authors note: i finally got around to making that spotify playlist y'all requested :D it's called 'The Business Arrangement' by Kate Freling and here is the link:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4phnAsh1yKAXRUZHQyG1B4?si=87d101f48fc844fe
sorry if it's boring af i've actually never made a playlist before so please comment your song recs!!
now back to our regularly scheduled programming...
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POV: Maya
It's been one week since Henry saved me.
One week since he ended Mr. Bianchi's life.
One week, filled with meetings and phone calls, counselor visits and doctors appointments in which everyone makes positively one-hundred percent sure that I'm fine, and yet...Henry hasn't so much as looked at me.
Not to mention anything else.
When I wake, he's already left the apartment.
Either that, or he's shut up in his office, talking so low that I can't hear what's being said.
Most nights I'm asleep far before he crawls into bed, and I don't even notice him come in.
It could just be a coincidence.
An accident, or bad timing and a busy schedule.
But whatever it is, I'm tired of it.
That's why, at two in the morning, I find myself standing at the front door in nothing but a baby blue matching lingerie set.
Let him try and ignore me now.
Ding.
The familiar sound of the elevator arriving on the penthouse floor sounds in the hall.
Meaning either Henry's about to get home, or I'm about to seriously surprise a pizza delivery guy.
Let's hope it's the first one.
No knock sounds, and the scrape of a key turning in a lock corresponds with the door handle slowly turning.
All good so far.
I take a deep breath, and do my best to look confident, just as the door swings open.
Henry.
His hair is damp, presumably from the midnight rain, but he's wearing his usual button up and a pristine tailored suit. His sharp features gleam in the dim lighting, and as he raises his head, his steel-blue eyes glint dangerously out from the darkness.
If I were anyone else, his appearance would no doubt be intimidating.
But since I've been living with this man for months now, I feel only the tiniest shiver of anticipation.
Alright, Maya.
You can do this.
I steel my nerves, and take a step forward.
"You're avoiding me."
At the sound of my voice, he freezes in place. One polished leather shoe out in the hallway, one just inside the door.
For a moment, I worry he'll simply turn around and leave.
Then his jaw tenses, and he takes another step inside, closing the door behind him.
Click.
All locked in, and nowhere to run.
A month ago, this realization would have terrified me.
But now?
Now it's exactly what I want.
Henry turns from the door, giving me his full attention. Slowly, he draws his gaze from my bare feet all the way up my body. When he finally meets my gaze, his expression shifts from surprise to drab neutrality.
But no obvious signs of interest.
Damn him and his mask. It's impossible to tell what he's thinking when he's like this.
And given the hours he's been working this week, he's been playing the part of Mob Boss more often than not.
I'll just have to try harder.
"Maya. You're awake."
His voice is low and rough, and sends a rush of delicious tingles down my spine.
"Waiting for you," I purr, doing my best to sound inviting rather than like a deranged houseguest who just cornered him by the door.
It must not work, because his eyes flash dangerously.
"And why is that?" he asks, each word clipped with barely-concealed anger.
"Why?" I laugh, "You can't be serious."
But he is.
Rather than argue, he just waits.
"You haven't spoken to me all week," I continue, voice slightly smaller. "And after what happened, I thought we were..."
My words trail off into nothing.
The letter I wrote Henry before leaving was nowhere to be found when we returned to the penthouse last week.
Either he already read it, and he's ignoring me rather than reject me outright.
Or it got lost in the chaos, and he still doesn't know how I feel.
But I don't want to confess a second time, only to get struck down.
"You should hate me," he growls, startling me into taking a step back.
As I process his words, my anxiety shifts to surprise.
I should...hate him?
"Why?" I stammer.
He looks affronted, as if by asking this I've offended him.
"You almost died because of me."
The tension in his tone, the outright fury, is unbearable.
Does he really think that?
Surely he realizes that what happened to me is Bianchi's fault alone, right?
"Because of you, I'm alive," I argue. "You can't seriously blame yourself for what happened."
"I'm not good for you, princess."
Despite the warning in his tone, his words have the opposite effect.
"Yes, you are. Whether you want to admit it or not."
"You were hurt because of me. Two separate doctors confirmed you were knocked out with chloroform for an extended period of time. The bruising on your face also suggests you were hit by someone. You'll likely need continued counseling to avoid experiencing post traumatic stress from what happened to you."
So, he hasn't been ignoring me after all.
He's just been making his weirdo staff of doctors and counselors report to him, rather than ask me himself how I'm doing.
"You know, you could have just talked to me."
His eyes narrow, but he doesn't argue.
"Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the concern," I continue, "But you're not telling me anything I didn't already know. I don't want to talk about last week. I was there. I want to move on, Henry. I want to move on."
Something in my words triggers a reaction in him, though I'm not sure what.
The anger in his face melts away, and his stony mask returns in full force.
Whatever he's feeling, he's locked it away.
"Then do it," he says simply, voice deadly calm. "Move on, if that's what you want. There's no reason for you to have to stay."
His words are a knife in my chest.
A cold, numbing pain like nothing else.
"I didn't mean—"
"If you want to leave, I won't stop you. You fulfilled your part of our deal. I'll pay for all damages."
"Henry, I—"
"You won't have to see me ever again. I'll let you live your life, you understand? I'll let you move on."
