The Closer (18+) ✓

| 4.2 | terms and conditions

❝And why d'you say
It's just another day, nothing in my way
I don't wanna go, I don't wanna stay
So there's nothing left to say?❞

Chapter Four:
Terms and Conditions
(cont'd)

"You done?"

Hans was glancing down at me, an unreadable expression on his face. Wordlessly, I got up and walked past him, toward the set of doors from which we had entered a half hour ago. Hans was right behind me as I walked over to the parking lot. He was right there to witness me enter his car, slamming the door with enough force to rattle the Earth. And he was beside me the whole drive back to the hotel, the heat from his body radiating toward me and not in the same way it did last night. But in a way that made me loathe him.

The empty silence between us gave me time to think. Why had he brought me here to witness this...negotiation? Was it his way of trying to prove to me that he had an identifiable flaw in his entire plan? If I had known that he couldn't really hire me without the help of someone who actually worked in the company, I could have figured a way out. I could have ended this before it had even begun. Was this his way of making me feel stupid and putting me down even more?

When the car pulled up in front of the hotel entrance, I wasted no time in leaving. The gust of wind as I opened the door of the car whipped the long, dark strands of my hair back as I stepped out. My mind continued to rage, hands curling into fists as the nails bit into my palm. The pain was real. This was all real.

Without a parting glance, I left. I stormed my way into the hotel, no doubt alarming the receptionist who gave me a shaky welcome. Ignoring her and the others staring at me, I opted for the stairs, stomping on each step up till my room. Granted it was three floors to get there but it did wonders for my anger.

You can hire her on the basis that I've seen her naked...and wet.

So that's how he saw me. As a worthless woman he could trick into taking a job through sex. He had bought me. Hans looked at me as a professional conquest and nothing more than that. Instead of interviewing me for the job, he had slept with me instead. The realization made me feel cheap. Disgusted.

You whore.

I took in a deep, shaky breath, silencing the tormenting voice in my head. Fishing the key out of my pocket, I rounded the corner of the stairs to my floor and stopped immediately.

Hans was already there, waiting for me. Leaning against the wall by the side of my door, he stood with his arms crossed across his chest. His eyes zeroed in on me, picking up the rise and fall of my chest as my heart raced for breath. He probably thought I was stupid, for having taken the stairs. Hell, he'd probably pegged me as 'stupid' the moment he'd picked up that phone. I didn't give a shit. Or really, I tried not to.

My foot steps were heavy and echoed off the carpeted floors as I walked forward. When I reached my room, I ignored him, truly pretending like he was invisible as I jammed the key in and started to step inside. Clearly, the man didn't enjoy being treated like empty air as the next moment, I felt his strong hand wrap around my upper arm, yanking me back and in the process, slammed the door to my room shut.

"What are you so rattled about, Tris Henderson?"

I didn't face him, keeping my eyes trained on the blurring red carpet. Fuck, not now.

"Let me go."

I fidgeted against him, trying to break free.

"We didn't get to go over your contract, yet," he whispered into my ear, his body pressing into my back. "I wasn't quite done with you for the day."