19

A shadow of a smile touched his lips—not a kind smile, but a triumphant one. "You signed a contract with me, Adrienne. The contract is clear that the money covers my needs. Your 'no intimacy' clause is conditional on my public needs. Tonight, my need is to ensure my mother believes we are a happily married couple sharing a room."

​He turned and walked over to the large, luxurious wardrobe built into the wall.

​"You will not be sharing my bed, Adrienne," he said, pulling out a dark silk robe and tossing it onto the bed near her. "But you will be sleeping in the chaise lounge over there." He pointed to a velvet chaise tucked into a corner, framed by the dark curtains.

​"The bathroom is through that door. Your luggage is not here—Lawrence will purchase what you need and bring it to the door, and you will not step out of this room until morning. You're under my surveillance now. No more games, and no more mistakes."

​He turned back, his expression utterly detached. He was Adrian's boss again, giving a final, non-negotiable directive.

​"Take off that dress and put on the robe. I'm going to take a shower."

​"This isn't what we agreed on," she said, gritting her teeth.

​He didn't reply. He simply went into the bathroom, shutting the door with a quiet, decisive click that was louder than any shout.

​"Damn it," she muttered.

​Adrienne stared at the silk robe and the chaise lounge, the humiliation burning in her cheeks. He had cornered her. She was trapped in his house, in his room, and was being treated like a valuable, disobedient pet.

​She balled her fists. Fuck, no sleep for me tonight.

​Adrienne stared at the chaise lounge in agony. Not only was she not going to sleep, but she was also going to be in an uncomfortable position all night.

​She stared at the silk robe on the bed and grabbed it in anger, rumpling it in her hands. No, she wasn't going to wear such inviting attire. What if Alexander stared too much and discovered that everything was fake? No, she couldn't risk it.

​She walked over to the chaise lounge, the curtains draped around it in a way that created a private nook, giving her some semblance of privacy.

​She lowered herself onto it, slowly shifting to rest her back. She sighed, looking around the room as she let her thoughts wander.

​Adrian's voice spoke in her head: Maybe... this is our chance to seduce him. We've crushed on him for months, and now he's right in front of us and you're acting all meek and cute. Get inside that bathroom and show that man—

​"No!" Adrienne snapped, covering her face with her hands. "Just shut up, okay?" she muttered to herself.

​"What?" Alexander's voice questioned as he stepped out of the bathroom wearing only his pajama pants.

​Adrienne snapped her head up at him and her words got stuck in her throat as she stared at the tanned, washboard abs and smooth, sexy chest.

​She shut her lips when she realized she was about to drool and make a fool of herself.

​You see, I told you the man is a demon. We want a piece of him, Adrian purred inwardly, sabotaging himself.

​Adrienne shut her eyes and groaned quietly.

​"Are you okay?" Alexander slowly strode toward her, his brows locked.

​"No, no—I mean, yes, yes, I'm fine, awesome. Just stay away!" She propped herself on her knees and stretched her hands in front of her, shaking her head.

​Alexander seemed not to understand or hear her because he walked all the way over to her and stood right in front of her stretched hands.

​Adrienne gulped and glued her back to the backrest, her pulse jumping like it was on a trampoline. Her eyes stayed up on Alexander's face, never wandering down; she might have a nosebleed if she dared to feast her eyes on the body of the man.

​"I-I'm really fine, Alexander. Just g-go to b-bed," she stammered, kicking herself inwardly for letting a simple exposed chest get her mind all mushed up.

​Alexander narrowed his eyes at her flushed cheeks, then a slow smirk appeared on his lips as he looked down at his body, then back at Adrienne's face. "I affect you." It wasn't a question; he stated it.

​Adrienne suddenly snorted, folding her arms. "How about I pull off my dress and stand bare-chested in front of you, Mr. Husband? Let's see if you'll falter or not," she challenged.

​A challenge—that's all it was. There was no way she was pulling out fake breasts in front of Alexander; he'd know at once.

​Alexander's smirk grew. "I don't mind." He placed a firm hand on her shoulder and leaned in to face her, brushing her face. "You can undress, spread your legs in front of me, and I promise you, my body won't react in the slightest," he whispered. "Do you need help undressing?" His finger hooked under the thin strap of her dress.

