“Ooh, you were always so demanding,” she says, a wicked smile passing over her sinful lips. “I’m sure you remember. Or does your memory need refreshing?”

She runs a fingernail down my shoulder, while I swat her hand away, not caring if anyone sees me. “Do not touch me. You want to talk, then talk. I’m running out of time and patience.”

“You better be nice to me, Dixon. I mean, we share a secret that only you and I know about.” She cups her belly.

“That baby is not mine,” I whisper, my eyes dropping to her bump in disgust.

“How do you know? Do you need reminding of all the dirty, disgusting ways you fucked me without protection?” she whispers, stepping close, while I take a step back. “Maybe if you hadn’t been so mean to me when I saw you last, this wouldn’t be so awkward. I can’t believe that she was your sleepover buddy. How sad for you.”

“What do you want?” I repeat, not in the mood for games.

“I won’t tell anyone about us,” she says, which surprises me.

“What’s the catch?” I ask, knowing someone like Juliet doesn’t do anything unless it benefits her.

“No catch, but I may just call in a favor every now and then.”

“What kind of favor?” I ask, clenching my jaw, unsure where this conversation is going.

“I really liked you, Dixon, and what we had was…fun.”

“No fucking way,” I spit out, disgusted. “I will never touch you ever again. Blackmail me all you want, but I will never, ever, cheat on Madison, you hear me?”

“We’ll see,” Juliet chirps. Her confidence, which I once found alluring, is now turning my stomach.

“Why?” I question, stepping forward. “You’re getting married, for Pete’s sake. Go fuck your husband and leave me the hell alone.”

“I love Dylan, I really do, but he’s in love with someone else. He always has been, and I need to change that,” she confesses, and my mouth drops open in shock.

He’s in love with her?

“You’re sick,” I sneer, repulsed I voluntarily stuck my dick in this woman.

“Oh, I know, Dr. Mathews. Remember where we met? I asked for your help, and you helped me by fucking me in every unimaginable way possible. And I liked it.”

I lower my eyes, disgusted in myself for ever consorting with this sick, twisted woman.

“What we had was consensual. Why are you making it out to be more than what it really was? It was sex, Juliet. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

“You’re right, and I was happy to let things be. But the fact you chose that sniveling little bitch over me hurts. I’m always second best. I’m never good enough for anyone, and I’m sick of being runner-up. I’m especially sick of being runner-up to her,” she spits, angered.

The conversation we had in my office all those months ago comes flooding back. It was right before we started doing whatever the hell we did for those two and a half months. Juliet confessed she was never good enough for anyone, and I now know that anyone was Dylan.

Juliet’s smug voice snaps me out of my thoughts. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll keep my fiancé away from your little girlfriend, and you make sure to keep her far away from him, and everyone is happy.”

“What are you talking about?” I snarl, as Madison told me that she hasn’t seen Dylan for over a year.

“Oh, didn’t you hear? Dylan is moving in with me,” she explains, while I’m about to be sick.

That parasitic motherfucker living in the same apartment complex as Madison will undo whatever progress she’s made. The fact she might bump into him will no doubt scare the living hell out of her. Not to mention the fear he might break into her room, just like he did when they were kids, will send her crazy. She’ll be reliving her childhood all over again, and in the end, it’ll kill her.

Juliet sees my resolve slipping and smirks. “All you have to do is make yourself available to me when I need you, and we can continue playing happy families.”

“Why are you doing this?” I ask, although I know why. It’s the reason why she came to see me in the first place. This is about power and control.

And as if on cue, she replies, “Because I can. I told you you’d be back, and begging for a second chance. Although, to be fair, I never thought you’d be groveling, instead of begging.”

My face contorts in rage, and she laughs.

“You really didn’t think it would be that easy to get rid of me, did you? You’re my bitch now,” she concludes, discreetly reaching forward and grabbing my balls.

“This is blackmail,” I wheeze, my nuts held prisoner in Juliet’s grip.

“Karma’s a bitch, Dr. Mathews.”

“I’ll tell Madison everything,” I threaten, as I am no one’s bitch.

I will protect Madison at whatever cost. Hell, she can move in with me.

“Go ahead,” Juliet says with a careless shrug. “I’m sure the medical board would love to hear all about how you fucked a patient.”

My face whitens, and Juliet’s mouth widens in surprise. “Ooh, so I’m not the first? Goddamn, you’re a bad, bad boy, Dr. Mathews. I’m sure little Miss Goody Two Shoes would love to hear all about your unethical practices.”

Juliet has me by the balls, literally, and I have no way out of this. Even if I tell Madison the truth, that doesn’t stop Juliet from ratting me out to the board if I don’t do what she wants. She’s a scorned woman out for revenge, and I have no one to blame but myself.

“Fine,” I snarl, taking a step back, my balls protesting with the movement. “You win.”

Juliet gasps, stunned I would cause myself more pain, but the physical pain pales in comparison to what this deal is doing to my humanity. “But just so we’re clear, I’m no one’s bitch. You just signed a deal with the devil, sweetheart,” I sneer, getting into her face, not caring who’s watching. “You better buckle up, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

Juliet’s face pales, and I know the hatred I feel for her is radiating out of every pore in my body. But I will do whatever it takes to protect Madison, even sell my own soul for her freedom.

“I’ll see you around,” I sneer, inches from her face, while she takes a step back.

I grin because she has no idea who she’s messing with.

She quickly recovers when the elderly couple returns, eyeing us suspiciously. “I’ll be in touch,” she whispers.

“Can’t wait,” I snicker.

“If you have any pride, you’ll leave with your head held high,” she smartly says, repeating my parting words to her.

“Fuck you.”

“Oh, I plan to,” she replies arrogantly.

She throws me a wink over her shoulder, before casually sauntering off like she didn’t just blackmail me into being her lapdog.

I need to get out of here, as I’m seconds away from losing my shit, and before I do anything rash I need to think. I charge toward the staircase, needing the physical burn of twenty-two flights of stairs to assure me that I’m still human.

What did I just agree to?

I just signed my soul over to Lucifer herself, and I don’t know what to do. There is no way I can do what Juliet is proposing. I can’t. I can’t touch her the way she wants me to because I’m no longer that man. Madison has changed me, and I’ve never felt so alive. But what other choice do I have?

Juliet has the power to destroy my personal life and my career. Even if her claims fall on deaf ears, they’ll plant the seed of doubt, and once planted, my reputation will be ruined. This is not a forgiving world we live in, especially when you live amongst rich, judgmental pricks.

At floor fourteen, I realize I’m fucked.

My sordid past has come back to bite me in the ass, and I’ve got no one to blame but myself. I could blame Lily, or my mother’s death, for behaving like an immoral whore, but that would be a cop-out, an excuse. I did the things I did because I liked it. If the tables were turned and I was the one facing the judgmental chair, I would diagnose myself as being an addict of the worst kind.