Heartbreak Me by T.L. Smith Page 0,1
from me, Theadora. You will help me get that back. Or else Lucy will forget to breathe.”
My mouth opens wide in shock at his words.
A million dollars? Fuck.
How?
Why?
So many questions.
And the last but most important one.
How the fuck am I meant to get that much money?
I’m smart. I earn good money managing one of the busiest clothing companies in the world, but I don’t come near to earning that. And my savings is next to nothing, since I just bought my first home.
“Do you understand me, Theadora?”
My brain is too busy trying to figure out how to pull together that much money. Selling my house won’t even give me half, and Lucy has no assets or money. Our parents died a long time ago, so it’s just Lucy and me.
“How long do I have?” I ask.
The beanie is ripped from my face, my blonde hair, which was being held back, now sticks to my lips and I push it away with my tongue. My eyes are blurry, and I can hardly make anything out as he starts talking again, so I close my eyes and listen to his voice.
“You have one month, Theadora.”
My heart drops, and I open my eyes, zoning in on that voice.
The man standing in front of me is not what I expected. Actually, he is anything but. If I saw him walking down the street I would stop to stare. If he were one of my company models, I would have stayed the whole shoot instead of instructing what I want, then leaving like I normally would.
No. This man? He is an attractive bad man, nothing more.
But despite his eyes that seem to stare straight through me, his hair is best described as scorched chestnut in color and appears tangled. He also has a nose ring and a slight beard.
Who is this man?
He looks like a grungy, hot supermodel. Not someone who just had his hands around my neck telling me I had one month to pay him back for something I haven’t even done.
One of his hands, which is free of tattoos, reaches into his pocket. He pulls out his cell phone, snaps a picture of me, and places it back where it was.
His amber, almond-shaped eyes stare at me as he glances me up and down before speaking, “You look different to Lucy.”
My blonde hair doesn’t match her black hair. My wide hips don’t match her narrow little waist either. If you put us side by side, the only part we got from our mother was her lips, there’s not a single thing else. We both look like our fathers—different fathers.
“Do you plan to hurt me?” I ask, managing to look straight into his amber eyes.
“I told you, not yet.” His hands stay at his sides, but when I look down, one twitches. I quickly look away and behind me where there is no one.
“They are outside that door.” His dark voice rocks through me as I look at the red door that would provide freedom. But what’s the use when he knows who I am? He takes a few steps, his lips right at my ear. “You could run. You could definitely make this more fun…”
I turn around fast, and he doesn’t step back as he inhales me. My body freezes when a knock on the red door makes him step back just a fraction so he isn’t near my neck anymore. A shiver I was holding in wracks through my body.
“One month,” he repeats.
“I don’t have that kind of money,” I reply, looking at him.
“Would you like to make a deal?”
Goddamn! My head tells me no, run, and try to find a way to make the money. You should never make a deal with a devil. Yet, here I am, nodding my head because my voice is lost.
“I need to hear you say it, Theadora. Would you like to make a deal so you can work off your sister’s indiscretions?”
“Yes,” I squeak.
He steps forward, his hand reaches up, and when it does, I catch a glimpse of a tattoo from under his black sleeve. Another peeks out from under his collar on his neck. Are they all over his body?
He pulls on a piece of my blonde hair, and then lets it slide between his fingertips.
“I’ll own you until her debt is paid. You do understand this?”
Nodding, it seems to be what I am good at right at this moment.
“Your life will not be the same. Any jobs you do for me