The weekend passed in a blur of guilt and confusion. Saturday, I ignored three texts from Aurelia asking if I was okay. Sunday, I stayed in my dorm and tried to catch up on schoolwork I'd been neglecting. Jake asked if I was having some kind of breakdown. I told him I was fine. I wasn't fine. I'd kissed Aurelia. My student. The daughter of the woman paying me $500 a week to tutor her, not develop feelings for her. And worse, I'd wanted to kiss her again. But every time I thought about it, I heard Selene's voice in my head. Be very careful about mixing emotions with situations like this. What the hell was I supposed to do? Monday morning came too fast. I had three classes, but I couldn't focus on any of them. My mind kept wandering to the Rowan estate. To Aurelia. To what I was going to say when I saw her. At 2 PM, I sat on the steps of the library and waited for the Maybach. It arrived at 2:45 PM, same as always. But this time, when I climbed into the back seat, I wasn't alone. Selene was sitting there, her legs crossed, wearing a black business suit that probably cost more than my entire semester's tuition. "Ms. Rowan," I said, my voice coming out strangled. "I wasn't expecting you." "I know. That's intentional." She gestured to the seat across from her. "Sit." I sat. The car pulled away from the curb, but we weren't heading toward the estate. We were going in the opposite direction. "Where are we going?" "Somewhere we can talk. Privately." She looked out the window. "Aurelia thinks you're sick today. I told her you texted me this morning asking for the day off." "Why would you tell her that?" "Because what I need to discuss with you doesn't concern her. Not yet." She turned back to me. "How are you feeling, Elias? After Friday night?" "Confused." "That's honest. I appreciate that." She leaned back in her seat. "Let me be equally honest. I know what happened in the garden." My blood ran cold. "What?" "I have security cameras throughout the venue. Including in the garden. I saw everything." Her expression didn't change. "The kiss. The hand-holding. The way you looked at each other." I couldn't breathe. "Are you firing me?" "No." "No?" "No. Because firing you would hurt Aurelia. And despite what you might think, I don't enjoy causing my daughter pain." She studied me carefully. "But we need to establish some new parameters. Some... understanding." "I don't understand." "You will." The car pulled into an underground parking garage. Expensive cars lined the walls. We parked near an elevator. "Come with me." The elevator took us to the top floor of a luxury apartment building I'd never seen before. Selene led me down a hallway with only two doors. She unlocked one and gestured for me to enter. Inside was a penthouse apartment. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Modern furniture that looked like it had been selected by a professional designer. Everything was pristine. Untouched. "What is this place?" I asked. "My private residence. The estate is for Aurelipractiseds where I come when I need space." She walked over to a bar cart and poured herself a drink. Something amber in a crystal glass. "Would you like something?" "No. Thank you." "Suit yourself." She took a sip and walked over to the windows. "Do you know why I built my company, Elias?" "To be successful?" "To be untouchable." She didn't turn around. "I grew up with nothing. Less than nothing. My father was an alcoholic. My mother cleaned houses for rich people and came home crying every night. I learned very young that poverty is a prison. And the only way to escape is to become powerful enough that no one can ever hurt you again." "I understand that." "Do you? Or do you just understand the concept?" She turned to face me. "I clawed my way out of that prison. I married a man I thought would be my equal. Instead, he tried to control me. Diminish me. Make me small again." Her jaw tightened. "So I destroyed him. Took his company. His reputation. His pride. And I rebuilt everything as mine." "Why are you telling me this?" "Because I need you to understand what I'm capable of. What I'll do to protect what's mine." She walked toward me slowly. "My daughter is mine. And you, whether you realize it or not, have become a threat to the future I've built for her." "I'm not trying to threatedefencesng." "I know. That's what makes it dangerous. You're not calculating. You're not strategic. You're just... genuine. And my daughter has never experienced genuine before. It's intoxicating to her." She stopped directly in front of me. "But here's what you need to understand, Elias. Aurelia's feelings for you are a phase. A rebellion. The first taste of something that feels like freedom but isn't." "You don't know that." "I do. Because I was her once. Young. Brilliant. Convinced that love was real and that someone could see me for who I truly was." She laughed bitterly. "I was wrong. And I