5. The Devil's Bargaining

Elena stared at the towering glass building, its mirrored surface slicing into the overcast sky. Her heart thudded so loud in her chest, she was convinced the doorman could hear it.

She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, her fingers curled tightly around the hem of her jacket. Her legs trembled inside her boots, but she forced them forward anyway.

Every instinct screamed at her to turn around, to go home, to pretend that night never happened. But she didn’t. She pressed the elevator button with shaky fingers.

Elena’s pulse thudded in her throat as each floor ticked by. She tried to steady her breathing, to make sense of the war inside her. No boy had ever made her feel the way Ryan did. No boy had ever been able to look at her and strip her bare without touching her. But Ryan? He was no boy.

The elevator dinged. The penthouse floor. Elena stood outside Ryan’s penthouse, her finger hovering over the doorbell. She pressed the bell before she could chicken out.

The door swung open almost instantly.

Ryan stood there, dressed in black slacks and a half-unbuttoned white shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows. His dark hair was slightly mussed, his jaw shadowed with stubble. He looked like a sin incarnate.

“You came.” His voice was rough, edged with something dark.

Elena lifted her chin. “You blackmailed me.”

She stepped inside before the neighbors could see her.

A smirk curled his lips. “I invited you.” He said nothing for a moment, just stared at her. Devoured her. “Lock the door,” he said.

She turned, hands fumbling with the latch. When she faced him again, he was closer.

“Where is it?” she demanded.

He arched his brow. “Where’s what?”

“My…” She flushed. “You know what.”

Ryan chuckled, low and dangerous. “Patience, sweetheart.”

He walked past her, his shoulder brushing hers, the contact sending a jolt of electricity down her spine. She followed him into the living room, her heels clicking against the marble floor.

“Sit.” He gestured to the couch.

Elena didn’t move. “I’m not staying.”

Ryan poured himself a drink, the amber liquid swirling in the glass. “Then why are you here?”

“Because you…” She couldn’t complete it.

“Because you wanted to see me.” His gaze locked onto hers. “Admit it.”

Her breath hitched.

Liar.

Liar.

Liar.

Ryan set the glass down with a soft clink. “Tell me the truth, Elena. Why did you really come?”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”

Liar.

He stepped closer, his scent wrapping around her, cedarwood and something darker, something addictive. “Try again.”

Her pulse pounded. “I wanted to see if you’d look at me the same way you did that night.”

Ryan’s eyes darkened. “And how did I look at you?”

“Like you wanted me.”

A beat of silence.

“I did.” His voice was a whisper. “I do.”

The admission sent a shiver down her spine.

Ryan reached out, his fingers brushing her cheek. “But you’re too young,” he said, looking straight into her eyes. “That fact doesn’t change just because you look at me like you want to be fucked against that wall.”

She flinched. “I’ll be eighteen soon.”

“Not soon enough.” His hand dropped, and he turned away, running a hand through his hair. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Then why did you ask me to come?”

Ryan turned back, his gaze burning. “Because I’m a selfish bastard.”

The raw honesty in his voice stunned her.

He stepped closer, crowding her against the couch. “Tell me to stop.”

Her breath came faster. “No.”

His lips brushed her ear. “Tell me to walk away.”

She shivered. “No.”

Ryan pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers. “What do you want, Elena?”

The question hung between them, heavy with implication.

She lifted her chin. “You.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“I know exactly what I want.”

Ryan’s laugh was dark. “No, you don’t. You think you do, but you have no idea what kind of man I am.”

“Then show me.”

His eyes flashed. “Careful what you wish for. You know what my policy is? No girlfriends. No fairy tale endings. No promises. Ever.” He stepped even closer, close enough that she had to tilt her chin to keep eye contact. “I’m not a good man, Elena. I don’t play nice. I don’t kiss on cue or fall in love. You think you know what you want, but you have no idea who I am.”

The words landed like bricks in her chest. 

“You should know that before you keep chasing whatever fantasy you’ve built around me.” His hand brushed her cheek. “I’m starting to think you’re the kind of mistake I’d make twice.”

Her stomach dipped, heat flooding low between her thighs.

