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“Would you do anything to save them Sara?” his question catching her by surprise, her lovely features showing her confusion as his eyes held hers. “You see...somebody always has to pay for the past, and I would rather that person was you...but are you prepared to sacrifice yourself for them?” Frowning softly, she bit the softness of her lip, savaging it with her teeth, her eyes full of uncertainty before her head rose proudly. “Yes”, her voice holding a small quiver, swallowing hard at the smile that spread over his features – an almost serene smile.
“In that case I have a proposition for you. You see being branded a thief was the worst thing imaginable for me...and I understand your family well enough to know that the thing they fear most is public humiliation. So I want you to become my mistress...to move in with me for as long as I can be bothered parading you around for public disgrace” Sara felt her mouth and eyes open in stunned shock. “Y...you want ME ... To pretend to be your mistress just so that you can humiliate my family?” her voice growing higher as he gave her a smile his head shaking softly.
“I never said anything about pretending...I said BECOME my mistress” Sara leapt to her feet, her hands wringing by her side as she paced before him, her shocked features evidence of her feelings. “You cannot be serious”, she finally threw back, her eyes pleaded for him to tell her he was joking. However, he remained motionless, his expression unchanged.
“That is obscene. Immoral”, Sara cried with shock, finally stopping, her back to him as she looked heavenwards, one hand rubbing her temples as the other rested on her hip. She had not heard him move around the desk, giving a loud gasp as his hands moved to hold her hips, his mouth against her ear.
“You asked for leniency Sara...and I am offering it. You can take it or leave it...the choice is completely yours” She stared ahead, her whole being aware of his closeness, of his hands on her as her breathing became ragged. His mouth dropped and his tongue gently flicked against the small franticly beating vein on her neck, Sara biting back the sigh of pleasure that rose within her. “I will give you till lunchtime tomorrow to return here and give me an answer. If you fail to turn up...then I will have your sister arrested and assume that was your decision”
Sara was struggling to understand the soft spoken words, as his mouth continued with its sweet exploration of her throat and neck, her whole body tightening in such an unfamiliar manner. Pulling back slightly, his hands moved to her shoulders, slowly turning her around to face him, his look flicking down her face, taking in the smouldering fire within her lovely eyes. “Perhaps you might even enjoy it”
His arms moved around her small waist pulling her in harder to him as his mouth dropped to take her lips. Sara knew she should fight, should push him away but as his tongue slid against hers she allowed him, encouraged him even, her own sensually returning each and every caress. When he finally moved away, her eyes seemed to take a lifetime to open, struggling to focus as she swayed, frowning softly, not sure why he stopped. Darius stood watching her, his eyes full of fire too as he gave a half-laugh, Sara noticing though how husky his voice sounded. “Well aren’t you a hot little thing? I can see the rumours are true”
His words slammed painfully into Sara as she felt reality crash back, her cheeks flaring knowing exactly what he was talking about. With a whimper she stooped to the ground to pick up her shoes discarded earlier, before spinning around, moving to the door needing to be out of there, away from this odious man, away from what she had just been so prepared to do. As she pulled the door open to flee his words followed her.
“Remember - till lunchtime tomorrow” Sara felt the sob rising within her as she ran from the suite, only stopping to put her shoes back on when she reached the relative safety of the elevator.
Chapter Two
Sara took a cab straight to her mother’s house, where both she and Angela were waiting to hear of the events of the night, both women hoping that she would be returning with good news. If either noticed how upset she seemed, neither bothered to ask, both solely interested in finding out if she had talked to the CEO of the Garelli Corporation. Her despondent nod saw both look at each other, their faces filled with dread.
“He refused to give us time?” Her mother whispered forlornly as she sank down into one of her pristine chairs, her home a model of elegance and class, clean to the point of sterility. “Oh my God, I am ruined, we will be outcasts” Angela threw herself dramatically into another chair.
