Stone Rich: Her 1st Experience

Chapter Nineteen: Let the Games Begin

Sebastien's chest rose and fell beneath Malaya as he stared up at her, a flicker of surprise barely concealed in his narrowed gaze. Did she really think she could keep him here, keep him under control? The thought ignited something in him—a dangerous curiosity, mixed with a surge of frustration. As she settled her weight over him, her warmth permeated through the thin layers of his clothes, making it almost impossible to ignore the growing tension between them.

Her fingers trailed along his jaw, her face dangerously close to his, and she whispered, almost a dare, "Let the games begin." The command in her voice, smooth but laced with steel, caught him off guard. Malaya wasn't merely pushing him; she was throwing down the gauntlet, a challenge that resonated deep within his gut. His pulse spiked.

Her tone sharpened, breaking his thoughts. "First, you will honor your contract. Stone Industries will complete the housing development on time, no delays, and no hidden fees to my company."

Sebastien cocked an eyebrow, a wicked grin stretching his lips. She thought this was her victory lap, her moment of control, and she was leaning fully into it. Sliding his hands up her thighs, he felt her muscles tense beneath his fingers. Her dress—the barely-there scrap of fabric she dared to call a dress—wasn't doing either of them any favors.

He shifted his hips, pressing against her, feeling the friction grow between them. "Not going to happen, Malaya," he murmured, his voice low and gravelly, each word slow, deliberate. "Do you even know how much that would cost me?" His lips traced a path from her neck to her collarbone, tasting her skin, savoring her reaction.

She pulled back, forcing his hands away as she adjusted herself on his lap. Crossing her arms, which only accentuated the curve of her chest, she tilted her head, narrowing her gaze. "Why did you decide to target HER Enterprises?" Her voice cut through the charged atmosphere, laced with an authority that caught him off guard.

Sebastien's hands itched to pull her close, to erase the distance her question created. But he kept his gaze locked with hers, weighing his response. Honesty slipped out before he could reconsider, an answer raw and unfiltered. "Because you were a threat," he admitted, his voice unexpectedly hoarse. "HER Enterprises has the kind of power that gets in the way. And I don't let anyone get in my way."

A flicker of something he couldn't quite decipher passed over her face—disappointment, betrayal, maybe more. She rose from his lap abruptly, her movements swift and decisive, stepping back until she stood near the door. The air between them had shifted, the intensity taking on a different shape. The power play, the attraction—they were still there, but now laced with something much heavier.

"Is that all I am to you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it hit him like a punch to the gut. Before he could reach for her, say something to pull her back, she slipped through the door, her expression unreadable but hauntingly final.

Sebastien sprang to his feet, the emptiness of the room weighing on him instantly. He could still feel the warmth of her on his skin, the lingering scent of her perfume making it harder to breathe. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to shake off the fog of frustration and anger that had clouded his mind since she'd walked in. She was supposed to be the obstacle in his path, the competitor, nothing more.

Pushing the door open, he bolted down the dim corridor, his footsteps echoing through the quiet of the club's back rooms. Turning the corner, he spotted Jack standing by the exit, arms folded, his gaze steady.

"Where is she?" Sebastien's voice was rough, nearly a growl, the words tumbling out of him in a rage he could barely contain.

Jack raised a brow, his expression calm, even a little sympathetic. "Gone." The single word hung in the air, and Sebastien felt its impact, sinking into him with an unexpected weight.

For the first time in years, he felt an emptiness he hadn't anticipated, a hole he wasn't sure he knew how to fill.