Page 4

Fabian

Priceless.

Helena Jerkins is priceless. All the wealth in my family couldn’t afford to buy something as rare and precious as this gem. There is a warmth about her that cannot be manufactured, and it’s been a fucking test on my control pretending she doesn’t affect me. Because she does.

With her beautiful wide blue eyes and her sweet, sultry voice, she does things to me that I haven’t allowed myself to feel before. I have to fight myself from reaching out and touching her if only to make sure that she’s real and not merely an illusion.

I’m hard. Have been from the second she walked into my line of view. Christ, every inch of this girl is perfect, and the need to touch her claws at my chest.

"Fabian?" And fuck, even the way she says my name is perfect. There is no malice in her words. She doesn't spit it out like most people do when they are around me. She doesn't look at me with disdain as my family does for being strict with them or with the undiluted fear that most residents of Moth Hill do when they get personal visits from me. Helena watches me with curiosity like she thinks there is someone behind the cool exterior everyone sees. There’s not . “So, what do you say?”

The house or the money is what I need to say but, "Have dinner with me," is what comes out instead. Her eyes widen in surprise, a clear reflection of what I am feeling but I don't backtrack. I realize that it is indeed what I want from this girl.

Well, that’s not true. I want a whole lot of things from this girl. I want to know how her lips feel pressed against mine or the sound she makes when I slide my hands up her body. Those beautiful eyes, I want to see them glaze over when I prep her pussy with my tongue and fingers before thrusting my cock into her. What kinds of sounds would come from that beautiful pouty mouth as I rut her hard against every surface of my penthouse? Fuck, I want to fill her with my seed, bury it so deep in her warmth that and get her swollen with my child. A part of me wants to keep all this – all of her – to myself.

But I’ll settle for dinner.

“Just dinner?” she whispers, her eyes narrowing suspiciously on mine. “What about after?”

“I’ll bring you home,” I tell her.

“And how much will we owe you after all that is done.”

“Nothing. Your debt will be cleared.”

"That's insane," she mumbles, and I agree wholeheartedly with her. Indeed, it's crazy of me to forgive debt over dinner with a pretty girl but she isn't just a pretty girl, now, is she? It's rare for me to be around someone that doesn't despise or fear me and I want to spend time around that. Fuck, maybe I am a sentimental fool after all. Either way, Helena is someone I don't want to be parted from just yet.

“Have dinner with me tonight. I’ll pick you up at seven and drop you back at eight.”

“And you will forgive all of the debt, including the interest? For dinner with me?”

"You asked about your value, and I just told you."

“But dinner?”

“That’s what I said.”

“What if after dinner you want more?”

Oh, there isn’t a doubt in my head that I will want more. Crave more than just dinner from this girl, but I just won’t ask for it. I might be cold and calculative, but I am no rogue. “How can I trust you to not ask for something more after dinner? Like uhm…”

Her cheeks heat up and she looks away. "You mean, sex?" she nods and the red on her cheeks deepens to a pretty hue. "You can be assured, Helena, that all I want from you is dinner and the debt will be forgiven. You have my word."

She looks up, those pretty searching mine as if trying to detect any lies, but she must be satisfied with what she sees because she nods once. “Okay then, I’ll be ready by seven,” she says before her eyes widen slightly as if a thought occurs to her. “Um, so… I mean, would you, um, like me to dress in a certain way for dinner tonight.”

I step forward, closing the distance between and she lets out a shuddering breath when I reach to touch the collar of her coat, tugging it closer to her chin. It's the only touch I am allowing myself. Anymore and I will have her grabbing onto the railings as I drive my hard cock into her with all the neighbors watching. "Dress warmly," I say, pulling my hands away.

"Okay," she breathes, her eyes locking on mine for a hot second before looking away. The curiosity in her eyes has been replaced by something else but I don't want to read too much into it. Tonight, I'll get to sit across this beautiful girl and look my fill, want her… crave her, before shifting back to my shallow life.

Tonight, I’ll allow myself to have that.

My men don’t question why I leave the house without the house title or money. They know better than to question me, but I read the surprise in their eyes. They know I do not forgive debt for any reason and it’s clear that’s what happened here.

And it's true. I do not forgive debt as evidenced by all the other homes we visit. There is fear and hate in their eyes when my men walk in and ransack the place for valuables. Perhaps this is something they should have entertained before borrowing money from my family but in their eyes, I am the devil incarnate.

It’s never bothered me, it’s not about to start now.

It’s almost six when we leave the tenth house of the day and I question the wisdom of doing this myself instead of leaving it to my men. I don’t chase chump change and yet that’s what I have resulted to, just to prove my father wrong. I wouldn’t have had to do this if my father hadn’t handed out money like it was candy and without security too.

