Chapter 3

~~ETHEL~~

The moment my lips touched Keanu’s, his whole body went rigid. For a moment, I was sure he was going to shove me away.

He didn’t.

Instead, I felt his hand on the back of my head as he deepened the kiss, our lips melding. It was like zaps of electric current shooting through my veins. His tongue brushed over my lips, but just as I was about to open up, a high-pitched shriek broke through the moment.

“What the fuck?!”

I broke the kiss, but I didn’t look at Max. My gaze remained on Keanu, my heart thumping inside my chest. His eyes were dark, unreadable.

I was beginning to question the wisdom of what I’d just done.

I had just kissed my boss without his consent to piss my ex-boyfriend off. What the fuck was wrong with me? I was definitely getting fired.

“What the fuck, Ethel?” Max screeched again, his voice filled with indignation. “Did you just kiss another man in front of me?”

I finally looked at him, my irritation bouncing back. “Should I get you glasses so you can be sure of what you saw next time?”

“No, this is bullshit. You’re just trying to make me jealous.” Max shook his head resolutely as he reached for my hand. “But babe, we can work this out.”

“Let go of my woman!” Keanu’s voice was low and dangerous.

My woman.

I knew he was only playing along, but I couldn’t help the shivers that cascaded down my spine. Especially when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me flush to his body.

Max’s eyes flashed with murderous intent. “No, she’s mine!”

Before I could anticipate his next move, he lunged forward. I gasped, sure that he’d just punched Keanu.

But Keanu was faster.

He caught Max’s fist just in time and gave it a ruthless twist. Max yelled out in pain, “Son of a bitch.”

Keanu continued to twist, his lips stretched in a smile that held no warmth. “Don’t throw a punch unless you can make it land, Anderson.”

He finally let go of Max, who stumbled back, staring at him, eyes wide. “How did you know my surname?”

The corner of Keanu’s lips twitched, his expression calculating. “What do you think?”

The air was so thick with tension you could cut through it with a knife. I knew it needed to end before this escalated any further. The last thing I needed was more attention on me.

“Max, just go away. You and I are done.”

Max looked at me, and his lips curled in disgust. “I should’ve known that all those nights you claimed you were going to a meeting, you were actually whoring yourself out to your boss. You had the audacity to act all offended when you saw me with Tanya, but it turns out you’re nothing but a slut.”

“One more insult out your mouth,” Keanu’s voice rang with warning, “and you’re going to be lucky if you return home with any of your perfect teeth intact.”

Max opened his mouth as if to do just that, but taking in the dark storm on Keanu’s face, he shut it right back up. Turning, he stormed back in the direction of his apartment building like he couldn’t get away fast enough.

Now I was left alone with my boss to face the consequences of my actions.

My cheeks on fire, I forced myself to look at him. “Thank you, Mr Martell. For helping me out. And…” I cleared my throat. “And for playing alo—”

“You used me.” Keanu cut me off, his dark cyan eyes pinned right on me.

When he closed the distance between us, it took everything in me not to take a step back.

“You used me, Ethel,” he repeated, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Nobody uses me without giving me something in return.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, Mr Martell. That crossed a line. I… I’ll understand if you want to fire me for that.”

A dark chuckle left his mouth. “Fire you? I didn’t ask for an apology, Ethel, and I’m certainly not firing you. I just want you to tell me—”

He took my chin between his fingers and angled my head to look him straight in the eye. “What are you willing to do for me in return?”

My pulse was racing. What did he want in return? Why did I feel like I already knew?

“I… I don’t know,” I whispered.

His lips stretched into a smirk. Then he let go of my chin and stepped back, giving me space to finally breathe freely again.

I cleared my throat again. “Uh, thank you for helping me out. Really. I’ll go home now. Goodnight.”

I turned to continue on my way like my house wasn’t miles away, but Keanu’s voice stopped me.

“Does your ex-boyfriend have a key to your house?”

I nodded as I turned to face him again. “Yes.”

After Max had given me the spare key to his apartment, it’d only felt right that I reciprocate. He’d never used it though, as I was the one who went to his place most of the time.

“Then you’re not going to your house tonight.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You’re not going to your house tonight,” Keanu repeated. “You’re coming to my penthouse with me.”

It took several seconds for his words to truly register.

“Wh…What?”

Keanu looked at me impatiently, like I was a five-year-old he needed to explain something basic to. “It’s too late to have somebody replace the locks, and that guy has a spare key he can use to get in. You can’t sleep there tonight. I’ll take you to my house. Then you can have the locks replaced tomorrow.”

I bit my lip, realizing what he said made sense. But that didn’t mean I had to sleep at his house.

“Thank you for the offer, Mr Martell. But I’ll just call my friend. She’ll come and—”

“What, Ethel?” Keanu cut me off, raising a brow, daring me. “Are you scared of being in the same house as me?”

“No, of course not,” I quickly said. “Why would I be?”

It was a challenge, and I knew it. Yet I had fallen right into it. It shouldn’t have been an issue, but since our little exchange this afternoon, being around Keanu made my pulse trip all over itself in a way it’d never really done before. Then again, until today, he’d never looked at me like he wanted me to be his next meal.

“Good. I’m going to drive you to your house so you can pack an overnight bag. Then I’ll take you to mine.”

Without waiting for me to protest, he walked toward his sleek black Maybach and opened the door, waiting for me to get in.

Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?