She took a deep breath. “We’re in completely different leagues.”
“How are we so different?” he asked.
“You’re a Bennett. You run a successful corporation, worth millions, if not billions, of dollars. My mom’s a cleaner who earns less than the cost of most of your clothes.” She’d never been afraid to speak her mind. Her mother didn’t earn a lot from cleaning even though she worked for some of the wealthiest clients.
“And?”
Shaking her head, she gave up the fight and stared out of the window.
Tobias was friends with her father. She’d even seen pictures online, and in some of those glossy magazines that showed them laughing together. Until she’d seen Tobias in person, she hadn’t realized it was him.
“What proposition do you have?” she asked.
“I’m in need of a certain type of person, and I have some … needs that have to be met. I think you’d be perfect for them.”
“That’s not vague at all,” she said, not even trying to hide the sarcasm from her voice.
“Let’s be clear, Adora. You’ve got debt. I’ve got money. I can help you out.”
Just li
ke that, she knew without a doubt what he wanted, and she just didn’t want to know.
“No!” She turned toward him. “Sex. That’s what you want, right?” She shook her head. “I want out of the car.” She pulled on the door handle, and she started to get really angry. Her mother had been pulled in by a rich man and his false promises. This wasn’t going to happen to her.
“Calm down.”
“No. I won’t calm down. Open the damn door now. I want out. I need out!”
She felt the anxiety attack begin to build. It had been years since she’d felt that clogging panic when she couldn’t breathe.
Calm down.
He’s not hurting you.
The limousine stopped, and the door finally opened when she pulled it. Bursting out of the limousine, she saw they’d stopped near an alleyway. Collapsing to the ground, she pressed her palms to the floor, not caring if it was dirty as her mind started to go fuzzy. Her stomach rolled, and she couldn’t quite get her head together.
Tobias knelt beside her, and ran a hand down her back. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Don’t … touch … me.”
She didn’t expect him to listen to her, but he stopped touching her. He didn’t leave her alone, staying close.
Minutes passed, and slowly, she got her breathing under control, and finally, she was able to stand up, and face him. Embarrassment overwhelmed her, and she quickly averted her gaze.
“Please, don’t ruin my mother’s job. She’s really good and loves working for you.” She didn’t like how hard it was for her to not burst into tears.
“I’m not going to leave you here on the sidewalk, Adora. I won’t hurt you, and your mother’s safe. Just listen to me.”
“I don’t want to have sex with you, or to be with you in any way.”
She held onto her bag like a lifeline. Tobias was a sexy, good-looking man, and even though he’d blackmailed her, she actually liked his cheeky smile.
From the moment she read her mother’s diary, she’d promised herself she’d have a different life from her. It was why even at twenty years old, she was a virgin. Boys and men held no appeal.
Her studies mattered to her.
The plans she had in place were what she’d been focusing on all of her life.