AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You are incredible.”
“Alright, easy now.” I unfold myself and hop off the work table, putting it between us. “Your partners. Will they be happy with this?”
“Yes,” he says. “Absolutely.”
“Are you sure? Because there’s a lot riding on whether this is good enough. Don’t think with your dick.”
He barks a laugh. “I’m not.”
“You are. Hey, don’t look at me like that. I know what you want from me, let’s just set aside the bullshit for one second, okay? You want to sleep with me.”
“Okay, Hellie, you’re right. I want to fuck you.”
Hearing it so plainly sends a sharp thrill of desire between my legs. My nipples are instantly hard. This was a mistake, but I power through.
“Put that aside. Forget about that. Is the painting good enough?”
He nods slowly. “Absolutely, yes.”
“Alright.” I let out a long, relieved sigh. “Great. I guess I’m not getting murdered. Yet.”
I watch, exhausted, as he circles the canvas, studying it up close. I wonder if he can see the flaws, all of them so glaringly obvious to me, but he doesn’t linger on any of them. Instead, he shakes his head. “Incredible,” he whispers.
“It’s done. I’m finished. Now I’m going to bed.” I turn away and go to leave.
But he calls me back. “There’s a problem.”
I groan. I should’ve seen this coming. “What now? You need another painting done in the next twenty minutes?”
“They want you there when we present this to them.”
My eyebrows raise. “Your partners do?”
“Gallo and Frost. They want proof that you’re alive and that you’re the one doing this work.”
“We can take a video right now. Take out your phone.”
“I understand this is stressful. Believe me, I pushed back hard, but Frost in particular was firm. If they’re going to invest this much time and reputational risk into you paying them back, they want proof. They want to speak with you.”
I slump back against the doorframe and release a frustrated whimper. “All I want to do is sleep for the next decade.”
“I know. I’m sorry. We’re leaving tomorrow morning, very early, and I guarantee you’ll be safe.”
It hadn’t occurred to me that I wouldn’t be, but it should’ve. Frost and Gallo want me dead. They want to send a message.
Erick’s the one that’s running this art scheme. He’s the one keeping me alive.
“Can I at least get some sleep first? I mean, it’s not until the morning.”
“Yes, Hellie, go ahead, get rest. Sleep as much as you can.” He moves toward me, his body tensed like a wild cat. “But don’t think you’re going to escape. Don’t get some horrible idea in your head about running away, because I promise, if you do something stupid, I won’t be able to protect you. Frost and Gallo are practically begging you to fuck this up. Do you hear me?”
I nod once. Sharp. Annoyed. “I get it.”
“Good.”
“Am I dismissed?”
He turns back to the painting, arms crossed, studying it. “You’re dismissed.”
