Chapter 4: Seal it with A Kiss

When Therese arrived at the address given by the sender of the email, she gulped nervously. She double checked it just in case she was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Was this really DesmondTech? The most renowned gadget company to exist? The place was straight out of fiction! It made her feel out of place as she looked at the sleek glass and steel facade of the building. What appeared in front of her was a towering skyscraper dominating the skyline. She was about to meet with a man named Raven Desmond on the 200th floor. Wait, was she supposed to go for a more formal attire?

The thought and the place was intimidating but there’s no backing out now. 

“You’ve got this, girl. Therese gave herself an encouraging self-pat as she took out her compact mirror from her purse and checked her appearance for the nth time. She wanted to make sure that her wine red lipstick was exuding professionalism and complimented her white long sleeve blouse. She smoothed her high-waisted pencil skirt as well. She entered the building with her head held high, hiding her trembling hands.

When Therese stepped out of the elevator on the 200th floor, she was greeted by a marble door too luxurious for an ordinary girl like her. She held her breath as she knocked one…two times. 

“Come in.” The voice of a man welcomed him. 

When Therese pushed the knobs open, she saw a masculine man wearing an elegant maroon suit. He was leaning against a huge desk with gold and shiny black edges. “Ms. Therese Barlow, right? Welcome to DesmondTech.” 

Her soul almost left her body when she met the man’s eyes. Beads of sweats started traveling down her spine and she wished the ground would just swallow her on the spot. She would recognize that face anywhere. “Y-you are..TechnoDaddy! She couldn’t help but cover her mouth in realization. Memories of their shared night together replayed in her head. She almost cringed when she heard her voice come out like a squeak. 

“Well, yeah I go by that username. I’m Raven Desmond in real life. And yes, I kind of own DesmondTech.” He chuckled deeply, wearing his signature cocky grin. “Please, have a seat. I would like to discuss the babysitting deal with you.” 

How could he stand there and talk to her like his mouth hadn’t explored her most intimate parts? 

“You look beautiful, by the way.” Raven was ever so smooth with his words. She blushed hard. 

“Is this some kind of a joke?”

“And why would you think that?”

“How did you find me? No…why did you pick me? This is so awkward.” Her blush intensified as she willed herself to turn around and just walk away because of embarrassment. Therese couldn’t look Raven in the eye without remembering their one night stand. 

“I can’t do this. I’m sorr–” 

“Please, darling. Just hear me out first?” He interrupted her mid-sentence using the most seductive bedroom voice ever and how could she ever say no to that tone?

“Therese Barlow, 22 year-old university student. Psychology major. Hmmm. Currently, you live on your own and you need a stable source of income to pay your rent and some other debts.” When they were finally seated and facing each other, Raven looked over a piece of paper as he read the information out loud for Therese to hear. For some reason, his cocky grin wasn’t disappearing and it was starting to annoy Therese. 

She gritted her teeth and took a sip of a slowly cooling black tea. “Wow, so you really did your research on me, huh? Yes, I’m poor. Yes, I need this part-time job. What of it? Can we just be professionals and go straight to discussing the contract?” 

“I can’t be a professional when I speak with you like this knowing full well that I had already explored every inch of your body with my tongue and dick.” He replied plainly.

She almost choked on her tea. “T-that was…that was only for a night.”

“You see. That was my problem, baby. I couldn’t forget you after that night.” Raven tilted his head and leaned closer to Therese so their faces were only about an inch away from each other. His hooded gaze scanned her lips seductively. “I wouldn’t want our time together to last for only a night.” He licked his lips sinfully as he reached a finger to touch her right cheek. 

She swallowed hard. He was just like her, huh?

All the annoyance and embarrassment she was feeling were gone in an instant. Therese was paralyzed on the spot. Sure enough, he brought the aching of her core back to life. “What do you m-mean?” She managed to whisper, never leaving Raven’s eyes. 

“Tell me, did you forget me easily after I took your virginity?” Damn it, he didn’t need to say it out loud. She had to be honest. “No. You were amazing.” 

“Would you want to experience that passion with me again?” 

Without missing a beat, Therese nodded. Her tea had grown cold between her hands despite it being too hot in his office. Her heart banged wildly in her chest when Raven stood up and walked to her side before kneeling and taking her hands in his. His touch was electrifying. 

“$100,000 a month. Full-time offer. I will give you $100,000 a month and I want you to be my son’s babysitter by day and my personal escort at night. I’ll settle your debts too and you wouldn’t need to worry about rent anymore. You’ll live in my mansion for free and you’ll still be able to study. All you have to do is…”

He pulled her chair towards her until their noses touched. The unexpected move made her yelp and her mouth watered as she inhaled his expensive perfume. “Give yourself to me for a year.” 

Therese balled her fists until her knuckles turned white. She was holding so tight on the chair’s armrest to ground her will. For some reason, all the rationality left in her mind flew out the window and Raven ghosted her lips. Memories of him ramming her insides played in her head. “What do you say, baby? Is it a yes?” 

It was too late to turn around. She was already one foot down to a delicious temptation called Raven Desmond. Deep inside her, she knew there was nothing left to do but agree. So, she did. 

“Yes. I’ll be yours.” What she really meant was, I’ll work for you. 

Smirking in victory, Raven pulled her in for a heated kiss. They made out heavily instead of a handshake and a sign to make their deal official. Therese closed her eyes and let her sanity be extinguished by this man’s heat and allure. Their lips were a perfect match for each other and so were their tongues.They danced in a familiar rhythm that took the both of them back on that night. The night they couldn’t forget. When they pulled away to breathe, a string of saliva connecting their lips became evident. They were breathing heavily, looking each other in the eye with hunger. 

Would it always be like this with him? 

“Oh by the way, I want you to start tomorrow already.” Damian smirked as he thumbed Therese’s red lipstick that was smudged on his lips."