Alpha Cassano

My heart was pounding like a wild horse running in a vast meadow. My palms are starting to sweat, and I've been nervous since half an hour ago. I squeeze the bright red dress I'm wearing tonight at the thighs as I sit on the edge of the king-size bed. I'm waiting for someone I don't know when to arrive in the luxurious suite of a downtown hotel, hoping that person can improve my career at the office soon.

I needed a promotion to better fund my life, and my assistant manager at the office was offering me that opportunity. I looked at the clock on my cell phone. It was eight o'clock at night and ten minutes, which was more than the allotted time for me to wait for the person who would negotiate with me and help me take some tests.

"Where is that person? Have I been tricked?" I restlessly asked myself. The dress I wore tonight was quite revealing. The assistant manager who offered me this opportunity said I should look stunning in front of the person giving me this fantastic opportunity.

Tired of being alone in this luxury suite, I explored the place. I knew that the nightly price of this luxury suite was equivalent to a few months, maybe even a year's salary. Being a contract employee in a big company was nothing to be proud of, as my employment status could be relinquished at any time, and I also had a short contract deadline.

Meanwhile, I had a mother who was in a coma in the hospital and needed medical money. I exhaled loudly, thinking of all the burdens I had to bear at 27.

The cold night wind made me reluctant to approach the balcony; I stopped a few steps away from the balcony door and then heard the door to this room open. I turned around and waited to see who would emerge from the bedroom. I was surprised by a handsome man with a sharp gaze that locked onto my movements.

Was he the man who would give me that good chance?

My common sense didn't answer, but my instinct told me he was the one.

"Congratulations, Miss Alexandra. You have the opportunity to have an unforgettable experience with me tonight. I will make you sweat tonight." The man stepped closer to me, each step setting off alarm bells in my head.

I was shocked by his vulgar words. I took a small step back to avoid the danger coming my way. This man's gaze seemed to strip me naked and made my body feel hot.

"I'm here to-"

"We're going to have fun tonight, darling; you don't have to doubt I'll fulfil my promise." The man managed to arrive before me without giving me a chance to go further. We were only an inch apart, and I could inhale the scent of his musk, which teased my nerves. An unfamiliar sensation ran through my body when his hand touched my waist and brought my body closer to his.

I couldn't avoid the kiss between us, but when his hands were about to undo the straps of my dress, I quickly moved away and created some distance.

No! It is wrong; this is not what I want.

"I'm here for the deal my boss told me, not for anything else." I stared at the man seriously without trying to blink. The man furrowed his brow momentarily, and I caught him not understanding what I was saying.

"A deal? Look, young lady, I'm also here because of a 1 million dollar deal with your boss. So, don't waste my time talking about unnecessary things, refusing for example." The man stuffed both hands into the pockets of his fine trousers, matching the slim fit suit that fit his body perfectly.

A figure full of charisma, strength and power capable of captivating any woman, but I didn't come to be the umpteenth woman for him. I was surprised by the value the man mentioned.

1 million dollars? What an asshole!

I couldn't escape his reach because I was shocked by the man's words. That quickly grabbed my body and carried me to the bed.

"Hey, put me down! What do you want? I didn't come here to sleep with you! I'm here to-"

My lips were again silenced by a kiss that damn well left me speechless for several minutes. The touch of the man's hand beneath my dress was intoxicating, making my heart beat rapidly, and my blood sing in my veins as I welcomed this unfamiliar sensation.

When I had the presence of mind to stop this man from stripping me, I inched back from him on this spacious bed and pulled the covers up to cover my already half-exposed body.

"The deal is not like this. But if you want to talk again about my offer I'm willing." I looked at the man with an earnest gaze, confused and also scared.

We were silent for a moment, staring at each other. I waited anxiously, holding the blanket in front of my chest.

"Alright, then, let's renew the deal. I'll give you 2 million dollars and 3 requests from you, but in exchange, you have to give birth to a child for me, and that child will be mine." The man looked at me with a sharp gaze. My heart seemed to want to jump out at the crazy offer.

But 2 million dollars?! That's a lot of money, and it can solve my mother's medical problem in no time at all; plus, there are three requests I can make. However, bearing a child for him was impossible unless I was foolish enough to give myself entirely to this man I did not know but felt familiar with.

"How about it, young lady? That is my best offer to you. If you refuse, there will be consequences." The man was cheating, and I, who this situation had trapped, had to try to get out in one piece.

"What are the consequences?"

The man smiled with a smile that contained cunning.

