Protecting it All (The Punishment Pit #6) - Livia Grant Page 0,3

the front door unlock to allow them entry. He still held her by the arm, pulling her across the threshold and shutting the door with a thud. The sound of the door locking automatically surprised her. She longed to reach out to test if she'd be allowed to leave, but Jake didn't give her time.

The house was dark save a few recessed lights that gave the space a shadowy feel, upping her nervousness. Hannah took deliberate deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself as she was led silently across the foyer, through a dining room, and into a large living room sporting a full-length bar illuminated by several neon signs.

She wasn't exactly sure what her imagination had thought she'd find inside his home, but she began to relax, berating herself for being so skittish when, truly, Jake had been nothing but a gentleman so far, albeit a bossy one.

Jake deposited her in a tall bar stool, placing his hands on her hips and lifting her effortlessly to sit in the high chair. At five foot one, Hannah was petite. Her legs barely reached the rung of the stool as he swung it to face the bar. The mirrored back wall was lined with top-shelf liquors of all kinds. It was like being at her part-time job as bartender at the Four Seasons.

"This place is like a fortress," she said. "Why all the security?"

He looked at her for a long moment. "It's a hobby of mine. There's nothing I don't know about the latest high-tech security measures and gadgets." Then, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes he added, "In fact, it's the only thing I do better than fuck."

His obscene observation got her pulse racing faster.

Jake moved around the bar as she watched him pour himself a brandy and her a white Russian. She didn't want to examine how he'd figured out her favorite drink without asking.

Only when he placed the glass on a cocktail napkin in front of her did he lean forward, his elbows on the bar so his face was only inches away from hers. There was just enough light in the room to see the flicker of anger in his icy blue eyes as he finally broke the uneasy silence.

"Now, I think it's fair to tell you my patience is running thin, Hannah. I feel I've been more than patient with you these past few weeks and, more importantly, I know that what I'm offering is a dream come true for a girl like you. Part of what attracted me to you in the first place was your mix of sweet innocence and worldly experience. Having said that, this holier-than-thou routine needs to stop right now. I know you're not the innocent you portray yourself as being."

The edge in his voice was sharp, putting her on defense. "I never said I was an innocent."

"Not in so many words, but your reluctance to go out with me or take what is a very attractive job offer I've given you is getting tedious. Effective immediately, you're employed by me. Drink your drink and then I'll show you where you'll work. We'll go through the employment contract that lays out your responsibilities, the rules, and the consequences for less than stellar performance."

"Consequences, Jake?"

"Consequences, Sir. When we are in this house or at one of my other business locations you're working out of, you will call me 'Sir'."

"But... I thought you said... well, what about us dating? Isn't calling you 'Sir' a bit formal?"

The smile that didn't quite reach his eyes was back. "Think of it more like a contract and less like dating. We have an arrangement. Arrangements have rules, Hannah. It's how I maintain order in my life."

"That doesn't sound very romantic," she said.

"I wasn't aware you were looking for romance. I'd reset your expectations if I were you."

His words confused her. He'd just wined and dined her at a five-star restaurant—had given her a box full of diamonds. Did he want to date her or not? She sipped her drink as she spun their conversation around in her head, feeling more confused with each passing minute. By the time she set her empty glass down on the bar, she felt light-headed. Sweat beaded on her face as the room grew oppressively warm. She leaned forward to lie her forehead down in an effort to stop the room from spinning.

Jake's voice continued, but it sounded like he was getting further away, down a long tunnel.