= CHRIS POV =

“ Chris, I have work in the morning; I can’t…Please don’t mark me; I don’t want to lose my job,” Sarah pleaded.

 She tried to move away, but I blocked her escape with my other arm, keeping her where I wanted her. 

"What if I wanted you to?" I said firmly. 

"How do I make you take back what you said about Ruby? How do I make you forget her completely? Will this much do?" I asked, cupping her face, turning it towards me, and kissing her again.

This time, Sarah pushed back against me, and I let her. 

Sitting back on my heels, we both stared at each other, our breaths coming out heavy and ragged. However, I kept my body where it was even though I wasn't touching her anymore, blocking her escape if she tries to flee from this.  

 "Tell me this is enough. Tell me you will fall out of love for her, or so help me I will be forced to do something even more extreme" I warned, my eyes boring into hers, hoping she would take the hint that I wasn’t playing anymore.

Sarah’s breath was coming up short. She looked so sexy as her chest rose and fell rapidly. 

Her lips were glistening wet from my kisses, and she trembled as she looked up at me, completely under my power. 

Instead of answering immediately, Sarah backed up and sat on the bed, pulling her legs up and out of reach. Seeing her scurry away lit something new inside of me. I wanted to grab her, pull her back down to me, back into my arms.

“There, there, it was only a kiss. You don’t have to run away from me,” I smirked, standing up slowly, like a predator with her eyes locked on prey, approaching the bed.

“Chris please-“Sarah pleaded, and then she stopped herself, her hand covering her mouth.

“Please what? I thought you wanted this contract. You begged me so sweetly. And I agreed. Within a month you have invaded my life with your stuff, your debts, and now, you are starting to have doubts about your position in this house, in my life?” I growled, lifting one leg and kneeling on the bed.

I leaned forward. Sarah yelped and twisted like she was going to scrambled away, however I grabbed her thigh and yanked her down, forcing her to lie down as I bent over her, my arms trapping her beneath me.

“I can't just turn my feelings for someone off and on again. This is not a request I think I can fulfill! I’m just being honest with you. Why can’t you see that?", she said breathlessly. 

I froze. 

My hands balled into fists on the soft sheets, and I felt that same stabbing pain again in my heart. 

I closed my eyes, trying to ground myself. I was this close to flipping her over and doing something truly heinous to her. 

Slowly, with great restraint, I moved back.

Standing up, I backed away and looked out her window.

 I knew I had no right to have these feelings, but I did.

 Jealousy coursing through my body felt like nothing I had ever felt before in my life.

"Chris?" Sarah said, sitting up and looking at me cautiously. 

I turned to her, feeling my heart grow cold. I stared at her, wishing that I could somehow erase all the events leading up to her meeting Ruby, but I had to admit it was my fault.

 I told her to find a job.

 I pressured her into it, and she complied. Nothing she had done up until this point was wrong at all. 

And yet I hated every minute of her working there, with that human koala clinging to her like she was a tasty eucalyptus tree.

"Sarah, I have a request," I said and ran my hand through my hair "My request is that you fall out of love with Ruby"

"How does that-"

"And until you do, I'm going to make you forget her" I added.

"Make me?" Sarah asked, her eyes growing wide again. 

I walked over to her and leaned in so that our faces were inches away from each other.

"Yes. Make you. Whatever she can do, I can do better, trust me, I can do better" I said and smirked, straightening up, feeling confident again. 

"I'm sorry. Once again you are requesting that I stop having feelings for Ruby? I cannot honestly do that for you." Sarah said, running a hand through her thick brown locks “ I would be lying to both of us if I agreed to that”

I reached out and gently cupped her face

“As you are under contract, the requests are not optional, and they are non-negotiable. Until you have transferred to me the full amount you owe, I expect you to live up to your end of this agreement,” I added and then grabbed her arm, pulling her off the bed. 

She dizzily stumbled forward, right into my awaiting arms.

 Her curls fluttered around her face as she, still breathing heavily, braced herself against my chest.

I tilted her face up and looked into those large eyes, full of apprehension and confusion, and I sighed. I wonder how she looked up at Ruby when she was in Ruby’s arms.

“It’s getting late. Clean up, and come to bed,” I instructed, then released her, leaving her behind to her thoughts in her cute gamer-girl room.  

I walked into my bedroom and sat on the bed. 

Sarah hadn’t come in yet, and I was glad because I was freaking out.

 Why the hell did I have to go and say something so stupid? How exactly did I think this would work? 

Sarah was right; you can’t just turn off feelings for someone…if that were the case, I would have gotten over Sarah years ago.

I put my face in my hands and silently screamed. 

Every day, being with Sarah felt like I was spiraling. Every time I felt like I had a handle on things, it was just the illusion of control.

I sighed and leaned back against the headboard. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if Sarah walked out right now.  However, the thought of Ruby being the one to hold her…to touch her…to have her… I couldn’t hold back, I needed her to know that I wasn’t ok with her pining after Ruby.

 She just got the job, I could request her to quit…

It was pushing me over the edge. I was doing everything in my power not to say it…but I wanted to say it. I wanted to request it so badly, but that…that would be the end of Sarah, and I couldn’t do that to her…right?

I needed to think of an alternative, or something, anything, to make sure that Ruby’s grubby claws didn’t sink into her any further than they already had. Sarah was mine.

I heard footsteps approach, and I sat up straighter.

Sarah’s slender fingers reached out first and wrapped themselves around the edge of the doorframe as if waiting for something to happen. 

I heard her take a deep breath, and then walk in, and my breath caught in my throat. Just how tired had I been to not realize that I’d been sleeping next to, every night, a literal queen?

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