Nothing More

“Alana! What are you doing here?” Katherine’s voice cracked with pure shock.

Alana’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. She stared at Katherine, then at Roman, then back at Katherine, completely frozen.

What on earth was her mother’s best friend, Katherine Haze, doing in Roman’s penthouse of all places? And what was she supposed to say?

Thoughts crashed into each other so fast she could only blink at the woman standing in the doorway. She tried to make sense of the situation, but her mind was a total blank.

She was so overwhelmed she never noticed how revealing her nightgown was.

Katherine’s eyes traveled slowly from Alana’s face down to her bare legs. The surprise on her face hardened into an annoyed, irritated frown, her expression souring.

“What is she doing here, in your room?” she demanded, turning to Roman with an aggressive edge.

“Wait outside,” Roman said. His voice stayed calm, his expression empty of any feeling.

“Roman...” Katherine started, her hands clenching into fists.

“Wait for me outside, Katherine.” He cut her off without even looking at her. His eyes never left Alana. That alone seemed to infuriate Katherine further. She shot Alana a hard stare, then stormed out and slammed the door behind her with a loud bang.

Roman leaned casually against the wall beside the door. His jaw flexed once as his gaze drifted over Alana’s body.

“Are you trying to seduce me?” he asked, his voice cool, a thin thread of amusement running through it. “It’s a bit early to start ignoring the contract, don’t you think?”

Alana stared at him, confusion clear in her eyes.

What is he talking about? she thought.

Roman’s gaze dropped to her chest, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“The contract explicitly says you are not allowed to seduce me. You must remember that part. You only read it yesterday.”

When she still gave him the same blank, startled look, Roman sighed, as if wondering how dense one person could be.

“You do realize you are half naked, right?”

Only then did Alana look down at herself. The soft morning light turned the thin, see-through fabric almost invisible against her skin. Her breasts were fully on display, along with nearly everything else.

She gasped, snatched the duvet, and yanked it up to her chin in one frantic motion. Heat flooded her face until she felt like it might catch fire. Her heart beat rapidly against her ribs.

The only thing that kept her from wanting to disappear through the floor was the knowledge that she still wore panties underneath.

She could already imagine the awful thoughts racing through Katherine’s mind after seeing her like this.

What in heaven’s name had she been thinking last night when she put this gown on? She never slept in things like this. The only reason she had bought it was because of her friend’s relentless persuasion. Ex-friend, actually, since they were no longer speaking.

Roman smirked, clearly entertained by the panic on her face.

“You are very comical, Alana.” He pushed away from the wall and opened the door. “We are not done here,” he added in a suddenly serious tone, then walked out.

Alana finally lifted her head and watched his retreating back. A frown settled between her brows. She could not stop wondering what business he had with Katherine.

The two of them had walked in looking far too comfortable with each other, and the way Katherine had reacted to finding Alana here made one thing obvious. Katherine was jealous.

Alana forced the thoughts away and decided to freshen up instead.

The memory of Roman’s eyes on her half-naked body flashed through her mind again. The tips of her ears burned. She pressed both hands over her face.

“You stupid dummy,” she muttered to herself as she hurried into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Katherine paced and tapped one foot against the floor, her patience thinning by the second.

When Roman finally appeared, she rushed toward him.

“What is that girl doing in your bedroom, Roman?”

Roman looked at her angry face with pure boredom. He brushed past her, opened the fridge, poured a glass of orange juice, and held it out.

Katherine took it without thinking and drank too fast, nearly choking on the liquid.

“You seem to know Miss Gates quite well,” Roman said mildly.

“She’s my friend’s daughter.” Katherine set the glass down hard on the counter and leaned closer, eyes sharp. “What is she doing in your personal bedroom? Are you fucking her too?”

Roman stepped even closer until their lips were only inches apart. He slowly traced one finger along her cheek. Katherine’s eyes fluttered shut at his touch.

“I thought you would have understood by now that matters like this are none of your business, Katherine,” he said quietly, then pulled away.

Her eyes snapped open. For a moment she looked stunned by the sudden coldness, but she recovered quickly.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Who I fuck or allow inside my bedroom is none of your concern. Don’t tell me you have suddenly forgotten that.” His expression had turned hard.

“I just thought I had a right to know, because...”

“I am ending our contract.”

Katherine’s eyes widened in horror. “B-But why?” she stammered.

Everything was happening too fast for her to process.

“Because I have simply grown bored of you. And you have started to become obsessed with me, which I find disgusting.”

The cold edge in his voice could have cut glass. Roman did not care if the words were breaking whatever feelings she still held.

What they had shared was only business and pleasure. Nothing more. She, of all people, should have known how heartless he could be when it came to anything resembling romance.

After a long silence Katherine found her voice again. Tears glittered in her eyes.

“I don’t accept it. You won’t end it. Not after everything.”

Roman stood perfectly still and stared at her with empty eyes.

Erin stepped into the kitchen. Roman’s attention shifted at once.

“Take Miss Haze home. She is not feeling well.”

He left without giving Katherine even a final glance.

******

Alana hurriedly tied her hair into a rough bun after throwing on clothes. She sat on the edge of the bed with a blank expression. Taking a shower felt too risky. Roman could walk in at any second, and she had no idea what he might do next.

Even when he looked calm, she could sense something sharp and unstable underneath. His sudden mood swings only made everything worse.

The door opened. Roman walked in, eyes locking on her the moment he entered. He began removing his suit jacket. His face stayed completely unreadable.

“What are you doing on my bed?” he asked while undoing the buttons of his shirt.

Alana quickly looked away.

“Um… I’m sitting.”

Her eyes wandered anywhere but toward him. That small act of avoidance made Roman’s expression darken at once.

“Alana.”

“Mmm.” She still refused to look.

Seeing his bare torso was the last thing she wanted after what had already happened this morning. Heat rushed back into her cheeks at the memory.

“Look at me.” The order was calm but hard enough that she had no choice.

She forced her eyes up. Only the top few buttons of his shirt were open, but it was enough to show a glimpse of his toned chest. Her gaze flicked there for half a second before she locked it firmly on his cold face, afraid of what might happen if she looked lower again.

“Don’t ever take your eyes off me when I am speaking to you.”

Alana nodded immediately.

Roman glanced at the bed where she still sat. A frown creased his forehead. He shut his eyes, ran a hand through his dark hair, and let out a short sigh.

“Get out.”

Alana stood at once and hurried from the room.

The moment the door closed behind her, Roman stripped off the rest of his clothes and stepped into the bathroom. He paused in front of the mirror. Something on the floor caught his attention. When he saw what it was, his expression turned dark in an instant.