"You have to reimburse one million dollars from the deal I made with your boss because you rejected me." So quickly and calmly did the man say it, and my body instantly stiffened. I didn't know how much money I would ever accumulate with my current job.

I swallowed compulsively. It wasn't fair, but I was here now, and the only choice I could make was to accept the new deal, as I couldn't recoup one million dollars.

I wanted to cry, but my tears couldn't come out; I could only stare at this blanket blankly.

"What if it turns out that I can't give you a child later?" That question suddenly popped into my mind, and I wanted to ask it.

The man inched closer to me, and I tightened my grip on the blanket, which covered my body even more.

"We haven't tried it yet, Young Lady, but if it happens later I will give you half the money from this deal and I will let you go." The man's words were like a whisper from the devil, seducing me not to reject this offer. My mind was in turmoil, and our intimate closeness made me lose control in an instant.

"I, Alpha Lucas Cassano, never break a promise, Young Lady. If you agree to our deal, you will be under my protection, and you will not be able to leave unless I want you to." This man is mighty, and I don't have enough guts and strength to resist him.

Lucas grabs my lips and kisses them again. It's a deep kiss, and I'm instantly lost in his charm and power. The name is familiar to me, but my mind is in a stupor and unable to think any further after Lucas manages to make me lose myself in his touch and kisses on my body.

I couldn't help but sigh as the man with a handsome face and firm jaw touched me with gentle touches all over my body. Inside this luxurious limousine car, we continued the intimacy that had just been created between us. And strangely, I just fell under his spell. Call me stupid and too naive, but I couldn't resist him. His warm hands began to undo the straps of the dress I was wearing so that the upper part of my body began to be visible to him.

I sighed deliciously and trembled as his lips savored every inch of my skin until he was at the cleavage of my breasts, both my hands gripping the collar of the shirt he was currently wearing.

"You smell so seductive, Natalia...."

The way he says my name is like he's caressing each letter, so sexy and full of the promise of pleasure. My common sense starts to sink in as I want to play a satisfying game between us. I seemed to be turning into another person at this moment. I ventured to take off the shirt he was wearing, and I felt his firm muscles in the palm of my hand. And his exotic skin was so sexy and mesmerizing. As his sharp black eyes of an eagle gazed at me, I seemed to sink deeply into a different dimension of time.

"You shall be mine tonight by patent," he said, to which I replied, "Do as you wish, my lord."

I don't know what got into me that I quickly let myself and my virginity be taken by him tonight. His black eyes were so hot with passion that I was eager to follow his every play. I sat on his lap as he straddled me, and I felt him down there, ready to enter me.

"Give me that satisfaction," he said sensually in my ear. My breath came in short gasps as we fused perfectly down there. Until I reached the highest peak of our play, I exhaled as I felt my body being crushed by the release that, for the first time, felt so sweet but cruel simultaneously.

We continued our play in one of the suites at another luxury hotel, on a wide, king-sized bed until early morning. I fell asleep from exhaustion and woke up to the faint sound of my cell phone alarm. I turned to my other side and found a man with a handsome face fast asleep beside me. My head throbbed with pain, making me grimace as I put my hand down to massage it gently. I saw our clothes scattered near the bed.

I need to get out of here quickly.

My mind said the order out loud. Enduring all the pain I felt in my body, I put my clothes back on. Since my dress last night was so revealing, I had to find other clothes to cover my overly exposed upper body, and there was only the man's white shirt. Finally, I put it on and quickly left the room after picking up my clutch from the nightstand.

It was seven a.m., and I was still in a daze, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"What have I done?" I muttered in frustration. Making love to a man I didn't know wasn't part of my life plan. I rushed to shower slowly, and the memory of what I experienced a few hours ago returned. Under the warm water, I clearly remembered that the man who made love to me last night was the man who had bought me for a million dollars.

After showering and getting dressed, I went to the office. In the afternoon, I was going to the hospital to pay off my mother's treatment fees, which had been delayed for a month because I hadn't been able to collect the money. When I arrived at the office, I looked around for Diva, but when I asked one of the staff, she had already resigned today.

"What? Diva resigned today?" I asked incredulously. Lisa, one of my seductive friends, nodded when I asked about Diva. I exhaled and collapsed into a heap. But at least she had paid me a lot of money.

"Are you okay, Nat?" Lisa snapped me out of thinking about Diva and the events I'd experienced in less than 24 hours. I nodded and tried to focus on work again. Luckily, a performance evaluation was today, so I was distracted.

