The Seductress

Chapter 3: Challenged

They started meeting more often, but never on her terms.

Adrian would call, but only to talk. No invitations to his home. No declarations. No emotional slips. He kept their encounters public, conversations safe, and his distance intact.

Selena tried to tease him once—reaching across the table to touch his hand.

He pulled away gently. "Please don't."

She nodded, humiliated.

That night, she sat on her balcony, staring into the dark, wondering if she had lost her edge—or if Adrian was simply too far gone to be reached.

In Cassandra's next call, the scorn was evident.

"You're wasting time. He's not going to fall, Selena. He's either immune or you're not doing what I paid you for."

"He's not like the others," Selena said. "You keep saying that, but you don't understand. He doesn't want anyone to save him... This man, he is hiding something."

"He doesn't need saving. He needs reminding. He left his fiancée for a reason. Make him remember. Make him suffer. "

"I don't think you're saying the truth as well, are you hiding something about his profile?."

There was silence on the line.

Then Cassandra said, coolly, "Don't tell me you're falling for him."

"I'm not," Selena said too quickly. "Don't change the topic."

But the silence afterward lingered, accusing her.

By the end of the second week, Adrian called her again.

"Dinner. Just dinner," he said.

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

They met at a quiet rooftop restaurant. The city below sparkled, and the air was crisp with the promise of rain. They talked about books, travel, the absurdity of social politics. Not once did he compliment her appearance. Not once did he try to touch her.

She had dressed with care—simple but alluring. And yet, all she received was a warm, detached smile.

Halfway through the meal, he set down his glass and looked at her.

"You're persistent, Selena. I'll give you that."

"I'm curious."

"Then I'll save you the trouble, I'm not a good investment."

She didn't argue. Just nodded slowly.

Because maybe, this time, she agreed.

---

Selena stormed into Maya’s apartment, slamming the door behind her. The thud echoed through the small space they're renting, and Maya barely looked up from her laptop before sighing.

"Oh no," Maya said, setting her coffee aside. "You have that look again—the one that says ‘my latest target refuses to crumble.’"

Selena dropped onto the couch, kicking off her heels. Her perfectly composed façade from earlier was gone, frustration burned in her eyes.

"He’s impossible, Maya. Absolutely impossible!" she burst out. "I’ve been at this for weeks! and the only thing we’ve shared is a damn meal. Not a glance, not a spark, not even a hint of the usual weakness. Nothing."

Maya smirked. "You mean to tell me the great Selena Cruz, the woman who can make a man forget his own name in twenty-four hours, has met her match?"

Selena shot her a glare. "Don’t mock me. I’m serious. Before this, I could make a man fall in love with me over a drink and a smile. Sometimes I didn’t even have to touch them. You just read them, make them feel seen, and they crumble like glass. But this one? Adrian.. he’s made of steel."

Maya chuckled softly, leaning back in her chair. "So, what makes him different? Too good? Too smart? Or just too wounded to play your little game?"

Selena groaned, rubbing her temples. "He’s not even trying to resist me the usual way. Most men put up an act, you know? Pretend they’re not interested, but their eyes give them away. Adrian doesn’t play that game. He’s careful. Cold. Like he’s always two steps ahead of me. He keeps me waiting, thinking, doubting. And it’s driving me insane."

Maya laughed. "I never thought I’d hear you say that. You, the master manipulator, losing sleep over a man who barely talks to you."

Selena shot her a look. "You think I’m exaggerating? There’s no man I can’t turn. None. Some are easy—you just need to listen, laugh at the right time, touch their arm once and they’re halfway to confessing their secrets. You don’t even have to sleep with them."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "And the hard ones?"

Selena gave a wry smile. "Oh, the hard ones are the fun ones. The deserving ones. The ones who need a little more… persuasion. Once you finally take them to bed, they lose their minds. They fall hard and fast. They start making promises, talking about leaving their wives, offering you the world. They think it’s love, but it’s not. It’s control. And I’m good at it."

She leaned back, exhaling slowly. Her eyes grew distant, thoughtful. "But Adrian? He’s taking things so slow… too damn slow. It’s like I’m chasing a ghost."

Maya closed her laptop and crossed her arms, studying her friend. "Maybe he’s not the type you can chase. Maybe he’s the one who needs to do the chasing."

Selena looked at her sharply. "I don’t get chased, Maya. That’s not how this works."

"Then maybe that’s why you’re stuck," Maya countered. "You’re trying to control a man who doesn’t want to play your game. Maybe he’s the first one who sees through it."

Selena’s jaw tightened. "I can’t drop it."

"Why not?" Maya asked, standing. "Take another client. Something easier. Someone who’ll actually fall like they’re supposed to. You don’t owe this Cassandra woman anything more than results, right?"

"I'll consider, I'll take another client, but... I can’t walk away about Adrian. I’ve built a reputation, my name means something in this line of work. There’s not a single man who’s resisted me, Maya. Not one. And I’m not going to start with him."

Maya sighed, pouring another cup of coffee. "You sound obsessed."

"I’m determined," Selena corrected, her voice sharp. "He’s testing me, and I don’t lose to my own targets."

"You sure this isn’t personal now?" Maya asked gently.

Selena hesitated for the briefest moment. Then she smirked. "No. It’s business. It’s always business."

Maya didn’t look convinced. "Just be careful, Sel. The slow ones, the ones who don’t fall, they’re the ones who can hurt you the most when they finally do."

Selena glanced out the window, her reflection faint in the glass. Her tone softened. "He won’t hurt me. I won’t let him."

Maya sighed. "Famous last words."

Selena ignored her, standing up and grabbing her purse. "I’m meeting him again tonight. If he wants slow, fine. I can play slow. But he’ll break eventually. They always do."

Maya shook her head. "You really believe that?"

Selena paused at the door, a small, dangerous smile curving her lips. "I have to."

She left the apartment with her heels clicking against the marble floor, every step echoing confidence she didn’t entirely feel. But as the elevator doors closed behind her, that faint shadow of doubt flickered again, quiet, persistent, and far too human.

For the first time since she got this type of job, Selena Cruz wasn’t sure if she was still the hunter… or if she was becoming the prey.