My hand on his arm began to sweat and I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.

“Don’t be nervous. You’re the most beautiful woman in the room.”

“Everyone’s looking at me,” I whispered.

“No. Everyone’s looking at me. I always come here alone. These people have never seen me with a woman before.”

“Then why did you bring me?” I asked as he helped me into my chair.

Leaning over me he whispered. “Because deal or no deal, you’re my Jessica.”

I had no idea what his obsession with calling me Jessica was, and again, I began to think that maybe Sebastian Black was certifiable.

When he sat down across from me, I worked up the nerve to finally ask something that had been bugging me since the first time we’d talked.

“Why do you refuse to know my name and why do you call me Jessica? Is that what you call all your girls?”

I tried not to fidget, or make uncomfortable eye contact, as I waited for him to answer my question.

When he finally did, I was thankful for the break of silence. “I most definitely do not call anyone else Jessica. Only you, and for a very special reason.”

He didn’t elaborate and I was left to question what exactly that meant.

“Would you care to explain why that is?”

“Actually, I don’t. Not right now anyway.”

He definitely made it clear I wasn’t going to get anything else out of him. I guess I should’ve known. For the short time I knew him, it was obvious Sebastian Black could be very stubborn and determined.

Once the waiter came and filled our glasses with wine, we were left alone. He sipped his wine and stared at me, making me even more nervous than before.

“So you come here a lot?” I asked, trying to break the ice.

“Yes,” he said simply. He wasn’t going to make this dinner easy at all.

“You don’t talk much.”

He shrugged. “I’m not good with idle conversation.”

“I thought you didn’t… date?”

“I don’t.”

“Then what is this?”

“I told you what this is. You’re proving you’re worth the risk.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

He stared at me for the longest time, then raised his eyebrows.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

It was then the waiter came back to our table to take our order. When the waiter left, I continued with my questions. With every answer, I became even more curious about Sebastian Black.

“The others… they don’t have any problems with your rules?”

“If they did, they wouldn’t be one of my girls.” He was so matter of fact. “You were ready to accept my offer, did you have a problem with my rules?”

My head snapped up. I didn’t like having the situation thrown in my face. “I needed it.”

“So you’re saying you’re different?”

“Yes.”

“Because you need the money?”

“Yes,” I insisted.

“And what makes you think any of the others didn’t also need the money?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. The truth was I didn’t know, but I wanted badly to believe I was different, that under different circumstances, I wouldn’t have sold myself to Sebastian Black for everything he could offer.

“The truth is, the money comes and goes, but they don’t. They just keep coming, over and over again.” He shrugged. “So maybe you are different.”

I dropped my head to the side. “Has anyone left you before you could leave them?”

Jumping at the sound of his laughter, I looked around and saw that everyone was watching at us.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded. “You’re telling me no one has ever gotten tired of you before you could get tired of them?”

“Nobody.” He was dead serious now.

“How do you know?”

“Because I have a cock that won’t stop and enough money to buy all the company in the world.”

“Don’t you think someday you’ll want more than an easy lay and women who only want your money?”

“Isn’t that what a relationship is based around anyway? Sex and money. In my case, I get to have sex with a different girl every night and not have to worry about a jealous wife.”

Suddenly I felt very sad for Sebastian. “Don’t you want love?”

“Love doesn’t exist, sweetheart. It’s a pretty lie. Something women invented to tie a man down and destroy his manhood.”