The morning light filtered through floor-to-ceiling windows, casting golden stripes across Adrian's bedroom. Nina woke slowly, awareness returning in fragments: silk sheets against her skin, the unfamiliar weight of an arm draped across her waist, the steady rhythm of breathing that wasn't her own.
Adrian.
Last night came back in a rush of sensory memory his hands on her skin, the way he'd whispered her name like a prayer and a curse, how she'd felt simultaneously vulnerable and powerful in his arms. No regrets, she'd said. Looking at him now, his face relaxed in sleep, the usual sharp edges softened, she meant it.
She shifted slightly, trying not to wake him, but his arm tightened around her waist.
"Stay." His voice was rough with sleep, eyes still closed.
"I wasn't leaving."
"Good." He pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair. For a moment, they lay there in comfortable silence, two people who'd crossed a threshold neither of them could uncross.
Then his phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Adrian ignored it at first, but it buzzed again. And again. With a resigned sigh, he released her and reached for it, his expression shifting from relaxed to focused in an instant.
"Problem?" Nina asked, watching the transformation.
"Always." He scanned the messages, jaw tightening. "Marcus made a move last night. Tried to poach three of my board members." He typed out a rapid response, then set the phone down, turning back to her. "I need to handle this."
"Of course."
He studied her face, as if looking for signs of regret or resentment. "You understand what I meant last night. This" he gestured between them, " doesn't change my responsibilities. There will be mornings like this. Interrupted dinners. Cancelled plans."
"I know." Nina sat up, pulling the sheet around herself. "I'm not asking you to be someone you're not, Adrian. But don't ask me to be someone I'm not either. I have my own responsibilities, my own priorities."
A slight smile played at his lips. "Your thesis."
"Among other things." She reached for her dress, crumpled on the floor where he'd dropped it. "I have a meeting with my advisor at noon."
"I'll have my driver take you."
"I can take the subway."
"Nina." He caught her wrist gently. "You're with me now. That means certain… adjustments. My driver isn't optional. Neither is the security detail that will follow at a discreet distance."
She turned to face him fully. "We're really doing this? The whole 'dangerous mob boss protects his woman' thing?"
"Mock all you want." His expression remained serious. "But Marcus isn't the only threat in my world. The moment people realize you're more than just a contract girlfriend, you become a target. I won't negotiate on your safety."
The weight of what they'd done what they'd become settled over Nina like a heavy coat. This was what he'd tried to warn her about last night. The complications. The danger. The loss of the normal life she'd once taken for granted.
"Okay," she said quietly. "But I'm not giving up my apartment. I need space that's mine."
"I wouldn't ask you to." He stood, unselfconscious in his nakedness, and pulled on the pants he'd discarded hours before. "But I want you here as often as possible. Is that something you can agree to?"
Nina considered it. Part of her wanted to say no, to maintain her independence, to keep one foot in her old life. But she'd promised no halfway measures. "Three nights a week," she offered. "More when you have events that require me. But I need time for my work, for my life outside of… this."
Adrian crossed to her, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze. "You're negotiating with me."
"Is that a problem?"
"No." He kissed her, slow and thorough. "It's one of the things I like about you. You don't just roll over because I'm used to getting my way." He released her, moving toward the bathroom. "Shower's through there. Help yourself to anything you need. I'll have breakfast ready when you're done."
Nina watched him go, then looked around the bedroom properly for the first time. Minimalist furniture, expensive art, everything in its place. Except for her dress on the floor, her shoes kicked off by the door, small disruptions in his carefully ordered world.
She hoped he was ready for how much more disrupted things were about to get.
Forty minutes later, Nina emerged from the bedroom to find Adrian in the kitchen, phone pressed to his ear while he assembled what looked like an elaborate breakfast spread.
"don't care what excuse he gave. If he's meeting with Marcus, he's out." Pause. "Yes, immediately. Have legal draft the papers." He ended the call, setting the phone down with more force than necessary.
"Rough morning?" Nina slid onto one of the bar stools, accepting the coffee he poured for her.
