Isabella’s POV
The elevator doors glided open to reveal the lavish top floor of the Ricci building. I took a steadying breath before stepping out, mentally preparing myself for yet another face-off with Alessandro. “Alex” Ricci, the billionaire mafia CEO and my “husband,” was insufferably infuriating. Today, the stakes were high, and we both knew it. This wasn’t just a business meeting, nor one of our private, twisted games. I was here to remind him I had my own power in this… arrangement.
I strode across the polished marble floor, my heels echoing with a confidence I didn’t quite feel but hoped looked convincing. His assistant barely acknowledged me with a nod as I headed straight to his office.
This is for your career, Isabella, I reminded myself, trying to ignore the flutter of nerves in my stomach. Nothing more.
Inside, Alex lounged behind his mahogany desk, barely looking up as I entered. He was doing it on purpose, the smug bastard. Dressed in his usual tailored suit, his presence was as imposing as ever, all calculated coldness and restrained power. I hated that even after all this time, he could make my heart race with just one glance.
“Isabella.” His voice was smooth, unbothered, like I was an inconvenience he barely tolerated. Yet his eyes told a different story-a spark of something dangerous, something that dared me to come closer.
I tilted my chin up, refusing to let him see he’d already started getting under my skin. “Alex.” My voice was steady, professional, masking the mess of emotions tangled inside me. “I came to discuss the contract renewal.”
His eyes gleamed with a predatory interest, a slight smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Ah, the contract. Our favorite subject.” He leaned forward, elbows on his desk, fingers steepled together. “And here I thought you might have come to see me for… other reasons.”
I rolled my eyes. “This isn’t one of your games, Alex.” I paused, forcing a smile. “Or maybe it is, to you. But my career is on the line here.”
His smirk deepened. “Is that so? I always thought you enjoyed the arrangement we have.” He glanced at the collar I wore, faint but visible under my blouse, the reminder of who was in control-at least when it came to our nights together.
“You don’t own me,” I shot back, struggling to keep the tremor out of my voice. “I’m not one of your little playthings.”
He chuckled, low and mocking, like I was telling him the funniest joke of the day. “Aren’t you, though? Tell me, Isabella. When was the last time you walked away from me?”
His words hit me like a slap, the truth stinging more than I’d like to admit. “That’s not the point,” I managed, my voice laced with defiance. “We have a deal. Nothing more.”
Alex stood, walking around the desk to lean against the front, closer to me, his gaze never breaking. “Do we?” His voice dropped to a murmur, yet it echoed through me, setting my pulse racing. “Because I seem to recall a certain little lawyer who practically begged me to take her last night.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I met his gaze, refusing to let him have the satisfaction of seeing me flinch. “That was… different. That’s our… arrangement.”
“Oh, Isabella, you can lie to yourself all you want,” he said, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from my face, his fingers lingering just a second too long. “But we both know you’re here because you want to be.”
My breath caught, and for a moment, the room seemed to shrink, leaving only the two of us and this magnetic, infuriating tension.
“You don’t know a damn thing about what I want,” I whispered, more to myself than to him, but the words sounded hollow, even to my ears.
Alex’s expression darkened, his grip tightening as he took a step closer. “Then let’s find out, shall we?”
Before I could reply, he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a sleek, polished key. My eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”
“Something to keep you in line, Isabella,” he said smoothly, tossing it into the air and catching it with a devilish grin.
I felt my stomach twist with equal parts fear and anticipation. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh, but you know I would.” His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it carried the weight of an unspoken promise, one that sent a thrill down my spine despite myself. “Meet me tonight. And don’t keep me waiting.”
I clenched my jaw, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response. He watched me with that infuriating smirk, and as I turned to leave, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was walking straight into his trap…
…one I wasn’t sure I wanted to escape from.