Page 140 of Ruthless Contract
I faced forward again and took in my overall look. It wasn’t bad. The only thing missing was my nipple ring. And I hadn’t put one on in a few days. I took a deep breath. It was time to face the man I’d been dreading seeing.
I left the bathroom, then the bedroom, and stepped into the hall, barefoot. He could’ve at least gifted me a pair of heels. I moved slowly down the hallway, heading to his office. I smoothed my hands down the front of my dress, nervous as hell. When I reached his office door, I knocked three times.
“Come in, Juliet,” a deep voice called out, sending a shiver down my spine.
Closing my eyes, I mentally prepared myself as best I could for what awaited me on the other side of the door. Opening my eyes, I gripped the knob and turned, entering his office.
Moonlight spilled through the uncovered windows, stretching long silver shadows across the office floor. Outside, I could see the moon’s reflection shimmering over the gulf. It was a beautiful sight. No wonder he had the blinds pulled up.
I stepped inside and gently closed the door behind me. The room was dark, lit only by the moon and the glow of his laptop screen. Rome sat behind his desk with his chair turned away from me.
He was facing the wall with his back to me. He didn't acknowledge me. He didn't even move. I stood there for several seconds, wondering if he was intentionally making me wait.When it became obvious he wasn't going to say anything, I padded across the soft carpet until I stood in front of his desk.
I clasped my hands together in front of me, resisting the urge to speak first. I didn't know what to say to him anymore. Sorry wouldn’t cover it, and pretending nothing had happened wasn't an option. The silence stretched between us, becoming uncomfortable. Finally, Rome spoke.
"Come around the desk," he demanded.
I obeyed, eager to see where he was going with this. I walked around the large mahogany desk until I stood near the window, the moonlight washing over me as I faced the side of his chair.
For a long moment, he remained staring at the wall. Then, slowly, he swiveled around to face me. Gone was the suit jacket he'd worn earlier. He still had on his black slacks and black button-down shirt, though the first few buttons had been undone.
One hand rested on the arm of his chair while the other held a glass of whiskey. His eyes lifted to mine. Then they slowly traveled over me, starting with my hair. His gaze moved over my face, down to the thin straps of the dress.
They continued to my waist, stalling when they dipped lower to my kitty. He didn't say a word while looking at me. But he didn’t have to. He couldn’t hide what he was feeling from me.
It was there in his eyes and in the tent of his pants. Unable to stop myself, I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. Did he still see the woman he'd laughed with while watching anime? The woman he'd flirted with until sunrise?
The woman he’d jacked off to as we moaned each other’s names? Or did he only see the person he believed had betrayed him? An enemy he hated yet was attracted to? Finally, his gaze returned to mine. And gone were the flames of desire in his eyes.
"Kneel."
The command echoed through the room, shocking the hell out of me.
I cocked my head to the side. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"Romeo..." I started.
"Don't," he snapped.
The single word was laced with so much pain that it made my heart ache. His jaw tightened, and his eyes closed briefly before he drew in a slow breath, visibly forcing himself to calm down. He opened his eyes. And there was that hatred I’d feared seeing in his gaze. It hurt me to my core, bringing tears to my eyes.
"Don't call me that," he said, voice raspy, even colder than before. "Kneel."
"I'm not kneeling," I told him, blinking back tears, refusing to cry in front of him.
“You think you have a choice in what you do here?” he asked.
“I...”
Before I could say what I’d wanted to say, he reached for his laptop and turned it around so the screen faced me. My stomachdropped, my sassy remark dying on my lips. The screen was divided into several camera feeds.
And I recognized the location of each feed. One was of Kelly's house. Another was Tracy's house. Then there was Dayana's house and Ivy's place. My gaze darted from one screen to the next, and I found myself wishing I’d brought my gun.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked, tearing my eyes away from the laptop.
"Kneel," he repeated.