Lisa invites me to take a lunch break together at the office cafeteria. Still, as we're about to use the employee elevator, I'm surprised by my encounter with a familiar black-eyed man. I could only stand still momentarily as I stared at the man; my eyes widened in shock. The man was inside the elevator, and I was outside.

"Got you!" the man said, waking me from my frozen state. I ran away before the man left the elevator, leaving Lisa, who called out to me. I ran to the restroom and entered one of the cubicles.

Oh my God, it's the same guy who spent a hot night with me last night. I squeezed my shirt around my chest to neutralize my drastically increased heart rate.

"Wait, I know that guy, he's..., oh my god, he's Lucas Cassano."

At the mention of his name, I was even more worried. Lucas Cassano was the CEO of the company I was currently working for. I sat on the closed toilet with both hands gripping my hair. I wish this fact weren't actual, but I'm here now.

I decided not to eat lunch because my mind was in turmoil. When Lisa asked me why I ran away earlier, I replied with a clichéd excuse.

"I had to pee. I'm sorry for suddenly leaving you alone," I said earnestly. When it was time to go home, I hurriedly gathered my things and left for the hospital. However, as I passed through the main door of this office building, a black sedan stopped in front of me, and the windshield came down. I was surprised again.

"Come up, we need to talk," Lucas ordered, momentarily causing me to freeze in shock.

"Do I need to carry you to get in here?"

The question jolted me, and I immediately complied. While in the car, we kept quiet; I didn't want to start any conversation with him either.

"From now on you're mine, Natalia," Lucas said, breaking the silence between us. Suddenly, I turned to him with a look of protest.

"No! You got what you wanted last night, didn't you?! So the business between us is over," I pointed out, not wanting to make any business happen between us. I turned back towards the highway outside the window.

"You think so? Unfortunately, I am currently your owner and you already agreed to that before you went on stage last night, right?!"

I swallowed dryly. This time, I gripped the skirt at the top of my thighs. Lucas was right again; that document was his receipt.

Oh my God, how could I be this stupid?

I'm cursing myself right now for losing my intelligence because of some money.

"So, what do you want?" I asked without flinching.

"I think we need to discuss this once more to clarify your duties and rights as well as my responsibilities as your owner."

I was silent and felt like I was throwing myself into the deep sea right now rather than being owned by any man in this way.

"Where are you going?" asked Lucas, momentarily changing the subject.

"To Vicenna Hospital," I replied, remembering my original destination.

"Are you sick?" asked Lucas as he placed his hand on my cheek and forehead. I tried to avoid him, but to no avail; his touch on my skin caused a strange feeling I had never felt before.

"No, not me but my mom."

I had to be honest with him. If I lied, it would be even worse.

"I'll take you there."

I was grateful that Lucas didn't want to know more. Arriving at the front yard of Vicenna Hospital, I was about to get out when I opened the car door. I was surprised by Lucas' quickness in pulling my wrist, so I turned towards him and kissed him. His other hand locked my head at the back to press my lips deeper into his lips and tongue. The sensations I felt as we went through a night of passion last night returned. , this activity almost intoxicated me, but Lucas stopped me first.

"I'll see you at my house tonight. Come over. We need to talk about some things," he said after the sensational, hot, passionate kiss ended. I didn't say anything or agree; I just turned away and exited his car.

Oh, shit! Why does he have to be so seductive and dangerous simultaneously?

Three years passed after the accident that left my mother in a coma until recently. I struggled alone to support her. My father had left me and my mother since I was three months old. My mom raised me without a father by working as kitchen staff in a star hotel. When I had just finished my college degree in marketing management, that's when the unfortunate event happened.

Luckily, I graduated with honors and was accepted to work at Lucas Cassano's multinational Queency Corporation. The company specializes in cosmetics and beauty and men's and women's skincare products.

"Natalia, it's good to see you today."

Doctor Daniel's voice made me shift my gaze towards the door and smile at the handsome doctor.

"Nice to see you, too, Doctor, I'm here to pay the bill," I admitted, and Doctor Daniel smiled.

"The team of doctors just had a meeting to discuss your mother's condition, and if there is no improvement in her condition the hospital will stop her treatment. This is already the third year."

Doctor Daniel's words made me exhale loudly. It felt like I couldn't let go of the only person who had always been in my life. I didn't want my mother to leave without saying goodbye to me. I swallowed dryly and tried to drown out the pain in my heart at the moment.

I nodded and said, "I understand, Doctor."