"Boss, what's next?" calls out Luka but I shake my head. I already have plans for the evening that I don't plan on canceling for anything in the world.

“We’ll call it a day,” I tell the men. “Take everything we’ve collected to the warehouse and log it in.”

"Yes, boss."

I watch them climb into the van and drive off before climbing into my own car and tearing off the curb. My head and thoughts are on Helena as I drive to my penthouse to get ready for our dinner.

A dinner I just spent over a hundred thousand dollars on and I can't find it in me to regret it. It's going to be worth every single coin sitting across the most gorgeous girl I have ever seen and having those beautiful blue eyes locked on mine all night.

***

“Oh my God, we’re having dinner here?”

Helena gushes as I pull up in front of the restaurant. The soft glow of the streetlight reflects off the sleek surface of my car, casting a warm glow on the cobblestone path. I glance at the girl seated on the passenger side, nose planted on the car window and eyes glued outside. I run my eyes over her and I can't help the ache that spreads in my chest at her beauty. Despite my insistence that she dress warmly for the night, Helena chose to dress in a stunning form-fitting black dress that accentuates her curves with delicate lace detailing along the neckline and sleeves.

A far cry from the flour-covered girl that I met this afternoon. I find that I like both versions of her. They have the same effect on me which works to send all blood rushing south.

Christ, she’s so beautiful. I resist the urge to reach out and run my fingers over her hair. I clear my throat and force down my desire for the girl. “Have you been here before?”

Helena turns to me with an excited look on her face. “You mean inside Bella Cucina? Of course not. I wanted to bring my father here when he left the hospital, but this restaurant is crazy expensive.”

“Then allow me show you inside.”

Stepping out of the car, the cool evening air wraps around me, and I adjust the suit before walking around to her side, opening the door, and offering my hand to help her out. She hesitates but only for a second before she slides her hand into mine and I can practically see the sparks that light up between us.

"Oh my God, it's so beautiful," she gasps and I follow her eyes to the entrance. The restaurant's elegant facade stands out against the night sky. I worked personally on all the details of this restaurant and turned it from a joint my father used to bring his friends to drink and party at, to a place with class and one that brings in a shit load of money.

Too captivated by the place, Helena doesn't notice that her hand is still firmly clasped on mine. We stroll hand in hand toward the entrance, passing by the neatly arranged tables adorned with flickering candles and fresh flowers. The host's eyes widen with surprise when he notices me, quickly slapping on a smile and ushering us to my usual table.

“They have a Christmas tree here too?” Helena is still gushing as I pull out the chair for her. “Oh, the inside looks way better than I could have ever imagined. This place is amazing!”

“I’m glad you think so,” I say, settling into my own seat.

“It almost feels like I should be paying you for bringing me here,” she whispers, lifting those beautiful eyes to meet mine. “Fabian are you…”

Her words trail off and she looks up to make sure we’re alone, but the host has already walked off and no one will approach this table unless I signal for them. “What is it you want to ask?”

She sinks her teeth on her bottom lip and I can see her carefully weigh her words before she finally voices them. “D– do you do this a lot?”

“Do what?”

“Bring people to dinner when they can’t pay you off and then scrape off their debt?”

I laugh, the sound drawing attention to our table, but I see no one but her. “I don’t forgive debt.”

"That's what I've heard too," she says triumphantly, tossing her hands in the air. "So, why this? Why me?"

“Because I can.”

“I don’t doubt that but… it still doesn’t make sense.”

“Because I want to.”

“But why?” she pushes.

"Would it make you feel better if I said that I wanted to sleep with you? That for every night you spend in my bed with my cock buried inside of you, I take a thousand dollars off your debt." Her cheeks flush at my crude words and I lean back to watch her. "How long do you think it would take you to pay the debt if I decided to go that route? At that rate, I might as well make you my wife while I'm at it."

“I… I didn’t…”

Against my better judgment, I reach out and take her slender hand into mine. "Helena, you asked me to value you. One evening with you, a few hours of sitting across from you is the only thing you owe me. After our last course, your debt will be cleared."

"You're serious," she whispers, almost as if she's starting to believe my words as well but why do I hear the disappointment in her tone? Did she want me to ask for more when she offered herself up? No, that can't be true.

Someone as pure and innocent as this girl would never want someone like me. I am not delusional enough to think that my home will ever be anything but cold.

“All right then, are you ready for the first course?”

She watches me cautiously for a long second before her entire expression transforms back to the excited girl from earlier. "Please tell me it's going to be bruschetta."