Chapter 3: A Contract of Temptation
1362 Words
*** ENZO’S POV
The café was cozy, dimly lit, the scent of roasted coffee beans thick in the air. Celeste sat across from me, poised and elegant, sipping from her cappuccino with the ease of someone who knew how to command attention without even trying.
I had chosen my words carefully up until now, letting the natural flow of conversation build, but it was time to shift gears. I wasn’t here to impress her—I was here to use her.
I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice just enough to draw her in. “I have to be honest with you, Celeste. This wasn’t a coincidence.”
“So,” she finally said, tilting her head. “You’re not just some charming stranger, are you?”
I smirked, setting my cup down. “Depends on what you mean by ‘just’. I sought you out for a reason.”
She chuckled, shaking her head. “You didn’t bump into me by accident.” It wasn’t a question. She set her cup down, tilting her head in mild amusement. “And here I thought you were just another man trying to get into my bed.”
I smirked. “Not quite. I need something from you.”
Her expression didn’t change, but I caught the subtle shift in her posture—curiosity. “So, what do you want, Mr. Enzo?”
I watched her carefully, choosing my words. “Your help.”
That caught her interest. She uncrossed her legs, resting her elbows on the table. “Help with what?”
I could lie. String her along with half-truths. But something told me Celeste preferred honesty—bold, direct, and a little reckless.
So, I leaned in and told her.
“I need your father’s approval for a project,” I said plainly. “You have influence over him, and I need you to use it.”
Celeste let out a soft hum, dragging a finger along the rim of her coffee cup. “So, you’re not here to seduce me. You’re here to use me.”
I shrugged, unapologetic. “I prefer to call it leveraging connections.”
She let out a small laugh, but then her gaze sharpened. “And what do I get out of it?”
I held her gaze steadily. “That depends on what you want.”
A slow, knowing smile spread across her lips, but before she could speak, I decided to drop my second revelation.
“One more thing,” I said, voice calm, steady. “I’m married.”
Silence stretched between us for half a second—then, to my surprise, Celeste’s lips curled in amusement.
She let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head as if I had just told her the most entertaining joke of the night.
“Well,” she murmured, tilting her head. “Now you have my attention.”
I frowned slightly. “You don’t seem surprised.”
“Oh, I am,” she admitted, propping her chin in her hand. “I thought we’d just sit here, sipping coffee and making dull conversation,” she mused, her voice carrying an edge of mischief. “But you? You just made this so much more exciting.”
I watched as she leaned forward, her eyes alight with curiosity. Not shock. No hesitation. Curiosity. That should have been a red flag. Instead, it intrigued me.
“I have to admit,” she continued, her voice dropping slightly, “that confession? It turned me on.”
My jaw tightened. “Celeste—”
“You see,” she went on, tracing a slow, deliberate pattern on the table with her finger, “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have séx with a married man. Tell me, Enzo… have you ever cheated before?”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s not where this is going.”
She smirked. “Are you sure?”
Her voice was soft, teasing—but her gaze? It was sharp, assessing. She wasn’t just flirting. She was watching how I would react.
What was she doing? Testing me? Pushing boundaries?
I should have walked away. The conversation ended before it unraveled into something I couldn’t control. But I didn’t.
Instead, I let the silence stretch, and Celeste took it as an invitation.
She sat back, letting her eyes roam over me like she was weighing possibilities. “Tell you what, Enzo.” She let the words roll off her tongue slowly, drawing out the moment. “Let’s make this mutually beneficial.”
I arched a brow. “I’m listening.”
“If I get my dad to approve your project…” She let the sentence linger in the air, her eyes flickering with something unreadable. Then, finally, she smirked. “Then we’ll keep seeing each other… in a more private setting.”
It was a test. A game. And she was waiting for me to make the next move.
I should have shut it down. I should have told her I wasn’t interested in anything beyond business.
But I didn’t.
Because the truth was—I wasn’t so sure anymore.
“You want to make a deal?” I asked.
She smiled. “Call it a contract.”
I wasn’t the one making the rules anymore.
She was.
Celeste Devereaux was a trouble.
And that should have terrified me.
Instead, it pulled me in.
I leaned forward, matching her gaze. “If you get me that deal, we’ll see where this goes.”
Her smirk widened. “Then, Mr. Davis, consider this my official agreement.”
She lifted her coffee cup in a mock toast. I clinked my own against hers, even though we both knew—
We weren’t just talking business anymore.
And this?
This was only the beginning.
***ERYN’S POV
The gown felt heavier than it should. Or maybe it was just the weight of everything else pressing down on me.
I adjusted the delicate strap over my shoulder, staring at my reflection in the mirror. The deep emerald fabric clung to me in all the right places, the silk pooling at my feet like liquid elegance. It was a statement—one I wasn’t sure I was ready to make.
“This is the one,” Lena said with finality, stepping back to admire her work. “Trust me, Eryn. You’re going to turn heads tonight.”
I gave her a small smile, but my stomach twisted.
I wasn’t dressing to turn heads. I wasn’t even sure why I was going at all.
You should be there, Mrs. Davis. It would be an honor to have you as my guest.
Mr. Devereaux’s words had caught me off guard. He was a powerful man, the kind of business man Enzo respected, the kind whose invitations weren’t to be refused lightly. And while I had no real reason to attend the gala, declining didn’t feel like an option.
Still, a part of me wondered…
Had Enzo known I was invited?
Had he wanted me there?
I swallowed against the thought, reaching for my earrings—delicate emerald studs Enzo had given me years ago, back when his gifts were thoughtful, and his touches were effortless. Back when I still felt seen.
I hesitated before slipping them on.
I wasn’t naive. I knew things between us had shifted. The distance wasn’t just in our schedules or the late nights he spent at the office. It was in the way he has looked at me lately—like he was holding something back.
Like I was slipping through his fingers, and he wasn’t sure whether to let go or hold on.
I exhaled slowly.
Tonight wasn’t about Enzo.
Tonight was about me.
I turned to Lena, lifting my chin. “Let’s go.”
She grinned. “Now that is the Eryn I know.”
I let out a small breath, masking every flicker of doubt.
If Enzo had secrets, if there were things left unsaid between us—I’d deal with them in time.
But tonight, I was stepping into that gala on my own terms.
And I wasn’t about to fade into the background.
- Writer