won't let her make the same mistake." "So what are you saying? That I should quit?" "No. I'm saying you need to make a choice." She set her drink down on a side table. "You can continue to tutor Aurelia. Continue to be her friend. But you need to stop whatever romantic fantasy is developing between you." "And if I can't?" "Then I'll remove you from her life completely. New tutor. New routine. And you'll never see her again." She stepped closer. "But there's another option." "What option?" Her hand reached out and touched my chest. Light. Testing. "You're a young man with needs. With Afterwardssssssou've been suppressing because you're drowning in responsibility and poverty." Her voice dropped lower. "What if I told you there was a way to have what you need without complicating things with Aurelia?" My heart was hammering. "I don't understand what you're asking." "Yes, you do." Her hand moved up to my collar. The same gesture she'd made twice before. But this time, it didn't stop. Her fingers traced along my jaw. Down my neck. "You want something, Elias. I can see it. The way you look at this world I live in. The things you can't afford. The life you've never had." "I'm not some gigolo you can buy." "I'm not trying to buy you. I'm offering you an arrangement. A mutually beneficial understanding." She leaned in closer. "I'm lonely. You're desperate. We're both adults. And we both want something the other can provide." "This is insane." "Is it? Or is it just honest?" Her lips were inches from mine. "I can give you stability. Money. Freedom from the constant fear of losing everything. And in return, you give me something I haven't had in years." "What?" "Someone who sees me as more than a CEO. More than a mother. More than a weapon." Her breath was warm against my skin. "Just... me." I should've pulled away. Should've left. Should've run as far and fast as I could. But I didn't. Because part of me, the part I didn't want to acknowledge, wanted what she was offering. "This is wrong," I whispered. "Most good things are." Her hand slid around the back of my neck. "Tell me to stop, Elias. Tell me you don't want this, and I'll let you walk away. I'll find you a new job. Pay you for the rest of the semester. You'll never have to see either of us again." I opened my mouth to say it. To tell her to stop. But the words wouldn't come. Because I thought about my family. About the eviction notice. About the constant terror of not having enough. About being trapped in a life I didn't choose and couldn't escape. And I thought about Selene. About the loneliness in her eyes. About the way she'd built walls so high that no one could reach her. And I thought about myself. About what I wanted. What I needed. "I don't know what I want," I said finally. "Then let me show you." She kissed me. It was nothing like kissing Aurelia. Aurelia's kiss had been sweet. Uncertain. The kiss of someone experiencing feelings for the first time. Selene's kiss was fire. It was control and surrender at the same time. It was years of loneliness and hunger compressed into a single moment. And I responded. My hands went to her waist, pulling her closer. She made a small sound against my mouth, something between surprise and satisfaction. The kiss deepened, and I stopped thinking.
Selene's fingers deftly unbuttoned my shirt, her touch deliberate, like she was claiming territory she'd long surveyed. She pushed the fabric off my shoulders, her nails grazing my skin lightly, sending shivers down my spine. "That's it," she murmured against my lips, her voice a low command. "Let go." I hesitated for a fraction of a second, but her hands were already at my belt, undoing it with practiced efficiency. My pants slid down, and she pressed her body against mine, the heat of her through her suit making my pulse race. She stepped back just enough to shed her jacket and blouse, revealing lace lingerie that hugged her curves—elegant, expensive, a reminder of the world she inhabited and I didn't. Her breasts were full, her skin flushed, and she watched me with those piercing eyes, daring me to look away.
I didn't. My hands trembled as I reached for her, cupping her breast, feeling the hardness of her nipple under the lace. She arched into my touch, a soft gasp escaping her, but she quickly regained control, guiding my hand lower. "Touch me," she ordered, her breath hot on my ear. I slipped my fingers beneath her skirt, finding her already wet, her thighs parting slightly as I stroked her through the thin fabric of her panties. She moaned, low and throaty, her hips grinding against my hand in a rhythm that built urgency. "Yes, like that. Don't stop." Her free hand wrapped around my hardening cock, stroking firmly, her grip confident, teasing the tip with her thumb until I groaned. The contrast hit me—Aurelia's tentative touch in my mind versus Selene's assured dominance—but guilt only fueled the fire.
