"You want to stand in the same room," Cassian drawled slowly, "while I fuck another woman?"
Though the contract Cixi had placed before him was outrageous, Cassian revealed nothing of his surprise. He remained composed; only his eyes sharpened slightly as he studied her more carefully.
"Yes," Cixi replied quickly and straightened subtly in her chair, pointing at the document with forced steadiness. "It is clearly written. You may continue reading."
He watched that finger.
Watched the effort it took for her not to pull it back.
If he had possessed supernatural senses, he might have detected the tremor in her composure and the violent racing of her heart. But thank God he was still human, Cixi thought, even after miraculously rising from his deathbed after being shot twenty times.
"And I am only permitted to kiss you," he went on, reading further, his voice now almost amused. "Even if I am buried inside someone else." His eyes lifted, resting fully on her now. "Whenever I wish to kiss, it must be you."
His gaze drifted from her pale grey eyes to her moist rosy lips, lingering for a moment longer before returning to meet her gaze again.
She swallowed hard. Heat rose to her cheeks without her permission, but she did not look away. Did he really have to use that irresistibly seductive tone right now? Cixi cursed him internally.
"That is precisely what the contract states, Cassian." She dared to use his first name while recoiling inside.
"Cassian?" His one dark brow lifted. "We have moved to first names already?"
"The sooner we become familiar," she replied evenly, though something inside her screamed to stop pushing him and run before it was too late, "the easier this arrangement will be for the year."
Who was she trying to fool? She was doing this entirely for herself, just to grow comfortable with him.
He leaned back, studying her fully now, his gaze languidly roamed over every curve of her body, making it obvious what he was doing. She shifted slightly, feeling exposed. And that devil took pleasure in the reaction he stirred inside her. A tingling heat rose in her stomach, betraying her rational mind. She cursed him even more.
How was she going to survive him? And the thought unsettled her!
She cursed the reaper who had put her in this position. To lift her curse, she had to make Cassian Crown — the mafia billionaire — fall for her.
He was neither her type, nor was she his.
How was this going to work?
Cassian Crown was feared for a reason.
Those who annoyed him disappeared.
Those who wasted his time lost a limb.
Those who betrayed him were never seen in daylight again. They were kept in dungeons under endless torment, yet he never allowed anyone to die.
Lifelong suffering was his signature.
He switched his bed partners weekly, never seeing the same woman twice.
And she needed to make this man fall in love with her — a man who had never fallen for anyone.
"You have already wasted my time, little lamb." His lips curved slightly. "Now, which part of your body would you like to say goodbye to?"
She froze for a moment, but quickly gathered herself. This is what people said about him. And now she was experiencing it firsthand.
"How about I show you just how good a kisser I can be?" she challenged him instead, refusing to give up.
She had picked up a few tips from adult videos before meeting Cassian, making sure she knew what she was getting into.
If only she had known — she was never the mastermind.
The devil had already made plans for her.
And she had walked straight into them.