1
Carmen
I sold my soul to the devil.
The second I was his, he claimed me so thoroughly I could barely breathe. His hold was tight, gripping me so my lungs couldn’t expand with my deep breathing. He didn’t touch me, just gave me his fierce expression before he walked out.
Then he ordered me to grab my things.
I spent the evening packing all the essentials. I grabbed my clothes, makeup, hair supplies, birth control, my favorite shoes and boots, and everything else I would need on a daily basis. I suspected I would come back to my apartment from time to time, just in case someone stopped by to see me.
I couldn’t just move out.
I placed my luggage in the doorway then opened another bottle of wine. It was almost midnight and I was usually in bed by now, but my evening had been unusual. Bosco, the owner of the city, came to my apartment and basically bought me.
Actually, he’d leased me for three months.
Now I would be his exclusively, fucking him every night and sharing his space like some kind of mistress. The idea of spending more time with him didn’t upset me since I knew it had an expiration date.
But I feared he wouldn’t honor our agreement.
What if he became more obsessed with me, and despite our original agreement, he would take it all back? He would hold on to me even tighter and refuse to let me go? There would be no escape from this madman.
I would be doomed.
His footsteps were audible on the other side of the door. He could announce his presence so easily, because every part of him was loud. From his heavy footsteps to his aggressive persona, his threatening vibrancy filled the air.
He stepped inside and surveyed the bags of essentials ready to be taken away.
I drank my wine at the counter without looking at him.
Bosco communicated silently with his men, and four of them stepped into my apartment and gathered my things. They moved stealthily, barely making a sound as they left the apartment and carried my belongings down the hallway and to one of the cars.
Bosco came to my side and pressed his chest into my shoulder. His arm hooked around my waist, and he looked down at me, a slight smile on his lips because he’d won the battle. His hand slowly moved up my back and neck until his fingers dug under the fall of my hair. He turned my face toward him, making me stare into his gaze. “This will be the best three months of your life. I promise you.”
His smell and masculine presence immediately made me feel feminine, made me naturally want to submit to this strong man. My body constantly felt the pull of his gravitational field, wanting to be sucked deep inside and never released. “But will it only be three months?”
His eyes looked into mine, his gaze searing. “That’s the deal we made.”
“But will you honor it?”
He gave me that lopsided grin. “You don’t trust me.”
“Why would I?” I asked coldly.
“Because I’ve been honest since the beginning.” His thumb brushed across my bottom lip. “I’ve never thrown you a curveball and I never will.”
“That’s not enough for me.”
“Then what do you want?” he asked, still amused. “A contract? A notary?” He chuckled, thinking the suggestion comical.
It was better than nothing. “Yes.”
He raised an eyebrow, his smile slowly fading. “You’re serious?”
“Yes.” Maybe it was a stupid thing to ask for, but if he backed out later, at least I had something to make an argument with. I could throw his signature in his face and prove that he was a liar—and had no honor.
The menace started to shine in his eyes, his heartless anger slowly rising. “In my world, you’re only as good as your word. If you break it, people will lose respect for you. That’s why I punish the men who cross me—because I have to keep my word. No one gets away with any crime. They all face the same fate. This is no different. If this is the deal we agreed on, I will fulfill my end of the bargain.”
“Then you should have no trouble putting it in writing,” I countered. “With a witness.”
He turned quiet, slightly annoyed and slightly amused. “You think I’d bring anyone else into this? My personal life is private.”
“You said you have a brother you run the casino with.”
His silence was enough of an acknowledgment.
“I want him to be the witness.”
He rubbed his fingers across the stubble of his chin, his eyes shining with disdain. “Will this really make you feel better?”
“Yes. Because I know you don’t want to look like a liar in front of the only family you’ve got left.” Regardless of how close they were, Bosco must care about the opinion his brother had of him. If he were a psychopath that wouldn’t let me go, even though he promised he would, he’d look like an asshole. “It’s accountability.”