"Marcus is making his play earlier than I expected. Testing boundaries, seeing where my weaknesses are." Adrian plated eggs and toast, sliding it in front of her. "He'll find out I don't have any."
Nina took a sip of coffee perfect, exactly how she liked it, which meant he'd been paying attention. "Everyone has weaknesses."
"Not ones I'll let him exploit." He leaned against the counter, watching her eat. "Are you going to tell Rachel about this?"
The question caught her off guard. Rachel, her roommate and closest friend, who already thought the whole arrangement was sketchy. "I don't know. Probably eventually. Why?"
"Because discretion matters. The fewer people who know the real nature of our relationship, the safer you are."
"You mean the fewer people who know you're sleeping with your fake girlfriend."
"I mean the fewer people who can use that information against us." His tone was patient but firm. "I trust you, Nina. But I need you to understand that trust in my world is a currency. Spend it wisely."
She set down her fork, appetite fading. "This is what it's going to be like, isn't it? Always looking over our shoulders. Always calculating who knows what."
"Yes."
At least he was honest. Nina finished her coffee, checking her phone. "I need to go. My meeting's in an hour, and I want to review my notes before"
"Nina." Adrian moved around the counter, standing close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "Last night wasn't a mistake. This morning doesn't change that."
"Doesn't it? Five minutes ago you were firing someone for talking to your rival. Now you're worried about my roommate knowing we're together. It's a lot to process."
"I know." He brushed a strand of hair from her face, the gesture surprisingly tender. "But we agreed. No halfway measures. That means accepting all of it the good and the complicated."
Nina stood, closing the distance between them. "I'm not backing out. I'm just… adjusting." She kissed him briefly. "I'll text you later."
"My driver's waiting downstairs."
"Of course he is." But she smiled as she said it, grabbing her purse and heading for the elevator.
As the doors closed, she caught one last glimpse of Adrian, phone already back at his ear, slipping seamlessly back into his role as the ruthless businessman who'd built an empire on calculated risks and careful control.
She'd just become his biggest risk.
Nina just hoped they were both ready for the fallout.The morning light filtered through floor-to-ceiling windows, casting golden stripes across Adrian's bedroom. Nina woke slowly, awareness returning in fragments: silk sheets against her skin, the unfamiliar weight of an arm draped across her waist, the steady rhythm of breathing that wasn't her own.
Adrian.
Last night came back in a rush of sensory memory his hands on her skin, the way he'd whispered her name like a prayer and a curse, how she'd felt simultaneously vulnerable and powerful in his arms. No regrets, she'd said. Looking at him now, his face relaxed in sleep, the usual sharp edges softened, she meant it.
She shifted slightly, trying not to wake him, but his arm tightened around her waist.
"Stay." His voice was rough with sleep, eyes still closed.
"I wasn't leaving."
"Good." He pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair. For a moment, they lay there in comfortable silence, two people who'd crossed a threshold neither of them could uncross.
Then his phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Adrian ignored it at first, but it buzzed again. And again. With a resigned sigh, he released her and reached for it, his expression shifting from relaxed to focused in an instant.
"Problem?" Nina asked, watching the transformation.
"Always." He scanned the messages, jaw tightening. "Marcus made a move last night. Tried to poach three of my board members." He typed out a rapid response, then set the phone down, turning back to her. "I need to handle this."
"Of course."
He studied her face, as if looking for signs of regret or resentment. "You understand what I meant last night. This" he gestured between them, "doesn't change my responsibilities. There will be mornings like this. Interrupted dinners. Cancelled plans."
"I know." Nina sat up, pulling the sheet around herself. "I'm not asking you to be someone you're not, Adrian. But don't ask me to be someone I'm not either. I have my own responsibilities, my own priorities."
A slight smile played at his lips. "Your thesis."
"Among other things." She reached for her dress, crumpled on the floor where he'd dropped it. "I have a meeting with my advisor at noon."
"I'll have my driver take you."
"I can take the subway."
"Nina." He caught her wrist gently. "You're with me now. That means certain… adjustments. My driver isn't optional. Neither is the security detail that will follow at a discreet distance."
