Alex POV
The room was silent, save for the slow, steady click of my boots on the cold marble floor. My eyes never left Isabella as she sat on the edge of my desk, that damn nervous fidgeting of hers driving me mad. I didn’t mind it-hell, it turned me on, watching her squirm under my gaze-but right now, it was a sign that something was off.
“You got something to say to me, baby?” I leaned against the edge of the desk, arms crossed, my posture like a predator circling a helpless prey.
She shifted uncomfortably, biting the edge of her lip. “I need to talk to you about the contract…”
A sharp breath hissed through my teeth. “The contract?” My tone was like ice, but she didn’t flinch. That’s why I fucking loved her. Most people, especially women, would’ve been trembling in my presence, but not Isabella. She didn’t fear me, not the way they all did. That made me want her more.
“Yeah,” she said, eyes avoiding mine, her voice soft. “I… I need more, Alex. This whole thing-” she motioned vaguely between the two of us, her collar gleaming in the dim light “-it’s not working anymore.”
I could feel the tension in the room, thick enough to choke on. Her words stung, not because they were unexpected, but because they hit too damn close to home.
“You need more?” I stepped closer, my breath hot against her ear. “I give you everything. You want me to buy you something new? Another car, a bigger house? Tell me what you need, baby, I’m listening.”
Her eyes locked with mine, and I saw something shift behind them. It was there, the conflict, the power struggle we were always locked in.
“I’m not talking about material things. You know what I mean,” she whispered. Her hand gripped the edge of the desk so hard I thought the wood would crack under her fingers. “I need something real. Something… more than just being your toy, your… your good girl.” Her voice trembled, but she didn’t back down.
I growled, pushing her hand away from the desk, and cupped her face roughly, forcing her to look at me. “I told you, baby, we don’t do ‘real.’ You signed the contract, didn’t you? That means you belong to me. All of you.”
Her breath hitched. “I belong to you, but I’m not your property, Alex.”
I clenched my jaw. “You are whatever I say you are.” My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “And you’re mine to break.”
She swallowed, her eyes flicking down to the collar I’d put on her, the symbol of our twisted bond. “That’s the problem. I’m not a toy you can just use and toss aside when you’re done. I’m… I’m not just some girl for you to play with. You can’t keep pretending this doesn’t matter.”
I stepped back, a laugh escaping me, bitter and sharp. “Pretending? You think I’m pretending?” I moved around her, my hands running through my hair as I walked. “Everything matters to me, Isabella. Everything. But don’t forget who has the power here. I can end this contract anytime I want. I can make you beg me to stay… or I can send you packing. But that’s not what you want, is it?”
Her lip quivered as she turned to face me, and for a split second, I saw something vulnerable in her eyes. “Then why do you keep pushing me away? Why do you keep cycling through other women?” Her voice cracked, and damn it, I hated that I was the one causing this pain. But I had to keep up the act. “Why do I have to beg for your attention while you throw yourself at other girls?”
I didn’t respond right away. Instead, I moved in closer, gripping her chin, forcing her to look up at me. “You’re not like the others, Isabella. You never will be. That’s why I do this to you. That’s why I keep you at arm’s length.”
She blinked, and I could see the tears building in her eyes. My chest tightened. “You keep saying that, but you never let me close enough to see what’s really going on with you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, the words hanging heavy in the air.
I shook my head, my fingers brushing against her cheek in a rare, tender touch that almost felt like a betrayal. “You don’t need to know everything about me. You just need to obey me. You signed that contract, remember? You’re mine, Isabella.”
Her voice trembled, but there was fire behind it. “I’m yours to control, but not to break. Not like this.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Was she right? Was I pushing her too far?
Before I could respond, she stood up abruptly, taking a step back. “You think this is just about the contract, Alex? It’s not. There’s something deeper, something you’re running from. But I’m not running anymore. I’m done.”
She turned to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist, spinning her around. “You think you can just walk out on me?” My voice was low, threatening.
Her eyes blazed with defiance, and for a moment, I saw the woman she truly was-the woman who didn’t need me. “I can do whatever the hell I want, Alex. You don’t own me.”
“Don’t you dare,” I growled, my grip tightening, pulling her back toward me. “You’re still mine, Isabella. You’ll always be mine.”
She slapped me, hard. The sound echoed in the room, and for a second, the world stopped. My jaw clenched, and I stared at her, my pulse pounding. This was it-the breaking point.
I took a deep breath, my voice a dangerous rasp. “You don’t know what you’re doing, baby. You really don’t.”
She didn’t say a word, just stared at me, tears in her eyes but fire in her heart. Her defiance was a drug. A challenge I couldn’t resist.
“I’m not like the others,” she whispered, so quietly that it almost seemed like a plea.
I grinned, the devil in me grinning back. “You’re damn right you’re not.”
With that, I pulled her toward me, my lips crashing against hers. It wasn’t tender, it wasn’t soft-it was pure, raw, desperate need. My hands tangled in her hair, pulling her closer as if I could bury myself inside her and erase all the distance between us.
But as the kiss deepened, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was changing. Something in the air had shifted.
Was she breaking free? Or was this just a new game?
The question burned in my mind as I kissed her deeper, harder.
And then, just as quickly as it started, she pulled away, gasping for breath.
“I’m done,” she whispered, her voice shaking, but there was something final in it.
I stared at her, a cold chill running down my spine. Done?
I was nowhere near done with her.
And she knew it.