“I have a proposition for you. One I think you’re going to really want to hear.”
She pulled her arm out of his hold, and glanced around to see if anyone saw that.
“I don’t think there’s anything I want to hear you say. We don’t know each other, not really.”
He folded his arms, and, satisfied that she’d shut him up, she went to move away. “How would your mother feel if her job was given to someone else?”
She froze on the spot, and slowly turned to look at him. “No.”
Tobias shrugged. “There are a lot of people who need a job. Probably more qualified.”
“She’s good at what she does.”
“So are a lot of people.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“A coffee.”
“You’re blackmailing me for a coffee?”
“I tried to be nice, and you wouldn’t buy it, so I’m stepping up my game.”
She held her bag tightly on her shoulder, and took a deep breath before returning her gaze to his. “Fine.”
“Excellent. My car is waiting.”
“There’s a perfectly good coffee shop there,” she said, pointing toward the one near the campus.
“Not going to happen. I like good coffee. Come on, let’s go.”
He moved up behind her, and placed a hand on her back as he moved her toward his waiting limousine. She felt special in a twisted kind of way.
His touch affected her, and she tried to step away from his hand, but he wouldn’t let her. His control, his ultimatum, his touch—it opened up that rift within her, that dark place she wished didn’t exist. He opened the door for her, and she climbed inside. When he began to follow her in, she quickly moved over so she wasn’t too close to him. She needed to be strong to resist him. He only wanted her in his bed.
Holding her bag in her lap, he told the driver where to go before putting up the private partition that separated them from his driver. They were completely alone, and she didn’t have a clue what to say.
She couldn’t believe that he’d just blackmailed her by using her mother.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“I’d have preferred it if you’d not brought my mother into this. You know she’s good at her job.”
“I know she is. What do you have against spending some time with me?” he asked.
She took a deep breath. “We’re in completely different leagues.”
“How are we so different?” he asked.
“You’re a Bennett. You run a successful corporation, worth millions, if not billions, of dollars. My mom’s a cleaner who earns less than the cost of most of your clothes.” She’d never been afraid to speak her mind. Her mother didn’t earn a lot from cleaning even though she worked for some of the wealthiest clients.
“And?”
Shaking her head, she gave up the fight and stared out of the window.
Tobias was friends with her father. She’d even seen pictures online, and in some of those glossy magazines that showed them laughing together. Until she’d seen Tobias in person, she hadn’t realized it was him.
“What proposition do you have?” she asked.
“I’m in need of a certain type of person, and I have some … needs that have to be met. I think you’d be perfect for them.”
“That’s not vague at all,” she said, not even trying to hide the sarcasm from her voice.
“Let’s be clear, Adora. You’ve got debt. I’ve got money. I can help you out.”
Just like that, she knew without a doubt what he wanted, and she just didn’t want to know.
“No!” She turned toward him. “Sex. That’s what you want, right?” She shook her head. “I want out of the car.” She pulled on the door handle, and she started to get really angry. Her mother had been pulled in by a rich man and his false promises. This wasn’t going to happen to her.
“Calm down.”
“No. I won’t calm down. Open the damn door now. I want out. I need out!”
She felt the anxiety attack begin to build. It had been years since she’d felt that clogging panic when she couldn’t breathe.
Calm down.
He’s not hurting you.
The limousine stopped, and the door finally opened when she pulled it. Bursting out of the limousine, she saw they’d stopped near an alleyway. Collapsing to the ground, she pressed her palms to the floor, not caring if it was dirty as her mind started to go fuzzy. Her stomach rolled, and she couldn’t quite get her head together.
Tobias knelt beside her, and ran a hand down her back. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Don’t … touch … me.”
She didn’t expect him to listen to her, but he stopped touching her. He didn’t leave her alone, staying close.
Minutes passed, and slowly, she got her breathing under control, and finally, she was able to stand up, and face him. Embarrassment overwhelmed her, and she quickly averted her gaze.
“Please, don’t ruin my mother’s job. She’s really good and loves working for you.” She didn’t like how hard it was for her to not burst into tears.
“I’m not going to leave you here on the sidewalk, Adora. I won’t hurt you, and your mother’s safe. Just listen to me.”
“I don’t want to have sex with you, or to be with you in any way.”
She held onto her bag like a lifeline. Tobias was a sexy, good-looking man, and even though he’d blackmailed her, she actually liked his cheeky smile.
From the moment she read her mother’s diary, she’d promised herself she’d have a different life from her. It was why even at twenty years old, she was a virgin. Boys and men held no appeal.
Her studies mattered to her.
The plans she had in place were what she’d been focusing on all of her life.
“I don’t want to just fuck you, Adora. I want you to be the mother of my child.”
She stared at him, expecting for him to start laughing, but he didn’t start laughing.
“You’re joking?”
“No. I’m not. I want you to be the mother of my child, and for that honor I’ll pay off all of your student loans, and set you up for life. You’ll be at my beck and call whenever and however I want you.”
For several minutes Adora stared at him, expecting him to say something else. There was no way she’d just heard that. Not after he’d threatened her mother, and attempted to blackmail her.
“What?”
Chapter Three
Tobias had expected this to go much smoother. Any woman would kill to be in Adora’s position, but she acted like he’d forced her down the green mile. His initial plan only included using her to mother his child, but he’d spent the weekend unable to get her off his mind. He knew there was no chance of cutting her loose once he got what he wanted, so he’d set her up in an apartment to use at his leisure. She wouldn’t have to worry for anything, so he didn’t see an issue with it. Without his assistance, she’d end up scrubbing toilets like her mother.
“Don’t look so shocked,” he said. “I’m forty-five, and my parents are tired of waiting for an heir.” He held the car door open for her and waited for her to take a seat, then joined her.