The Price of His Contract

three months of her father's li

d, taking inventory of her body: the dull, bruised ache in her hips, the phantom weight of

. The entry

. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass, dawn was bleeding across Manhattan, tu

ng of the very scotch her father had stocked in his private cellar. Within forty-eight hours, Anthony had forged her father's signature, liquidated the Baldwin family trust, and moved Eleanor into the servants' ann

er. They didn't know that some

f the marble bath

oulders, untied at the throat, revealing the hard, razor-cut lines of his collarbone. His dar

To Sebastian, she was a

nd let the ice rattle against the glass before drinking it dry. The

tentative whisper of a woman in a billionaire's bed. It was clean

tumbler still in his hand.

aze of a man looking at a lover, but of an auc

king breath left his nos

ched into the pocket of his robe, and flicked

eets, coming to rest aga

with dismissive boredom. "Give him an account number. Whatever

h the card. She did

your cash, M

g into something colder, more analytical. "No? A girl who maneuvers herself into

g. "I want a desk outside your office. Full administrative clearance. And direct access to the V

he room inst

ry stillness that settled over him mad

trides eating up the space until his shadow swallowed her whole. He leaned down, placing one large hand on the mattress beside her hip, trapp

er breath brushing his jawline. "Anthony has hidden six offshore accounts in the Cayman trust to avoid your collateral sei

up to him at the gala twelve hours ago, his ice-blue eyes flicker

rushing lightly against the hollow of her throat. His touch was e

act, and tapped the wall intercom onc

g a bespoke three-piece suit, carrying a thick leather-bound folder and a heavy silver

rmured, placing the hea

ters on the cover read: EXECUTIVE NON

ule, her public appearances, her private life-all subordinated to the Vanderbilt Group. Attached to the back was a

yment contract. It

, his legs crossed with absolute, aristocratic ease. "Sign it, and my door opens. Walk

n and offered the col

lawyer. She didn't hesita

e final page, and signed her name with a

ifted her chin, and met Sebastian's

I start

ips. It was the smile of a wolf watching a

desk," he said softly. "

the roaring spray of the marble showe

er hips. In the steam-fogged mirror across from the glass, her gaze dropped to the pale, jagged line running beneath her ri

nsation from the gl

she was dead. Craig thoug

the tailored armor of a fresh grey suit, and pu