The packages arrived at noon exactly, just as Adrian had promised.
Nina stared at the tower of boxes blocking her dorm room door, elegant logos embossed on each one designers she'd only ever seen in magazines carried by girls whose families owned vacation homes.
"Holy shit," Keisha breathed, emerging from her side of their shared room. "Did you rob a boutique?"
"It's… complicated." Nina dragged the boxes inside, her stomach churning with equal parts excitement and dread.
"Complicated how? Girl, these are from Marcella's. Do you know how much a dress from there costs?" Keisha picked up one of the boxes, eyes wide. "What the hell is going on?"
Nina sank onto her bed, the weight of her decision settling over her. She'd barely slept, kept awake by the memory of Adrian's dark eyes and the reality of what she'd agreed to.
"I got a job," she said finally. "Kind of. As a… companion."
Keisha's expression shifted from excitement to concern. "Companion? Nina, please tell me you're not"
"It's not like that. Just attending events, dinners, things like that." The explanation sounded hollow even to her own ears. "It's temporary. Just to get through the semester."
"Events with who?"
Nina hesitated too long.
"Oh my God." Keisha's voice dropped to a horrified whisper. "Is it one of those Moretti guys? Nina, are you insane?"
"I didn't have a choice!" The words burst out sharper than intended. "My tuition was due in two days. My family can't help. I was out of options."
"So you sold yourself to the mob?"
"I didn't sell anything. It's a job. A transaction." But even as Nina said it, she remembered the way Adrian had looked at her, the heat in his gaze, the promise in his words: If something happens between us, it'll be because we both want it.
Keisha sat beside her, voice softening. "Look, I get that you were desperate. But these men are dangerous. People disappear around them. You can't seriously think"
"I know what I'm doing." Nina didn't, not really, but she needed to believe it. "It's one semester. Then I'm done."
"That's what everyone thinks." Keisha squeezed her hand. "Just… be careful, okay? Don't let him make you into someone you're not."
After Keisha left for class, Nina opened the boxes with trembling hands.
Inside the first was a dress that made her breath catch deep emerald silk that shimmered in the afternoon light, with a neckline that would skim her collarbones and a hem that would fall just above her knees. Elegant without being ostentatious. Expensive without screaming it.
The second box held shoes simple black heels, designer but understated. The third contained a clutch, delicate gold jewelry, even lingerie in her exact size.
Heat flooded her cheeks at the intimacy of it. He'd guessed her measurements perfectly, which meant he'd been paying far more attention than she'd realized.
A small card lay at the bottom of the last box, thick cream paper with two words in bold script: Wear green.
Nina spent the rest of the afternoon in a daze, trying to study but finding her eyes drifting to the dress hanging on her closet door. At six, she showered, taking extra time with her hair, her makeup telling herself it was just professionalism, not the way her pulse quickened at the thought of Adrian's reaction.
The dress fit perfectly, hugging her curves in ways that made her look sophisticated rather than cheap. The heels added three inches to her height. The jewelry caught the light.
When she looked in the mirror, she barely recognized herself.
At 6:55, her phone buzzed: I'm outside.
Nina grabbed the clutch and headed downstairs, her heart hammering with each step. Through the dorm's front windows, she could see a sleek black car idling at the curb, so out of place among the beat-up student vehicles that several people had stopped to stare.
The driver a stern-faced man in a suit opened the back door as she approached.
Adrian sat inside, powerful and relaxed in a charcoal suit that probably cost more than her entire semester's tuition. His eyes traveled over her slowly as she slid into the seat beside him, and something dangerous flickered in their depths.
"You look perfect," he said softly.
The compliment shouldn't have affected her. It did.
"Where are we going?" she asked, trying to steady her voice.
"Dinner. A business associate of mine is celebrating a successful deal. There will be perhaps twenty people." He shifted slightly, his thigh almost touching hers in the enclosed space. "Your role is simple. Stay by my side. Look beautiful, which won't be difficult. Don't repeat anything you hear."
"That's it?"
