"As you wish. I'll see you soon."

"Jas..." He looks at me and I stare at the floor. It's too fucking painful. "It's over."

"What the fuck do you mean?"

"I mean I can't do this anymore." My voice is trembling, and I'm scared of his reaction, but I force myself to go on. "It's over, Jas."

I expect a reaction from him. Anger, jealousy. But there's nothing. He merely smiles and nods before grabbing his clothes off the bed and getting dressed again. I watch him with crossed arms, my heart beating fast as I quickly blurt. "I just want everything to go back to the way it was before."

"Of course," he replies, his voice so calm it cuts through me. "I'll give you what you want, Petal."

I watch in silence as he gets dressed, then walk him to the door. He doesn't say a word as I open it, and he leaves without looking back. He never says goodbye, and I lock the door behind me, wiping off a stray tear.

That's it, then.

Over.

Just the way I wanted it.

The next morning, it feels like I have a piece missing.

I go about my morning routine, but my mind is elsewhere. I'm thinking about him. Jasper. I miss him, and it hurts.

I drive to the hospital that morning and park in the lot behind the building. As I'm getting out of the car, I feel the prickling at the back of my neck again, as if someone's watching me.

Glancing around the parking lot, I don't see anyone but a few other nurses getting ready to start their workday. But then there's a movement to my right, and I look straight at him.

Jasper.

He's standing there, leaning casually against his car.

He sees me watching, and when our eyes connect, he smirks at me.

Did he follow me again?

I don't walk up to him to ask. Instead, I head for the hospital, my heart pounding with unanswered questions.

Bill greets me and I greet him back, pretending not to have notice Jasper as we walk up to the ER.

I smile to myself as I enter the building, and this time, it's genuine.

Looks like he isn't done with me, after all.

23

Jasper

I stare at my handiwork with a smile on my face.

Or maybe, it’s a sneer.

All I know is that when my little Petal comes home today, a different type of surprise will be waiting for her.

The cats roam around me, touching the metal and feeling it up. They need to stay out when my plan comes into play.

My phone vibrates, and I curse under my breath when I see Lucio’s name.

“Jasper Cain.”

“How far are you?” There’s no pause whatsoever. No, ‘How is it going?’. Not that I would expect that from Lucio —he’s all about his personal gain and business.

“Tracking him down. He’s working in one of the companies downtown. I need information about employers.”

“And? I can’t see why this is taking you so long. You have the Costa name and that will get you any information you need.”

“Not all. Some companies have strict policies.”

“Then fucking torture the information out of them.”

“On it.”

“You only have days before I take the matter into my hands.”

The line goes dead.

The thing about the employer is true. From what Sarah mentioned, Joseph clearly works in the city, and he’s hidden enough to go unnoticed, which could mean he’s either working for the Costas or the Costas’ allies. The best ploy to be hidden from an enemy is to sneak into their compound.

But that’s as much as I have.

I might have been slacking because of the maddening obsession with my little Petal. Or because deep down, I have no interest in slaughtering Joseph.

The sooner I find him, the sooner he’s dead.

If it comes to his life versus mine, it’s definitely going to be his.

The locks turns and my muscles tighten with a different type of emotions —anticipation, fucking thrill.

I drop the phone into my jacket pocket as I tiptoe to the entrance.

The cats run toward the door, mewling and asking for attention. I gave them food so they wouldn’t interfere tonight.

“How have you been, guys? I missed you so much.” My little Petal hunches over to scratch under their jaws, her voice is soft and small.

My dick hardens, throbbing with arousal, and I don’t bother to readjust it, letting it revel in anticipation at what’s about to go down.

My little Petal doesn’t notice me as I slowly creep behind her. I’m so quiet, even the cats don’t pay me attention, focusing on the petting they’re getting.

She rises to her feet. “Today was busy, I feel so exhausted and could use a bath and —”

Her words cut off when I wrap a hand around her mouth from behind, my chest gluing to her back until my hard cock nuzzles against her ass.

And yes, I’m already naked.

A muffled groan slips from her mouth as she struggles against me. Her bag falls to the ground, its contents spilling on the floor causing the cats to escape in different directions.

My other hand yanks both her arms behind her back, binding them by the wrists. My voice is low and threatening as I whisper in her ear, “Good evening, Pet.”

A shudder goes through her body and sweat sticks her hair to her nape. For a second, her eyes light up with a sick type of pleasure. If I reached under her jeans, I’m sure she’d soak my fingers.

But that’s not for now.

She goes back to struggling, wiggling sideways and groaning. It’s her kink, the fight, the knowledge that she has nowhere to go even if she tried.

“The more you do that,” I murmur against the shell of her ear as I thrust my hips, letting my cock nestle against her jeans. “The harder I’ll get for you, the more merciless I’ll fuck you, the dirtier I’ll break you.”

Her mouth trembles against my hand, but instead of submitting like a good Pet, she chooses the other road, the one where I promised I’ll fuck her hard and merciless.

The fight in her tiny limbs heightens tenfold and her back arches as she tries to free her hands, to kick me, scratch me.

“Good girl,” I say, and I could swear a soft moan escapes her.

Using my hold on her mouth and wrists, I pull her to the middle of the living room. Her feet drag on the wooden floor as she tries to push me off, to deny that she doesn’t like this.

“You know, the more you talk to other men in front of me, the crueler I become about owning you. But perhaps that’s what you want, my pet.” I remove my hand from her mouth and release her hair, letting the black strands fall to her shoulders before I push them to one side.

“N-no,” she pants, her head tilting slightly. “Why do you keep doing this, Jasper?”

“Doing what? Making your fantasies come true?”

“Fucking with me, invading my space.”

“None of this would’ve happened if you weren’t with that fucker yesterday. You know how crazy I get when someone touches you, you know I’m capable of cold-blooded murder, and yet you still fucking provoke me.” I curl her strands against my hand in a fist and tug her back by it so her flushed face is completely focused on mine. “You’re a tease, aren’t you, Pet?”