Chapter 10 I SAID YES!
Ava's POV
"To the new beginnings." Dominic said and I clinked my glass against his and took a sip, the wine was rich and smooth and probably cost more than my rent.
With candle flickering, the food came in courses, each one more beautiful and delicious than the last, and between bites we talked about everything except the real reason I was there.
Dominic watched me across the table with unreadable stable eyes. He asked about my life, about my dreams for the future beyond just surviving day to day, and I found myself opening up in ways I hadn't expected.
"I don't know," I admitted, pushing a piece of perfectly cooked fish around my plate.
"I've been in survival mode for so long that I forgot how to dream about anything else. I used to want to go to college, maybe study art or literature, but that was before my dad died and before Mom got sick and before everything fell apart."
"Then let me help you dream again," he said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table, his eyes locked on mine.
"That's what I'm offering you, Ava. Freedom from financial stress. Time to figure out what you actually want from life instead of just scrambling to get through each day."
My heart was pounding, not from excitement alone but there was fear too, a nervous kinda flutter that refused to settle, I kept on telling myself that I was in control, that everything is gonna be okay. But still...
"In exchange for sex." I stated specifically.
"In exchange for your time and your company." He reached across the table and took my hand, his thumb stroking across my knuckles in a way that made my breath catch. His gaze intense and piercing,
"Yes, sex is part of it. But it's not all of it. I want to take you places, show you things, I want to spend time with you and get to know you beyond just what happens in my bed."
"Really know me! For six months!"
"We can negotiate the terms if you want it longer or shorter."
I took another sip of wine, trying to organize my thoughts into something coherent. I wanted to pretend, to deny it I don't know why I couldn't. I swallowed hard,
"I need to know exactly what you expect from me. What this arrangement would actually look like."
He nodded and sat back, his expression becoming more businesslike even though his hand was still holding mine.
"Three nights a week. My choice of which nights, though I'll give you advance notice when possible. You come to my penthouse or wherever I ask you to meet me. We have dinner, we talk, we spend time together, and yes, we sleep together."
"And the rest of the time?"
"Is yours completely. Your work, your friends, your mother, your life. I just want a piece of it. The best piece."
My face heated at the way he said it and I had to look away from the intensity in his eyes.
"What about other men?"
His expression turned cold so fast it made me flinch.
"No. Absolutely not. You're mine exclusively, Ava. No other men touch you, no other men even look at you if I can help it."
The possessiveness in his voice sent a thrill through me even though I knew it should probably concern me.
"And what about you? Other women?"
"There won't be any." He said it with such finality that I believed him.
"I only want you."
"For how long?"
"Six months to start. Then we can renegotiate if both of us want to continue, or we can part ways cleanly with no hard feelings."
I bit my lip, my mind racing through everything he was offering and everything it would mean. I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"And you'll really cover all my mom's medical bills? Everything?"
"Everything. Plus I'll give you a monthly allowance of ten thousand dollars for your personal use."
My eyes went wide because that was an insane amount of money. I froze for a moment staring at my glass. His words were not pressure; they were an invitation.
"That's too much."
"It's what you're worth to me," he said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I didn't know what to say to that, didn't know how to process the fact that this man I barely knew was willing to give me more money than I'd ever seen in my life just to spend time with me.
The waiter came to clear our plates and offer dessert, but neither of us was really paying attention to the food anymore.
When we were alone again, Dominic stood and walked around the table to where I was sitting and then held out his hand.
"Come here."
I took his hand without thinking and let him pull me to my feet, then found myself pressed against his body with his hands on my waist and his face so close to mine I could feel his breath.
"I need your answer, Ava," he said quietly, one hand coming up to cup my face while his thumb traced across my lower lip.
"Tell me you're mine."
My heart was pounding and my whole body was trembling. I wanted the money, but I didn't know I was ready, for all that, it was just a one night stand. I felt something I did not want to name. Anticipation, Excitement...maybe even desire. I knew this was the moment where I either walked away and went back to my normal life or I jumped off this cliff and let him catch me.
"Yes," I whispered, and the word felt like both a surrender and a choice.
"My answer is yes."
The smile that crossed his face was triumphant and possessive and hungry all at once, and then he was kissing me.
It wasn't gentle or sweet, it was overwhelming. his hand fisting in my hair to angle my head exactly how he wanted it while his other hand gripped my hip hard enough that I knew I'd have bruises tomorrow.
I kissed him back just as desperately, my hands clutching at his shoulders, feeling the muscles shift under my fingers as he pulled me even closer until there was no space left between our bodies.
When he finally pulled back we were both breathing hard and I could feel how aroused he was pressed against me.
"Adrian will take you home," he said, his voice rough and strained like it was taking everything in him not to take me right there in the empty restaurant.
"I'll have my lawyer draw up a contract tomorrow with all the terms we discussed. We'll sign it and make this official."
"A contract?" My brain was still fuzzy from the kiss.
I'm a businessman, Ava. I put everything in writing to protect both of us. I want you to have legal proof of what I'm promising you, and I want clear boundaries for both of us so there's no confusion."
I nodded, still trying to catch my breath.
He walked me out to where Adrian was waiting with the car, and before I got in he pulled me close one more time for another deep kiss that left me dizzy.
"Three days," he said against my lips.
"Three days and you're mine officially.”