“Do you still think I’m a child?” she asked, her voice trembling.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and walked to the minibar. Elena stood frozen as he poured himself a drink.

“I want you,” she said simply.

He turned to her, brow raised. “You think that’s enough?”

“Yes,” Her heart pounded. “I’m not looking for a fairytale.”

“Then what are you looking for?”

Her voice was barely a whisper. “You.”

Ryan’s grip tightened slightly. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“I know the risks.”

“And I don’t need love,” he said, voice low. “I need control. Obedience. Respect. I want someone who’ll crawl if I tell them to. Who’ll give me everything without question.”

She stared at him, heart pounding, throat dry.

“You still want me now?” he asked.

She nodded.

He shook his head slowly. “Say it. Say you want me to own you.”

Her breath caught.

“Say it, Elena.”

“I want you to own me.”

His eyes flared, something feral and hot flashing across his face. “Jesus,” he muttered, turning away again like he was afraid he might actually break.

She didn’t move. 

Finally, he walked to the massive leather couch and sat, gesturing for her to do the same.

She moved toward him slowly, her thighs brushing together beneath her skirt.

“You scared?” he asked as she sat on the opposite end.

“Yes.”

“Good. I’m not going to fuck you,” he said, voice like gravel. “Not yet. Not until you’re legal. But make no mistake, I will have you.”

Her lips parted.

“And when I do,” he murmured, “it’ll be on my terms. My rules. My pace.”

“Rules?” she whispered.

His gaze darkened. “You break them, I break you,” he added, dragging his thumb down her throat.

“I won’t hold your hand. I won’t play nice.”

She closed her eyes, shivering. “And if I still say yes?”

“Then you do what I say. No questions. No games.”

“And if I say no?”

His touch disappeared. “Then you walk out that door and we forget this ever happened.”

They sat in silence for a beat, the air electric between them.

“What happens now?”

He exhaled harshly, dragging a hand through his hair like he was trying to shake her off. But when he looked at her again, something cracked through the surface.

“Tomorrow,” he said.

“What?”

“You come back tomorrow night. Eight o’clock. Same door.”

Her stomach flipped. “Why?”

“Because if you’re really going to step into my world, I want to see how far you’re willing to go.”

“And if I come?”

His eyes burned into hers. “Then it begins.”

She stared at him, trying to breathe. He turned away, walking back to the window, the city lights casting long shadows across his sharp jawline.

“Go home, Elena.”

She didn’t move.

“Now,” he said, without turning.

She walked to the door, heart pounding, skin humming. She paused before opening it.

“You’re not the only one who’s scared,” she said quietly.

He didn’t answer. The door clicked shut behind her.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Jade had cornered Ryan an hour before Elena arrived.

Ryan stood still, fists clenched. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything. He wasn’t supposed to care. But the image of her trembling lip, the softness of her voice, the fucking hope in her eyes, it branded itself into his skull.

“You called her?” Jade’s voice was sharp.

“Don’t start,” Ryan warned. “It’s handled.”

“Bullshit. You don’t handle things like this,” Jade said. “I’m reminding you who the hell you are.”

“I know exactly who I am.”

“Then act like it,” Jade snapped. “She’s seventeen, man. This is not a game.”

“Of course, it’s not.” Ryan finally met his gaze. “I’m not fucking her, not until she’s eighteen.”

Jade scoffed. “Since when do you have self-control?”

“Since the alternative is prison.”

“And after that?”

Ryan didn’t answer.

Jade sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Ryan, listen to me. She’s a kid. She’s Mike Carter’s daughter. This isn’t just reckless, it’s suicide.”

Ryan’s jaw clenched. “I know.”

“Then what the hell are you doing?” Jade exhaled. “You’re not built for this. You don’t do feelings. You chew girls up and spit them out.”

Ryan finally said, “She’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Why?”

Because I just need to see her.

Because I can’t stop thinking about her.

Because she’s under my skin.

Because I’ve never wanted someone this badly.

He didn’t say any of that. Instead, he shrugged. “Curiosity.”

Jade shook his head. “You’re playing with fire.”

Ryan smirked. “I always do. I love fire.”