“You work too hard, Eve. When will you come down to visit?”

Evelyn Bright finished putting her eyeliner on and inspected the results in the mirror. She looked ridiculous. She’d spent countless hours watching online make-up tutorials but she could still never get it quite right. She looked like someone had given a five-year-old a marker and told her to go for it.

She sighed and reached for another wet wipe. Before this job, she had worn make-up probably only a handful of times.

“Soon, mum. You know what it’s like with all the placements at the hospital.”

That lie came out of her mouth so easily these days.

“It’s ridiculous that you can’t have a break even when the semester is over. We all miss you. At least you only have one more year. You could find a job closer to home once you graduate,” her mother continued. “It’s too expensive in London.”

As always, the guilt ate her up. It had taken her longer than others to even start university and her parents had been so proud. First in the family. But here she was...

“Ah... yes,” she answered. “But I’ve really got to go now. Love you, and pass my love to everyone.”

Once her mother came off the phone she sighed and put the phone aside. She would find a way to break the news to her soon. Hopefully.

She fluffed up her curly, auburn hair and inspected her face again. Her skin was olive toned. If she was going to try this again she would have to have an expert choose her make-up. At least she never actually had to go out anywhere, because she would have failed at this job in the very first week.

She finished her usual light make-up without bothering to experiment anymore with the bolder styles and inspected the results. She looked natural and her green eyes popped. It was probably the excitement that was making them look so bright. She pushed the excitement down, or rather, she tried to squash it as much as possible. Hopes and dreams were not allowed here.

With a sigh, she stood up from the dressing table chair and looked in the floor to ceiling mirror.

She had bought a new babydoll lingerie set for tonight. It was white, gauzy material and open at the front with a lacy bra that pushed everything up while the knickers were barely there. Hardly anything left to the imagination. It was all there on show, nothing to unwrap.

She didn’t know why she even bothered. She would be better off walking around with her tits out all day because none of her efforts ever lasted long anyway. Everything would be ripped off the moment he arrived. She had spent more on knickers this year alone than she had spent in her whole life.

She walked out of the dressing room to look around her bedroom with a critical eye. The huge oak wood pedestal bed stood in the centre as the focal point with its canopy and lacy curtains. It looked like a real Princess’ bed; nothing she would have chosen for herself because she was no princess. Matching oak bedside tables, comfortable fluffy rugs everywhere, a chaise lounge on the other end with an oak coffee table in front of it. The quality was obvious, and just this room alone cost more than she would ever be comfortable spending on anything. It was not her.

Nothing was out of place so she picked her wine glass off the custom made tv stand, built around the huge TV that was mounted on the wall. It had been almost a year since she had moved in here and everything was still the same. Maybe because she expected this to end at any moment. She hadn’t wanted to form any attachments but lately, she had been failing. Failing so terribly.

She felt the excitement start to build up again but squashed it down.

With a sigh, she headed down the stairs barefoot. It was still summer so the house was nice and warm, but even in the winter, the modern house was economical and efficient, despite its size. It was perfect, and she expected nothing less because he had built it himself.

Once she settled on a sofa in the lounge, she sipped her wine and waited. The clock said she still had ten minutes. She couldn’t stop the excitement building up this time. One year in and she still got butterflies like she was a virgin. She should have taken that as a sign to say no to this stupid deal but it was too late now. The ink had dried on the contract many months ago.

Seven on the dot her doorbell rang.

She put her glass down and took a deep, calming breath before she stood and walked out of the lounge. Every step she took down the large entranceway increased the knots in her stomach until she finally pulled open one side of the double doors.

And then her breath stopped.

Roman Ashfield. Still the sexiest bastard in all of England. One look at him turned her knees to jelly so she had to hold on to the door in case she fell and embarrassed herself.

“Good evening, Evelyn,” he said in his deep, raspy voice.

The voice got her all the time. Like sweet, sweet music to her ears. He could have been a singer instead of a businessman and would have raked in the same billions.

“Hi,” she answered breathlessly.

“Are you going to let me in, or are we putting a show on for the neighbours?”

“Sorry. Yes, come in,” she said as she opened the door wider.

He strolled in like he owned the place. Which he did. He owned everything in this house, including her.

