Her phone buzzed on the table, breaking the quiet. Jessica picked it up, glancing at the screen. Seeing it was from Dick, she smiled in triumph, thinking he finally caved in. 'Maybe he's realized I'm the one in control,' she mused, her fingers brushing over the screen as she opened the message.
But then her eyes froze, her breath catching in her throat.
The image displayed on her phone wasn't what she expected.
Her pulse quickened as her gaze locked onto the screen. It was a still shot of her and Giselle—naked, intertwined, completely lost in each other. Her heart skipped a beat, her blood running cold as she processed the reality of what she was looking at.
Her mind raced, trying to piece together how he had gotten this. Then, as if in slow motion, Jessica's eyes drifted up toward the window.
And there he was.
Standing outside, just far enough to stay hidden in the shadows, yet close enough to make sure she saw him. Dick was leaning casually against the wall, one hand holding up his phone, showing it off with a grin that made her stomach twist.
He waved at her, as if this were some friendly encounter, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk. Then, without a word, he tucked his phone into his pocket and walked away, leaving her standing there in stunned silence.
Jessica's throat tightened, her brain stalling as panic set in. The world tilted on its axis as the reality of her situation sunk in. He had been watching. He had seen everything.
And now he had proof.
The phone slipped from her fingers, landing with a dull thud on the floor. Her hands shook, her mind racing through a million possibilities at once. What was he going to do with it? Was he going to show someone? Use it against her?
Her heart pounded in her chest, the walls of the guest house closing in around her. She felt exposed, vulnerable in a way she hadn't felt in years.
She stumbled toward the window, yanking the curtains shut with trembling hands, as if that would somehow erase the last few minutes. But the image stayed burned in her mind—Dick, standing there, watching her. The power he now held over her was undeniable, suffocating.
Pacing the room, Jessica's mind scrambled for solutions. She couldn't let him use this. But the way he'd looked at her, the confidence in his eyes—it told her everything. He wasn't going to let this go easily.
What did he want?
Her fingers dug into her palms, her breath coming in short gasps as the weight of it all crashed down on her. She couldn't afford for this to get out. Her reputation, her narrative in Ryan's cheating, her entire carefully curated image—it would all crumble if anyone saw what he had.
But more than that, it was the humiliation, the loss of control that gnawed at her. Dick had turned the tables on her, effortlessly slipping into the dominant position without her even realizing it.
She had to talk to him. Now.
Jessica grabbed her phone off the floor, her fingers shaking as she typed out a message.
Jessica: Meet me. Now. We need to talk.
The seconds ticked by like hours as she waited for a response, her stomach twisting in knots. She could barely think straight, her mind clouded by fear, anger, and something else she didn't want to acknowledge—admiration. He had outplayed her, and for the first time in a long time, she didn't know what to do.
Looking at the text, Dick grinned as he whistled quietly, his phone still in hand. He left Jessica on read, not in any hurry to respond. She could wait. He had no real intention of using what he had against her—not like that. If he wanted to fuck Jessica, he could've done it, back when she practically threw herself at him. But forcing anyone? That wasn't his style. It wasn't the game he liked to play.
Toying with his women, breaking them down, watching them submit willingly—mind, body, and soul—that was what gave him the real thrill. He never liked taking something by force. He preferred when they offered themselves to him, completely surrendered, knowing they had no other choice but wanting it anyway. That was where the power came from. Not from r*pe, blackmail or leverage. Forcing Jessica would have been too easy, too crude.
Dick made his way up to his room. He tossed his phone onto the bed, stretching his arms out as he paced the floor. The night had been... productive. Melissa had slipped up, giving him a glimpse of just how much she wanted him, even if she couldn't admit it yet. And now Jessica was squirming, her perfect little world on the verge of crumbling.
His phone buzzed again, a second message from Jessica flashing on the screen. This one was more urgent.
Jessica: Please. Don't ignore me. I need to fix this.
