Beneath the Surface

Chapter 2: The Proposition

Sophia stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom, her fingers gripping the edge of the dresser, her reflection staring back at her with cold, hard eyes. Her pulse still raced from the events of the previous night. She had left Nicholas’ mansion late, her mind swirling with emotions she couldn’t name, with desires she hadn’t been able to suppress.

Even now, hours later, her body still remembered his touch, his voice, the way he’d whispered to her, promising to show her something deeper something darker.

She hadn’t let go entirely. Not yet. But she had wanted to. God, how she had wanted to.

She hated herself for it.

Sophia had always prided herself on her control on being the woman who could keep everything in check, who never let emotions or desires dictate her actions. And yet, Nicholas had unraveled that control with nothing more than a few whispered words, a few calculated touches.

He had seen through her, had known her in ways no one else ever had, and she hated how deeply that affected her.

But she also craved it.

Her phone buzzed on the dresser, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen and saw his name. *Nicholas Kane.* Her fingers hovered over the phone for a moment, her mind torn between answering and ignoring him. But she knew she wouldn’t ignore him. She couldn’t.

With a deep breath, she picked up the phone and answered. “Hello.”

“Sophia,” Nicholas’ voice was smooth, like silk sliding over her skin. “I trust you slept well.”

She hadn’t. She’d spent the night tossing and turning, her mind replaying every moment they had shared. But she wasn’t going to admit that to him.

“I slept fine,” she lied, her voice even.

Nicholas chuckled softly. “You’re lying again.”

Sophia clenched her jaw, frustration bubbling up inside her. How did he always know? How could he always read her so easily?

“Did you call for a reason, or are you just here to dissect my sleep habits?” she snapped, needing to regain some semblance of control in the conversation.

“I called because I have a proposition for you,” Nicholas said, ignoring her sharp tone. “A proposition I think you’ll want to consider.”

Sophia’s heart skipped a beat. “What kind of proposition?”

“A week,” he said simply. “Spend a week with me. Seven days. During that time, I will push you further than you’ve ever gone before. I will show you things about yourself that you’ve spent your entire life denying. In exchange, I will offer you complete freedom. Freedom from control. Freedom from the mask you wear so carefully.”

Sophia’s pulse quickened. The idea was both terrifying and thrilling. A week with Nicholas. Seven days where she would surrender herself to him completely. The thought alone made her knees weak, but it also sent a spike of fear through her chest. Could she do that? Could she give him that much power over her?

“And what happens after that?” she asked, her voice softer now, unsure.

“That’s up to you,” Nicholas replied. “You can walk away at the end of the week, or you can stay. The choice will always be yours, Sophia. I will never force you to do anything you don’t want to do. But I think, by the end of it, you’ll realize that surrender is not weakness. It’s freedom.”

Sophia’s mind raced. The logical part of her screamed that this was a bad idea, that she should end the call right now and never speak to Nicholas again. But there was another part of her a darker, more primal part that wanted to say yes. That wanted to know what it would feel like to let go, to give in to the desires she had spent years suppressing.