CHAPTER 5: AN OFFER TOO WILD TO IGNORE

Isayanna 

My stomach dropped into my heels the second I recognized the man holding my shoulders. The air between us was suddenly electric, thick with the scent of his expensive cologne and the smell of the club's artificial fog. 

I pulled back, looking at anything but him. The guilt from earlier today felt like a physical weight, pressing down on my chest. I had run out of his office like a coward, and now I was literally falling into his arms in a den of strobe lights and bad decisions.

Jaydon looked lethal. His jaw was set, his knuckles white as he released my arms.

"Isayanna," he said, his voice a low vibration that I felt in my bones more than I heard over the music. "What are you doing here?"

I swallowed. The lump in my throat felt like a stone. I tried to nod, to act like a normal person, but my heart was drumming a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I looked past him, scanning the VIP tables for Julie. I’d left her to use the bathroom, my head spinning with thoughts of his contract and the ticking clock on Grandma’s life.

"I asked you a question," he said. He took a step closer. The heat radiating off him was terrifying. "Why are you at a place like this?"

"I'm with a friend," I managed to say. My voice was thin, reedy. I hated how small I felt under his gaze.

"A friend?" His eyes narrowed, turning dark and sharp. "A man?"

The question caught me off guard. There was a hard edge to his tone, something that sounded dangerously like possession. It made the hair on my arms stand up.

"No," I said, shaking my head too fast. "No. My friend Julie. She’s right there."

I pointed toward the booth. Julie was nursing a cocktail, looking bored as she waited for me. Jaydon followed my finger, his gaze lingering on her for a long second. I watched the tension leave his shoulders, a slow exhale escaping his lips. He looked like a man who had just been handed a reprieve.

"Good night," he muttered. He sounded exhausted.

He started to brush past me, his arm grazing mine. The contact sent a jolt of pure fire through my skin. 

"Jaydon, wait," I blurted out. I bit my lip immediately. "I mean, sir. Wait."

He stopped. He didn't turn around at first. He just stood there, a wall of black silk and muscle. When he finally looked back at me, I felt the air leave my lungs. I wanted to apologize for the office, for the screaming, for being such a mess.

"Isayanna," he said, cutting me off before I could start. He looked around at the sweating bodies and the flashing lights. "This isn't the place."

He stepped closer, his shadow swallowing me whole. For a second, I thought he might touch me again. My skin tingled in anticipation, a low heat pooling in my belly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

He didn't wait for an answer. He turned and vanished into the crowd, moving with a grace that didn't belong in a place this chaotic.

I stood there for a long time, my hand hovering over the spot on my arm where he’d touched me. 'See you tomorrow.' It wasn't a firing. It was a promise. 

Relief washed over me, but it was cold. I still had my job, but I still didn't have the money. My mind went back to Grandma, pale and struggling in her bed. I looked at the door where Jaydon had disappeared. 

The half a million dollars was still out there. And so was he. 

I walked back to Julie, my mind made up. I couldn't let Grandma die. Even if it meant selling my soul to a man who looked at me like he wanted to ruin me.

"What took you so long?" Julie asked. 

She didn't look up from the rhythm of her own body, her drink sloshing in her hand as she swayed. I didn't answer. I just sank into the leather sofa, feeling the cool material against my heated skin. I grabbed the wine she offered and downed it in one burning gulp. The alcohol hit my empty stomach like a flare, but it didn't touch the cold knot of anxiety in my gut.

"Julie," I said.

She didn't hear me over the bass. She was lost in the strobe lights, a blurred silhouette of neon and motion. I reached out and gripped her arm.

"Julie!" 

She finally turned, her eyes blinking into focus. "What?"

I leaned in, the smell of her perfume and the club's heavy smoke filling my lungs. I waited for her to ask, to see the panic etched into my face, but she just waited. I ran my fingers through my hair, my scalp tingling. My heart was a frantic drum against my ribs.

"I asked him," I said, my voice barely a whisper against the noise. "I asked my boss for the money. For Grandma."

Julie’s face transformed instantly. The party girl vanished, replaced by a sharp, hungry interest. "And? Did the billionaire say yes?"

"He said yes," I said, grinding my teeth. I looked down at my empty glass, wishing it was something stronger. "But there is a catch. A massive one."

Julie arched an eyebrow, leaning closer until our shoulders touched. "What kind of catch?"

"He wants me to marry him."

The words felt heavy, like I was dropping stones into a deep well. Julie froze. The silence between us was a physical thing, cutting through the thumping music. Her eyes went wide, reflecting the purple light of the club.

"Marry him?" she repeated. Her voice was flat with shock. "Jaydon? The man from the news? The one who looks like he eats souls for breakfast?"

I knew she had a thing for him. Most women did. They saw the money and the sharp suits, but they didn't see the ice in his veins. She used to tease me about dying a virgin, joking that my standards were too high. Now, the highest standard in the city was asking for my hand.

"One year," I said, my voice shaking. "A twelve month contract. Then it's over."

