Free Wicked While He Watches -The Billionaire's Secret (Claire and the Billionaire) by Mercedes Eva Nordstrom Page B

what she was
agreeing to.
    She was starting to get alarmed so she stopped
reading and just signed it. There was no option in her mind to do anything
else.  She set the piece of paper on his desk in front of him and stood
there like a servant waiting to be dismissed. She shifted nervously in her tall
heels and flushed as she realized that she was his to command.
    He tilted his head back, eyes revealing the
satisfaction that his total conquest of her gave him. A diabolical smile spread
over his face, making Claire realize that in fact she practically had sold her
soul to the devil.
    “We’ll start tonight at 2 o’clock in the morning.
I’ll have everything ready.” His tone was commanding and cold.
    “Tonight,” she gasped. Oh, God! What had she agreed
to? Was this really happening? “Two in the morning. Are you kidding?”
    “Two, that’s what I said, Claire,” he remarked. She
noted that now she was Claire to him, not Mrs. Silk.
    “What are you going to do to me, Nick?” she asked,
even though she knew he wouldn’t tell her and she was afraid to know.  She
regretted ever coming there. But, no. Daniel. She
loved him. She couldn’t let him die.
    “That’s Mr. Fawcett,’” he corrected her. “And you’ll
find out soon enough. Sit down again, Claire,” he directed ignoring the
question. She obeyed and perched on the edge of the seat.  Her head was
swimming.
    “When will my husband be returned? Will you pay the
ransom tomorrow?” she asked.
    “No, not tomorrow,” he said matter-of-factly. A hard
stare that didn’t match his smile faced her. “I said you’d get your 800,000
grand and your husband back. But there are conditions. All you have to do is
satisfy my needs. If you can’t do that then the deal is broken. Do you
understand?”
    “I’ll be here tonight at 2,” she returned hardening
her resolve and steadying her voice.
    “Not here. Here’s the address.  And take this.
You can’t get in unless you show it.” He handed her a piece of paper and a coin
with a black boar on it.  “See you later,” he said with a gleam in his
eye.
    “Yes,” she replied not realizing that there was more
to his last comment than she could ever have dreamed.
     
    Claire had no trouble staying up that night. She had
hardly slept since Daniel was kidnapped. And now the dread of what was going to
happen to her, kept her eyes open and staring at Daniel’s jacket hanging on a peg
by the door where he left it. The digital clock read 12:59, and then blinked to
1:00.  Claire was sitting at her kitchen table waiting. She had a dress
on, the quintessential little black dress, with red stiletto heels. It was time
to go.
    She drove in quiet for forty five minutes. It seemed
like four hours. And she had too much time to reconsider, to tell herself that she could just swing the car around and head
home. But then the reality of it revealed itself to her again. It wasn’t a home
without Daniel. She pressed on, clutching the steering wheel and drove over the
darkened roadway. Every possible scenario played in her head, except the one
that actually awaited her. It was more than she could have imagined Nick
Fawcett would have in store for her.
    She found herself at a fortress of a house set all
by itself far on the outskirts of some little town. It was surrounded by tall
pines and enclosed by a twelve foot high iron fence. She drove up to the gate
and rolled down her window as the gatekeeper approached.  She held her
hand up and opened her palm revealing the coin. He nodded and pushed a button
for the heavy tall gates to open and let her pass. Claire drove on over a
rounded cobblestone drive until she was at the house.
    The stunning house was huge. Did she expect anything
less? There were no cars in sight. She parked in front of the house. A man shot
out of nowhere. “I’ll park it for you, Ma’am. Go right in.” Valet
parking. Claire’s stomach tightened, so fearful of what was to come. The
man took her keys and