Aria woke to sunlight streaming across Damien’s study and the unfamiliar weight of his arm draped across her waist.
For a mont, she didn’t move. Just lay there absorbing the reality of where she was...naked in her employer’s arms, her body still aching in the most intimate places from what he’d done to her last night.
Four orgasms. He’d wrung four devastating orgasms from her body until she’d been sobbing and incoherent. And then he’d held her. Soothed her. Made her feel cherished in a way that was almost more dangerous than the pleasure itself.
You’re in so much trouble, the rational part of her mind whispered. So far past the point of no return.
Damien’s breathing was still deep and even behind her. Asleep. Which ant this was her chance to slip away, to return to her room before anyone noticed her absence.
She carefully extracted herself from his embrace, gathering her scattered clothes as quietly as possible. The formal uniform was wrinkled beyond salvation, but she pulled it on anyway, wincing at the soreness between her thighs.
Evidence of him. Evidence of what they’d done.
She was almost to the door when his voice stopped her.
"Leaving without saying goodbye?"
She turned. He was propped up on one elbow, the throw blanket pooled at his waist, looking rumpled and devastatingly attractive in the morning light.
"I didn’t want to wake you. And I need to get back to my room before..."
"Before anyone sees you leaving my study at 6 AM wearing yesterday’s uniform?" His smile was knowing. "Too late for that. Mrs. Chen’s been up for an hour already."
Aria’s stomach dropped. "She knows?"
"She suspects. She’s not stupid." Damien stood, completely unselfconscious in his nakedness, and crossed to where she stood frozen by the door. "Does it matter?"
"Of course it matters! I could lose my job. I could..."
"You won’t." His hand cupped her face. "I won’t let that happen."
"You can’t just..."
"I can. And I will." He kissed her softly. "Now go. Shower. Change. Eat sothing. You have the morning off."
"I do?"
"You do. I’m giving you ti to rest. You’ll need it for tonight."
Her pulse quickened. "Tonight?"
"I have plans for you." His smile turned wicked. "Educational plans. But for now, go. Take care of yourself."
She slipped out of the study and made her way through the quiet mansion toward the staff wing, hyperaware of every security cara, every potential witness.
Sure enough, she passed Mrs. Chen in the hallway near the kitchen.
The older woman’s sharp eyes took in her wrinkled uniform, her disheveled hair, the slight flush still lingering on her cheeks. But all she said was: "Good morning, Sarah. There’s fresh coffee in the kitchen when you’re ready."
"Thank you, Mrs. Chen."
"And Sarah?" Mrs. Chen’s expression softened slightly. "Be careful. Mr. Blackwood is... complicated. Don’t lose yourself."
The warning sent a chill down Aria’s spine, but she just nodded and continued to her room.
Once inside with the door locked, she collapsed onto her bed and pulled out her mission phone. The ssages waiting made her stomach twist with guilt.
Once inside with the door locked, she collapsed onto her bed and pulled out her mission phone. The ssages waiting made her stomach twist with guilt.
Dr. Morrison: Latest blood work shows accelerated decline. Your mother is asking about you constantly. Ti is critical.
Two weeks. Had it really been that long already? The days had blurred together in a haze of Damien’s touch, his lessons, his consuming presence.
And what did she have to show for it? No closer to accessing the greenhouse. No concrete plans for the heist. Nothing except an increasingly dangerous addiction to a man who was supposed to be her mark, not her obsession.
You have to refocus. You have to rember why you’re here.
She opened her laptop and pulled up the estate maps she’d been compiling...piecing together information from overheard conversations, glimpses of security monitors, casual questions to other staff mbers.
The greenhouse had to be in the eastern section of the property. That’s where the highest security concentration was. Caras every fifty feet. Motion sensors. And according to Lucy, that entire area was off-limits to regular staff.
But Damien had access. Obviously. Which ant if she could just get him to take her there, or find a way to slip away during one of their encounters...
A knock on her door made her slam the laptop shut.
"Sarah? It’s Lucy. Can I co in?"
Aria quickly shoved the laptop under her bed and opened the door.
Lucy swept in, her expression a mix of concern and barely contained curiosity. "Okay. Spill. What is going on with you and Mr. Blackwood?"
"Nothing. I don’t know what you—"
"Don’t even try that with . Everyone’s talking about it. The way he looks at you.
The private etings. The fact that you just ca back from sowhere at 6 AM wearing yesterday’s clothes." Lucy sat on the bed, crossing her arms. "Sarah, I like you. But you need to understand what you’re getting into."
"I’m not getting into anything—"
"He’s done this before." Lucy’s voice was gentle but firm. "Two years ago, there was another maid. Beautiful girl, about your age. He got obsessed with her for about three months. Private dinners, gifts, the whole thing. And then one day, she was just...
gone. Dismissed. No explanation. No references."
The words felt like ice water. "What happened to her?"
"No idea. Mrs. Chen won’t talk about it. But the point is...Mr. Blackwood doesn’t do relationships. He does obsessions. And when the obsession ends, so does everything else."
Aria’s chest tightened. Was that all this was? An obsession that would burn out?
"I appreciate the warning," she said carefully. "But I can handle myself."
Lucy looked unconvinced but stood. "Okay. Just... be careful. And if you need soone to talk to, I’m here."
After Lucy left, Aria returned to her laptop, but the conversation had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.
Another girl. Another obsession. Another dismissal.
Is that what she was? Just the latest fixation?
Her phone buzzed...her work phone this ti. A text from an unknown number that she knew was Damien.
Stop overthinking whatever Lucy just told you. You’re not like the others. And tonight, I’ll prove it.
She stared at the ssage, her heart racing. He was watching. Always watching.
The security caras. Of course.
Another text: Now eat sothing. Shower. And spend the afternoon doing whatever you need to do. I ant it when I said you have the day off.
It was the opening she needed. Ti to actually work on her mission instead of being consud by him.
She showered quickly, dressed in casual clothes...jeans and a sweater, her day-off uniform...and headed to the kitchen for coffee and sothing to eat.
The staff break room was mostly empty at this hour, just a few maintenance workers grabbing breakfast before their shifts. She made herself a plate and sat alone, studying the estate map she’d pulled up on her phone.
The eastern section. That’s where she needed to go.
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