With that last, biting line, he finishes his speech.
His words leave me reeling.
Not to mention seriously regretting my decision to wear lingerie tonight.
The way this conversation is going, I'm more likely to end up on the street than under the sheets.
"So, that's it?" I ask, voice warbling despite my best effort to stay calm. "You're done with me?"
His eyes darken, and his hand twitches as if he's struggling to stay still.
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"I'm informing you of your options."
"How polite."
His jaw tightens in frustration.
"I'm trying, princess. Believe me. This isn't what I want."
"What do you want, then?"
A heavy silence falls over us both.
A silence in which Henry slowly raises his hand to his tie, loosens the knot, and slips it off his neck with a sensual hiss.
"You're half naked in my doorway, Maya. You don't want to know what's going through my head right now."
"Maybe I do," I insist. "Maybe we want the same thing."
His brows narrow, and his eyes drop to my chest, albeit briefly.
"You should be careful what you wish for."
Immediately, heat blooms in the low of my stomach.
I don't question it.
I step forward and press my lips to his.
"No."
He pulls back, breaking our kiss almost immediately.
And just like that, all my self-doubt returns in full force.
"No? But I thought—"
"Believe me, princess. I'd like nothing more than to fuck you right here and now, but not like this," he growls. "If we're doing this, we're doing it right. No more games."
"What do you mean?"
"You want to walk away? Do it. You're free to leave. But if you stay, I want you to know exactly what you're getting into. No more half measures."
"And by that you mean...?"
"You've seen the kind of life I live. What my work entails. You know the risks. If you stay, I plan to keep you."
His words are simultaneously thrilling and terrifying.
A second ago, I thought he wanted me gone forever.
Now, it sounds like he's proposing a real relationship.
But, I want to be sure.
"I thought this was just a business arrangement," I stammer. "Just a deal we made."
He hesitates half a second, but doesn't back down.
"That was before I fell in love with you."
Before...
What?
All the air in my lungs chooses this moment to disappear.
I'm left grasping for words, surprised and slightly embarrassed as usual.
Henry is...in love with me.
In love.
With...me?
"You're not," I stammer. "You can't be."
"I am," he continues, expression deadly serious. "Last week, I felt genuine fear for the first time in my life at the thought of losing you. You understand?"
"But...." I trail off, words failing me.
"If you want out, that's fine. You'll never hear from me again."
"No, I... I'm not saying that," I stammer. "I'm just a little overwhelmed. I don't understand why you feel this way."
It just doesn't make sense.
This man, this mob boss, controls a whole city. He owns entire buildings and businesses. Has all the money in the world, for all intents and purposes. He could have any woman he wanted.
And yet, he's choosing...me?
"Why?" He scoffs. "Hell, Maya. Because you're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. Because you're smart and brave and kinder than anyone I've ever met. Because you're selfless and funny and I've watched you grow into a confidence you didn't have before. You make me believe in the good of people. You're fucking perfect, Maya. And if you let me, I'll spend the rest of my life with you."
With each sentence, he steps closer.
The harsh click of polished leather dress shoes like a ticking clock.
And with each step, I find my heart beating faster.
He just confessed how he feels about me, with no hesitation whatsoever.
Plain and simple, like he's making an offer on a house, or proposing a new business strategy.
Plain and simple, like he already knows how I feel about him.
"You read my note," I surmise, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "And you didn't tell me."
"Sorry, princess," he says, confirming my suspicions. "Thought I should give you one last chance to change your mind."
So, he knew.
He knows.
And now, I know he feels the same.
If we continue this conversation, it won't just end with sex. It'll end with something more.
Something deeper.
"And if I haven't?" I ask. "If I still want to stay?"
His hand moves suddenly to my throat, gently closing around my neck so that my pulse beats frantically against his fingers.
White-hot heat pools between my legs at his touch, and my back arches slightly.
"Then I'm going to keep you," he growls. "All of you."
"All of me," I repeat, voice breathy and light.
"Yes, sweetheart. Every inch of you. You want me to fuck you? I will. But no more friends-with-benefits. No more business arrangements. You're mine, you understand?"
Maybe the lingerie wasn't such a bad idea after all.
"Yes," I gasp, "I understand."
"Say it," he commands. "Tell me who you belong to."
"You," I pant. "Please, Henry. It's only you."
"Good girl," he purrs, his thumb stroking my throat. "Now, you're going to show me."
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NEXT CHAPTER IS SMUT CHAPTER I PROMISE <3333
tell ur friends, tell ur grandma, tell ur preacher!
tbh i got chloroform and chlorophyll mixed up while writing this and had to google which was which multiple times lmao
ALSO next week is the beginning of the Watty submission thingy and i really hope I am eligible but we will see! It said it's supposed to show up automatically so hopefully i'll be able to submit. I'll let y'all know either way.
I hope y'all are enjoying your summer <3 i am trying to get a different apartment and move out of Mississippi so fingers crossed it will work out
OH AND the other day I got home and the apartment had like 2 inches of water in it and water falling from the ceiling and the maintenance man was like "haha yeah that's cause the whole damn roof caved in"
sooo apparently the apartment owners didn't want to come up off the money to replace the roof even though it was caving in and now the whole unit has water damage...
Anyway all my stuff is fine thankfully :D
have a great week and see y'all next wednesday!
love,
kate <3