She had no neighbours. Roman had planned it that way. Her nearest neighbour was over a mile away, so she was tucked away in the country where no one could see her. Like the dirty secret that she was.

“You could just use your key,” she reminded him as she shut the door.

“That would be rude. This is your house,” he said.

She tried to stop her eyes from wandering over his body as he took his coat off and hung it in the cloakroom to the side of the entrance. Which was stupid, because she was allowed to look. He belonged to her as much as she did to him, on paper at least.

Roman was six feet five worth of pure muscle. Broad shoulders, an eight pack, the works. And when he turned back to face her, she was struck again by his piercing dark blue eyes. A woman could drown in those eyes. There wasn’t a single lock of his luscious dark brown hair that was out of place but by the end of the night, it would all be deliciously tousled. With his neatly trimmed stubble and bone structure of a god, he was always in the Top Ten Bachelor lists in London.

“Ready?” he asked, holding out his hand.

Yes, a woman could drown in those eyes, especially if he looked at them like this.

His gaze slowly travelled down her body before it met hers again, and the scorching heat she saw in them made her breath catch again. She would never understand why he had chosen her, an average Jane from an estate in Birmingham, to do this with, but yes. She was ready. So ready.

She took the hand he offered and let him lead her up the stairs to her bedroom. And then the moment she was in, he closed the door and slowly backed her against it before he brought his lips down.

This was why she was failing. This was why she couldn’t separate real life and pretend. This was why she was getting so attached.

Roman kissed like he was made for it. His lips... They fueled heat in her veins that melted her bones. All the time. He worshipped her body like it was just the two of them in the whole world, and she supposed it was. He was her whole world.

When he finally released her, he took a step back as he loosened his tie. She didn’t dare move until he told her to, but judging by the way his eyes hooded as he looked at her body, she knew she had been right about the lingerie-it wasn’t going to last long at all.

And this will be another wild night.

Eve was still exhausted when she was woken up by his lips on her tit.

She moaned as she sleepily turned her body fully to him and opened her legs to accommodate him. She sunk her fingers into his hair to hold him in place so he could continue to do what he was doing.

The man’s tongue was a gift that he was very generous with. Roman wasn’t a selfish lover, which was probably why it had been so easy to fall in love with him. But that, of course, was against the rules.

She arched her back as he licked, sucked and nibbled before he moved on to the next one. Before she’d met Roman she hadn’t been so sensitive but he could make her fall over the edge just by doing this. She moaned loudly as he sucked hard while she tightened her grip on him.

She had lost count of how many times she had already screamed his name but she knew this would be the last time before he took himself back to his real life. Her body was already deliciously sore and her voice was hoarse from all the screaming.

That was another thing she had never done before the first time she had ended up in his bed. She never knew what came out of her mouth, but she knew it was loud and obnoxious. She used to try to stop it because it wasn’t refined, it wasn’t proper enough for a man like Roman, but she had given up after only a couple of times. The man was good at what he did, no one could blame her for forgetting herself.

Roman lowered his hand and placed it between her legs. The moment she felt his fingers she was ready to explode, but he kept his pace slow and uneven, teasing her so she couldn’t get the release that her body craved.

“Please...”

But Roman kept going, alternating his pace as he continued to suck on her tits.

“Please, Roman...”

She was ready to push him over and take what she wanted when he moved from her breast to her mouth as he quickly positioned himself.

And then he filled her up.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as his huge cock hit every spot as it slid into her. Every inch of him swallowed up as it stretched her. She stopped kissing him to moan her appreciation when he started to move. She knew she was making her weird sex noises but didn’t care as she locked her feet behind him and let him carry her away.

It was so quick. Roman hit the spot over and over again until her walls tightened around him and she started to tumble. He groaned and stilled as he started to pulse inside her, tumbling at the same time.

They were both breathless when he gave her a quick kiss and then rolled off her. The moment he got off the bed and headed to the bathroom, the cracks appeared on her heart. It was the same every damn time but it seemed to be getting worse now. She bit her lip to stop the useless words that were on the tip of her tongue from coming out and then rolled over to look outside the huge picturesque windows on the far end of her bedroom. It was still dark so there was nothing to see, but it gave her something else to focus on.

Roman didn’t say anything once he came out from his shower and then walked into the dressing room. He kept clothes here for times like this.

