The devil bargain
608 Words
The morning after the party, the penthouse felt like a graveyard. Dante’s confession still rang in my ears—“I am the man who has spent every night for three years wanting to tear that dress off you.”
I was sitting at the breakfast bar when Leo walked in, looking stressed. "Elena, I need a favor. I have a dinner meeting with Marcus and his father to finalize the merger. I need you to come. Marcus’s father is old-fashioned; he likes to see 'family values' before he signs a contract."
"Leo, I don't think—"
"I'll be there, too," Dante’s voice cut in. He was leaning against the doorframe, his eyes hidden behind dark aviator sunglasses, but the tension in his jaw was unmistakable. "To make sure everything goes... smoothly."
Leo smiled, relieved. "Great. Wear that black dress, El. The one that makes you look like a woman, not a student."
Dante’s hand tightened on the doorframe until the wood groaned.
Dante’s Perspective
The restaurant was too dim, the wine too expensive, and Marcus was sitting too close to Elena.
I sat across from them, nursing a scotch I didn't want. Every time Marcus laughed and touched Elena’s arm, I felt a physical ache in my chest. My staggering length was a constant, heavy pressure against my thigh, a result of the sheer, violent possessiveness I was trying to suppress.
"So, Elena," Marcus’s father said, leaning forward. "What are your plans after graduation? A girl like you must have many suitors."
"She’s focused on her studies," I interrupted, my voice sounding like a growl.
"Dante, let her speak," Leo teased, nudging me.
Elena looked at me, a challenge in her eyes. "Actually, I’m looking for someone who isn't afraid to take what he wants. Someone who doesn't hide behind masks."
The table went silent. Marcus laughed nervously, but I felt the air leave my lungs. She was taunting me. She was calling me a coward in front of the two people who kept us apart.
Dinner ended an hour later. As we waited for the valet, Leo got pulled away by Marcus’s father for one last "private" word. Marcus seized the opportunity.
"You were breathtaking tonight, Elena," Marcus whispered, sliding his hand down her back, his fingers dipping dangerously low. "Why don't you let me drive you home instead of your 'babysitter'?"
I didn't think. I didn't care about the merger. I didn't care about Leo standing twenty feet away.
I grabbed Marcus by the lapels of his suit and slammed him against the brick wall of the restaurant alley.
"Dante! Stop!" Elena gasped.
"I warned you," I hissed into Marcus’s terrified face. "I told you she was off the table. If you touch her again, I won't just break your hand. I'll end your career."
"Dante, what the hell are you doing?" Leo’s voice boomed from the sidewalk.
I froze. Marcus scrambled away, looking at Leo with wide eyes. I turned slowly, my hand still curled into a fist, to see my best friend looking at me with a mixture of confusion and growing suspicion.
"He was being disrespectful, Leo," I lied, though my voice was ragged with the unyielding thickness of my rage and desire.
"Disrespectful enough for you to assault a business partner?" Leo stepped closer, his eyes darting between me and Elena, who stood there trembling. "Since when do you care so much about Elena’s 'honor'?"
The secret was hanging by a thread. One more word, one more look at Elena, and Leo would know the truth: that his best friend was a monster who wanted to steal his sister away.
- Writer
