The Deal

Chapter Four — The Deal 

Phoebe's POV 

Sweat rolled down my forehead, I rubbed my palm against each other, praying silently for Seth not to do it.

Tension built around the table as he unfolded the letter, slowly.

“No!—” desperation tore through my throat, all I could think of was stopping him from reading that letter out loud. 

His eyes widened for a split second but I wasn't fooled. The glint in them was nothing but mischief.

“What is it, Phoebe?” mom asked, curiously.

My heart hammered violently against my chest as Seth opened the letter and showed it to them.

He glanced at me before speaking. “I got selected to play at the state championship next month.”

I blinked stunned, relief crashed over me so hard. 

“Thank goodness.” I exhaled sharply, my shoulders sagged. 

“That's great news, Seth. I'm proud of you.” Daniel muttered, smiling genuinely.

Seth smirked, his eyes flickering towards me for a brief second. “Thanks, dad.”

The rest of dinner passed in a blur of congratulations and conversation, but I barely heard any of it. All I could think about was that my letter was still in his possession—locked away somewhere in his room.

I had to get it back.

Later that night, when the house had gone quiet and everyone was asleep, I slipped out of bed.

 My heart pounded as I crept down the dimly lit hallway toward Seth’s room. I couldn’t let him keep my secret any longer.

This ended tonight.

I used my phone’s torchlight and searched every corner of Seth’s room as quietly as possible, but I couldn’t find the letter.

Where could he possibly be hiding it?

Maybe under his pillow?

I leaned forward slowly, pressing my weight against the bed as I checked around the pillows. 

I carefully reached over him to the other side, but still found nothing.

Staring at him, I noticed how smooth his face looked in the dim light, his curly hair resting just above his brows.

He wasn’t just a devil. He was a dangerously handsome one.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

 I froze.

Before I could react, he grabbed my waist and flipped me over, caging me beneath him.

“You weren’t asleep?” I asked, blinking in confusion.

“I was… until a certain someone snuck into my room.” he replied, his grip tightening around my wrist.

He trailed his finger along my jawline, tilting my chin up so I had no choice but to meet his gaze.

“Want your letter that badly?” He pressed my hand against his chest and slowly began sliding it downward toward his trousers. “I kept it in my pants. Go ahead and get it.”

“No! No, no, no!” I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to yank my hand away. There was no way I was touching his dick just to get my letter back.

He stopped. When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me intently, like he was searching for something on my face.

“So you really are a virgin?” His tone was somewhere between a question and an insult.

How dare he?

“Move!” I pushed against his chest angrily.

He threw his head back and laughed, like I had just told the funniest joke.

“It’s not funny,” I muttered, pulling my knees to my chest.

He finally stopped laughing, but the look in his eyes still made my cheeks burn.

He shifted closer, his voice lower. “There’s nothing wrong with being a virgin, Phoebe.”

I let out a dry scoff. “Tell that to Summer and her gang. They make my life hell because of it.”I continued, the words spilling out before I could stop them. 

“I’ve liked Conrad since my first year… and I always wanted my first time to be with someone I actually liked. But he doesn’t even know how I feel.”

When he didn’t respond, I turned to look at him, only to find he had laid back down, eyes closed.

“Fool,” I mumbled under my breath.

His lips curved into a sly smile. He opened his eyes and sat up properly.

“You really want your letter back?” he asked.

“Yes.” I replied, my voice coming out 

softer than I intended.

Seth stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. 

The playful smirk from earlier had faded, replaced by something darker and more serious.

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low whisper.

“Fine. I’ll give you the letter back.”

My heart leaped with hope.

“…on one condition.”

The hope died instantly.

I narrowed my eyes. “What condition?”

Seth’s lips curved into that dangerous smirk again. He sat up fully, looking down at me like a predator who had finally cornered his prey.

“For the next two months, you’ll be my personal assistant. You’ll do whatever I say, whenever I say it. No questions. No complaints. You obey me completely.”

My mouth fell open in disbelief. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

He reached out and tucked a strand of my brown hair behind my ear, his touch surprisingly gentle.

“Break the rules even once, and I’ll read your filthy letter out loud to the entire school. I’ll make sure Conrad and everyone else knows exactly what kind of dirty thoughts you have about him.”

My stomach dropped. The thought of Conrad—or worse, the whole school—reading what I wrote made me feel physically sick.

“You can’t be serious…” I whispered.

“Oh, I’m very serious, kitty cat.” His eyes locked onto mine, intense and unwavering. “Two months. Total obedience. In return, I’ll destroy the letter right in front of you when it’s over.”

I wanted to scream. I wanted to slap that smug look off his face. But I had no choice.

If that letter got out, my life would be over.

I swallowed hard, my hands trembling. “Fine,” I said through gritted teeth, barely able to get the word out. “I’ll do it.”

Seth’s smirk widened, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. “Good girl.”

He leaned back against the headboard, looking far too pleased with himself.

He reached into his bedside drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen.

My stomach twisted.

“What is that?”

“A contract,” he said simply. “Since you clearly don’t trust me, we’re making this official.”

He scribbled something at the bottom of the paper, then slid it toward me along with the pen.

I glanced at it. 

It was straightforward—two months of doing whatever he said, and at the end he would destroy the letter.

I noticed his signature at the bottom. It was bold, with a sharp ‘S’ and a little unique curve on the ‘A’. Kind of hard to miss.

I didn’t think much of it.

I picked up the pen, my hand still shaking a bit, and signed my name below his.

Phoebe Whitmore. 

The second I finished, Seth took the paper, folded it neatly, and put it away in his drawer.

“Smart choice,” he murmured. “Two months starts now, kitty cat.”

I sat there, heart still racing, feeling the full weight of what I had just agreed to.

There was no going back.