When he came out again she knew he was his usual composed self in one of his ridiculously expensive suits. She knew that even his hair would be perfectly tamed as if she hadn’t been tugging on it all night. No one would ever believe he’d spent hours in her bed because he never left any evidence.

She heard him going through his clothes that they had carelessly discarded a few hours ago. It was the same routine. He’d empty his pockets and then put his clothes in the basket for it to be taken to the dry cleaners at some point in the week when she got the chance to. Then he would pull out his wallet and say the words that always broke her heart.

“Thank you for a pleasurable night, Evelyn,” he said.

She rolled over to face him and gave him a smile. It was probably too bright and he was too perceptive not to see how fake it was. But he never said anything.

“You know you don’t need to thank me,” she answered.

She did the countdown in her head. Three... Two... One...

As if on cue, he took his wallet out and pulled out a bunch of notes.

“Oh, no, don’t worry about that. I still have some,” she said quickly. “And my allowance is more than enough.”

“Your wages,” Roman corrected.

The cracks in her heart increased.

“Right. Yes, my wages. You don’t need to leave any money.”

“It doesn’t hurt to have more,” Roman said, brushing her off as he dropped the cash on the side table. “Buy yourself something pretty. I’m sorry I ruined your lingerie again.”

Her cheeks were starting to twitch from the fake smile on her lips.

“Sure,” she said.

She couldn’t argue with him. No one could argue with Roman Ashfield.

“I’ll see you again at the same time next week,” he said, already walking out of the bedroom.

Same time next week. Her heart cracked all the way until it was in pieces.

Roman didn’t stop to give her a kiss or ask what her plans for the day were, or tell her he’d miss her while he was at work. He didn’t promise to try to see her sooner or make up any other lie that would mend her heart. He stuck to the contract to the letter.

He was just gone.

In the middle of the night as if he had a wife to go home to when all he was rushing for was to get into his own bed to sleep before he did whatever he did on Saturdays.

He could have stayed but she just wasn’t good enough for him. And yet here she was, stupidly in love with the bastard.

She turned into her pillow to muffle her sobs. She would feel the effects of his loving for days after this. How could someone make her feel so good one minute and then like shit the very next?

How was she supposed to live like this?

Was she really the only one who felt like this? Roman had become a part of her, so ingrained in her heart that she couldn’t even imagine what she would do once he terminated her contract. Maybe she could ask him. Just to know where she stood, once and for all.

She lifted her face from her pillow and wiped her tears.

Yes, that was what she would do. She would put her big girl panties on and just ask him how he felt directly. What harm could it do?

Roman sat in his car for a while looking at the lights that came on in her bedroom.

Things had changed. Maybe Evelyn was just restless, but he could tell she had or was really close to breaking the rules of their arrangement. He was surprised she had lasted this long. They usually started telling him their feelings or begging for things he couldn’t give them only weeks in and he inevitably got rid of them. Evelyn had lasted thirteen months.

Now every time he left, he saw that look on her face, the same he had seen in countless others. It was only a matter of time until she did something stupid and all of this came to an end.

That would be fucking a shame. Evelyn was younger than the ones he had picked before, she was only twenty-four, but she knew how to please him. She did everything he asked without question, always so eager to try new things. And it was easy to see he pleased her because her responses were always so unfiltered and loud.

So loud. So filthy. He would probably never get away with fucking her in inappropriate places because of that, but every time she got lost in herself like that made him feel like a king. Even now his dick was hard as he thought of that and he was trying to talk himself out of going back in for one more round. He knew it wouldn’t be enough. He always wanted more. Evelyn’s brand of loving was... special. Unique, just like she was.

It would indeed be a shame to lose all of this.

He started his car and drove around the little manicured island to head down the driveway. It would take him a while to get back into the city, but the privacy this house allowed him was worth it. There was no one waiting to take his picture at every corner or stick microphones in his face for a comment about one thing or another. There was no one waiting around to ask for favours. The only house close enough was used by his security team, and they knew him well enough to be discrete. He could fuck Evelyn at his leisure, even outside, and none of it would end up in the papers.

By the time he’d driven into the city, the traffic was already terrible even though it was barely five in the morning, and when he finally drove to the underground parking for his apartment he was ready to sleep.

