I thought I had seen the worst of Alan Sterling's darkness. I thought that after he had helped my father, after that suffocating relief, we might have some semblance of normalcy. But Alan didn't do normal. He didn't allow mercy or hesitation. His idea of help always came with a cost.
The message appeared on my phone like a dagger through my chest.
"Meet me in my office. Now."
I didn't hesitate. I didn't question. My heart pounded in my chest, but fear and desperation overrode everything else. I knew that if I ignored this, if I hesitated, I could lose the lifeline he was offering — and my father's life hung in the balance.
When I opened the office door, Alan was there, leaning casually against the edge of his desk. Smirk in place, eyes dark and dangerous, the air around him thick with dominance.
"Julia," he said softly, almost mockingly, "we need to talk."
My voice caught. "Alan… I—"
"Don't," he interrupted, his tone slicing through me like steel. "I helped you. I saved your father. But now… now I want something from you. A demonstration. Proof that you are worthy of my assistance."
My pulse thundered. "Demonstration?" I whispered, voice trembling.
"Yes," he said, smirk widening. "You've been tagged."
"Tagged? What—"
He cut me off again, slow and deliberate. "Tagged as a gold digger. Not by the office. Not by anyone else. By me. And now… I want to see if you can prove me wrong. Are you willing to pay the price for my help?"
My chest tightened. My mind spun. "You… you can't be serious. Alan… this is—"
"Very serious," he said, voice dropping to a whisper. "You want my help. You need it. Your father's life depends on it. There's a price. That price… is proof of loyalty. Of… willingness."
I felt bile rise in my throat. My father's life, my desperate, helpless father, depended on this man. And yet… the thought of what he demanded made my stomach twist in disgust and panic.
"Sleep with him," Alan said, gesturing toward my coworker, David, who stood awkwardly in the corner, uncomfortable and confused. My entire body froze.
I felt my face burn. "Alan… no. You… you can't—"
"Can't or won't?" His voice was low, dangerous. "There's a difference, Julia. You want my help. You must do this. Only then will I provide what you need."
Tears sprang to my eyes. I had no choice. My father… my desperate, fragile father… I would do anything to save him. Anything. And yet the thought of giving myself over like that… it made bile rise in my throat and heat pulse through my body in a way that confused me, terrified me.
"You… you're insane," I whispered, voice shaking. "How can you ask… How can you—"
Alan stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat from his body, the danger in every movement. "Because you have no choice," he said softly, almost intimately. "Because I decide the rules. Because I own this game, Julia Hartley. And your father… depends on your compliance."
My mind spun, chaos and terror and desire colliding in a storm that made it hard to breathe. Hate. Anger. Frustration. Fear. Desire. All tangled together in a way I had never felt before.
"Fine," I whispered finally, voice tight with resignation. "I'll do it."
Alan's smirk softened slightly — almost predatory, almost intimate — as he said, "Good. That's what I wanted to hear. Remember, Julia, you're not just proving loyalty. You're learning about desire, dominance, and… your place."
David looked between us, eyes wide, clearly uncomfortable. I wanted to scream at Alan, wanted to warn David, wanted to run. But my legs felt like lead. My chest burned. I hated how my pulse betrayed me, how a small, forbidden thrill ran through me at Alan's words, at his dominance, at his commanding presence.
He didn't touch me. Not yet. Not physically. But his control, his power, the way he smirked as if he owned everything around me… it was suffocating, intoxicating, impossible to resist.
I approached David reluctantly, humiliation and frustration roiling through me. My stomach churned. My hands shook. And yet… a strange part of me — a dark, dangerous, unwanted part — felt alive, aware, caught in the thrill of the forbidden.
Alan watched like a predator, every movement calculated, every glance loaded with ownership. He didn't need to touch me to dominate me — the power he wielded was in his gaze, in the way he measured my fear and desire and controlled them effortlessly.
"You understand, Julia?" His voice, low and intimate, carried through me like electricity. "You do this. You prove loyalty. You show me… what you're willing to sacrifice. And then… I help. You get what you want. Your father lives. And you… you survive this test."
I nodded, barely able to breathe. "I understand," I whispered.
"Good girl," he murmured, smirk curling. "Now… go."
I turned toward David, heart hammering, chest tight. Every step was agony. Every second felt like a lifetime. Alan's eyes followed me, smirk never leaving, dominance palpable. He had orchestrated this, controlled every aspect, and I was powerless.
And yet… even as I moved, a small, forbidden part of me couldn't deny the thrill that ran through my body. I hated him for making me feel it. I hated myself for responding. And I knew — this was only the beginning.
Alan Sterling didn't just control the office, or my father's survival. He controlled my body, my fear, my desire, my very soul. And I… I was trapped.
The price of help was higher than I ever imagined. And Alan Sterling… had already won.