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Ares

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

She doesn't back down after what I say, and it takes me a fraction of a second to understand my mistake.

Serenity may have the fragile appearance of a hummingbird, but her wings are made of steel.

For much less, just the tone of my voice has made some men tremble. I have no intention of frightening her, but despite being struck by her beauty, I am, first and foremost, her guardian, and now I won't be able to stop thinking about whether she’s being careless.

She's practically naked, and I could be anyone.

Unable to stop myself, my eyes roam over her perfect body. Delicate but deliciously sensual. Small breasts, narrow hips, waist so tiny I could circle it with my two hands.

Shit. What am I doing?

I look at her confused face and thank God for her innocence. She wouldn't want to know what I'm thinking right now.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kostanidis." She seems to be recovering. "I haven't picked up my phone yet. It was on vibrate, and my teacher came to talk to me after the performance. I assume you came here to meet me, although the timing is . . . strange." Her voice is flat, devoid of emotion, and her eyes don't look at me. However, a half-smile tries to form when she adds, "Thank you for the invitation, but I'm not hungry."

She has the nerve to say this while holding the door as if to close it behind me.

I don't move. I look at her and am satisfied when I notice that behind the courage, there is anger.

I don't know how to deal with fragility. I was forged to never bend, and if I'm going to have to look out for Serenity in the years to come, I will mold her into someone capable of standing on her own two feet when our contract comes to an end.

We've introduced ourselves. I can leave with a clear conscience. The girl didn't order me to enter recklessly. She was expecting someone she knew. It didn't escape me that as soon as I entered, she used the word “madam”.

What's more, the bodyguards would never have let a stranger pass them by.

That's not what made me angry. It was the fact that Serenity, even once she’d seen it was a man in her dressing room, a total stranger, approached me wearing so little clothing.

The photo of her as a teenager doesn't do justice to her beauty. She's the type that would make heads turn as she passes by on the street.

A petty side of me is pleased that she doesn't leave the house much, and I push the selfish thought to the back of my mind. "Did you think that what I sent was an invitation?" I ask, even though I know I should leave.

She shudders almost imperceptibly and, instead of answering me, goes to a rack where a bag is hanging. Without saying a word, she takes out her phone.

I should give her space to get dressed, force her to get dressed, but Serenity doesn't seem concerned about her semi- nudity and I can only imagine it's because she either likes to tease or she's too innocent to understand the danger of being that close to a man.

My gaze slides over the rounded curve of her firm ass. Large, compared to her build. Her hair is so long it almost covers it. A full and perfect ass for...

Fuck me. I'm completely insane. It's the only explanation.

"Get dressed. I'll wait for you outside."

To my surprise, she turns to me with a wry smile—or at least what should be one but looks more like the face of an upset angel. "Yeah, it wasn't really an invitation. It was an order," she says, shaking the phone she is holding. "Still, I'll have to decline, Mr. Kostanidis."

"Dress for dinner with me, Serenity. Don't try to challenge me. I have seven years to make your life hell if I want to."

Her beautiful eyes, already naturally large in proportion to her face, widen even more. "You didn't even bother to give me your phone number through my old guardian, and then you show up and say you can make my life hell? Why? You've already made it clear that you don't want contact. Please know that it's reciprocal."

She's right, I was wrong, but I'm still determined to take her to dinner because I'm a controlling jerk who doesn't like being contradicted.

"I don't intend to give you trouble," she continues. "I just want to dance. You won't even hear from me for the next few years."

"I believe you, but I wanted to meet you. You're right to say I should have come sooner," I grant her. "My mistake, Miss Blanchet. I'm trying to fix it."

I smile at her like I do when I want a woman to give in to me. I know it's not fair, as she's very inexperienced, but I never said I played fair.

I can see the gears in her brain turning and also the exact moment she will say yes.

I reach for a switch near the door, because only indirect light brightens the room.

There are two reasons why I do this: I want to see her better and I want to break the atmosphere of intimacy in the small space.

"Are you going to be a good, obedient girl, Serenity?" Now, I can admire her beauty and also the way her cheeks blush intensely.

She nods. "Yes, Mr. Kostani?—"

"Just call me Ares. You have five minutes to get ready. I've already given in too much. Don't get used to it."

I walk out and close the door behind me without giving her time to argue.

It would be a waste of time for both of us. I always win.