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“I bought it for you, a gift. But it’s only yours if you agree to stay with me.”
She pulls her hand back and stands up, then walks around the desk till she is standing right beside me. Using the armrest of my chair, she turns me to face her before bending down and caging me in with her hands on either side of my chair. Her scent washes over me, like roses from the garden, and it intoxicates me. “Give me one good reason why I should want to stay,” she challenges.
I stare right into her icy blue eyes. And see the emotions behind them she is trying to keep hidden. She appears outwardly confident, but she isn’t; she’s unsure of herself and I want her to stay. No, check that, Ineedher to stay. I won’t allow her to leave. She is mine, forever.
I lean forward in my chair until our lips are only an inch apart and I see her flinch ever so slightly. I push off the chair and collide with her body, wrapping my arm around her waist, I keep her pressed against me. “I want you to stay,” is my murmured response.
“So, I’m not just here because I’m your captive?” At that last word, I lose the last of my control.
I let go of her immediately and step around her. “You’re not my bloody captive, Rebecca! Are you chained up in a basement somewhere? Tell me, am I treating you poorly? Are you made to do things you don’t want to fucking do? No. You have free rein of my entire estate. You can do whatever you please,” I bellow.
“But I am here in payment of a debt. How long until that debt is paid and you don’t want me here anymore?” she asks.
How could she possibly think I won’t want her here? “The debt will never be paid. You will stay here with me for the rest of your life. Not only because you must, but because I want you to.”
She takes a step closer. “If you are indeed telling the truth and you do actually want me here, then I will stay,” she replies. She remains quiet for a minute, her eyes flicking over to the box remaining untouched on the desk.
“It’s yours. Open it,” I command. She walks over to the desk and picks up the box, stroking the velvet before she lifts the lid. Inside, on a bed of scarlet velvet, is a thick tennis bracelet with dark blue, almost black diamonds. A beautiful piece of jewelry, with something hidden within. A tracking device.
She lifts her eyes to me. “Thelma said you purchased this for me. When?” she asks. I don’t reply. I don’t need her knowing I’ve thought about having her here for years. Ever since I saw the photograph of her with the painting I purchased, that now hangs in my bedroom. “Thelma also mentioned that you own one of my paintings, but I haven’t seen it hanging on any of the walls.”
Bloody Thelma, she shouldn’t have told her that. I shrug. “I have many art pieces that aren’t on the walls, it’s probably with those. Unless I have resold it since.”
“Why would you resell it when it wouldn’t have gotten you anywhere near what you purchased it for?” I shrug again. “Well, I guess you better put this on my wrist.” She comes closer to me, offering the bracelet in her hand.
I take the bracelet and wrap it around her wrist before pressing the clasp together. “I guess now is a good time to tell you, it’s an unbreakable clasp. It doesn’t come off without a key. A key that only I have.” She just looks at me.
“It’s probably too dressy for every day, but I don’t mind. Thank you, Alexander.” She leans up and kisses me on the cheek. Keeps her lips against my skin for a full five seconds before sashaying past me and out of the room.
Once I am alone, I step forward and lean against the desk. That’s one less thing for me to worry about now. Every movement she makes, what rooms she frequents, and if she attempts to leave the estate—I will know within two steps. The technology in her bracelet isn’t exactly ground-breaking, but important, nonetheless. If you are somebody who wants to know if anything moves beyond a certain boundary, then this is what you need.
Her perimeter is simple. Exactly one thousand meters from the house. This allows her to enjoy the entire garden, walk to the stables and see the horses, and walk freely in most of the fields surrounding the manor. My land is over two hundred acres and in the county of Derbyshire. I value my privacy at home, and I keep many important things on my land. Like the hangar for my airplane, a residence for Thelma toward the rear of the property, and one for Harold at the front who is constantly keeping watch on anyone coming and going. An oversized garage with my vast collection of vintage cars. And, of course, my main residence, where I come to completely unplug from the outside world. Where all my business colleagues and clients know never to annoy me.
My sanctuary has always been this way, until the headstrong blonde upstairs moved in. Instead of being relaxed all the time, I’m on edge, wondering when her next outburst will come and what it will be about. I know the bracelet should be called a win, but I’m not stupid. She is playing me, and she has no idea I knew that from the very moment she got close to me and agreed to stay without a fight. It was the reason it was so important to get the bracelet on her. If she is to leave, I need to get her as soon as possible. There are people who live in this area for their privacy too, but they need it for other reasons. They aren’t well-known like me, no—they are criminals who for years have been getting away with their abhorrent crimes against women.
