Chapter 44 A Dangerous Liaison

• "Do you think you can handle it, Jasmine?" His tone was silk, a fraction too certain, as he slid the contract across the highly polished, mahogany table towards me. I eased my body back into my chair and raised my eyes to his face, looking for a flicker of hesitation, one droplet of doubt, but found nothing but the smug certainty of a man who knew exactly what he was getting.
• I can handle more than you think, I replied back and held his gaze unflinchingly. The tips of my fingers brushed the edge of the paper, and it was as if the weight of the decision that lay before me settled in at the same time. There was something thrilling about this, this dance of power and control, this silent agreement we had that we were both stepping into unsafe territory.
• He leaned a little farther over the table, not removing his eyes from mine, and smirked. "Good. Because I'm not into half-measures, Jasmine. I want all of you.