INVISIBLE NO MORE: Her Kept Man

Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Rules

POV: Alex 

I spent the rest of the day trying to focus on the onboarding paperwork and team introductions, but my mind kept drifting back to Elena at the head of that conference table. She had looked every bit the boss, cool and in charge, while I sat there with her marks still burning under my shirt. By five o'clock my nerves felt stretched tight.

I waited until the floor cleared out a little before I walked to her corner office. The door stood slightly open. I knocked once and stepped inside.

Elena sat behind a wide desk, jacket off, sleeves rolled up. She looked up from her screen and leaned back in her chair.

"Close the door, Alex."

I did. The click sounded loud in the quiet room. She pointed to the chair across from her.

"Sit."

I sat. The air felt thick between us. She studied me for a moment, eyes moving over my face, then lower to where my collar hid the hickey.

"You made it through your first day without falling apart," she said. "Impressive."

"I kept my head down."

"Good. Because from now on you keep your head down here." She tapped the desk. "You do the work I assign. You meet every deadline. You speak when I ask you to speak. Clear?"

"Clear."

She smiled a little. "And when the door is closed like this, you follow my other rules."

I shifted in the chair. "What other rules?"

Elena stood and walked around the desk until she stood right in front of me. She leaned back against the edge, close enough that her knee brushed my leg.

"First rule. You don't touch me unless I say you can. Not in the office. Not in meetings. Not even by accident."

My hands stayed on my thighs. "Understood."

"Second rule. You answer my messages within five minutes. Day or night."

"Even if I'm home?"

"Especially if you're home." Her eyes narrowed. "Speaking of home. How did your wife react to the marks I left?"

I told her the truth. Sophia's shock, the argument, the way she tried to pull me back with soft words and bare legs. Elena listened without interrupting, one eyebrow raised.

"Sounds like she's scared," she said when I finished. "Good. Let her stay scared."

She reached down and loosened my tie, then unbuttoned the top two buttons of my shirt. Her fingers traced the edge of the hickey.

"Third rule. These stay visible when you're with me. I want to see what I did to you."

My breath caught as she pressed lightly on the mark. Heat shot straight down my body.

"Fourth rule." She leaned closer. "When I want you, I get you. No questions. No hesitation."

I nodded. My mouth felt dry. "And what do I get?"

"You get to stop being the man who lets everyone walk over him." She straightened up and moved back behind her desk. "You get to feel alive again. But only on my terms."

I buttoned my shirt back up. "You planned this. The job. Me working under you."

"I saw the opening and made sure your name rose to the top." She sat down and crossed her legs. "I liked the boy you used to be, Alex. Quiet. Loyal. But I want the man you are becoming. The one who finally walked out on his wife."

The mention of Sophia brought a quick flash of guilt, but it faded fast. Elena's presence filled the room too much for anything else.

"What happens if I break a rule?" I asked.

Her smile turned sharp. "Then I punish you. And you will thank me for it."

The words sent a thrill through me I did not expect. I stood up. "Is that all for today?"

"No." She opened a drawer and pulled out a small black box. "Take this."

I opened it. Inside lay a sleek silver watch. Expensive. Heavy.

"Rule five," she said. "You wear this every day. It has a tracker. I like to know where you are."

I fastened it on my wrist. The metal felt cool against my skin. "You really thought of everything."

"I have." She checked her own watch. "Now go home. Fuck your wife if you want. Or don't. But tomorrow morning you come in early. I have a project for you."

I headed for the door. Her voice stopped me before I opened it.

"One more thing, Alex."

I turned.

She looked straight at me, eyes dark. "If she tries to touch you tonight, remember whose marks are on your body."

I left the office with the watch heavy on my wrist and her words ringing in my ears. The drive home felt shorter than usual. When I walked in, Sophia was in the living room with a glass of wine. She had changed into a tight dress, hair down, makeup fresh. Another attempt.

"You are late again," she said.

"Work."

She set the glass down and walked over. "I made dinner. Your favorite. We can eat and talk like adults."

I hung up my coat. The new watch caught the light. Sophia noticed it right away.

"Where did that come from?"

"Company gift."

She reached for my collar and started to unbutton it. "Let me see you. All of you."

I caught her hands. "Not tonight."

Her eyes flashed. "Still her?"

"Still her."

Sophia pulled free and stepped back. "I called my brother today. Told him something was wrong with you. He said I should give you space but not too much. That men like you come back when they realize what they have."

"Men like me." I gave a short laugh. "You mean the ones who stay quiet while you plan your little adventures?"

She flinched. "I already said I was angry. I don't actually want other men. I want you to fight for us."

"I did fight for us. For years. You never noticed."

I headed upstairs to change. She followed.

"Alex, stop." Her voice cracked. "Look at me."

I turned at the top of the stairs. Sophia stood there with tears in her eyes now, real ones.

"I see you changing right in front of me and it scares me," she said. "You used to need me. Now you look at me like I'm in the way."

"Because you were." The words came out easier than I thought they would. "You made me feel small so you could feel big. I'm done with that."

She wiped her eyes. "And Elena makes you feel big? Some woman from your past who probably just wants to use you?"

"She makes me feel seen." I walked into the bedroom and grabbed fresh clothes. "She doesn't need me to shrink so she can shine."

Sophia stood in the doorway watching me change. Her gaze landed on the new marks, the watch, the way I moved without apologizing.

"I won't beg forever," she said quietly.

"Good. Don't."

I finished dressing and headed back downstairs. She called after me.

"Where are you going now?"

"Out."

"With her?"

I paused at the front door. The watch felt warm on my wrist, a reminder of the rules I had just agreed to.

"With my boss."

Sophia laughed, but it sounded forced. "Your boss? That's convenient."

I opened the door. Cool night air rushed in.

"Alex." Her voice stopped me again. "If you leave tonight, don't expect me to wait up."

I looked back at her one last time. The woman I had spent years trying to please now looked lost in her own house.

"I stopped expecting that a long time ago."

I stepped outside and pulled the door shut. My phone buzzed before I even reached the car. A message from Elena.

"My place. Now. Bring the watch. Leave your wedding ring at home."

I stared at the screen. Heat built low in my stomach. I slipped the ring off my finger and dropped it into the glove compartment.

The drive to her apartment took twenty minutes. When I knocked on her door she opened it wearing nothing but a black slip and a smile.

She pulled me inside by the shirt and kicked the door closed.

"Rule six," she said against my mouth. "When you come to me, you come ready to forget everything else."

I kissed her hard, backing her toward the couch.

"Already forgotten."