"That's it." His lips curved. "Though I should warn you these people will be curious about you. They'll ask questions. You're a student, we met at Café Luna, and beyond that, our relationship is none of their concern. Understood?"
Nina nodded, her mouth dry.
"Good." Adrian lifted his hand, and for a moment she thought he might touch her face. Instead, he reached past her to open a small compartment, retrieving a velvet box. "One more thing."
Inside was a bracelet delicate platinum links with a single dark emerald that matched her dress perfectly.
"I can't accept"
"You can and will." His voice held quiet authority. "Everyone at this dinner will be watching, judging, cataloging every detail. You wear my gifts. You sit at my side. You show them you belong there." He took her wrist gently, fastening the bracelet with practiced ease. His fingers lingered on her pulse point. "Perception is everything in my world, Nina. Remember that."
The bracelet felt heavy. Possessive.
Beautiful.
The car glided through the city, away from campus and into the kind of neighborhood where old money whispered behind iron gates. They pulled up to a restaurant so exclusive it didn't even have a sign, just a discreet doorman who nodded at Adrian like he was royalty.
Inside, the world transformed into soft lighting and crystal and the kind of luxury Nina had only seen in movies. Adrian's hand settled on the small of her back, warm through the silk, guiding her through the crowd.
Heads turned. Conversations paused. Eyes tracked their movement with predatory interest.
"Adrian." A silver-haired man approached, expensive suit and calculating smile. "I didn't know you were bringing a guest."
"Vincent." Adrian's tone was pleasant but edged with warning. "This is Nina. Nina, Vincent Castellano the man we're celebrating tonight."
"Charming." Vincent's eyes raked over her in a way that made her skin crawl. "Where did you find this one?"
"That's none of your concern." Adrian's hand tightened slightly on Nina's back. "Shall we sit?"
The dinner was surreal course after course of food she couldn't name, wine that probably cost more than her monthly rent, conversation that danced around business deals and territorial agreements without ever stating anything directly.
And through it all, Adrian remained close. His thigh pressed against hers under the table. His hand occasionally brushed her shoulder, her arm, maintaining constant contact that felt both protective and possessive.
She caught fragments of conversation shipments, territories, percentages that made her stomach churn with the knowledge of what they really meant.
"You're very quiet," a woman across the table observed. "Are you always this shy, dear?"
"I prefer listening," Nina replied carefully. "You learn more that way."
Adrian's lips quirked in approval.
The evening stretched on, each minute making Nina more aware of the world she'd stepped into. These people wore expensive clothes and perfect smiles, but underneath lurked something cold and dangerous. They discussed violence the way others discussed weather.
By the time they returned to the car, Nina's face ached from maintaining a pleasant expression.
"You did well," Adrian said as they drove through the darkened streets. "Better than I expected."
"Those people…" Nina swallowed hard. "They're criminals."
"They're businessmen who operate outside conventional boundaries." His tone was matter-of-fact. "Does it bother you?"
Yes. It should. But Nina thought of her paid tuition, her mother's relieved text that morning when the medical bill money Nina sent arrived. "I don't know."
"Honest. I like that." Adrian shifted closer, and suddenly the car felt very small. "You'll get used to it. Or you won't, and we'll part ways. But tonight, you were perfect. Exactly what I needed."
His praise shouldn't have warmed her. It did.
They pulled up to her dorm far too quickly. The driver opened her door, but Adrian caught her wrist before she could exit.
"Nina." His thumb brushed over her pulse point, right where the bracelet sat. "Keep this. And tomorrow, I need you again. Another dinner. Can you manage?"
She should say no. Should put distance between herself and this dangerous world.
"Yes," she whispered.
His smile was slow and satisfied. "Good girl."
The words sent heat pooling through her belly.
Nina fled into her dorm, her heart racing, the bracelet heavy on her wrist.
Behind her, through the tinted window, Adrian watched until she disappeared inside.
Then he pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Marco. I need complete background on Nina Reyes. Family, finances, everything."
A pause.
"Because," Adrian said softly, "I'm going to keep her."