"I think I should sue. This was not stated." I didn't want to fully mention the contract because of its privacy, but I knew Luciano would understand.
The brunette let out an annoyed sigh as she used an elastic band to tie her hair into a ponytail. She got off his lap and shot him a seductive smile.
"Call me if you need me," was the last thing she said to him before she walked out of his office.
I stood in the middle of the office until she sashayed out of the office and slammed the door a little too hard.
"You'll pay me for this, won't you? Not every girlfriend takes cheating as lightly as I am right now." I crossed my arms, raising my brows at him.
I watched him pick his phone up from the desk and type faster than an angry teenage girl. Before I knew it, my phone chimed in my purse.
I took it out and gasped, my eyes going over all the zeros to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
"This is five hundred thousand dollars, Luciano." I was set for a long time with that. I could start up my small business without as much hinges as I thought. I could dump him now, if he would allow it.
I looked up at him and found his eyes drinking me in so hard, I started to get self-conscious.
"I'm paying for my future apologies. I haven't slept with anyonein a hot minute. The money is compensation for the other women I'll be taking for a while."
My jaw was set to the floor. There was so much to be surprised at, I didn't know which one had me more in shock.
"So, you're willing to pay five hundred thousand so I won't be annoyed at you for sleeping around? You have my blessing. Go all out!" I laughed.
"Unless…" From the way his eyes glistened with mischief, I knew he was about to make an irresistible offer. He really was the closest thing to a devil at making these deals, I could see it now.
"Unless…?" I raised a brow, my pulse quickening. His words were like a magical nectar, just waiting to suck you in and make you agree to whatever he said without a second thought. I bet he knew how convincing he was.
"You agree to sleep with me and you get an additional five hundred—"
"Oh, fuck off." I rolled my eyes with laughter. "I'm not sleeping with you for money. What do you think I am?"
Meanwhile, I was fighting and holding myself back. I was one night away from being a millionaire in one night. This man really did know how to put up a good deal.
"I won't force you to do whatever you're not comfortable with. It was just an offer." He raised his hands in mock surrender, but the smirk on his face told me that he knew I was considering it, badly.
And just like that, an image of the scar on my thigh flitted through my brain, bringing me back to my senses. The look of distaste on every man that had ever seen it was enough for me to remind myself that I couldn't do it with Luciano, of all people.
"I can't." I shook my head, standing up and ready to call it a night. "Is your car unlocked? I'd like to wait in the car. You can wrap up your business in here and take me to the house when you're done."
His brows furrowed as his eyes searched mine for something he most likely wouldn't find.
He stood up and grabbed the key to his car. "Let's go."
Walking in front of Luciano after declining sex with him was the most awkward thing that had ever happened to me. I couldn't tell if he was burning a hole full of curses in the back of my head or if he was just looking ahead.
I wondered if anyone had refused to have sex with him before. I'd be surprised at that information. If I didn't have the mortifying reminder of my mother's death on my thigh, he would be taking me right now.
Get a hold of yourself, Jasmine, I silently scolded myself in the back of my mind.
As soon as we found our way out of the club and towards his car, Luciano called to my attention before he unlocked the car.
It was only when I turned to face him that I realized how close he was standing. Just two cautious steps back and I was pressed against his car.
"Are you alright?" There he went again, searching my face for what I couldn't seem to give him because he was never satisfied whenever he searched. He just looked even more confused each time.
Maybe if I knew what he was searching for, I could fake it and he would stop looking at me with those unbounded eyes of his.
"I'm fine." I managed to give him a smile, which just made him frown even deeper. I sighed, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. "What do you want from me?"
"I want you to tell me what it is, Jasmine."
"Tell you what it is? I don't think I understand." I almost let out a frustrated groan.
"Something bothers you."
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "All of a sudden, you can sense my emotions and you care about me? Please, Luciano. Can we just go to the house? I'm just sleepy, and that's it."
The thought of opening up and telling him how I heard the newsmy own mother being to death as my father was on the brink of breaking down while I screamed in agony for someone, anyone, to tell me that it was a lie, didn't sit right with me. It made my skin crawl.
The last person I had told that to, before Veronica, was Nate, my ex on-and-off boyfriend. He used it as a weapon against me, eventually. He held it against me and dangled it in front of my face like meat in front of a hungry and weak lion. He manipulated me so much for months, it took hitting his head with a vase in self-defense and running away from his house to escape it.
And from what I knew, Luciano was a worse person than Nate was.