She turned to face him fully. "We're really doing this? The whole 'dangerous mob boss protects his woman' thing?"
"Mock all you want." His expression remained serious. "But Marcus isn't the only threat in my world. The moment people realize you're more than just a contract girlfriend, you become a target. I won't negotiate on your safety."
The weight of what they'd done what they'd become settled over Nina like a heavy coat. This was what he'd tried to warn her about last night. The complications. The danger. The loss of the normal life she'd once taken for granted.
"Okay," she said quietly. "But I'm not giving up my apartment. I need space that's mine."
"I wouldn't ask you to." He stood, unselfconscious in his nakedness, and pulled on the pants he'd discarded hours before. "But I want you here as often as possible. Is that something you can agree to?"
Nina considered it. Part of her wanted to say no, to maintain her independence, to keep one foot in her old life. But she'd promised no halfway measures. "Three nights a week," she offered. "More when you have events that require me. But I need time for my work, for my life outside of… this."
Adrian crossed to her, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze. "You're negotiating with me."
"Is that a problem?"
"No." He kissed her, slow and thorough. "It's one of the things I like about you. You don't just roll over because I'm used to getting my way." He released her, moving toward the bathroom. "Shower's through there. Help yourself to anything you need. I'll have breakfast ready when you're done."
Nina watched him go, then looked around the bedroom properly for the first time. Minimalist furniture, expensive art, everything in its place. Except for her dress on the floor, her shoes kicked off by the door, small disruptions in his carefully ordered world.
She hoped he was ready for how much more disrupted things were about to get.
Forty minutes later, Nina emerged from the bedroom to find Adrian in the kitchen, phone pressed to his ear while he assembled what looked like an elaborate breakfast spread.
"don't care what excuse he gave. If he's meeting with Marcus, he's out." Pause. "Yes, immediately. Have legal draft the papers." He ended the call, setting the phone down with more force than necessary.
"Rough morning?" Nina slid onto one of the bar stools, accepting the coffee he poured for her.
"Marcus is making his play earlier than I expected. Testing boundaries, seeing where my weaknesses are." Adrian plated eggs and toast, sliding it in front of her. "He'll find out I don't have any."
Nina took a sip of coffee perfect, exactly how she liked it, which meant he'd been paying attention. "Everyone has weaknesses."
"Not ones I'll let him exploit." He leaned against the counter, watching her eat. "Are you going to tell Rachel about this?"
The question caught her off guard. Rachel, her roommate and closest friend, who already thought the whole arrangement was sketchy. "I don't know. Probably eventually. Why?"
"Because discretion matters. The fewer people who know the real nature of our relationship, the safer you are."
"You mean the fewer people who know you're sleeping with your fake girlfriend."
"I mean the fewer people who can use that information against us." His tone was patient but firm. "I trust you, Nina. But I need you to understand that trust in my world is a currency. Spend it wisely."
She set down her fork, appetite fading. "This is what it's going to be like, isn't it? Always looking over our shoulders. Always calculating who knows what."
"Yes."
At least he was honest. Nina finished her coffee, checking her phone. "I need to go. My meeting's in an hour, and I want to review my notes before"
"Nina." Adrian moved around the counter, standing close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "Last night wasn't a mistake. This morning doesn't change that."
"Doesn't it? Five minutes ago you were firing someone for talking to your rival. Now you're worried about my roommate knowing we're together. It's a lot to process."
"I know." He brushed a strand of hair from her face, the gesture surprisingly tender. "But we agreed. No halfway measures. That means accepting all of it the good and the complicated."
Nina stood, closing the distance between them. "I'm not backing out. I'm just… adjusting." She kissed him briefly. "I'll text you later."
"My driver's waiting downstairs."
"Of course he is." But she smiled as she said it, grabbing her purse and heading for the elevator.
As the doors closed, she caught one last glimpse of Adrian, phone already back at his ear, slipping seamlessly back into his role as the ruthless businessman who'd built an empire on calculated risks and careful control.
She'd just become his biggest risk.
Nina just hoped they were both ready for the fallout.