Dick chuckled, his fingers hovering over the screen for a moment. He could respond now, drag this out, make her sweat. But no. Letting her sit in that uncertainty, feeling her desperation build—that was more satisfying.
The phone buzzed once more. This time, he ignored it completely. She could wait. Let her feel the tension stretch, the uncertainty gnawing at her. The longer she waited, the more desperate she'd become.
He lay on his bed, placing his phone under his pillow with a smirk. Dick knew exactly what was coming next. Jessica wasn't the type to sit and wait. She would panic, her mind racing for a solution, and in her desperation, she'd make a move. He could almost picture it now—the little amateur thief creeping into his room, thinking she could outsmart him and delete the evidence herself.
It amused him, the thought of her sneaking around like a child trying to fix a mess she couldn't control. Dick chuckled softly but didn't care. If Jessica somehow managed to steal his phone from under his bed without waking him, he'd let her be. It wasn't about the video, anyway. He had no use for it beyond watching her squirm.
The power didn't lie in the leverage itself, but in the desperation it created—the way it made them act, made them crawl. That was what interested him. Jessica, in her self-absorbed panic, had thrown herself into his web without even realizing it.
His phone buzzed again, the screen lighting up under his pillow, but he ignored it, not even bothering to check the message. Jessica would keep trying. She'd beg, threaten, make promises—anything to feel like she had a say in what happened next. But he was in no rush to indulge her.
Hours passed, the house falling into silence, everyone else likely asleep in their beds. Dick too fell asleep. He wouldn't stay awake just for Jessica.
The quiet of the mansion pressed down, thick and undisturbed, until the soft creak of a door echoed down the hall. Footsteps, hesitant but determined, approached his room. The door handle turned, and a figure slipped inside, moving with the kind of stealth only desperation could muster.
Jessica.
Her eyes darted around the room, her breath shallow as she made her way toward his bed. She spotted the faint glow of his phone under the pillow, the device that held her entire reputation hostage. If she could just grab it, delete the video, everything would go back to normal. She could fix this. She had to.
Her fingers trembled as they reached out, brushing against the pillow. Jessica froze, glancing down at Dick's sleeping form. He was still, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she had no choice.
Slowly, carefully, she slipped her hand under the pillow, fingers brushing the cool surface of his phone. Just as she was about to pull it free, a hand shot out, grabbing her wrist in a vice-like grip.
"Looking for something?" Dick's voice was low, amused, as his eyes flicked open.
Jessica gasped, her heart lurching in her chest as she yanked her hand back. She stumbled, her eyes wide with panic, but Dick didn't let go. His grip tightened, pulling her closer to the bed, his smirk widening.
"I—" she stammered, trying to find her voice, her mind scrambling for an excuse. "I just—"
"You just thought you could sneak in here, steal my phone, and make all your problems disappear?" Dick's voice was calm, almost playful.
Jessica's lips parted, but no words came out. Her entire plan had crumbled the second he grabbed her, and now she was trapped. She'd been so stupid, so desperate. She underestimated him, and now, standing there in the darkness of his room, she realized just how little control she had.
Dick let out a low chuckle, sitting up in bed, his grip still firm on her wrist. "You really thought I wouldn't notice? Come on, Jess. You're smarter than that."
Her breath hitched, her pulse racing as she met his gaze. His eyes gleamed with amusement, dark and dangerous, like a predator toying with its prey. Jessica felt her heart sink, the weight of her mistake crashing down on her. She'd lost. Completely.
"Please," she whispered, her voice shaky, barely audible. "Please, just delete it. I'll do anything."
Dick raised an eyebrow, releasing her wrist as he leaned back against the headboard, his eyes never leaving hers. "Anything?"
Jessica nodded frantically, her body trembling with fear and something else she couldn't quite place. "Yes," she breathed, desperation dripping from every word. "Anything. Just... please."
Dick chuckled as he unlocked the phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. "What were you going to do after stealing it anyway?" he asked, the amusement in his voice clear. "Do you even know my password?"
