man she'd rebuilt from a broke asshole into something presentable, was on his knees at the edge of the bed, his face buried between a woman's thighs. His hands gripped her hips, holding her against his mouth while she writhed above him, back arched, breasts rising and falling with desperate breaths.

The woman's fingers twisted in his hair, pulling him closer. "Yes, yes, just like that...oh God, I'm going to..."

Her red hair caught the candlelight as her whole body went tense, a strangled cry tearing from her throat.

Nina's hand found the light switch and killed the romantic moment.

The red hair screamed. Ryan jerked backward, mouth glistening, eyes going wide with something that looked less like guilt and more like annoyance at being interrupted.

"Nina!" He grabbed a pillow. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What am I..." Her voice came out raw. "I live here, you piece of..."

"You pay rent here," Ryan corrected, standing up without an ounce of shame, still half-hard and completely comfortable. "There's a difference."

The redhead, and oh God, Nina recognized her now, she was from his networking group. She had the audacity to actually laugh as she sat up, not even bothering to cover herself. "Well... This is unfortunate timing."

"Unfortunate?" Nina's hands balled into fists. "Put some clothes on!"

"Why?" She stretched lazily, reaching for Ryan's shirt, the two hundred dollar one Nina had bought him last month. "Not like you were appreciating the view."

"Who the hell do you think you are?'

"I think I'm the woman who actually knows how to satisfy her man." She slipped on the shirt, the fabric barely covering her thighs. "Something you clearly forgot how to do."

Nina moved without thinking, but Ryan stepped between them.

"Hey, hey!" He held up his hands. "Let's all just calm down and be adults about this."

"Adults?" Nina's laugh sounded unhinged. "You want to talk about being adults? You're screwing someone else in our bed!"

"A bed you're never in!" His voice rose slightly. "When's the last time you really touched me, Nina? When's the last time you weren't too tired from work to give a damn about this relationship?"

"I've been working to pay for your entire life!" Her voice rose.

"And there it is!" He threw his hands up. "Everything comes back to money with you. You treat this relationship like a business transaction. Credits and debits and return on investment."

"I paid off your student loans!" Her voice cracked. "Forty-five thousand dollars!"

"That I didn't ask you to do!" Ryan said, his voice rough.

"You begged me to help!"

"And you've been holding it over my head ever since!" Ryan pulled on his jeans, movement sharp with anger. "Every fight, every argument, you throw it in my face. 'I paid for this, I did that, you owe me.' I'm not your protect, Nina. I'm not some broken thing you get fix and then claim ownership of!"

The red haired yawned, examining her nails like she was watching a mildly entertaining soap opera. "He's been complain is about you for months, by the way. How you just lie there like a dead fish. How he has to practically beg for basic attention. How you're more passionate about reports than anything in the bedroom."

The words hit like bullets. Nina's vision blurred. "Shut your mouth."

"Why? It's true." She smiled viciously. "You want to know what he told me? He said sex with you feels like a chore. Like you're doing him a favor. Meanwhile...." She gestured to the bed, to the rumpled sheets, to the scene Nina had just interrupted. "He can't get enough of me."

Nina moved before Ryan could stop her, her palm cracked across the redhaired face so hard the sound echoed off the walls.

"You bitch!" Her hands flew to her cheek which was now red.

"Nina!" Ryan grabbed the girl's, pulling her against his chest, stroking her like she was the victim here and Nina was the villain.

"Six years," Nina whispered. "I gave you six

years. I believed in you when you were nothing. Nobody wanted you, nobody saw potentials in you except me. I worked overtime to cover your mother's hospital bills. I got you the job you have now. And this..." Her voice broke. "This is what I get?"

"You want the truth?" Ryan's jaw tightened. "You suffocated me. Every dollar came with strings attached. Every favor came with expectations. You didn't love me, Nina. You loved controlling me."

"I loved you."

"You loved a project." He laced his fingers through the girl's, the gesture deliberately cruel. "She sees me as an equal. As a man. Not some charity case she's waiting to cash in on."

"Cash in?" Nina's hands trembled. "You promised me. You said once you were stable, once your career took off, we'd get married. You promised!"

"Yeah, about that." The girl lifted her left hand, wiggling her fingers.

A princess-cut diamond caught the light, the exact ring Nina had circled in the Tiffany catalog nine months ago.

Nina's world tilted sideways. "You can't be serious."

"We're engaged!" Her smile was evil. "Four months together and he already knew I was the one. Funny how that works when you actually make a man feel like a man."

"Four months," Nina repeated numbly. "You've known her for four months."

"When it's right, you know." Ryan shrugged. "We're having the engagement party here tomorrow, actually. So you should probably pack your things tonight."

"This is my apartment!" Nina's voice rose.

"Lease is in my name." His smirked. "You insisted, remember? To help my credit score. Another one of your 'investments.' So you need to leave."

Six years of building him, believing in him, waiting for him. And he was kicking her out for a woman he'd known for four months.

"You're nothing without me," Nina said quietly. "You'll always be nothing."

She grabbed her purse and walked out, refusing to cry untill she hit the elevator.

She made it to her car before the sobs, the sound of everything breaking at once.

Her phone buzzed, it was an unknown number, she almost didn't answer.

"Is this Nina Grant?"

"Yes." Her voice was wrecked.

"Ms. Grant, this is Detective Cruz with the NYPD. I'm afraid I have some difficult news regarding Thomas Ashton. There's been an accident. He's... I'm very sorry, but Mr. Ashton didn't survive. We found your contact information listed as his emergency contact. We need you to come identify the body."

The phone slipped from Nina's hand. Thomas, the only person who'd ever believe in her without wanting something in return was now gone.

This was the worse day ever for her.