Annabeth's POV

Bound. Gagged. Spanked. Whipped.

These words cascaded through my mind like a rolling tide, and I winced slightly as I added mental images to each of them involuntarily.

Why did my technical-sort-of-boss have to resemble Ashton Kutcher from No Strings Attached? Why couldn't he have a flaw that turned me off? A receding hairline. Bad teeth. Anything!

I had worked way too hard to get here. I'd overcome so much. All those late nights in university slaving away. Why the fuck was I even considering jeoperdizing it to be the personal plaything of Percy Jackson?

A sub. For God's sake.

I hadn't even had a good fuck in years. Not since I was eighteen.

It was a secret I definitely didn't shout out from the rooftops, especially being a young woman in this line of work. There was no room for vulnerability, for weakness, in boardrooms.

But now, I was contemplating submitting to this man's whims.

My sort-of-boss's whims.

I didn't quite know what his proposition entailed, but my intrigue was undeniable.

Maybe if…

"Wouldn't you agree with that, Annabeth?"

Calvin's voice suddenly crashed over the shore of my thoughts in jarring waves.

"Absolutely!" I blurted out, subtly trying to keep my cool as if I hadn't just come back from a different world. The droning of Calvin and our business partners detailing and discussing the hotel progress had seemed so distant.

Shit!

I had forgotten I was in a meeting.

"Great." Calvin eyed me. "I think we should finalize the tile first, and then the rest of the interior design can be properly implemented. This way, we have a base idea of the look," he finished.

"That is one-hundred percent the best move," I answered, trying to save myself. But Calvin just gave me a look that said, you're full of shit, and turned back to the two middle-aged partners.

"Brilliant, then that's the direction we'll focus our attention on in the coming months," one said as he rose from his seat. "Keep us updated if there's a change in the plan."

As the two men left, I stood and straightened my dress, trying my best to ignore Calvin's knowing gaze. Christ. Nico gave you one job, Annabeth. One job!

"Where's your head at, doll?" Calvin asked, as we exited the boardroom, wasting no time on his interrogation as he loosened his tie knot and checked his slicked hair in a mirror.

It amazed me how this man had the confidence to give me a pet name without any reciprocation of his constant flirting, but I was so mentally exhausted I really didn't care at this point.

"What do you mean? I asked, defensively, still trying to pretend I had no idea what he was talking about.

"The meeting. You were off."

"I wasn't off…I'm just…just…"

"Overwhelmed?" he guessed, his sharp voice stabbing right into my ego.

He turned around, those crystal blue eyes landing on me. As a nearby elevator dinged, I thought about tearing into Calvin, using battle tactics as my defense mechanism.

But for some reason, I just sighed.

"Okay, you got me. I'm a little overwhelmed."

It was true. I couldn't get my mind off Percy since he'd left me gawking in the lobby the night prior.

"First trip to Italy and then straight into meeting," Calvin recounted. "I get it. You need a breather. Percy is having a trip down memory lane today, visiting some old iconic spots and property vineyards."

Calvin took a step closer to me, his eyes still locked on mine. But even though I was sure those eyes had worked on countless women before me, I felt nothing as he continued his flirting.

"What do you say you and I have lunch at the Il Piacere just outside the grounds? I know the cooks. I'll make sure they feed you right. They have amazing wine."

And there it was.

Calvin is trying to get with me. His flirting in the car wasn't just playful banter.

But then again, a little distraction for my mind—the mind that was currently filled with illicit thoughts of my sort-of-boss—wouldn't be so bad.

"Sure. That sounds nice, Mr. Walters."

It's not like you have to sleep with him

Calvin smiled slyly.

"Fantastico. Let's meet around two-ish, doll," he said, checking his silver Rolex before continuing down the corridor. "And wear something nice."

Trying not to worry what Percy would think, I stepped into the elevator and headed to my suite to get ready.

Percy's POV

The breeze was nice. I relished in the warm sunbeams on my face. The chirping of mating birds. The soft path beneath my feet. You really start to appreciate the texture of the world when you can't see a damn thing.

The vineyards were as I had hoped, well-kept and flourishing. My two guides had detailed everything for me before I requested some time alone. The faint red dots I could make out alongside the path, which I knew to be grapes, would guide me back to the property.

Marinating in my own pain and pity was something I'd done all too often recently. This simple walk through the countryside was bringing me back to life. I reached for one of the grapes but quickly withdrew my hand back in pricking pain.

Fuck. Thorn.

I put my finger in my mouth to suck the dripping blood, and then reached for the grape again, this time successfully picking it off the vine. I thought briefly of squashing the damn thing beneath my foot, but I tempered my rage, eating the grape and savoring the juice.

I can barely see fuck at all. But I can feel. I can taste. I'm not dead.

I'd lost so much recently. My sight. Rachel, my wife, and therefore my sub.

I wouldn't let my daughter be taken by the courts, too.

She was the only good thing left in my life. Well, her, and the intriguing new hire.

Flowing locks. Voice of a nymph. A slim yet curvaceous silhouette I could just about make out in the light. She had strutted into the company out of nowhere thanks to Nico, and now, he had her calling the shots.

I fucking hated the idea of her replacing me. But the more I watched her in action, the more she impressed me.

I wanted to dominate her. Needed to Fuck her senseless. Make her lose all control. Inappropriate in my position? Yes, maybe. But this woman captivated me. I wanted to woo her properly. If I was going to cross a boundary, however, I needed to see some reciprocation. And her lack of reciprocation was driving me insane.

But the more my mind went crazy, the more my feelings intensified, and the harder it was to be without her.

I need to make her mine.

I'd kissed her the other night and told her of my desire to make her my submissive. And now, I was sick of waiting for her response.

Continuing down the vineyard path, I took a deep breath and pulled my phone out of my pocket.

She'd agree.

Annabeth's POV

Is the food really this good? Or does everything just taste amazing the first time you're in Italy?

I let the thought quickly pass by as I chewed my veal parmigiana. The waiter topped off my wine. I thanked him politely as he skillfully turned the bottle to prevent any drip.

"Ma prego. You're welcome," he said, nimbly switching from Italian to English before he moved onto another table.

"How's your food?" Calvin asked, talking a smug delight in introducing me to the good life.

"Amazing. This place is unbelievable."

"It really is," he said. "I was thinking, mauve we could come back to Italy some time, just the two of us—"

My phone buzzed before he could finish his incredibly inappropriate invitation. "Hold on." I said, thankful for the interruption. I checked the screen, and my heart sank and fluttered all at once.

Percy: Calvin texted me you two went for lunch. Come outside.

Percy: Now. Not later.

Annabeth: What about Calvin?

Percy: No. Just you. Come now.

As I exited the restaurant, I felt my cheeks burn up at the sight of the gorgeous man leaning against a waiting limo.

"Get in, mio piccolo topo," Percy said, calmly. "We're going for a drive."

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