Claire's POV

My heart thudded so hard, each beat faster than the last. I gulped in, urging and willing myself to think, not to pay attention, but how exactly was that possible?

The last thing I would have been unable to fathom would have been this happening, and right on the first day of work, was the universe playing some odd tricks on me? Or was this how the rich play around? With people's lives like they were worth just cash to them?

My finger dug into my palm, rage coursing through me as I waited to smack the iPad across his face, let him know how much of a fool he was, but somehow I stood, waiting for what was going to be his response.

"Well?" Mr Owen waited, his eyes lit with anticipation, as if he knew Jerald wouldn't be able to reject that.

A million dollars, that was what my worth was to him, what he saw me as; I should be happy, should be glad that at least I wasn't a meagre sum in thousands.

Jerald let out a cackle before looking at me.

"My secretary? Is that how much your daughter is worth to you as well?"

"... You shouldn't say that." Mr Owen grunted, letting out a chuckle which lay on his lips, "The last thing you should do is bring my daughter into this, do you even know what I am capable of?"

"That is the reason why I am doing this. You should have known what I do to people who don't stay true to the contract we have in the first place." He shrugged, grasping the handle of a knife which laid on the table as he brought down its edges, running it on the table, the noise permeating the air.

"Stop that." He pleaded, both hands against his ears, but Jerald continued, leaving dents on the table which I was so sure would amount to hundreds of dollars.

"Please stop." Mr Owen begged as he kept running the sharp edges of the knife on the table before it clanged against the table.

"This should serve as a warning to you, the last thing you should think about is placing any of my employees as a front in our contract. It was a mistake, and I will take it as such, which will also amount to my not going ahead with the contract. Leave."

Mr Owen's eyes widened as he turned to me before getting up.

"Treat your misophonia while at it, or it wouldn't be the last time this happens."

Chills ran down my arms, a complete contrast to the feelings I was supposed to be having. I should be running for my life, deciding not to work anymore, but not when he had done it for me, protected me.

" I'm sorry." I apologised, my head averted to the ground. If he had known this would be the outcome, he would have made me stay back.

" It's fine."

" It's not." My stomach growled, his eyes roved over me pathetically before he gestured at the chair in front of him.

" You should sit and have something."

" I am fine."

" If you are going to talk, then do so when you're filled up, conserve your energy, and speak afterwards."

"Fine." I placed the iPad down on the table, my eyes staring at the damage that had been done.

"A French toast with juice should be fine." My voice came out in a whisper.

"I didn't expect anything else from you. You made the right choice." He snapped his finger, leaving me glaring when I blurted out;

"Your hand," my eyes widened like saucers as I slipped a hand across, wanting to hold his when he held me back. " You are injured."

"And so?" His response came out cold.

" It needs to be treated, and if it isn't, it might be contaminated. You have to make sure that..."

An employee. My employee, that is what you are, you aren't the first, and you aren't going to be the last either."

"Has anyone told you how rude you are? All I was doing was showing that I care."

"Which pretty much isn't needed at the moment, thank you. Your food should be here in a minute, you should eat and then..."

"Claire...?" A voice whispered.

My hands fiddled with the skirt I had on, not knowing how to face him.

"Claire, I have been trying so hard to reach you. You don't have to believe what happened last night, I mean, that wasn't me, I would never hurt you."

I scoffed, trying so hard not to believe that he saw me as a fool.

"I saw you."

"That wasn't me. I would never..."

"Wales, what are you doing here?"

"Jerald?" Wales's eyes sparkled as he turned to my boss. "Big bro, what are you doing here? I never imagined you would be here in thousands of years."

"Well, I came in here for a business meeting and..."

"This is Claire, my gf, the one I told you about. I can see you've already met, but how?"

Small world, small fucking world, because how was it that I never got to know Jerald was his brother?

"Ex-gf," I corrected.

" Come on, Claire," he bellowed when I stood up.

"I am at work, Wales, and this isn't the right time to do this. I don't want to talk about this right now. I will be waiting for you right outside, Jerald, after you are done catching up." My tone came out gruff.

I wasn't going to lean into the guilt I felt because he had possibly done worse, but all of these that had happened seemed so soon, and I needed to process them all.

My steps quickened, and I could make out Jerald, who had placed a hand on Wales, who had tried to approach me, and although I would have loved to know what it was that he had said, I pushed that off as well, waiting for when he would step out.

The car clicked, and I got in before he could, my eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"And here I was thinking you would be the only one who cheated, well, that makes for two of you. I guess."

"You don't know anything about our relationship, just because you turned out to be my ex-bf's brother doesn't mean I have to accord you the respect that I would have, our relationship is over, and..."

"Are you going to lie that you don't recall? Last night?" he stared at me, his lips curled into a smile.

