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Anticipation bubbles in my chest at hearing his voice just as the voicemail kicks in.
“Hey, Dad, it’s me, Sapphire. I… well, I’ve been made to work for Hawk Kline for a year to cover our debt.” My voice breaks. “I mean, it’s good that you don’t have to travel anymore, but…” I swallow hard. “Did you know my stepmother was planning this? I don’t really want to be here…” I’m struggling to stop the tears from cramming up in my eyes. “I miss you and just want to see you. Please come and see me.” I hang up, and my insides tighten, my throat thickening like I’m about to burst out crying.
But just as I wipe my eyes, someone’s clearing their throat behind me.
Panic spikes through me.
And I whip around, meeting the gaze of a familiar face that has my blood turning to ice.
Oh, fuck!
CHAPTERTHREE
HAWK
From the doorway of my office, I watch her—the girl paying for her family’s debt, who’s mine until then—and I’m fucking captivated.
She’s curled forward, facing away from me, gripping my phone tightly to her ear as she speaks into it in hushed, tearful words. Blonde hair falls in loose waves down her back, and my gaze traces the curve of the dress over that tight ass and her long legs, crossed at the ankles.
“I don’t really want to be here…” She breathes heavily, trying to hold back her emotions by the looks of it.
The vulnerability in her voice tugs at something in my chest, just as it had the other night at my party, but what I feel isn’t sympathy. I’m a fucking ruthless bastard with a black hole for a heart. I’m just not wired that way, but with her, it’s like an echo sounding inside of me… like maybe it isn’t so bare in there after all.
Of course, she doesn’t want to be here, but just knowing that I caught her watching me with another woman tightens my chest that she didn’t hesitate to enjoy the show.
I sensed her presence the moment she turned up, but I let her think she was unseen to uncover what she’d do, and like a good girl, she got turned on. I saw it in her dilated pupils, in the way she clenched her thighs when I found her in the hallway afterward.
The thought has my cock stirring again.
Call it selfish or obsessive, but after the party, I had to see her again and understand exactly why she awakened something in me I considered long dead.
Be careful what you wish for, my mother used to always say. Growing up, I asked for everything under the sun, and her words now taunt me that bringing Sapphire to my mansion for the next year might be a distraction I’ll regret.
She hangs up the phone, and the heaviness of the silence presses down on me. She’s lost in her own world of confusion and worry.
I clear my throat.
She snaps around, finally noticing me, those gorgeous sky-blue eyes widening with shock.
She’s incredible, more captivating than I remember, as the bright sunlight drenching the room from the windows lights up her features. Loose hair frames a round face, an expression of someone lost, and the speckle of faint freckles dancing over her small nose adds to her beauty.
Her cheeks flush instantly, her mouth parted as if she’s going to say something, but only a gasp escapes her full lips. Her breaths rush, and her breasts push against the fabric of her dress and shirt. Every inch of me is curious to explore more.
“I didn’t expect to find you here,” I begin as I push off the doorframe, strolling into my office. Each step is calculated, my gaze aware of exactly where she stands.
She tracks my movements, and there’s trepidation in her expression. She hasn’t run out of the room like many have done, which I admire, and I appreciate her resolve.
“I-I didn’t know it was your office. I’m sorry, and I’ll pay for the call.” Her voice wavers, but she holds my attention.
Pausing by the window, I stare at the landscape stretching outward, letting the silence extend for a few long heartbeats.
“No need,” I answer, sweeping my attention over to her, taking in her determined stance. Yet the fear on her face tells me she’s a person who’s faced a lot of adversity without the chance to escape it, forced to endure it.
“Mr. Kline, I’m Sapphire,” she says, then hesitates but steadies her expression and continues. “We didn’t get a chance to officially meet.”
“Welcome, Sapphire,” I answer smoothly. “And please, address me as Hawk. I have enough formalities in this place to choke the life out of me. You’ll be working closely with me over the next year.”
She nods, but she’s nibbling on the corner of her lower lip like she’s dying to ask me a question.
