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And yet, instead he found himself asking, “What kind of deal?”

“It might sound strange, but you need to hear me out until the end.”

“I don’t think you are in any position to make demands. Also, that wasn’t an answer, so I will ask again, but I warn you, I will not ask a third. What kind of deal.”

There was a pause. For a moment he began to think that was it, but then she spoke, and her words shook him to his core.

“I want you to ruin me.”

CHAPTER3

Her words rang in the air. Amber could feel her heart pounding against her ribs so hard she was worried they might break. What had she been thinking? This was a terrible plan. There was no way he would ever agree to something like this.

Why had she even asked?

Maybe it wasn’t too late. Perhaps she could play it off as a joke or pretend he misheard or misunderstood her.

But then again, if he did that, she would be right back where she started. And then what?

No, this was her only chance. She had to stand by it.

Still, as the seconds ticked by and Christopher still hadn’t said anything, his blank face was starting to worry Amber.

He didn’t seem angry. He hadn’t run off yet. He hadn’t done anything but stare at her with a blank face.

All she could do was stand there and stare right back at him while her own thoughts went wild.

Would he laugh at how ridiculous it was?

He might scold her for even thinking, let alone suggesting such a plan.

But none of those were the worst things he could do.

Easily the worst thing he could do, the thing she was most afraid of, was that he could do the honorable thing.

He could take her hand and drag her from this room. He could march her down the hall until they were standing in front of Simon. Then he would tell him everything that happened and all about her silly little plan.

Then it would all be over, and her fate would be set in stone. For now, all she could do was wait for him to tell her his answer. The seconds continued to tick by, and still, he did not say a single word.

After what felt like an eternity, he spoke. His voice was strained, filled with emotions and thoughts that Amber had no hope of placing as he forced out a single sentence. “What did you just say?”

Amber let out a breath of relief. He wasn’t mad, he simply hadn’t heard her, or perhaps hadn’t understood her. Again, she considered for a moment taking this as an opportunity to back out, but she quickly forced herself to dismiss the idea as fast as it had first appeared. She needed to try this. She needed to talk to him, and for the moment, she was thankful that the apparent miscommunication could easily be fixed easily enough. “I said?—”

“I heard what you said!” he cut her off sharply, dragging a hand over his face.

“Then why did you ask?”

“I wasn’t asking what you said because I needed you to repeat it. I wasn’t asking to confirm what you said but for an explanation. I asked because it’s absurd! I heard your… request, but why would you ask for that? I don’t understand exactly what you want, and I cannot even begin to fathom why you would want it.”

She let out a breath. Amber knew she needed to choose her words carefully. If she told him too much, he might try and talk her out of if or refuse, but if she didn’t say enough, he might think she wanted to trap him and storm off.

And yet again, the worst-case scenario of him involving Simon still hung heavy in the air. She forced her voice to sound easy and breezy. She needed to make this seem as casual as possible. “It’s simple really. I want you to get caught alone with me in some kind of questionable situation. It doesn’t need to be anything too extreme, just enough to get people talking.”

“Why would I do that? I would be seen as just as guilty as you. You wouldn’t be the only one hurt by this plan.”

Amber scoffed. “I hardly think the reactions would be on the same level.”

Christopher scowled at her, taking a step closer to her in the large room. Though the distance between them was still great, it felt charged with a strange energy. “That isn’t the point. The point is I would be hurting myself if I agreed to this little stunt of yours.”