The phrase echoed in her mind. He saw her as an object. A broken thing he had picked up, used, and was now... what? Protecting?
Her phone buzzed. A text from Richard.
Caleb called. He says you were with Julian Blackwood. What the hell are you doing? You are there to fix the engagement, not start a war with the most powerful family in New York.
Vanessa threw the phone on the bed.
She paced the small room. She couldn't go back to Caleb. She couldn't. The way he had looked at her on the terrace... there was no love there. Only ownership and disdain.
But if she didn't fix it, her mother died.
She needed a third option.
She thought of Julian. The way Caleb had cowered before him. The way the entire resort seemed to bend to his will.
If she wanted to survive the sharks, she needed to swim with the killer whale.
She opened her suitcase. She pulled out the only decent thing she had left-a slip of a nightgown made of cream silk. It was modest compared to what Beatrice wore, but it was all she had.
She put on her trench coat over it, tying the belt tight.
It was 2 AM. The resort was quiet.
She knew where Julian was staying. Everyone knew. The Presidential Bungalow, secluded on its own cliff edge.
She slipped out of the room, dodging the security patrols.
When she reached the bungalow, two guards were stationed at the gate. They were the same men from the pool.
They watched her approach. Vanessa held her head high, channeling every ounce of Sterling blood she had left.
"I need to see Mr. Blackwood," she said.
The guard on the left tapped his earpiece. He listened for a moment, then looked at her with a strange expression. "He's expecting you."
Expecting her?
The gate clicked open.
Vanessa walked up the stone path. The bungalow was a masterpiece of modern architecture, glass and wood cantilevered over the ocean.
The front door was unlocked.
She stepped inside. The living room was dimly lit. Julian was sitting on the sofa, a laptop open on his knees. He was wearing reading glasses. He looked deceptively domestic, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed him.
He didn't look up. "You took your time."
Vanessa closed the door. The sound of the ocean below was muffled, replaced by the hum of the air conditioning.
"How did you know I'd come?" she asked.
Julian took off his glasses and set them on the coffee table. "Because you're desperate. And you're smart."
He looked at her coat. "Take it off."
Vanessa's hands went to the belt. Her fingers were clumsy. She untied the knot and let the coat slide off her shoulders. It fell to the floor.
She stood there in the cream silk. It clung to her curves, revealing more than it hid.
Julian's gaze started at her bare feet and traveled up slowly. It felt like a physical touch. When his eyes met hers, they were dark.
"I'm not here for sex," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
"Then why are you dressed for it?" he countered.
"Because it's the only currency I have left," she said. It was the most honest thing she had ever said. "Richard cut me off. He's threatening my mother's care. I need... I need protection."
Julian stood up. He walked over to her, stopping inches away.
"And you think sleeping with me will buy you protection?"
"It worked in the elevator," she said.
Julian laughed. It was a dry, dark sound. "That wasn't a transaction, Vanessa. That was a mistake."
He reached out and touched a lock of hair that had fallen over her shoulder. "I don't make mistakes twice."
"Then what do you want?" she whispered.
"I want to know why you stayed," he said softly. "Why you stayed with him for five years."
"Because I thought he loved me," she said. "Because I thought I deserved it."
Julian's hand moved to her cheek. His thumb traced her jawline. "No one deserves that."
He dropped his hand and stepped back. "You're staying here tonight. In my bed."
Vanessa blinked. "With you?"
"Yes. But I won't touch you," Julian said, his eyes hard. "I need to know you're safe, and the only place I can guarantee that is within arm's reach. But I don't sleep with women who are still in love with other men."
"I'm not in love with him!" she called out.
Julian stopped in the doorway. He looked back over his shoulder. "Prove it."
---
