5

Zane looked at the trembling woman before him. His men shouldn’t have hurt her, they definitely shouldn’t have made the deal with her uncle. And they would pay for that. Zane didn’t believe in keeping his men at a short leech or babying them. But he had four rules everyone in the organisation had to live by. His word was law. They didn’t hurt women and children. They didn’t deal with human trafficking. No one was to sell drugs to children. The four rules were enforced with ruthless strictness. What his men had done to Ava was a violation of rule number two and a clear attempt at breaking rule number three. But this angel in front of him didn’t know that. Zane’s need to possess her had only grown. Her innocence was like a light in the night, and he was the moth. He needed to possess her, to corrupt her. He smiled his wicked smile and saw her tense up. She may be innocent, but her instincts were strong.

“We need to get our money back and that is one way,” he shrugged.

“How much does he owe?” she asked. Zane took out his phone and looked it up.

“Close to three million dollars,” he said. “Two-million eight-hundred fifty-five thousand two-hundred two dollars and fifty cents, to be precise.”

“Two-million eight-hundred fifty-five thousand two-hundred two dollars?” Ava asked in an unsteady voice, she was visibly shaking.

“And fifty cents,” he added. She nodded and he could see the cogs turning in her mind.

“We could sell the house, it won’t cover the entire debt, but as a down payment. Then we could pay off the rest monthly,” she suggested.

“I didn’t know Cobler owned a house,” Zane said.

“He doesn’t its mine. My parents left it to me, it’s worth about eight hundred thousand,” she told him. Zane could clearly see the pain it caused her to suggest this. Deep down he despised her uncle for putting her in this position. He wondered what the man had done to earn such loyalty. A good man would have wanted to protect her from the pain, but Zane wasn’t a good man. He saw it as another pressure point to get what he wanted; her.

“Angel, that’s not even a third of the debt. With the interest adding up, you will be paying off the debt for the rest of your life. And to be frank, I’m not interested in waiting that long for my money,” he told her. She looked down and nodded.

“Maybe I could get a loan at the bank,” Ava thought out loud, biting her lower lip. Zane watched her teeth tugging at the plump lip and had an urge to replace them with his own teeth.

“Do you think any bank will give you a two million loan without any collateral?” he asked.

“No,” she almost whispered. Zane smiled, he had her right where he wanted her, left without any options but his.

“I have an offer for you,” he said in a calm voice. She looked up at him.

“You want me to sell my body.” It wasn’t a question, but Zane shook his head.

“No, I have a different proposition for you,” he said as he got up to fill his glass with another round of whiskey.

“You are willing to help me?” she asked in a hopeful voice. How could anyone be this naive? Zane thought.

“I am,” he nodded as he turned around and looked at her.

“Thank you, you are a good man Mr Velky,” Ava said, giving him a weak smile.

“No, angel, I’m not,” he told her as he walked back to her, taking his seat on the table. “I killed my first man before the age of fifteen and I haven’t stopped since. I’m possessive, cruel and have a hot temper,” he honestly told her. He could see her hands clenching the water bottle between them. Zane knew who he was and he didn’t hide it. And if his plan was to work, Ava needed to know who he was.

“B-but you said you would help me,” Ava said.

“I have a proposition that would keep you out of the brothels, but don’t fool yourself to think I’m doing it out of kindness. I do this because you have something I want.”

“What do I have?” she asked.

“Your body,” he got straight to the point and could hear her gasp.

“Y-you said I wouldn’t have to…” she started saying.

“I’m not talking about selling your body, miss Cobler. I’m a busy man, but I’m also a man with needs and certain inclinations. Because of this, I find it useful to have someone close by that can help me with these… urges when they arise. Someone who won’t involve feelings or become needy,” he explained. “A pet for my sexual desires to put it bluntly.” She stared at him with big, terrified eyes.

“Pet?” she asked. He gave her a cocky smile and put down his glass next to him on the table.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds, I promise. I may be possessive and rough, but I never let a woman leave my bed unsatisfied,” he said as he let his eyes wander over her body, not feeling the need to hide it from her. She shifted uneasily in her chair.

“How, how would it work?” she asked. Zane stood up and leaned over her, placing his hands on the armrest of the armchair she was sitting on. He enclosed her as he leaned in to her, taking in the details of her face. He could feel her scent, clean, simple and without any perfume. Like newly washed linens that had been hung out to dry in the summer sun.

“You can’t be as innocent as to not know how a man pleasures a woman. Or do you want me to describe it to you?” he whispered in her ear. He heard her breath hitching.

“I-I know how sex works, thank you. I was referring to the pet part,” she stuttered, making him smile.

“Of course you do,” he said, sitting down on the table and picking up his drink. “We would write a contract, stating that for three years, a year per million, you would be my pet. The contract would outline your duties and my responsibilities and by the end of the contract your family’s debt would be considered paid in full,” he told her. Zane didn’t expect Ava to take him up on his offer. But he enjoyed playing with her, the way she reacted to his presence gave him a kick and he desperately wanted to know what she looked like under those baggy clothes, how she tasted.

“And any debt that my uncle incurs during the three years?” she asked. Zane gave her an appreciative look, she wasn’t stupid.

“I can agree that all future debts are not to be associated with you. They will solely be on your uncle and aunt. If that is agreeable to you?” he suggested.

“Yes,” she nodded. That surprised him. Not only that she was treating this as an actual option, but she was ready to let her uncle face the consequences on his own. She seemed like the person that was foolish enough to help no matter what. He guessed everyone had a limit. “And if you get bored of me?”

“Bored of you?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. The thought was so foreign to him, it worried him. It also bothered him how easy she accepted the possibility.

“Three years is a long time, Mr Velky. I know your reputation, three weeks with the same woman is a long stretch for you,” she told him with a slight blush to her cheeks. Zane couldn’t help but chuckle. She wasn’t wrong. He didn’t have the patience for a serious relationship or a long-term lover for that. Women always seemed to want more of him.

“As long as you don’t start to feel possessive over me, angel, it won’t be an issue. But we can add a clause to the effect that if I choose to end the contract before the three years are up, your part will be considered fulfilled,” he smiled.

“And if I want to end it?”

“We’ll reduce your debt by eighty-four thousand per finished month,” he told her. She slowly nodded. Zane started to think she was seriously considering this. The thought of having this woman at his back and call made his dick hard and his mouth water. The things he would do to her once he got her underneath him.