​Adrienne instantly pulled away, hugging her arms around herself.

​"T-that's not what I meant," she insisted shakily, looking away from his proud smirk.

​"It's not? Then what is it?" he asked, pushing a hand inside his pocket and fixing his unwavering gaze on her.

​Adrienne gulped, licking her dry lips. This was the worst night of her life. Nothing, absolutely nothing, had prepared her for such a confrontation with her boss tonight.

​She believed she was just stepping out for a meet-and-greet with her mother-in-law; she never expected to be trapped in a luxurious room with a hot and handsome CEO.

​She cleared her throat and tamed her wild heart. "What I meant was just... you're a man, I'm a woman. It's natural to get flustered when one of us gets naked in front of the other—"

​"Not me," he corrected calmly.

​Adrienne sighed, slowly nodding her head. There was no need to continue a conversation with a narcissist; she'd just end up annoying herself in the end.

​"Okay, Alexander. Goodnight—"

​"Why are you still in that dress?" He interrupted her again, pointing at her red dress with a frown.

​Adrienne sighed; she was getting annoyed by the way Alexander always cut her off. He had no regard for her at all.

​"I don't trust you enough to get out of my clothes. At least I have that right. Your contract doesn't dictate how I dress to sleep, eat, or pee. If I say I'm comfortable in my dress, then I'm comfortable in my dress," she spoke clearly, her tone holding a clear challenge.

​She couldn't allow Alexander to control her. She had to draw a line before he made a demand that would risk her exposure.

​Alexander stared at her for a while, taking in her defiance. "Then, goodnight," he said and turned away from her, walking toward his bed.

​Adrienne sighed in relief, staring at the time on the wall clock. Ugh... five hours till dawn, she groaned internally.

​Suddenly, the lights went out, and Adrienne froze; her fingers slowly started to tremble. Darkness and tight places were Adrian's biggest weakness.

​After an experience with his mother's ex-husband, he had developed PTSD.

​How was Adrienne supposed to cope with the sudden darkness? She pressed her hand over her mouth to stop the soft sobs she knew would come in the next second. She couldn't let Alexander see her like this; this was too personal to simply display to a man who might mock her instead of offering help.

​She would find a way to sit through the darkness.

​On the bed, Alexander was lying on his back and staring into the darkness when he suddenly heard a slight gasp. He ignored it, thinking it was just Adrienne trying to sleep.

​But then, he heard it again, and this time, it was more of a strangled breathing.

​With a hard frown creasing his brows, he brought his legs down to the floor and turned on his bedside lamp before hurrying over to Adrienne, who was now curled up on the chaise lounge.

​"Hey, Adrienne, what's wrong?" Alexander's voice was surprisingly gentle, genuine, as he crouched down in front of the chaise lounge and placed his hand on Adrienne's shuddering shoulder.

​"It's okay... calm down, Adrienne, you're alright," he whispered, running his hand on her back to soothe her.

​Adrienne suddenly came to when she felt Alexander's hand on her back and his voice close to her ear. She slowly lifted her tear-streaked face and stared at Alexander's worried eyes.

​"Are you okay?" Alexander questioned, reaching out to touch her face, but she pulled away from him, clearing her throat as if she hadn't just been choking on her breath a second ago.

​Adrienne realized that a dim light had been turned on as she wiped her tears from her face, glancing briefly at Alexander's confused expression.

​She knew he was waiting for an explanation, but she wasn't about to give one.

​"I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep. But can you leave the lamp on?" she asked softly.

​Alexander frowned. "Yeah. Are you not going to tell me what happened—"

​"It's none of your business," she cut in, biting her lower lip and looking away from him.

​Alexander balled his fists. "Goodnight," he grunted and stood, returning to his bed to grab his pillow. "I'll be in the inner room. You can use the bed... if you wish," he said and walked away.

​Adrienne watched Alexander walk through a wooden door behind the black curtain. She hadn't realized it was there until now.

​A sigh escaped her lips. It's better this way.

​She could try to sit all night in comfort with Alexander out of the room.

​And what was that back there? So Alexander had a soft side to him.

​It was a brief, almost held-back moment of tenderness from her cold boss. But she couldn't miss it; those icy blue eyes held genuine worry.

​Perhaps the way to get the cold boss to fall for Adrienne was through vulnerability?