"Or are you still going to pretend that you don't recall a thing? You actually want me to believe that you came to work in my firm because it is some kind of dream of yours? Like you don't want to sue me?"

My mouth fell wide open, lips parted as my palm turned sweaty. "What...what...are you talking about?"

"The fraternity party, are you going to act like you don't recall what we did? Talking about how no one else has made you feel that way before?"

My heart panted as I took in gasps of air, flicking my head to the side, my eyes parted as they flooded in, his eyes had been the only thing I had taken note of, his eyes.

"No," I blurted out, my hands fiddling with the locks as I tried to push it open.

"No? Are you still going to lie to yourself?"

"Let me out," I screamed, pushing the door when he did.

"Report to work tomorrow at nine. Don't make me wait." His words hit me when I had a hand on the open door, before shutting it in his face.

Claire's POV

I let out a sigh when I finally stepped out of the cab, which took me to the apartment I shared with Elena. Well, it has been difficult, but I have made it back in one piece.

I drew in a breath before shoving the door open as I stepped in, and Elena stood in front of me.

"Tell me you got the job." I was tempted to laugh, but I chugged that down; it wasn't the time for that.

"I did," I answered, a bob accompanying it, when she punched into the air before racing to the fridge, where she snatched two bottles of Budweiser beer as she crept over to me.

"And this is for the go-getter I have as a friend." I let my hands wrap gently around the bottle, forcing a smile on my face at that, when she halted.

"Am I overthinking things, or are you unhappy? I thought that was what you had always wanted?"

"It is," I answered, bobbing.

"Then?"

I sighed before dropping onto the couch. "Not when it turns out your boss is the one you had a one-night stand with the night you went looking for your ex-boyfriend, and he turns out to also be your ex-boyfriend's elder brother." I relayed, waiting for what she would say.

"Wait!" She yelled, placing her bottle gently on the table. "Tell me you are joking. Is the universe toying with you or something?"

"I sincerely wish it were, Elena, if it were, I would have preferred that."

"Oh my heavens, it all seems to have come from a soap opera because what the hell? And how is he in bed?"

"Elena!" I yelled, she was never going to change, was she?

"Oh, please, Claire, you were with the CEO of Machlina, why am I not lucky enough to be the one?" She had both hands pointing at the ceiling as she questioned.

"You wouldn't want to be in my situation, Elena. He wants me to come to work tomorrow, and I really don't want to anymore. I don't think I want to be there, not after everything that has happened."

" Why?" She rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me he is the cause? Wales? You aren't that stupid, are you? I know that because I have never had a stupid friend, and you aren't about to be like that now."

" But..."

"Oh, my innocent Claire, are you running away from him because you never thought it would be possible?"

"Elena," I mouthed out, shocked and scared that she could see through me. Like always.

"Then I am right. Tell me, how was it? I bet it was so good seeing how you can recall every single thing that has transpired, even when you had that thing running through your system?"

My fingers laced with each other at her words. "I will do anything, Claire, and you should grab the opportunity you have. Why do you look so down Don't tell me you are feeling remorseful because he is Wale's brother?"

" I can't help it and..."

"Please, don't start right now. What Wales had was different but you..." Her palm cupped her face. "You were with the CEO of Machlina, who happens to be his elder brother as well. How about you take that as your revenge and go to work? You are single and..."

The door creaked as Wales stepped in. His eyes were glued on me while he made his way over. "Claire, Claire..." he called out when I stood up, trying to walk away when Elena shook her head.

"Listen to what he says and go ahead with whatever you want. I will always be here, no matter what you decide to go with, okay?" She waited for a nod, which was only when I did she walk away.

"If I had known you wanted an internship at Jerald's firm, I would have helped you get one; it would have been way easier for you to get one; he would have done me the favor. He does whatever it is I ask from him."

"Luckily for me, I was able to get that without your help, and I am not sure if I will ever need it again. Besides, you never mentioned him, but I can recall letting you know several times that I needed to work at Machlina, but you never helped, so what would be different?"

"I didn't? I can't recall you telling me that, but it is great that you are working there. There is no one else I would have wanted you to work with if not him. The fact that he is family and isn't attracted to ladies is bound to make it even easier for me to be rest assured."

"He doesn't seem that way to me." Elena intercepted. She has her back leaning against the couch with a book in her palm, which I knew she wasn't reading because I haven't heard a page being flipped over.

"He looks like the opposite." She winked at me while I tapped on my chest at her words.

" You don't have to worry about Jerald; he is a workaholic, and he doesn't have a thing for ladies, at least not yet."

"Hmmph," Elena scoffed, and I glared at her because I could see what she was doing. If Wales had been intelligent enough, he would have been able to catch on, but maybe this would be to our advantage.

"My bad," she mouthed at me

"It isn't in your place anymore to act all nice with me, Wales, you have lost that right already, and I am done with you. I don't want anything to do with you, and you should leave." I had my fingers pointing at the door as I waited for him to walk away when he sat down, peering at me.