“You’re ruined!!!...I am going to end up in prison”, her spiteful look falling to Sara as she snarled at her sister. “You didn’t try hard enough. You should have promised him anything...whatever it took...whatever!”, her meaning clear as Sara’s eyes opened wide in shock, a coldness filling her lovely face.
“The CEO of Garelli Corporation is Darius Garelli...or you might remember him better as Darius Larosa” Her words had the effect of silencing both women, their heads moved around to stare at her, two shocked pairs of eyes fixed on her. “Darius Larosa...the thief!” Her mother spat out in disdain. “That...that person is going to be responsible for our downfall?” Sara’s eyes narrowed seeing the way that Angela looked back at her uncomfortably, before she cleared her throat.
“Actually...he didn’t steal the money”, she managed, as her eyes flicked nervously between Sara and her mother. Sara felt the cold anger deep within her. “How can you be so sure?”, she asked softly, Angela already pulling a hurt expression onto her lovely face “Nick took the money” Both women stared at her in disbelief “You knew that and you let him, an innocent man, be fired and nearly thrown into prison!”, Sara’s incredulous accusation made her sister scowl.
“Of course not. I only found out a few years after we were married. We were having a few problems and I told him that I didn’t think he loved me”, her eyes looking at each women in turn, “He told me that he loved me so much that he had been the one to frame Darius because he thought he was going to lose me to him”, a sad look coming to her eyes. “I really thought that he had done it because he loved me”, she sniffled pathetically as Sara groaned with frustration.
“You think that was romantic? Dear God Angela. Well guess what. It is payback time and Darius is wanting his pound of flesh” The two frowned, not understanding what she was talking about, both waiting for her to elaborate, as she paced across the tiled floor. “He says that he will give us the time we need, if and only if I become his mistress” The effect on each was different, her mother sitting forward, a glint coming to her eyes.
“So he is going to give us more time?”, had been her response, Sara feeling sick to her stomach that her own mother seemed not to care that she was being pimped out as payback. Angela however, was watching her with barely concealed vehemence. “You mean that he wants YOU to be his mistress!” the envy in her voice filling Sara with anger.
“Has he changed much?” Her mouth sneered, “probably got fat and bald” Sara shook her head with annoyance. “No...He hasn’t changed”, seeing instantly the look of lust and jealousy which crept into her sister’s eyes, reminded once more of the way she had pursued him six years previously.
“If he needs a mistress as sacrifice why did he choose you?”, she demanded spitefully, Sara gritting her teeth having to remind herself that she was doing this for David’s sake, the small child already having lost one parent, no matter how bad that parent was. With ice in her voice, she shook her head, “Believe me Angela, I would gladly step aside for you”, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Angela glared back, “I didn’t mean I wanted to...just why you?”
“He made it very clear that his problem was with me personally, because I was the one who fired him. He is not looking for a willing volunteer”, she threw back at her sister before giving a small groan full of pain. “What the hell am I to do? I can’t be his mistress...I won’t be his mistress”, she bit out with determination. “The private detective will find Nick...this will all resolve itself” Before her, her mother rose slowly to her feet, her look hardening.
“You listen to me Sara Balfour. You will do whatever you have to do even if that means becoming the plaything of this person”, the words spat out in disdain, her eyes flashing with spite before a greedy light filled them once more. “He is rich. Very rich. The Garelli Corporation is a multinational and if you play your cards right you could even turn this around. Make him be the one to pay for the rest of his life”
Sara stared at her mother with confusion. “What are you talking about?” Her mother gave a smile, one that Sara had dreaded as a child, her mother’s manipulative tendencies and spiteful nature often seeing her strike out at those she thought - rightly or wrongly - had done her some wrong or slight. “If you were to fall pregnant with his child...”
Sara’s stunned gasp silenced her, her daughter looking at her aghast. “Never”, backing from the room, staring at both with eyes wide with shock, “I am going to bed”, before she turned and flew up the stairs to her room.