Jessica shook her head, her lips trembling. "I was going to use your fingerprint," she admitted quietly, her voice barely audible.
Dick nodded, smirking at her desperation. "That might've worked," he said, "but it also would've woken me up." He watched her bite her lip, clearly realizing she hadn't thought it through. "And what if I saved it to the cloud, or another server?"
Jessica's shoulders slumped, her gaze falling to the floor, tears welling up in her eyes. She was on the verge of breaking, the weight of her mistake crushing her.
Without a word, Dick handed her the phone, his smirk fading into something more serious. "I didn't save it anywhere else," he said calmly, his tone flat. "I promise. That's the only copy in existence."
Jessica stared at the phone in disbelief, her trembling fingers hovering over the screen. She couldn't believe he was just handing it over like that. Slowly, she reached out and took the phone, her hand shaking as she clutched it tightly.
"Go on," Dick said, leaning back casually against the headboard, watching her with a lazy smirk. "Delete it. If that's what you really want."
Jessica's breath caught in her throat as she looked at the unlocked the phone, her fingers fumbling with the screen as she scrolled through the videos. She found the one he had recorded—her and Giselle, tangled together in a mess of limbs and desire, completely exposed. Her stomach twisted at the sight, the reality of what he had on her hitting harder than she'd expected.
She glanced up at him, her eyes wide, searching his face for any hint of deception, any sign that he was toying with her. But Dick's expression remained calm, unreadable, as he waited for her to make the next move.
With a shaky breath, Jessica pressed the delete button, watching as the video disappeared from the screen. It was gone. Just like that.
She handed the phone back to him, her body still trembling, her mind racing with everything that had just happened. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
Dick didn't respond immediately. He just took the phone, slipping it back under the pillow, his eyes never leaving hers. "You're welcome," he said casually, as if he hadn't just given her the one thing she'd been so desperate to get her hands on.
Jessica stood there, frozen, unsure of what to say next. She had expected him to use the video against her, to hold it over her head, but instead, he'd just... given it to her. No strings attached. No threats. No demands.
"You thought I was going to blackmail you," Dick said after a moment, his voice low but laced with amusement. "Didn't you?"
Jessica didn't answer right away, but the way she averted her gaze told him everything he needed to know. She had assumed the worst—that he would use the video to control her, to force her into something she didn't want. But that wasn't the game he was playing.
"I don't need to blackmail anyone, Jess," he continued, leaning forward slightly, his eyes locked on hers. "If I wanted something from you, I'd take it. And you'd give it to me."
Jessica's breath hitched at his words, her heart pounding in her chest. There was no malice in his tone, no threat—just a calm, quiet confidence that unnerved her more than anything else.
"You're free to go," Dick said, his voice softer now, almost dismissive. "Unless, of course, there's something else you want to say."
Jessica swallowed hard, her mind churning as she tried to process everything. She should leave, should walk out of his room and pretend none of this had happened. But something kept her rooted in place, her feet refusing to move.
"I don't get you," she whispered, her voice shaking slightly. "Why did you... give it back?"
Dick shrugged. "Because I'm not interested in forcing you, Jessica," he said simply. "That's not my style."
Jessica stared at him, her mind reeling. He had flipped the script on her so effortlessly, so completely, that she didn't know how to respond. She bit her lip, her fingers twisting nervously at her side as she searched for the right words. But nothing came. No snarky remark, no clever comeback. Just silence.
"You're free to go, Jess," he repeated, his tone calm. "I'm not holding anything over your head."
Jessica hesitated for a moment, but she nodded slowly, her body finally responding as she turned toward the door. Just as her hand reached for the handle, she paused, glancing back over her shoulder at him. "You're not like I thought you were," she whispered, her voice soft, almost vulnerable.
Dick smiled faintly, watching her with a knowing look. "No," he agreed quietly. "I'm not."
Without another word, Jessica slipped out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her.