5, Negotiations

Bane looked at the trembling woman before him. His men shouldn’t have hurt her. They definitely shouldn’t have taken the deal with her uncle. And they would pay for that. 

Bane didn’t believe in keeping his men at a short leash or babying them. But he had four rules that everyone in the organisation had to live by. His word was law. They didn’t hurt women and children. They didn’t deal with human trafficking. No one was to sell drugs to children.

The four rules were enforced without exception, with severe punishment for disobedience. What his men had done to Emma violated rule number two and was a clear attempt at breaking rule number three. But this angel in front of him didn’t know that.

Bane’s need to possess her had only grown. Her innocence was like a light in the night and he was the moth. He needed to possess her, to corrupt her. So he smiled his wicked smile and saw her tense up. She may be innocent, but her instincts were strong.

“We need to get our money back and that is one way,” he shrugged.

“How much does he owe?” she asked.

Bane took out his phone and looked it up.

“Close to three million dollars,” he said. “Two-million eight-hundred fifty-five thousand two-hundred two dollars and fifty cents, to be precise.”

“Two-million eight-hundred fifty-five thousand two-hundred two dollars?” Emma asked in an unsteady voice. She was visibly shaking.

“And fifty cents,” he added. She nodded, and he could see the cogs turning in her mind. 

“We could sell the house. It won’t cover the entire debt, but as a down payment. Then we could pay off the rest monthly,” she suggested.

“I didn’t know Cobler owned a house,” Bane said.

“He doesn’t. It’s mine. My parents left it to me. It’s worth about eight hundred thousand,” she told him. 

Bane could clearly see the pain it caused her to suggest this. A good man would have wanted to protect her from the pain, but Bane wasn’t a good man. He saw it as another pressure point to get what he wanted; her. 

“Angel, that’s not even a third of the debt. With the interest adding up, you will pay off the debt for the rest of your life. And to be frank, I’m not interested in waiting that long for my money,” he told her. She looked down and nodded.

“Maybe I could get a loan at the bank,” she thought out loud, biting her lower lip. Bane watched her teeth tugging at the plump lip and had an urge to replace them with his own teeth. 

“Do you think any bank will give you a two-million-dollar loan with no collateral?” he asked.

“No,” she almost whispered. 

Bane smiled. He had her right where he wanted her, left with no options but his.

“I have an offer for you,” he said in a calm voice. She looked up at him.

“You want me to sell my body.”

It wasn’t a question, but Bane shook his head.

“No, I have a different proposition for you,” he said as he got up to fill his glass with another round of whiskey. 

“You will help me?” she asked in a hopeful voice. 

How could anyone be this naïve? Bane thought.

“I am,” he nodded as he turned around and looked at her.

“Thank you. You are a good man, Mr Velky,” Emma said, giving him a weak smile.

“No, angel, I’m not,” he told her as he walked back to her, taking his seat on top of the table.

“I killed my first man before the age of fifteen and I haven’t stopped since. I’m possessive, cruel and have a hot temper,” he honestly told her. He could see her hands clenching the water bottle between them. 

“B-but you said you would help me,” Emma said.

“I have a proposition that would keep you out of the brothels, but don’t fool yourself to think I’m doing it out of kindness. I do this because you have something I want.”

“What do I have?” she asked.

“Your body,” he got straight to the point and could hear her gasp. 

“Y-you said I wouldn’t have to…” she started saying.

“I’m not talking about selling your body, Emma. I’m a busy man, but I’m also a man with needs and certain inclinations. Because of this, I find it useful to have someone close by that can help me with these… urges when they arise. Someone that won’t involve feelings or become needy,” he explained.

“A pet for my sexual desires to put it bluntly.” 

She stared at him with big, terrified eyes.

“Pet?” she asked.

He gave her a cocky smile and put down his glass next to him on the table. 

“It’s not as bad as it sounds, I promise. I may be possessive and rough, but I never let a woman leave my bed unsatisfied,” he said as he let his eyes wander over her body, not feeling the need to hide it from her.

She shifted uneasily in her chair.

“How, how would it work?” she asked.

Bane stood up and leaned over her, placing his hands on the armrest of the armchair she was sitting on. He inclosed her as he leaned in close to her. He could feel her scent, clean, simple and with no perfume. Like newly washed linens that had been hung out to dry in the summer sun. 

“You can’t be as innocent as to not know how a man pleasures a woman. Or do you want me to describe it to you?” he whispered in her ear. He heard her breath hitching.

“I-I know how sex works, thank you. I was referring to the pet part,” she stuttered, making him smile.

“Of course you do,” he said, sitting down on the table and picking up his drink. 

“We would write a contract, stating that for three years, a year per million, you would be my pet. The contract would outline your duties and my responsibilities and by the end of the contract, your family’s debt would be considered paid in full,” he told her. 

Bane didn’t expect Emma to take him up on his offer. But he enjoyed playing with her. The way she reacted to his presence gave him a kick, and he desperately wanted to know what she looked like under those baggy clothes. 

“And any debt that my uncle incurs during the three years?” she asked.

Bane gave her an appreciative look. She wasn’t stupid.

“I can agree that all future debts are not to be associated with you. They will solely be on your uncle and aunt. If that is agreeable to you?” he suggested.

“Yes,” she nodded.

That surprised him. Not only that she was treating this as an actual option, but she was ready to let her uncle face the consequences on his own. She seemed like the person who was foolish enough to help, no matter what. He guessed everyone had a limit.

“And if you get bored with me?” 

“Bored with you?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Three years is a long time, Mr Velky. I know your reputation. Three weeks with the same woman is a long stretch for you,” she told him with a slight blush to her cheeks. 

Bane couldn’t help but chuckle. She wasn’t wrong. He didn’t have the patience for a serious relationship or a long-term lover for that. Women always seemed to want more of him.

“As long as you don’t feel possessive about me, angel, it won’t be an issue. But we can add a clause that says if I choose to end the contract before the three years are up, your part will be considered fulfilled,” he smiled.

“And if I want to end it?” 

“We’ll reduce your debt by eighty-four thousand per finished month,” he told her. She slowly nodded.

Bane thought she was seriously considering this. The thought of having this woman at his back and call made his dick hard and his mouth water. The things he would do to her once he got her underneath him. 

“Let’s get one thing straight before we go any further, miss Cobler. This is not me suggesting we have a relationship. You will have no claim to me. You are there to satisfy me. If I get satisfied by fucking another woman, that will be none of your business. If I choose to have a fucking orgy, you have no say in it.”

Emma nodded at his words.

“But you will be mine, I don’t share. You will have no men besides me. You will have no male friends sniffing around. The only other men you are allowed near are my men. And if they get too handsy, you will tell me, understood?” he said in an icy voice. 

He knew it wasn’t fair. But he wasn’t a fair man. He expected her to nod again, but she frowned and looked at him. 

“What if the man isn’t interested in me?” she asked.

He smirked. Her innocence was adorable.