Raven's Point of View
I was finally comfortable. Warm. Wrapped in blankets. Mind blank and blissful- Until something heavy smothered my face.
Something warm, sweaty, and absolutely disgusting.
I jerked awake with a strangled gasp.
"JAMIE, GET YOUR NASTY-ASS FOOT OFF MY FACE!"
I shoved it away with the strength of God behind me. He only groaned dramatically, rolled over, and somehow managed to take up even more space on the bed. His arm flopped across Lila's waist-who was sleeping like a peaceful angel sent specifically to mock me.
I glared at them both, rubbing my cheek.
"How does a human being even sleep like this?" I muttered. "The bed is huge, Jamie. Huge."
He smacked his lips in his sleep, unbothered, probably dreaming about food.
Then he starfished-stealing the blanket with him-and left me freezing and offended while Lila stayed curled up on the other side.
I groaned and reached for the blanket-
BUZZ. BUZZ.
My phone vibrated on the nightstand.
Before I could answer, I pushed myself up and reached over Jamie, turning on the ridiculous mushroom lamp perched on the small nightstand. The light flickered-on, off, on again-until it finally settled into a soft glow.
My fingers curled around the phone on the nightstand and I frowned.
No Caller ID.
1:02 AM.
Okay... weird.
Creepy weird.
Lila's voice was barely a mumble. "Ignore it... it's probably a scam."
Jamie didn't even lift his head. "If it's a scammer, tell them I said eat my-"
I answered anyway. "Hello?"
Silence.
Then-
A voice.
Deep. Raspy. Cut from stone.
Cold enough to suck the warmth out of the room.
A chill rolled through me, sharp and unwelcome.
"You start tomorrow."
There was no background noise. No traffic. No voices. Just him.
My heart jumped into my throat.
No.
No. No. NO.
"7 AM. Sharp."
My grip tightened around the phone, my fingers going numb.
"Wait-who-"
"Don't be late."
CLICK.
The call ended.
I stared at my phone, breath stuck in my lungs.
That voice.
That terrifying, earth-shaking voice-
Dominic.
Dominic Derveaux.
Lila sat up instantly. "What the hell was that?"
Jamie yanked the blanket off his head, eyes still foggy. "Who was that?" He squinted at me. "Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"
I swallowed hard. "I-I think... I just got the job?"
Lila blinked. "What do you mean you think?"
Jamie's eyes narrowed. "Hold on. Hold on." He sat up slowly. "Are you telling me that Dominic Derveaux-CEO of Derveaux Corps-the man who rejected you earlier today-just called you personally at one in the morning to tell you that you got the job?"
I nodded.
Silence.
Then-
Jamie screamed.
"OH MY GOD, WHAT KIND OF MAFIA SHIT IS THIS?!"
His scream echoed so loud I was sure the neighbors thought someone had been murdered.
Lila slapped a hand over his mouth. "Jamie, shut up! It's the middle of the night!"
He ripped her hand away, eyes wild. "I WILL NOT SHUT UP." He pointed at my phone like it had personally wronged him. "Dominic Derveaux just called you. At one in the morning. Personally. What in the actual hell is going on?"
I stared at the screen like it might explain itself. "I-I don't know. He said I got the job." My voice dipped. "And then he hung up in my face."
Lila frowned. "But... you didn't get the job. He literally told you no."
"Exactly!" I threw my hands up. "So why is he suddenly calling me in the middle of the damn night saying I do?"
Jamie snatched my phone and examined it like it might explode. "Are we sure it was him? Maybe it was a prank. Or a scam."
Lila crossed her arms. "Jamie, what kind of scammer hires someone at one in the morning?"
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Then flopped face-first onto the bed. "Okay. Fair."
I pulled the blanket around my lap, heart racing.
It was his voice. No question. Deep. Cold. Controlled. Like it didn't matter whether I wanted the job-only that I was taking it.
I shivered.
Jamie pushed himself up on his elbows. "Okay but why? Why would he call you after all that?"
"I don't know," I said quietly.
Lila went still, thinking. "Maybe... it's because you stood up to him."
I blinked. "What?"
She shrugged. "People don't talk to him like that, Raven. Ever." She pointed at me. "And you called him an entitled piece of shit to his face."
Jamie's jaw dropped. "That's true. People in that building probably piss themselves when he walks by."
Lila nodded. "You didn't. You pushed back."
A chill crawled down my spine.
Jamie pointed dramatically. "And some men-dangerous men-don't know what to do with that except..." He waved his hands. "...obsess."
Lila added quietly, "Or hire you just to get even."
My stomach dropped.
Jamie's eyes widened. "Oh my God. What if he hired you just to torture you? Like-make your life hell for embarrassing him?"
Lila nodded. "Honestly? That tracks."
Silence fell. Thick. Heavy.
Finally, Lila sighed. "So... are you going?"
I hesitated.
Dominic Derveaux was intense. Ruthless. Absolutely not the kind of boss a sane person would choose.
But rent didn't care about sanity.
Job hunting had already chewed me up. Terrifying or not, this was a chance.
I buried my face in my hands. "I guess I have to."
Jamie froze.
Then-
"No." He held up a finger. "Absolutely not. Nope. No ma'am."
I blinked. "Jamie-"
"YOU PROMISED ME!" He grabbed his pillow and smacked me with it. "You promised you'd stay away from that man! That demon! That CEO OF SATAN!"
I groaned. "He told me to be there at seven."
Jamie screamed.
"AT SEVEN?! SEVEN?! IN SIX HOURS?! Oh hell no. You are not going."
"Jamie-"
"No!" He jumped off the bed and started pacing like an overworked single mother. "No, no, NO. You are not walking into that building. I forbid it."