He whispered something foreign under his breath as he finally unlocked the car and opened the door for me to get in.
"I'm sorry that I can't—"
He slammed the door before I could finish my apology.
The drive to the house was silent. No music, nothing. The only thing that kept me from losing my mind was the world of color and lights outside the car window as I watched people and places in a blur.
~
"Hey, there you guys are." Benjamin grinned the minute we walked in.
Without a word, Luciano went up the stairs. Neither Benjaminnor I said a word until we heard the aggressive slam of Luciano's bedroom door.
"Well, I'll be damned. Who's he plotting to kill now?" Benjaminchuckled, looking to me for answers. He tapped the spot on the couch for me to sit beside him, and I did.
"That would be me." I gave him a nervous smile.
"I highly doubt that." He shook his head.
"I mean, I might have said something rude or two so…" I shrugged. "I tried to apologize but I don't think he cared for it."
"Hmm." Benjamin stroke his imaginary beard. "Can you tell me the details of what he said or is it too personal?"
"He wanted to know what was bothering me and I shut him out. I may or may not have indirectly accused him of not caring." As I admitted that, I realized that I hadn't been far off. After all, he didn't care.
"Benjamin the wise is sensing something here." He kept stroking his chin and his eyes lit up in realization. "I don't think you're the problem, sweetheart."
"What?" I could swear in that moment that being with these men was like being trapped in a web of nothing but constant confusion.
"I'm not going to be the one to tell you what he feels, or what I think he feels. I wouldn't want to be the middleman here. Go sort it out yourself." He gave me an encouraging nudge.
"Thanks," I mumbled as I called up all the courage I could produce on my way to Luciano's bedroom.
Then again, Benjamin did not specify when to sort it out. Maybe we all just needed some sleep.
I took my phone out of my purse as I stood in front of his door, deciding to text him and hear for movements on the other side.
Me: Hey.
He read it almost immediately, but he didn't reply. I let out a disappointed sigh as I sent two more texts to push my luck.
Me: Are you mad at me for what I said?
Me: I'm sorry.
I couldn't hear a thing from the other side of the door. He was either as still as a log in bed or the room was soundproof. I proceeded to make little taps on his door, not loud enough to be classified as knocks, but something he could hear, especially at night.
I still got nothing from him.
Me: I'm literally in front of your door. If you're not out here when I count to 5, I'll agree to sleep with Benjamin since he already made the tempting offer. Instead.
I quietly made an apology to Benjamin as I lied about the offer, but Luciano did nothing.
The blue tick was always there. He was reading my texts. Our texts were open, and he was just staring at the phone; I could tell. He was totally ignoring me. Of course, he didn't care. How foolish of Benjamin and even more foolish of me.
I sighed and went back down the stairs where Benjamin was laughing at a joke someone said on TV.
"I need you for something," I announced.
"You sorted it out?" he asked.
I showed him the texts that I had sent to Luciano, and he groaned. "Why'd you have to drag me into this shit? He'll have my head off!"
"You just need to pose for a selfie and I'll send it to him. That'll be the last thing, I promise. If he doesn't text me back or show up, I'll go to bed."
"You couldn't pay me a billion to do that for you, Jasmine, I'm sorry." He raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Benjamin, come on!" I whined. "It'll be fun, toying with him, don't you think?"
"It will…" He looked tempted. The time I had spent with Luciano started to have an effect on me as I turned into him fully, making a deal with Benjamin.
"If you do this one thing, I will get Luciano to get you whatever it is that you want." At this, he jerked like he had just risen from a nightmare.
"Say you swear!"
"I swear," I gave him my word.
"How do we pose? Do I have to kiss you on the cheek? No lip kisses, though. I can get away with a cheek kiss, but he'd definitely kill me if—"
"A cheek kiss is fine." I sat on his lap, turned my camera on and held it up as his lips pressed lightly against my cheeks like he was afraid of fully doing it.
I smirked at the camera and took a picture, forwarding it to Luciano. It took him a while, but he eventually opened it.
We waited in silence for a door slam, anything.
Nothing.
"Oh, well." I shrugged. "I tried."
"Why didn't you just, I don't know, knock on his door like any normal person would?"
"I did, a little," I admitted. "I wasn't ready to face him if he wasn't in the mood, so I wanted to test the waters through text."
We both tensed up and froze as we heard the familiar sound of a gun getting cocked.
I turned towards the bottom of the stairs where Luciano stood with his disheveled hair, in all his shirtless glory, his gun pointed at Benjamin's forehead.