I’ve never really had a reason to worry, as I’ve never had a woman I cared about. But now the game has changed, and not only will I keep her here, but I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy and ensure her safety. I need her towantto be here and never leave.
I push off from the desk and head straight for my bedroom, stripping out of my three-piece suit the moment the door closes behind me. With the feel of her lips on my skin and her unique scent surrounding me, I dress in my workout clothes. Once in my gym, I hop on the treadmill and set the timer for one hour—I walk, then jog, until finally I’m running. Sweat starts rolling down my face at the halfway mark and I inch the treadmill to a higher incline, wanting to feel a real burn in my calves. Finally, at the end of the hour, I slow to a jog, then to a brisk walk before finally coming to a complete stop. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge in the corner, uncap it, and guzzle half the bottle in one go. I raise my forearm to my mouth and wipe away the drips, then roll the cold bottle across my forehead as I head toward the weight bench.
After another hour, my arms and legs are burning and I feel good, so I head back to my room for a shower. Then I’ll spend some time with the woman I’m now sharing a house with before she accuses me again of never being around.
~ Chapter Seven ~
Rebecca
I manage to make it backto my room closing the door behind me before dropping to the floor. The man is completely intoxicating, and just looking at him makes my hormones go crazy. What the hell was I thinking getting so close to him that I could smell his aftershave? The masculine scent of him clean and fresh like a forest. As I lift my hands to cover my eyes, the diamonds on my wrist sparkle in the sunlight coming through one of the open windows. I move my arm around, letting the light dance off the many rows of gems.
I bring the bracelet closer to my eyes to look for the clasp, but it is completely hidden, the jewels meeting in a continuous band. The five rows of brilliant princess diamonds are a thick cuff around my wrist, and I can’t help but feel like I’ve been tagged as his. The dark blue, almost black stones make sense—after all, it is his last name. But jewelry… I’m completely unsure why he would gift it to me.
He did say that he wants me here with him and not just as payment of a debt, and he confirmed owning one of my pieces of artwork. He was also right in saying that I haven’t been treated poorly at all while here. In fact, I’ve been treated like a queen, waited on hand and foot by Thelma. It’s the being locked away that irks me. If I’m not his captive, then why can’t I leave? Why can’t I go for a drive? Why can’t I be told whereabouts in England we are?
I’m not going to let this slide; I’ll find out everything I need to know, and I’ll continue to plot my escape until I am finally away from here and back home with my family and friends. My mind wanders to my mother and father; how they are feeling without me around? What are they telling everyone about my sudden disappearance? It’s not like me to just leave without informing anyone. Even if the only person who I would tell is my best friend Kelly. She would’ve called the very next day asking how the gala went. When my phone went unanswered, I would imagine she’d called my parents. I wonder what excuse they used when she asked when I would be home?.
And how could they answer that honestly without coming off as the bad guys? Because that’s exactly what they are. How did they get so far into debt with Alexander? What could they have possibly needed that money for? My family are wealthy, and I’m not just talking upper middle class; we are part of the one percent, we have hundreds of millions of dollars. Then I recall the amount they owed Alexander. Fifty million dollars. Just how much was he worth if he was willing to wipe that kind of money off the table for me instead. It’s insane. I have to ask him why he would be so stupid. Why wouldn’t he fight for the money?
I get to thinking. What if I could get that money for him? I could then earn my freedom. Even though he told me that no amount would be enough for him to give me back, I had to try. I have two properties in my name. The home in Whitefish, Montana, is mine and mine alone. Mom and Dad gave it to me on my twenty-fifth birthday, and when I last had it valued it was close to fifteen million. Then there is my small apartment in Paris. I only purchased it eleven months ago for four million while I was there studying the arts at the Louvre, but I would sell that too. Nineteen million might be enough of a down payment to at least get him to consider letting me go.
Money is nice to have, but not necessary. I would give up all the things in my life of luxury to return home. But as the rainbow dancing from my bracelet catches my eye, I have to wonder… do I really want to? If he was telling the truth about them offering me up as payment, then why should I want to go back to them? It’s obvious I’m just something else they can barter with. Who knows if the next time they have a debt to pay they won’t use me again, and that person might not treat me as well as Alexander.
