7. RAVEN

7

RAVEN

I got ahold of Maddy's work schedule. She rarely takes time off. In the last two days, she's hardly been home. Busy girl.

I am not a dick. I don't intend to harass her. When she and I get down to business, I want her full attention. But "business" requires certain terms. And I still haven't told her exactly what I want from her.

So, I make an appointment at the medical center and request her as a nurse.

It's hot and humid outside despite the breeze and the heavy clouds that block the sun. When I park my bike at the entrance, Bo walks out. Dark-blue pants, polo shirt, and sunglasses perched on his head above the tightly gathered together dreadlocks. He slows when he notices me standing by my bike and keeps staring as he walks toward his golf cart.

I keep his gaze. Rumor has it, he and Maddy were tight back on the Eastside. Still are. I wonder if there's something going on between them. The way he looks at me is unusually hostile. If he is somehow involved with Maddy, I'll make sure he doesn't set foot near her while I'm around.

The medical center is cool when I walk in, but the anticipation of seeing Maddy and finally laying down the rules burns my every cell with pleasant throbbing.

I wait in a patient room, leaning back against one of the walls when the door opens and Maddy walks in.

When she works with patients, she wears scrubs. When she's on front desk shifts or in the office, she wears other clothes. Today, it's a cute red summer dress with yellow stripes. Her dark hair is in a ponytail. She has white socks and tennis shoes on. Maddy dresses simply, even at parties. Barely any makeup. Except for today. I want to say that she is more polished than ever, but I might be overthinking it.

Maddy walks to the examination table and leans back against it, crossing her arms at her chest. She knows this is not a medical appointment, and I take my time studying her as we share a minute of silence.

"How can I help you, Mathew?" she finally asks.

She knows I don't like being called by my name—I made it clear the very first time I was here, in the medical center. But here she is again, teasing.

My body tenses at the sound of her voice. "For one, you will call me Raven."

She nods but doesn't say a word.

"Two, what I want is obvious," I say.

She cocks her brow.

Right, we didn't specify the terms of the deal yet. "What's the most common trading coin between women and men?"

She doesn't answer. I expected her to be nervous. Maybe overly cocky, because she should be nervous. Maybe, I want her to object, so I can push her buttons.

She is none of the above, or at least not on the surface.

"You are mine, Milena," I say, punctuating her name.

She flinches just barely. Good.

"You call me Maddy," she says. "I can't jeopardize?—"

"I'll call you Maddy in public," I cut her off. "When we are alone, I will call you anything I want."

She doesn't answer. Doesn't blink. She holds my gaze like a soldier, one of the few who can.

"And I want a lot of alone time with you. That's the deal, Milena. Unless you want me to go to Archer and Marlow and discuss the fact that we have to contact your father."

She is quiet. She doesn't need threats to understand why this deal is important to her.

"Define alone time," she says softly, shifting the topic in my desired direction.

She is playing, and that's all right, because I like it.

"You know what I mean," I say.

"If it's a deal, you need to specify the terms clearly."

Bossy, all right.

I let my gaze linger on her body a little longer and then raise my gaze to hers. "I want to be in your bed. Whenever I want. Doing whatever I want."

That's a simple way to put it. But the words are out, and I feel anticipation tickling my nerves. I'm testing the waters. If she doesn't agree, I'll figure out something else.

But nothing in her expression changes. God, she is good.

"I have a problem with whatever ," she says.

"Do you now?"

"No violence."

She decides to focus on that of all things?

I'm surprised. Quite a bit, in fact. She didn't even flinch at my proposal, and that means Maddy is not a prude. But she is a businesswoman, all right. "Fair enough. I'm not a violent man."

She raises her brow.

"With women," I clarify and give her a controlled smile. "I have no intention of hurting you. I want to spend time with you. You might enjoy this arrangement more than me."

A flicker of mockery dances in her eyes. "No forcing me into anything. I agree to the deal, but everything has to be completely consensual."

Con-sen-sual. And why do I love the sound of that word on her lips?

I nod.

"One more thing," she says. "No kissing."

That's an odd request. Not that I care. It's a small thing. For a second, it makes me want to argue because I feel like kissing her right now to show her that she will play by my rules. I'd like to push her buttons, but I can do that later.

"We are not dating," she says as if she is trying to explain herself. "It's not an affair. Just a deal."

"Works for me. I promise to be very respectful." I cock a brow.

"Is that all?" she asks coolly.

I'm amused. She is acting like this is a real business deal. No fury. No awkwardness. She is calm like the ocean on a sunny day.

But then my eyes pause on her chest. Her arms are still crossed. She hasn't moved an inch since she took that pose. And I notice that her breaths are too slow and shallow. Her neck and shoulders are too tense. It turns out that sweet Maddy is very nervous.

I hold back a smile.

It's all right. There will come a time when she will be welcoming and looking forward to being around me. I'll make sure of it.

"That is all," I say, deliberately letting my eyes linger on her body.

"And you will keep your mouth shut about me." There's miscalculated sharpness in her voice as she tries to project bitterness. "And… about us."

My loyalty is not cheap. She knows that it jeopardizes Zion and, more importantly, Ayana. If Archer finds out about this, he will lose his shit. He will probably contact Tsariuk right away and make a deal. And then Maddy—or Milena, whatever—will be gone, whisked away to Mother Russian or some other country that wasn't involved in the nuclear war. She will probably be married off right away to some rich asshole.

In my mind, that scenario is not so bad, really. Instead, Maddy chooses to play this game with me, and I respect her flexibility. Sure, there's gotta be a number of reasons for her wanting to stay, and I'll get down to the bottom of it soon.

"Yes, Maddy," I agree to her demands and push off the wall.

I'm almost ready to walk away, letting this conversation sink in, when she speaks again.

"How long?"

I halt. I didn't think about it. She's a smart one. Maddy is truly thinking about every aspect of this arrangement. It must be Daddy's business skills.

"Two months," I say on a whim. "Until we can figure out what to do with you, beautiful girl."

Her hazel eyes are beautiful, especially when they lose that hostility momentarily, and she looks at me unblinkingly and forgets herself.

"That guy," I say, making sure these eyes belong only to me from now on, "what's going on with him?"

That feigned indifference on her face is back. "What guy?"

"The manager, Bo."

"What are you asking exactly?"

"If there's something going on between him and you, I'd like to know."

"We are friends." That slight hostility is back in her eyes. "Anything I should know about you and anyone else?"

"No."

She nods and studies me, slowly dragging her gaze up and down my body, then meets my eyes. "Anything else?"

I swear, I can see a smile in her eyes, though not a single muscle on her face moves.

My gaze drops to the straps of her dress, one shoulder strap with fluffy trim is slightly twisted. Slowly, I walk up to her, bring my hand to her shoulder, and fix the strap.

And there it is—a tiny sharp intake of air through her parted lips. She's holding her breath, and goosebumps break out on her shoulder. I give it a little stroke with the back of my hand and offer a smile.

"That's it." I turn around and leave without looking back

I know she won't stop thinking about me now. I know she will imagine how it will happen the first time, what will happen, and how many times afterward.

I am not in this for sex per se. I am not in a hurry to get my dick inside her. I want to make her mine. She is the most valuable and dangerous asset on this island right now, and I have her all to myself.

Only one thing suddenly irritates me—the no-kissing rule.

Because as I walk out of the building, I can't stop thinking about her lips.