Chapter 141
Madison
I stabbed a piece of pancake, wondering how I’d gone from being a normal, professional assistant to whatever this was now. His sex toy? His fake girlfriend? Both?
“Has anyone else found out about our arrangement?” Alexander asked suddenly, his voice casual as he sipped his coffee. His eyes, however, were sharp and calculating.
“No! Of course not.” I lowered my voice. “I haven’t told anyone. Well, except you just gave Hazel enough hints to make her think we’re actually fucking.”
“Which we are,” he pointed out with that infuriating smirk.
“That’s not the point! She thinks we’re actually dating. For real.”
“And that’s a problem because…?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Because it’s not true!” I hissed, leaning forward. “This is a business arrangement, Mr. Knight. Not a
romance.”
He shrugged, cutting into his omelet with precision. “I haven’t told anyone either. Though I’ve been thinking about our agreement lately.”
“What about it?” I asked warily.
“Would you consider extending it? After the year is up.‘
“It hasn’t even been two months yet, and you’re already thinking about extending? No, to extend, and we already discussed this.”
I don’t want
“Why not? You’re quite good at being my girlfriend.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Very convincing. Especially when you’re moaning my name.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “Mr. Knight! We’re in public.”
“And you’re blushing beautifully.” He leaned back, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “I’m just saying that you should keep your options open. You never know what might happen in a year.”
“Thank you for the compliment, I guess.” I rolled my eyes, trying to regain some composure. “Why don’t you consider actually dating someone? For real, I mean.”
His expression darkened slightly. “I don’t need that kind of drama in my life right now.”
“What drama? The normal kind where you don’t have to pay someone to pretend to be your girlfriend?”
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“Trust me, Madison,” he said, his voice dropping. “Real relationships come with far more complications than our arrangement.”
I bit my lip, wanting to ask about the photo I’d seen in his penthouse. And the name that haunted me every time I closed my eyes. Katherine. The name he’d called me during our first encounter.
Who was she? What had she meant to him? The questions burned in my throat, but I swallowed them down. It wasn’t my place to ask; honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. What if Katherine was the reason for his cold demeanor? What if she was the reason he preferred arrangements to relationships?
“You look like you want to ask me something,” Alexander said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” I lied, focusing on my pancakes. “Just thinking about the contractors coming tomorrow.”
“Liar.” He reached across the table, his fingers tilting my chin up. “Your eyes always dart to the left when you’re hiding something. Tell me.”
“It’s nothing important.” I pulled away from his touch, uncomfortable with his ability to read me so easily.
“Madison.” His voice carried that warning tone that made my core clench. “Don’t make me ask again.”
“Fine.” I took a deep breath but chickened out at the last second. “I was just wondering if you’ve made any progress finding out who drugged you that night.”
His expression darkened. “Leo’s working on it. We have a few leads.”
I nodded, relieved he’d accepted my deflection. The real question about Katherine would remain unasked, at least for now. Some mysteries were better left unsolved, especially when they involved a man as complicated as Alexander Knight.
“Finish your breakfast,” he said, checking his watch. “We have a meeting in forty minutes, and I need you properly fed for what I have planned afterward.”
I nearly choked on my saliva. “Mr. Knight!”
“What? I was talking about the real estate portfolio review. What were you thinking, Ms. Harper?”
“Nothing,” I muttered, my cheeks burning as I stabbed another piece of pancake.
“Liar,” he whispered, his foot brushing against my ankle under the table.
I swallowed hard, trying to focus on my breakfast instead of the way his touch sent electric currents up my leg.
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Alexander leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper that only I could hear. “I want you to take off your panties. Right now.”
My fork clattered against my plate. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” His eyes darkened with desire. “Take them off and hand them to me. I want to smell them.”
Heat rushed to my face as I glanced around the busy café. “Are you insane? We’re in public!”
“No one will notice if you’re discreet.” His foot continued its maddening path up my calf. “Consider it the beginning of your punishment for disobeying me earlier.”
“Absolutely not,” I hissed, leaning forward. “I draw the line at public indecency.”
Alexander’s expression hardened slightly. “A good girlfriend would do this for me without hesitation. A dedicated employee would understand the importance of following instructions.” 1
“Well, I guess I’m neither good nor dedicated then.” I stabbed a piece of pancake with unnecessary
force.
“Is that so?” His voice held a dangerous edge.
“I’m not removing my underwear in a café, Mr. Knight. That’s final.”
To my surprise, he leaned back, a small smile playing on his lips. “Very well. Finish your breakfast.”
I blinked, thrown by his sudden retreat. I’d expected more pressure, more insistence. The fact that he’d backed down so easily made me more nervous than if he’d continued to push.
We finished our meal in relative silence, the tension between us thick enough to cut with a knife.
After Alexander paid the bill, I excused myself to use the restroom before we left.
Once inside the stall, I leaned against the door and closed my eyes. What was I doing? This game between us was becoming more intense by the day. And despite my protests, I couldn’t deny the wetness between my thighs at his demand.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I slipped my panties down my legs and stuffed them into my purse. My skin tingled with a mixture of embarrassment and arousal as I smoothed my skirt back down.
I returned to find Alexander waiting by the entrance, his eyes scanning my face as I approached. If he noticed anything different about me, he didn’t comment.
“Ready?” he asked, holding the door open.
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“Yes, Mr. Knight.”
Outside, his driver John, had the car waiting.
The privacy partition was already raised when we slid into the backseat.
“I’ve finalized the team for the Manhattan project,” Alexander said as the car pulled away from the curb. “I’ll be introducing you to them today.”
I shifted in my seat, acutely aware of the air against my bare skin. “Today? But I haven’t fully prepared. I still have so much to learn about real estate development.”
“Relax,” he said, his hand landing on my knee. “Work won’t actually begin for another two weeks. This is just an introduction–putting faces to names, establishing the chain of command.”
“But shouldn’t I at least know the basics before meeting them? What if they ask me questions I can’t answer?”
“They won’t. And if they do, you’ll defer to me.” His hand slid higher up my thigh, pushing my skirt up slightly. “You’re a quick learner, Madison. That’s one of the reasons I chose you for this position.”
“Which position would that be exactly?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Alexander’s laugh was deep and rich. “All of them, if I have my way.‘
“Of course you’d say that,” I muttered, trying to ignore how his fingers traced lazy patterns on my
skin.
“You’re nervous,” he observed. “Don’t be. I wouldn’t put you in a position where you’d fail.”
“Okay,” I conceded, trying to focus on the professional aspect of our conversation rather than his wandering hand. “I’ll meet the team.”
“Good girl.” His fingers drifted higher, brushing the crease where my thigh met my hip.
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.
