The Contract

Kale's POV

The room was dead quiet. I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears. I sat frozen in the chair, face still burning red as I stared at Noah.

He looked too good and expensive, nothing like the sweaty, messy version of him I saw at school.

Noah finally turned his head, his eyes dropping down to look at me. The professional smile on his face vanished instantly. His eyebrows shot up, and his entire body went rigid for a split second.

He opened his mouth, closed it, and looked at me like I was a ghost that had just ruined his day.

“Jace,” Noah said, his cool voice cracking just a tiny bit as he kept his eyes locked on my flushed face. “Who is this?”

Jace looked at me and back to Noah. He narrowed his eyes as he sensed the tension in the room. He leaned back in his chair.

“Noah, this is Kale,” Jace said. “He’s the kid from California Got Talent I told you about. The one I’m working with.” Jace turned to me and smirked. “Kale, this is Noah. He handles all the business stuff for me.”

Noah blinked fast and put his professional mask back on. But I saw his jaw tighten. “We actually know each other,” he said, voice lower now. “Same school.”

Jace raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely intrigued. “Is that so? Small world.” He gestured toward the door,  but his eyes stayed on me. “Leave the reports on the desk, Noah. We are in the middle of a very important contract signing.”

“Of course,” Noah muttered. He stepped closer to the desk, sliding the thick folder onto the wood. As he leaned over, his shoulder brushed mine.

I jumped. A cold panic shot down my spine and I grabbed the chair so I wouldn’t move.

Noah glanced down at me one last time, a dark, dangerous look flashing in his eyes that silently warned me to keep my mouth shut, before he turned on his heel and walked out of the office, closing the heavy oak door behind him with a soft click.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. My chest was still rising fast.

“You're slipping away again, Kale,” Jace’s voice cut through my frantic thoughts.

I flinched and looked up. Jace had moved. He was no longer sitting behind his massive desk; instead, he had walked around the room and was now standing directly in front of my chair.

He leaned back against the edge of the wood, folding his arms across his broad chest. His white shirt pulled tight over his chest and the smell of roses was thick in the air. It made my head spin.

“I’m fine,” I muttered. My voice came out rough. “I just didn’t expect someone from school to work here.”

“Noah is efficient,” Jace said simply, dismissing the topic as he reached down and picked up the thick stack of contract papers. He tapped the documents against his thigh, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made it impossible for me to look away.

“But he isn't the one I want to talk about right now. You are.”

He slid the papers onto my lap, along with a heavy, expensive silver pen. “This is the premium contract, Kale,” he said low. That smooth voice made my whole body feel heavy.

“It gives me total control over your music, your image, and your schedule for the next year. In exchange, I give you the resources, the production, and the platform to ensure you win CGT. No more waiting in lines, no more being broke, and no more dealing with the noise of the outside world.”

I stared down at the lines of dense legal text, the words blurring together beneath my fingers. My logical brain was screaming at me to slow down, to ask questions, and to think about the creepy anonymous texts warning me about Jace's true nature.

But Jace didn't give me the space to think. He leaned down, his large hand coming to rest on the armrest of my chair, trapping me beneath his shadow.

His face was just inches from mine, his hot breath fanning across my cheek as his eyes scanned my face.

“You're distracted and scared today,” Jace whispered, his voice incredibly close to my ear, sending a powerful wave of heat straight down to my lower half. “But you need to trust me, Kale. I told you that you would get to know me, and I meant it. Sign the papers. Let me take care of the heavy lifting so you can just focus on your voice.”

“Jace…” I breathed, my fingers tightening around the silver pen. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off his skin, and my body was absolutely desperate to just submit to whatever he wanted.

“Sign it, Kale,” he commanded softly, his thumb reaching out to trace the line of my jaw, his touch sending a violent shiver straight through my nervous system. “Step into my world completely. Stop fighting what you know you want.”

My chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. The pressure in the room was agonizing, a beautiful, addictive trap that I didn't have the strength to escape.

I looked from his dark, possessive eyes down to the signature line at the bottom of the page. Without another second of hesitation, I pressed the pen to the paper and scribbled my name, binding my future entirely to his.

Jace let out a low, satisfied hum, immediately pulling the papers and the pen from my hands. He stood up to his full height, looking down at me with a triumphant, dangerous smile that made my stomach do a violent flip.

“Good boy,” Jace murmured, tapping the folder against his hand. “You belong here now. Go home, pack a bag of your essentials, and get some rest. Our first official closed-door session starts tomorrow morning, and I expect you to be completely ready for me.”