Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
My eyes start to burn with unshed tears.
His deep voice repeats in my head over and over again like a low rumble, accusatory, ringing true.
Alone. Alone. Alone.
“P-people know I’m here.” I find my voice, swallowing slowly as he does a small walk around me. “I mean, I have friends.”
Do I, though? Really?
“Cleo? Are you okay?” He lifts his glass to his full, sensual lips. “You don’t look well, and you started telling me you weren’t alone. You must be exhausted.” He presses a hand to my forehead and frowns.
What just happened?
I have the pen in my hand.
And somehow I’ve already signed on the dotted line.
When did I do that?
“What does the contract say again?” I ask in a quiet, damning voice.
“A little of this.” He walks over to his desk and sets down his glass next to it. “We went over this remember? Don’t be a nark and you’ll be good.”
Oh. Right. “So all employees sign this then?”
“Until the end.” He sighs. “Of their time here of course and then we simply burn the contract.”
I stare at him, really stare at him.
He’s so tall it tenses my neck to look up. His muscles are bulging through his black shirt and his eyes remind me of emptiness—shit, they’re deep fathomable, chaotic, and black ready to swallow me whole.
I hear screaming in my head and almost fall like I’ve been teetering over the edge only to have someone grab me back.
I stumble backwards.
“Cleo? Seriously are you okay?” he asks. He picks up a pen and holds it out toward me. “Don’t forget to date it. Beginnings and ends are important.”
With trembling hands I scribble down the date. Why does it feel like a countdown? I need to find my brother. I have little to no money and nowhere to go, but at least here I’m close to him. Plus, I’ve already signed my name.
I stare down at the piece of paper. When did that happen again? I’m so confused.
It’s in Egyptian. Is this some sort of flex or party trick?
He’s already signed on the other line.
His signature is beautiful, I don’t know why that’s what I fixate on, but I do.
His massive body moves behind me. I close my eyes. I can’t tell if it’s fear or lust, or anger that he’s making me question myself, my own morals at this moment. Again, he’s a complete stranger who’s my brother’s boss.
It feels so wrong that I want him closer.
I lean slightly, attracted to his heat.
“Are you still cold?” he murmurs in my ear.
I jump away and nearly knock over a stack of papers on his desk, but he slowly turns me around and bends over until we’re eye to eye.
I have to be seeing things. Maybe it’s from the alcohol, but it’s like there’s a darkness in his soul, in his eyes.
He blinks and breaks eye contact. “We can finish your training tomorrow.”
His eyes are sad, like even calling him his name is depressing. It’s strange, and what sort of boss makes you sign a contract in a different language? I look down at the contract again, there are countless names on it, not countless, hundreds, maybe thousands, where did the stack even come from? Mine is right on top in red pen. How huge is his turnover? I mean if this is the same NDA. Or maybe he has multiple companies.
Strange.
Even stranger, I’m disappointed. What is this stupid feeling in my chest? It’s foreboding, like I just did something I can’t undo, but it’s just a name right? All he wants is for me to use his name since I don’t work for him and to make sure I sign an NDA which is completely understandable given the situation.
“So, what does the contract say again?”
“For you?” Cyrus lifts up the paper. “This contract is binding and connected to your time here. Should you take any of the artifacts, break them, do anything that might expose what we do here at Raaidan Enterprises we can sue you, and when you sign, you agree to the binding terms.”
Ah, makes sense, so he has an entire empire, not just the bar, thus all the pieces of paper under mine. “And for others?”
The tilt of his head is close, not predatory but close. “Others? You mean other employees? It’s all the same thing that my lawyer drew up.”
Right. Why am I even worried about other employees right now? I think the amount of whiskey I had plus the weird company tonight is messing with my head.
I lick my dry lips. I’m suddenly so thirsty my throat burns. “Perfect. Sorry, I’m just a little out of it. I probably should have eaten more at dinner. Sorry Cyrus.”
He jerks back and inhales slowly, eyes closed, like he hasn’t breathed in a very long time. “It finally sounds nice. How strange.”