I blinked. "...You forbid it?"
"Yes!" He jabbed a finger into my chest. "You said you'd stay away from him. And now that man-that man-calls you at one in the morning like some mafia Dracula? Absolutely not. Unsafe. Criminally unsafe."
Lila rubbed her eyes. "Jamie... she needs a job."
Jamie spun toward her, arms flinging wide. "She also needs her life! And her spine! And her sanity!"
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "Jamie, I don't think I can say no to him."
"Oh?" Jamie snapped. "Why? Because he's tall? Because he smells good? Because he has tattoos crawling up his arms like sin and temptation-" He stopped, blinked, then pointed at me. "DON'T DISTRACT ME. You're not going."
"Jamie..." I whispered. "I need this."
He froze.
Just for a second, the drama slipped. His expression softened-barely.
Then he shook his head hard. "No. Not this job. Not him. He's dangerous, Raven."
Lila placed a hand on his leg. "Jamie... she'll be okay."
"Oh yeah?" Jamie scoffed. "Until he breathes in her direction again and she combusts? I SAW HER FACE EARLIER. She was ready to risk her life over that man's arms."
"JAMIE!" I squeaked.
He pointed at me again. "You're not going."
I inhaled slowly.
Steady.
Terrified.
Certain.
"I... have to."
Jamie recoiled like I'd slapped him, hand flying to his chest. "Wow. Okay. Fine. If you step foot in that building tomorrow, just know one thing."
I braced myself. "What?"
He leaned in, deadly serious.
"Whatever happens... I'm telling the police I warned you."
I groaned and shoved him. He flopped onto the bed with a dramatic whine.
Lila sighed. "You'll be fine. Just go, do your job, avoid him."
Jamie gasped like she'd cursed us. "AVOID HIM? He called her at ONE IN THE MORNING. HE IS NOT AVOIDABLE-HE IS A DEMON SUMMON."
He was pacing again now, frantic, like a chihuahua on espresso. He stopped suddenly, snatched his pillow off the bed, and clutched it to his chest like it was the only thing holding him together.
"You're not going. I don't care if he calls, emails, or sends a goddamn carrier pigeon-NO. You promised me you'd stay away from him."
I rubbed my temples. "Jamie-"
"Nope! Nope!" He hugged the pillow tighter, like it was a Bible and he was about to testify. "That man is danger. He is violence. He is tall, tattooed trauma. No one good calls people at one A.M., RAVEN. NO ONE."
I took a deep breath.
Fine.
He wanted the truth?
"Jamie," I said quietly.
He froze mid-rant. "What?"
"We don't have rent money."
Silence.
Dead.
Frozen.
Heart-stabbed silence.
Jamie's soul left his body for a full two seconds.
Then-
"Oh... my God," he whispered. "Why would you say something so evil?"
"Because it's true." I held up my phone. "We're short. Way short. The diner barely covers groceries, let alone bills."
Lila nodded miserably. "Yeah... this month's gonna be rough."
Jamie collapsed onto the bed like he'd been shot. "Ughhhh... why does life hate us?"
"It doesn't hate us," I muttered. "We're just broke."
He groaned louder. "Same thing!"
I sat beside him. "Jamie... I have to take this job."
He covered his face with both hands. "No, because he's hot and rude and evil and I KNOW how you are-"
"How am I?" I challenged.
"SOFT!" he yelled. "You're soft! You're weak for men with tattoos and deep voices and 'I'm going to ruin your life' energy. It's your weakness, Raven!"
I rolled my eyes. "Oh please. I'm going there to work, not... seduce the man."
Jamie squinted at me like I'd just insulted his intelligence. "And you think he won't seduce you? Did you SEE that man? That man doesn't even speak in full sentences-he just growls and women melt."
I threw my hands up. "Jamie, I haven't had sex in a year. My vagina is basically in hibernation. I can control myself."
Lila burst out laughing.
Jamie's jaw dropped. "That's not hibernation, babe-that's a coma."
I glared. "The point is-I can keep it together. I need the job. We need the job."
Jamie groaned and flung an arm over his eyes like he was preparing for death. "I swear, if you fall for him, I'm moving out."
"You can't," I reminded him calmly. "You can't afford rent alone."
He pointed at me without even looking. "THAT is emotional blackmail."
I shrugged. "Works every time."
He groaned louder. "Fine. Fine! Go work for Mafia Daddy. But if he breathes near you and you start blushing-I'm dragging you out by your hair."
"Deal," I said immediately.
Jamie gasped, sitting up. "Oh my god. Our little Raven is going to be working under THE Dominic Derveaux."
Lila smirked. "More like terrified under him."
I peeked through my fingers. "Not helping."
Jamie wiggled his eyebrows. "I don't know, babe. You did say he was ridiculously hot."
My face burned. "Shut up, Jamie."
He froze. Then his eyes lit up with fresh chaos. "WAIT-wait-what if he's into you?"
Lila rolled her eyes. "Jamie, please. He's a billionaire CEO, not a romance novel."
Jamie ignored her completely, scooting closer to me like a gremlin with a theory. "But imagine it. He hires you because he can't stop thinking about you. He's all broody and possessive and-"
I shoved him hard. "ENOUGH."
Lila snickered.
Then she glanced at the clock. "So... seven A.M.?"
I exhaled slowly. "Yeah. Seven."
Jamie placed a dramatic hand over his heart. "I'm lighting a candle and praying for your survival."
I rolled my eyes-but my stomach twisted.
Tomorrow was going to be deadly.
But we needed the money.
So hell or high water...
I was going to face Dominic Derveaux.
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