"I hope your mother can open her eyes again," Doctor Daniel said, which made me smile in sadness. In a way, I knew that everything would end with me being alone. Doctor Daniel left after saying his goodbyes. I also left a few minutes after kissing the top of my mother's head and saying goodbye.

I sat at the bus stop, waiting for the last bus. No one was with me here, and it wasn't even late at night. But this is Manhattan, a city that's not devoid of people. After waiting a few seconds, a car's headlights dazzled my eyes from the right. The sedan stopped in front of me, and a man in a neat black suit got out of the driver's seat and opened the passenger door for me.

"Please, My Lady, Mr. Cassano is waiting for you at his apartment," said the man I assumed was Lucas's confidant. I got up from my seat with a reluctant movement and got into the car. All the way, my mind was racing, but I was honestly feeling nervous.

Calm down, Nat; you're just going to meet your boss, who unluckily is the man who managed to take your virginity after buying you for two million dollars.

I exhaled loudly. Instead of calming down, my nervousness seemed to want to crush me. After a few minutes of driving, I finally arrived at an apartment building that cost as much as a year's salary per unit. When I exited the car, my legs were suddenly unsteady, but I could still balance my body so as not to fall.

"Come with me, My Lady."

My heart pounded with an uncomfortable thumping until we reached the 50th floor. A spacious living room with a glass wall that gave me a bird's eye view of Manhattan. There wasn't much in the room, just a soft, dark grey sofa set with large, rectangular cushions. An aesthetic chandelier and an abstract painting that I don't know whose work it is.

"Please take a seat, My Lady, Mr. Cassano will see you shortly," said the man who had brought me to this place. I sat down slowly while still looking around, then pondered nervously. I bit my lower lip on the inside. My mind replayed the hot night I had with Lucas, and it embarrassed me, but on the other hand, it was my first experience with a man that I couldn't put into words.

"Ms.Alexandra, welcome to my home Thank you for fulfilling my request to see me."

Lucas's baritone voice, which I didn't hear often, startled me and broke my trance of our hot night. I lifted my face to look at him and smiled at him, but my face was so stiff that even smiling was difficult. Hopefully, my smile doesn't look weird.

Lucas sits on the single sofa opposite me. I gaze back to my hands, clutching my skirt above my thighs.

"Shall we get straight to the point?" asked Lucas, which made me look at him from behind my lashes. I noticed he was rubbing his chin slowly with his index finger and staring in the other direction, thinking, I guess.

"With all due respect, Mr. Cassano, I don't want anything to do with you," I said because I couldn't stand the silence, which only made me more nervous. However, instead of feeling better, I regretted saying that.

Was I going to get fired from the company? Oh, my God, please, not that one.

"You have two choices, Ms. Alexandra. First, you must become mine completely based on the waiver you signed at the auction and I will give you the rules as long as you are mine. Second, you will receive your one million dollars but you will be fired from my office and I will make sure that you will not be able to work in any corner of Manhattan or anywhere else. You are free to move on with your life."

My heart was beating uncomfortably, a difficult choice. A million dollars was only enough for a few years without working, but my mother needed maintenance. If I didn't work at a company, my life would end up being homeless.

Oh, my God, this man has no mercy.

I swallowed dryly and decided on the choice I was about to make.

"If I become your property, will I just be a lust object and be called upon when the need arises?" I asked, then looked back at Lucas from behind my eyes. Unfortunately, he was also looking at me; when our eyes met, my chest felt tight, as if I had to submit to his power. I quickly lowered my gaze again. A woman, who I guessed was a servant in this house, brought me a cup of tea. She placed the cup of tea on the table before me and left without saying anything.

"More or less, I see, Miss Alexandra, but I will be a little generous to you."

My other self rolled her eyes and then spat to the side. I'm unlucky now; I never expected to be a cheap woman like this.

"Then, when you get tired of me you'll dump me, is that it?" I asked again, this time my gaze falling on the tea that was billowing smoke in front of me. I stared at it without blinking.

"It's more or less like that, but actually I have another goal besides just wanting to make love to you. I want you to bear a child for me and that child will be mine."

Hearing that, I quickly stood up and poured hot tea on Lucas' face. I stared at the man with a hateful gaze.

"Just give me my one million dollars, and you can find another woman besides me to play with, Mr. Cassano. Good night," I snarled and left the apartment of that arrogant asshole.

I can't live like that. Even if I have to end up a hobo later, so be it. I don't want to feel guilty about my mother.