"I know I was wrong Claire, but I promise I will never do that anymore."

"This is different." I reminded him.

"I know I was wrong, and I should have asked you, but you know that you would have brought up classes and trying to read. I didn't want to distract you, and I am sorry that won't repeat itself anymore, okay?"

He shook his head. "I swear on everything I own, I will be a better man for you, and I will never cheat on you anymore."

"A better man?" I questioned.

"Yes, for you. For us. I will be that for us."

Jerald's POV

"Not today." I cursed, gazing at the stripper in front of me.

My hands curled around the bottle of Chablis, which was placed into a bucket of ice, forgotten for now.

"What do you mean by not today?" Max inquired from the other end of the phone while waiting for an answer, when all I could do was drag in air.

This was beginning to be frustrating, and I needed a release; that was why I was here. A fucking release and not to work. I required her out of my system, and if this was going to help, I was going to grab it. I needed to.

"I need to think this through, Max," I answered. "I need time to myself, and I need to do so without you in here."

"Fine, where are you? Are you home? I can come over, and we can look this through, you know, we have to make sure it is fine and..."

"I'm at the club," I replied, and the silence that followed told me what he was thinking of.

He was possibly having a hard time imagining the club and me together because I did not enjoy noisy places.

"Oh, Wales? Did he fuck up again? Don't you think it is about time you told him off? He can't keep messing up, and you can't keep cleaning his mess; he is an adult now. He should be able to do better; he owes not just you but your family that. Knowing that he has a reputation to uphold should be important, and..."

"It's not Wales, Max." I interrupted him.

"Then who?" He seemed lost. "Is that where the client chose? Where are you both supposed to meet? But why didn't you let me know so it would be easier for you? I know you don't like noisy places, and I would have preferred it if you weren't there. Do you need me there?"

"No." The stripper had her legs wide open with a grape on her stomach, which she let run down her body, and all I could think about was putting Claire in the same outfit with her moaning my name like she did the last time I fucked her, and she enjoyed it.

" I will be fine, and I have to go." I tapped on the phone, letting it thrill before I let it sit on the couch when I stood to my full height, peering at the stripper, my tongue ran on my lips.

She slammed her waist against the pole before arching over while making sure we never lost eye contact.

"Turn," I ordered. "And take a good look at me."

She did as she was told, even dropping to her knees as she let her fingers run on my belt." You are to call me your owner, and I will call you Claire." I let my palm grasp her chin, forcing her to take a look at me when she nodded.

Call me sick, but I needed to let this out. It had taken quite some time, but now I knew that there was no way I could let Claire out of my system, so I needed to fuck her so she would fit.

Love wasn't out of the question, but sex, sex with her, was different, exciting, and kept me hungry for more, and I wanted to fuck her until her pussy knew just me and no one else. Not even Wales. She was going to know me as the only one she was to fuck. Her boss and owner.

I dragged in breath when my belt let go, and my cock stood erect; all six inches came to a stand when she dragged in air at the sight.

"Don't tell me something as small as this is freaking you out," I questioned the stripper, who shook her head.

"Good," I answered before slamming my cock into her mouth.

She ran her tongue on my cock, taking in all the length, and it had me wondering if Claire would be able to do this as well. How perfect it would be in her mouth, and how loud she was going to scream.

She screamed when my hands fisted around her hair while I slammed into her mouth, fucking that mouth of hers while thinking about Claire in that position.

My hands tightened as I rammed my cock in. Hard enough to have her winded when I felt my come building up, and I quickened. I slammed harder, fucking while running my hands on her face. Her boobs clapped, now out of her tiny gown, as she knelt stark naked before me, and I could see her cunt dripping, telling me it was ready for me, ready to be fucked and drained.

My come shot into her throat, and she gulped it down with a smile on her face. My eyes widened when she stood up before slipping both fingers in between her legs while she shoved me on the couch.

I watched with a glint in my eye, every single thing happening. I wasn't a fool to let her have my cock. Not when she wasn't my Claire.

She slipped her finger in and out of her cunt, moaning, writhing while screaming, while I watched, imagining it was Claire doing that while her pussy juice ran out of her cunt.

She stood up when I approached, bending over the couch while I spanked her ass.

" Who am I to you?" I demanded when she pleaded.

" Fuck me."

" Who am I to you?" I demanded again when she shoved against my dick, wanting me to fuck her, but I wouldn't be doing that; I couldn't betray the woman who owned me.

"You are my owner, and I am your Claire," she finally answered.

"My Claire?" I answered, loving the sound of that. She was my Claire, and she was going to be mine to do whatever I wanted with.

To be tied up, fucked, bent, and made to suck on my cock as much as I wanted. She was never going to be anything else. She would only be mine and no one else.