"One year with that man?" Julie breathed. She looked like she was trying to calculate the math of it in her head. "What’s the payout? What are you getting for being his trophy?"

"Five hundred thousand dollars," I corrected, my mind flashing back to the numbers on his desk. "Plus whatever I need. Allowances. Shopping. Everything covered."

Julie’s jaw dropped. She looked at me like I’d just grown a second head made of gold. "Did he say why? Why only a year?"

"Business," I said, shrugging. I tried to sound like it didn't matter, but the heat in my cheeks betrayed me. "He said it’s just a deal."

"Just business," she mocked, a cheeky, dangerous grin spreading across her face. "So. Are you in?"

I let out a harsh, dry laugh. "Are you kidding? It’s insane, Julie. I can't marry a man like that for a year. It's ridiculous."

"You can't marry him for a year," she said, her eyes narrowing as she caught the slip in my words. "Or you just won't marry him at all?"

I felt the air leave my lungs. It was the same wall I’d hit in his office. The same panic that made me bolt.

"Wait," Julie said, her hand tightening on my arm. "Are you saying you can't, you don’t want to, or you’re just too scared to say yes?"

I looked at her, my hands flying up in a gesture of pure, unadulterated frustration. "All of it. Every single one."

Julie didn't offer sympathy. She threw her head back and burst into a fit of laughter that made people at the next table turn. I just sat there, my brow furrowed, watching my best friend lose it while my entire life hung by a thread of silver and lies.

"What is so funny about this?"

I stared at her. My life was a collapsing house, and Julie was acting like she’d just won the lottery. She stopped laughing, her face shifting into a terrifying kind of focus. She reached into her bag and shoved her phone toward my face.

"Give me his number."

"You are kidding, right?" I pulled back, the neon lights overhead making her screen look like a blinding white wall. "Tell me you’re joking."

"I am dead serious. Totally. Do you even realize what you are saying no to?" Julie leaned in until I could smell the wine on her breath. Her eyes were blown wide. "This is a once in a lifetime shot, Isayanna. You have worked for the man for a year. You know his moods. You know his coffee order. What is stopping you from jumping on this like a damn frog?"

I couldn't breathe. The bass from the dance floor was thumping against my spine.

"Don't be stupid," she said, waving a hand as if she could brush away my fear. "This isn't just about you. You have always been the one to give everything up for everyone else. Think about your grandma. Isn’t being a billionaire's wife for a year better than being some pig’s plaything just to pay the rent?"

I blinked. The logic was cold, but it was there. 

"I am done talking about this," I muttered. I looked away, my fingers twisted together so tight my knuckles turned white. "I wouldn't even suggest you do it."

Julie wasn't listening. She was already scrolling through her contacts, her thumb hovering over the screen. "Fine. If you won't do it, I’ll grab his number from your phone. I’ll call him myself. I’ll tell him I’m ready to be the bride."

"He said there wouldn’t be any strings," I snapped, trying to bring her back to reality. "No sex. Nothing."

Julie let out a soft, dramatic gasp. Her mouth fell open. "A whole year without any action?" She sounded like she was mourning a death. I just nodded, feeling a strange, hot flush creep up my neck.

"What a waste," she groaned, her voice turning dreamy as she stared at the ceiling. "How could I even be in his house without thinking about it? Daydreaming about him taking me. Making love. Kissing me until I can't think."

I rolled my eyes. Julie had been obsessed with Jaydon since the first time his face hit the business journals. She’d tried to sneak into the office twice, but security had tossed her out before she could even reach the elevator. 

She suddenly reached out and smacked my leg. Hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" I winced, pulling my legs away from her. She was definitely more than tipsy now.

She laughed, her teeth flashing under the strobe lights. "Just go for it. You are still a virgin, aren't you?"

I didn't answer. I didn't have to.

"It is such a bummer," she continued, her voice dropping into a dirty whisper. "If he wanted to get wild, I would be the perfect fit. I’ve always wondered what it would be like when a man like that... you know... eats..."

"Julie!" I shouted. 

I felt my face go bright red. She just cackled, standing up and tossing her hair back. She looked like the life of the party, while I felt like I was heading for an execution.

"Let’s dance," she said, her voice full of a sudden, sharp energy. "Let’s dance for the offer. For the hope of a better future where you aren't broke."

Before I could say no, she grabbed my wrist and yanked me up. She had surprising strength when she was drunk. She dragged me toward the center of the floor, the heat of the crowd pressing in on all sides.

She threw her hands up, shouting over the music so everyone could hear. "Isayanna is about to become a billionaire’s wife! Let’s party!"

I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. Every eye in the VIP section turned our way, but all I could see was Jaydon’s face from earlier. The way he looked at me. The way he’d said my name. 

Tomorrow. He said he would see me tomorrow. 

I started to move to the beat, but my mind was miles away. I was thinking about the contract. I was thinking about the money. Most of all, I was thinking about why the idea of no sex felt less like a relief and more like a challenge.