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When she finished, she was breathing hard, but she felt oing to reject her, he had to reject her Not some polished version of herself she’d created to seem more powerful, ht back to the surface

The girl who had had unreserved enjoyairl she’d stuffed down and hidden to avoid getting hurt Well, now she was standing with everything out in the open, vulnerable, easily destroyed But she had to do it For him For them

“This has been an enjoyable arrangement for me,” he said, his voice monotone “I hate to see it end However, it’s clear to me that it must”

She wanted to screa down her cheek He was hiding Hiding still Behind a mask Behind his scars

“You knoe can’t really go back,” she said “We’ll never go back to how things were We were stupid, Ferro We thought ould control it, but it controlled us”

“I’ll go back,” he said, his voice hard “Like it never happened, cara Because that’s what I do Sex is nothing to ”

“You don’t mean that Not with me”

“As you’ve been such a good lover, I would like to increase your pay him, internally, not to do this But he continued He bent down and picked up the coht with hi I have collected on your company over the past five years Some of it I haven’t even looked at yet It was for use at a later date After our peaceable ter it to you With the pro Anfalas down You’re safe from me”

He extended the folder to her, as if he expected her to take it and thank him for it

“I don’t want it,” she said

“That’s not how this works, Julia You gaveyou payment”

“I gave you my damn soul, Ferro You can’t buy that”