He didn’t bother turning his lights on as he walked to his penthouse apartment, and he ignored the paperwork that he had placed on his nightstand before he’d gone to see Evelyn. He’d need a few hours of sleep before he could get into any of it.

As always, once he settled in bed, it was Evelyn on his mind. It didn’t bother him anymore that she occupied a lot of his thoughts, especially after he had just tasted her; after he had just buried himself in her heat. He let his mind wander until he fell asleep.

The sun was shining through his glass wall when he opened his eyes again and he was still rock hard. It would have been more convenient to stay with her so he could just roll over and fuck her brains out, but he knew a recipe for disaster when he saw one.

With a sigh, he walked to his adjoined shower and stepped in. The cold showers were the only thing he could complain about being with Evelyn. Every fucking morning and night. He’d stand under the icy sting of the water until his cock started to behave so he could go about his day without embarrassing himself.

An hour later, he’d had his breakfast and was in his home office with his work spread out in front of him. He had several projects on the go that he had to oversee at each step. A new mall he was building. A housing development in South London and another in Birmingham. Planning applications to make or chase up. He had people hired to do every aspect of that job but he still liked to keep his fingers in. Some told him that was smart, others thought it was just showing his controlling nature. But he didn’t give a fuck. He hadn’t come this far by letting others tell him how to run his business.

He had just started going through the paperwork for the meeting he had scheduled for after lunch when his phone beeped. It was a message from Evelyn.

‘We need to talk.’

His heart sank. This was happening sooner than he had expected. She would tell him she had fallen in love with him and he’d tell her to move out by the end of the month. This was it. Fuck.

Maybe he was reading too much about it. Maybe she wanted to ask for more things. She was young, maybe she wanted a holiday so she could go away and spend some of the money he paid her. Maybe she just wanted a repeat. Evelyn was quite insatiable and matched his own appetites perfectly. He was ready to fuck her again if she needed him to. Just this once. He couldn’t afford to make it a habit.

Or maybe she was going to tell him she was pregnant.

He dropped his paperwork on the table as that thought slammed into his head. Pregnant? He was always careful, but there had been a few times... His heart went cold. It was a possibility. But he could never allow that to happen. If she was pregnant then they had a very uncomfortable conversation to have.

‘I’ll be there by six,’ he replied.

He went through his meeting without paying much attention to it and cursed himself for telling his PA he could handle it himself since it was Saturday. She would have taken the minutes that he would have reviewed another time. Now he’d have to set this meeting up for another day. The moment it finished he was back in his car and driving out of the city again.

He stayed calm and drove within the speed limits even though he was itching to put his foot down. Why would someone just say they needed to talk and not elaborate?

It was almost six when he drove back up the driveway he had not expected to return to for another week, and Evelyn opened the door before he had even knocked.

She was dressed today so he knew immediately that this was not the usual kind of visit. She did not want a repeat performance. Which left the other less appealing options.

She smiled as she let him in. Her smile was quite stunning and had been the initial reason he had taken a second look. She smiled with her whole body, which was why he always knew when she was faking it. She waited for him to hang up his coat before she spoke.

“Come through this way.”

The dress she wore was a short white one that skimmed her curves and just hinted at the treasures underneath. Evelyn’s body was a masterpiece. Big round bottom, wide hips, tiny waist and a sizeable chest. The stuff most wet dreams were made of. He would have backed her against the wall and slipped into her if he hadn’t been worrying about what the hell she was about to tell him.

He followed without a word. Something smelled delicious, reminding him that he hadn’t been able to stomach anything after her message.

“I made some dinner,” she said, looking back at him with a shy smile as she led him into the dining room.

The table had been set for two with candles lit and flowers arranged in the middle. The lighting was dim, setting the mood. He frowned as he looked at it, and the sinking feeling in his stomach told him exactly why he was here.

“What do you need to talk about, Evelyn?” he asked calmly without sitting down at the chair he indicated.

The smile left her face.

“I was...”

“Are you pregnant?” he asked directly.

“No.”

“Then why the fuck am I here on a Saturday evening?”

“I thought maybe... I wanted to cook for you.”

“Like a date?”

Evelyn clamped her mouth shut and looked away from him. He knew she was moments away from breaking the fucking rules. This was over.