The Devils Contract

Mia's Point of View 

The moment I walked out of Alexander Knight's office building, my mind was whirling. His words rang in my ears, I don't tolerate failure. It wasn't a request. It was a challenge. And if I accepted it, I'd be going into a building where perfection wasn't merely the expectation—it was a requirement.

Lauren Shaw shoved a thick envelope into my hand as I'd just gotten into the elevator. "That is the contract," she growled. "Read it over. If you're interested in taking it, sign it and bring it back to us tomorrow."

I nodded reflexively, holding the envelope like a baby as I got into the elevator. It was closing just in time as I exhaled, the weight of the decision bearing down on me.

I had a day to figure out if I was going to be tied down to a guy like Alexander Knight for a year.

The elevator dropped, and my phone began ringing. Clara. I answered it right away. "Hey."

"Tell me everything," she barked. "Not on the phone," I growled. "I'll be home in a minute."

 Later in our cramped apartment, Clara paced back and forth in the living room as I sat on the couch going over the contract.

 "This is insane," she cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "You're saying that Alexander Knight simply happened to trip over your art and want to hire you as his personal painter? That doesn't sound plausible."

"I know," I gasped. "But. the deal is real. The terms are simple. If I accept, I'll have all I need to succeed."

Clara sat beside me, drawing the contract out of my grasp. "Okay, but suppose it's a trap? Men like him don't do altruism for nothing." I scoffed. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of. Why me? He says he wants someone rough, someone familiar with hardship… but that doesn't explain why he'd give so much for some up-and-coming artist."

The crease on Clara's face became more pronounced. "And suppose you refuse?"

I bit my lip. "Then it's rejection emails and pinching pennies again." Clara got up to me. "And if you do take the job?" I trailed off. "So then I'll be working for one of the city's most influential men. And I'll have to find out what his real motive is." Clara breathed in deeply. "So really, no good choices."

"Pretty much." She looked at me for moment, then breathed out. "You've always wanted to have an experience like this.Just. be careful, okay?" I nodded. "I will."

Something told me that with Alexander Knight, though, careful would not be enough.

The Next Day.

I arrived at Knight Enterprises right on time, contract in hand. I stumbled momentarily with the elevator button. The instant I walked into the twentieth floor, Lauren Shaw welcomed me.

"Come on back with me," she said, and led me back to the office. Inside, Alexander Knight stood by the window, hands in his pockets. When he turned, his gray eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that sent a chill down my spine.

"You've decided," he stated. I nodded and handed him the contract. His lips twitched slightly. "Good."

He gestured for me to sit as he skimmed through the document. Silence stretched between us before he finally spoke. "There are rules, Mia." I swallowed. "I figured so."

He leaned forward. "You'll work out of the studio I supply. You'll answer to me directly. You won't have other clients. And you won't question my decisions."

I bridded. "What sort of decisions?" His face darkened. "That's not your concern." My heart was pounding. "I don't think in terms of blind obedience, Mr. Knight." A slow smile crept over his lips."You'll learn." A shiver of fear crept into take up residence in my heart, but I hardened myself."And what do you want from me?"

"Brilliance," he said coldly, "And loyalty." There was something in the way he said the word, something in loyalty, that made the air thicken. And then he pushed a little black box down the table.

I was reluctant to pick it up and unwrap it, but I did so. Inside was a black shiny bracelet and a lone silver charm. "What is this?" I asked warily. "Your tracker," he said softly. I blinked. "Excuse me?" Alexander's expression didn't shift. "I need to know where you are at all times. If I ring, you reply. If I need you, you appear." I looked at him. "That wasn't part of the agreement."

His lips twisted into a small spasm."It was in the fine print." My fists gripped the box hard. "So now you're stalking me?"

 "For your protection," he replied with a smile. I laughed."That's not funny at all" His eyes iced. "You accepted employment with me, Mia. That means I own your time." Shivers ran through my body. "I didn't sign up to be controlled."

"You signed up to be protected," he interrupted. "You just don't know it yet." I gulped for air. I gulped for air. "Protected from what?"

He rested his his head on one shoulder, looking at me with an inquisitive look."That is something you shall learn… later." Every single cell of my body seethed at me to run. To shred the contract into pieces and escape. But I didn't.

Because no matter how much I wanted things otherwise. I needed him. And something in me realized that, for good or ill, he needed me too.

The Studio

A black sedan brought me home and dropped me off that evening and drove me to my new studio. I was expecting some glass-and-steel corporate skyscraper, but what I drove up to was an entire loft with enormous windows, vaulted ceilings, and the most lovely workspace I've ever had. Canvases, brushes, paints—everything that I might possibly need was provided.

And to top it all off? One standing painting space in the center of the room. A painting of my work. I walked up, my breathing halted. It was one of my paintings, something that I'd sold years before to some unknown buyer when I didn't have any money. How in the world did he get all of this? I hadn't even had a moment to process it when the door behind me creaked open 

 I turned around, my heart racing, only to find Alexander standing there, looking at me. "You kept it," I panted. His expression didn't change. "I told you, Mia. I've been studying your craft for years." There was something in his tone that gave me the chill.

"How long?" I asked cautiously. Alexander took a step closer. "Long enough to know that you're more than you think you are."

I was parched. "What does that have to do with anything?" He looked at me for a moment before he spoke. "It means, Mia… you weren't designed to be an artist." I glared. "So what am I?"

His lips twisted into that barest suggestion of a smile. "You're more, you're gonna make me so much money." He smiled. "All you have to do, is do as I say."