She pushed me toward the bedroom, our clothes scattering like discarded defenses. On the king-sized bed, she straddled me, peeling off her remaining layers until she was bare, her body lithe and commanding above me. "I want you inside me," she said, positioning herself, her wetness sliding over my length before she sank down slowly, inch by inch. The sensation was overwhelming—tight, hot, enveloping. I thrust up instinctively, my hands gripping her hips as she rode me, her breasts bouncing with each movement. She leaned forward, her nails digging into my chest, leaving faint red marks as she quickened the pace. "Harder, Elias. Give me everything." Sweat slicked our skin, the room filled with the sounds of our bodies colliding, her moans mixing with my ragged breaths. I flipped her onto her back, driven by a surge of need, pounding into her as she wrapped her legs around me, pulling me deeper. Her eyes locked on mine, vulnerable for a split second before pleasure overtook her—her body tensed, clenching around me as she came, a sharp cry escaping her lips. That pushed me over the edge; I followed moments later, spilling into her with a groan, the release a mix of ecstasy and shame.
We collapsed, tangled in sheets that smelled of luxury and regret.
Afterward, we lay in her bed, the city lights casting shadows across the ceiling. I couldn't process what had just happened. I'd slept with Selene. My boss. Aurelia's mother. The woman who'd threatened to destroy me if I crossed a line with her daughter. And I'd crossed a completely different line instead. Selene was lying next to me, one arm draped across my chest, her breathing steady. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly. "I don't know." "That's honest." She propped herself up on one elbow to look at me. "I need to know you understand what this is." "What is it?" "An arrangement. You tutor Aurelia. You maintain appropriate boundaries with her. And when she's occupied, when I need... this... you come to me." She traced a finger along my collarbone. "No emotions. No complications. No expectations beyond what we agree to." "That's not how people work." "It's how I work. And it's how you need to work if this is going to continue." Her eyes locked onto mine. "I'll pay you. Beyond your tutoring salary. Enough that you won't have to work your other jobs. Enough that you can focus on school and your family and not worry about money." "You're paying me for sex." "I'm compensating you for your time and discretion. The sex is just part of the arrangement." She sat up, the sheet falling away. She didn't bother covering herself. "I'm not going to pretend this is romantic, Elias. I'm not going to lie and say I'm falling in love with you. This is transactional. But it's also real. What we just did, I haven't done with anyone in years. Not since my divorce." "Why me?" "Because you're safe. You need me as much as I need you. And because despite everything, I trust you." She leaned down and kissed me again. Softer this time. "So what do you say? Do we have an understanding?" I stared at the ceiling, my mind racing. This was wrong. Every part of it was wrong. But it was also a solution. To my money problems. To the constant stress. To the weight of responsibility that had been crushing me since the eviction notice. And if I said no, I'd lose everything. The job. The money. Probably any chance of finishing school. "How much?" I asked. She smiled. "Practical. I like that." She stood and walked over to her closet, pulling out a robe. "I'll double your tutoring salary. $1,000 a week. Plus bonuses when I need you for... extended sessions." $1,000 a week. $4,000 a month. That was everything. That was freedom. "And Aurelia?" "What about her?" "Does she ever find out?" "Not if we're careful. And I'm always careful." She walked back over to the bed. "You'll tutor her. Be her friend. Help her grow. But you'll never be her boyfriend. That door is closed. Do you understand?" My chest ached. "Yeah. I understand." "Good." She pulled an envelope from her robe pocket and handed it to me. "This week's payment. And a bonus for today." I opened it. $2,000 in cash. "Get dressed. Marcus will drive you back to campus. Same time tomorrow for Aurelia's session." She leaned down and kissed my forehead. Almost maternal. "You made the right choice, Elias. Even if it doesn't feel like it yet." The drive back to campus was torture. I sat in the back of the car, the envelope of cash in my pocket, and tried not to throw up. What had I done? I'd slept with Selene. For money. While having feelings for her daughter. I was the worst person alive. But I was also $2,000 richer. And my family wouldn't be evicted. And I could breathe for the first time in months. When Marcus dropped me off at my dorm, I went straight to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. My phone buzzed. A text from Aurelia. Aurelia: Are you feeling better? Mother said you were sick. I was worried. My hands shook as I typed back. Me: Yeah. Just needed rest. I'll be there tomorrow. Promise. Aurelia: Good. I missed you today. See you tomorrow. I stared at the message until my vision blurred. Then I walked back to my room, hid the money under my mattress, and lay down fully clothed. Jake came in an hour later, took one look at me, and said, "Dude, you look like death. You okay?" "No," I said. "Want to talk about it?" "No." "Okay. Let me know if you change your mind." He put on his headphones and left me alone. And I lay there in the dark, wondering how I'd become the kind of person who could do what I'd just done. And knowing, deep down, that I'd do it again. Because I needed the money. Because Selene was right. Because I was desperate. And desperate people make terrible choices.