The Marriage Dare

He was right, I do need the drink. I grab the glass and drink it down in one long go, practically begging it to overtake me and make me forget that this is happening and where I am. Daniel chuckles now, because he was absolutely right about me, and we both know that.

A third drink appears at my elbow, and I pick it up, taking a sip but not downing it. I can’t go too fast or I’m going to agree to something that I regret entirely. “You want me to marry you?”

“Yes.” The answer is simple and direct. No evasion.

“Why?” I can’t wrap my head around it. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

Daniel sighs. “Because I’ve never stopped thinking about you. You’re present in everything I do, and every decision I make. The way you treated me—bullied me—it changed me as a person. It taught me how to survive, and how to be ruthless. And even though you were a horrifying bitch to me, I wanted you. I worshipped the ground that you walked on. I hated myself for wanting you, and I hated you for being so damn appealing.

“And then your father happened. He bought every piece of property in the neighborhood out from underneath people. You had already moved away by then. He had a big corporation on his side, wanted to turn the place into condos. My family didn’t have the money to fight it, and the money he offered wasn’t nearly enough. We didn’t have anywhere to go. We scraped by. I had to drop out of school to help make ends meet. My mother was already in poor health, and the stress of everything, along with moving from place to place so often, ruined her health. He ruined everything.”

Guilt clenches in my gut. I know a lot of these stories. I’ve heard so many from people who want to tell me all the horrible things that my father did. I know the statistics. And I know that there are a thousand other stories like Daniel’s. But still, it’s different hearing it from someone you grew up with. Who you knew.

“But I didn’t know your father,” Daniel continues. “I just knew you. Perfect Monica Blast who got everything that she wanted while the people around her suffered. And I didn’t hate your father—I hated you.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. There’s nothing that I’ll ever be able to do to change the past or help the people that my family stepped on. And there’s no way I’ll ever be able to relieve myself of the guilt, even if I didn’t do any of it. “But I still don’t understand. If you hate me that much then why do you want me to marry you?”

The way Daniel smiles now is feral. Predatory. I see the ruthless businessman he’s become to create a place like Brazen, and it makes me shiver with fear and desire equally. “Like I said. Even though you had a part in ruining my life, it made me stronger. It made me who I am today. My family is well cared for now, and healthy because I’ve made my fortune. Though I’ll admit, I’m still warring myself and my emotions when it comes to you.”

Curiosity strikes me. “Oh?”

“I want to thank you, for helping me to forge all this. But I also want to destroy you. I want to take my revenge and show you exactly what you did. I want to fuck you and make you mine and then expose you for the spoiled princess that you are. But no matter what I want, I can’t do any of it if you’re not with me. By my side. So if you lose, marry me.”

My gut has plummeted through the floor. I shouldn’t be so fucking attracted to a man who has just said that he wants to own me solely so that he can destroy me and pick me apart piece by piece. But my mind catches on the words that he wants to fuck me and make me his. My body reacts to that like I’m being lit on fire, desire dampening between my legs. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” he says. “Become a part of my life.”

The way he says it, it’s like it’s a done deal. But it’s not. The other part of it is that it’s left up to chance. If I win, I get my freedom. Two million dollars is a lot of money, and even though I just lost that hand, I’m not a complete idiot when it comes to poker.

If I lose…

I have no doubt that Daniel will destroy me. But what choice do I have? Even if he plans to destroy my reputation further, I won’t be in a worse position than I am now. And if I’m married to him, at least I’ll have a place to sleep.