No, stupid girl, Artem Elgort isn’t interested in you like that.
Then how is he interested in me, then?
I keep trying to claw an answer to that question, but I can never find one.
If he wanted me as a chef, fine, that might make some sort of sense.
A babysitter.
A maid.
Something.
But as it is, I’m left to wander the hallways like a ghost haunting this place, confused, dreading the day that Artem marches in here and finally tells me that he’s found his purpose for me.
I’m going to torture you. I’m going to resell you. I’m going to make you live in a personally-constructed hell.
One morning – the fifth day – I wake to a warm bundle curled up next to me. I reach out my hand and curl my fingers around it, wondering if I’m dreaming when I feel the roughness of its tongue against my palm, my fingertips.
A giggle escapes me when I open my eyes and see the dog, its eyes wide and a gorgeous shade of blue, its fur cloud-white except for a few black spots, one over its left eye. Its tail points straight up, wagging happily as it splits its mouth into a grin and gazes up at me.
“Um, hello,” I say, and the dog leans forward, giving me a lick of greeting on the chin.
I laugh and study the dog closer, seeing that he’s a boy. His collar is blood-red and a small note dangles from it, tied with a piece of string. Hello. My name is Rocky. I need a home. Will you take care of me?
Something inside of me melts as I read that he’s a Jack Russel crossed with a Dalmatian, he’s two years old, and his previous owner had to give him up when he moved overseas for work.
Without even thinking, I reach out and hug him close, cradling him to my chest.
“So you like him?”
The voice comes from the doorway.
I flinch and stare across my bedroom – my bedroom – to see Artem standing in the doorway. His hair seems darker than usual, coated with sweat, and his rippling body is clad in workout gear, his tight, muscled arms tense.
“I finally got some time to myself,” he says, striding into my room. “I thought you might like some company for when I’m away. So, do you like him?”
Rocky leaps onto my chest and starts lapping at my cheeks, as though imploring me to say yes, yes, of course I like him. I love him. I let out a giggle and tickle him behind the ears, savoring the way his mouth opens into a pink grin.
“Yes,” I say. “But …”
“But what?”
He wanders to the edge of the bed and sits down, his size so immense I feel the mattress sag toward him.
“But I don’t know why you’ve given him to me,” I say, my words coming out in a rush, all my pent-up confusion bursting out. “I still don’t know why I’m here. And I’m—”
“What?” he growls, when I trail off. “You’re what, Anna?”
“I’m scared,” I say, hugging Rocky close to me.
“Why?”
“Because I’m starting to like it here, okay? But I can’t let myself feel comfortable until I know what this is. Because it could be anything, couldn’t it? It could be something, I don’t know, something evil. I know that sounds melodramatic. But it’s the truth.”
Artem sighs.
“Evil,” he says quietly. “Is that what you think I am, Anna? Evil?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “That’s the point.”
“You’re here because … because I need you to be. For example, right now, I’m starving. Fucking ravenous. Will you make me something, Anna?”
“Do I have a choice?” I ask.
His lips twitch and he nods. “Yes, you always have a choice.”
Still confused, still unsure, I sit up and ruffle Rocky behind the ear, which he seems to love.
“Then okay, Artem, I’ll make you something. Let’s go.”
Will this ever stop being perplexing and strange?
I want to scream. Why am I here, Artem? What do you want with me?
Is this a trick?
Chapter Four
Artem
My body twists and my balls flame like twin suns as I watch her dancing around the kitchen, still in her PJs, hot pink material that hugs onto the globes of her ass as she bends over the obsidian block of the oven.
Rocky dances around her heels, already in love, wagging his tail and smiling happily.
I sit at the bar, my body still sore and sweaty from the gym. If I ever needed a punishing workout, it’s this week, with Emilio taking my snub at the auction to heart. Now, he’s been making plays in the city, getting aggressive, causing more than a few scuffles between the Bratva and the Mafiosi.
The man’s a fool, putting legitimate businesses at risk so that he can stroke his ego. He believes that stealing the power from his father makes him strong, a worthy contender in the power dynamic of the city.