JOAN’S POV
I looked at Sir Derrick in shock. How did he find me?
I was sure I had more time. My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at him. I could hardly believe he was here. I purposely stayed in Bea’s house because I knew they had my own address. I thought I was safe, that he wouldn’t find me in such an unassuming place. But here he was, tall and commanding.
He looked at me with those intense brown eyes of his and I couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. I fought the urge to face palm myself.
What the hell was wrong with me?
How could I be drawn to him when every fiber of my being told me to run away?
There was no use holding the door. He was way stronger than I was. He opened the door and stepped into the house. His presence filled the room immediately. Suddenly, Bea’s apartment seemed a little too small.
“How… how did you find me?” I managed to ask.
“That doesn’t matter, Joan. What matters is why you ran.”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my fear in check. “I… I can’t do this anymore. I want to quit.”
The room seemed to close in around me as Air Derrick’s expression darkened. He moved closer, his tall frame towering over me, making me feel small and easily crushable. My heart raced, and I could feel the heat of his body, the power he radiated. But beneath that fear, there was something else-a pull, a deep attraction that I couldn’t shake.
“Quit?” he repeated “You think you can just walk away?”
I nodded, even though the words stuck in my throat. “Please, Derrick… Sir Derrick, I just want to leave. I can’t do this anymore. I promise I won’t say anything to anyone. Just… please, let me go.”
For a moment, Sir Derrick said nothing. His eyes narrowed as he studied me. Then, with a suddenness that made me flinch, he grabbed my arm and pushed me against the wall. His grip was firm, almost bruising, and I felt panic spread through me as I realized just how trapped I was. There was no escape.
“You can’t leave,” he said in a harsh whisper “You signed a contract, Joan. Five years. You’re mine until those years are up.”
I felt a sob rise in my throat, and I couldn’t hold it back any longer. Tears fell from my eyes and spilled down my cheeks as I shook my head.
“Please, sir, I can’t-”
“Stop crying,” he snapped, cutting me off.
His hand tightened on my arm, and the force of his command made me go still. I bit my lip, trying to hold back the sobs that were in my throat, but I couldn’t stop the tears.
Sir Derrick’s face was inches from mine. His eyes burned with a mix of anger and something else-something dark that sent a thrill of fear and desire through me.
“I said, stop crying,” he repeated, his voice even colder this time.
I tried to obey, swallowing my sobs and blinking back the tears, but they kept coming. My fear was overwhelming, and my body was trembling, but there was also a realization I felt – that I didn’t want him to let go. That I wanted him close, wanted to feel his hands on me, his lips…
No! What was wrong with me? I couldn’t think like that. Not now, not ever. But my body wasn’t listening to reason. My heart pounded in my chest, and my breaths came in shallow gasps as I stood there, trapped between the wall and sir Derrick’s body.
“Since you won’t shut up,” Derrick growled, “I’ll shut you up myself.”
Before I could react, he crushed his lips against mine. The shock of it sent a jolt through my body, and for a moment, I was frozen, unable to process what was happening. I had expected him to hit me, to hurt me, but this-this was something else entirely.
His kiss was rough, demanding, and I could feel the power behind it. My hands came up to push him away, but his body was pressed against mine, pinning me to the wall. There was no escape, no way to fight him off.
But as the seconds ticked by, something in me shifted. The fear, the panic, it all began to blur and the feelings were replaced by a different kind of heat-a deep desire that I had tried so hard to fight. I found myself melting into the kiss. My hands held on to his shirt instead of pushing him away.
What wasI doing? My mind screamed at me to stop, to push him off, but my body wouldn’t listen. I was losing control, giving in to the very thing I feared most. And the worst part was, I didn’t want to stop.
Sir Derrick’s hand moved to my waist, pulling me even closer, and I felt my mind crumble completely. The kiss deepened, becoming more passionate, more intense, and I was lost in it, in him. My lips moved against his, desperate, needy, and I hated myself for it even as I craved more. Our tongues danced together as our bodies were pressed tightly against each other.
But then, just as suddenly as it started, it was over. Sir Derrick pulled back, breaking the kiss, and I gasped for breath. My head was spinning from the intensity of it all. I looked up at him, my lips tingling and with my body aching with the sudden loss of contact.
I wanted more. I needed more.
He stared down at me with an unreadable expression but there was something in his eyes that made my heart skip a beat. It wasn’t just anger or lust-there was something more, something I couldn’t quite place.
“Be at work by seven tomorrow,” he said in a cold tone “Don’t be late.”
And just like that, he turned and walked out, leaving me standing there, shocked and trembling. The room was silent, except for the sound of the door clicking shut behind him.
I slumped against the wall, breathing heavily.
What the hell just happened?