Sebastian Drake sat back, one arm draped lazily across the leather armrest as he watched the trembling girl step closer under his command. "Come closer," he said, voice like velvet dipped in cruelty. "Serve me."
"Serve...?" Aurora echoed, confusion flickering in her wide eyes. In a panic, she grabbed the nearest decanter of whiskey, pouring it into the glass until it overflowed onto the pristine marble. The liquid spread like a stain between them.
Sebastian's cold gaze narrowed. "You came here... for this? To play waitress?"
"My father said I must obey you," Aurora whispered, gripping the glass like a shield.
A muscle in Sebastian's jaw ticked. "Your father sent me a photograph of a woman who could satisfy a man in bed. And this is what I received? This?" His laugh was cruel. "It's almost insulting. I should feel discarded."
Aurora's knees nearly buckled. The dress her stepfather forced her into barely covered anything. Beneath the humiliation burned terror—not of this man, but of going home empty-handed. That bastard would beat her again. Maybe worse.
"Please… Mr. Drake." She swallowed her pride, her dignity, everything. "Just… do it. I'm yours tonight. After this… the debt is cleared, right?"
Sebastian leaned back. His cruel smirk widened. "Do it? How charmingly vulgar." His gaze sharpened on her. "You think I'm some pathetic man who takes pleasure from a woman who offers herself like a transaction?"
Her heart dropped.
He stood, closing the distance. His fingers—long, elegant, dangerous—brushed the strap of her dress, slipping it off her shoulder with ease.
"You surprised me tonight, Aurora Hale." His breath ghosted over her skin. "With a body like this… I never imagined you'd be a virgin."
Her breath caught. "I—I thought… you wanted…"
"Oh, I wanted a distraction." His lips curled into mockery. "But virgins bore me. There's no fun in breaking something so… fragile. I prefer women who know how to scream properly under me."
Her face burned. Shame. Rage. Desperation.
She couldn't afford to fail tonight.
"Please… after this, can I just leave? My father… he'll…"
Sebastian's smile vanished. His hand gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"Don't go." Her lips trembled. "I-I can't come back empty-handed."
"Then come back tomorrow." His tone dropped, slow and cruel. "For your first lesson."
Her stomach twisted. She couldn't go home. Not tonight. Not ever.
"I… I can clean. Let me stay. I'll earn my keep somehow. Just… don't send me back."
Silence. His gaze narrowed. "I already have maids, Aurora," he said flatly. "I don't need another one."
Her throat tightened. "Then... what can I do to be useful? I can do anything. It would cost you less if I stayed here. I wouldn't be late."
Sebastian's lips curved, this time without humor. "A woman desperate enough to beg for shelter… How quaint."
He turned to Harris, his loyal assistant who stood silently nearby."Harris. Prepare a room."
Aurora blinked, stunned. "Y-you'll let me stay?"
"You'll stay, Aurora Hale." His eyes pinned her where she stood. "But don't get comfortable."
His smirk sharpened like a blade."You won't survive in my world without bleeding a little first."
Her knees trembled, but she forced herself to nod.
"Tomorrow night. My room," he said. "Don't make me wait."
***
"Harris." He didn't look away from her. "Find out why this girl fears her home more than she fears me."