I had needed more than a few drinks to get over the initial surprise and confusion. Only then, with a bit of alcohol clouding my mind, I could fully focus on the man opposite me.

Tonight was my time to talk. To butter each of my words up so, that he would find each more intriguing than the last. I knew how to do it perfectly and, if Ben Capra wanted to see how good I actually was at what I did, he would get his expectations exceeded tonight.

After a few more drinks, as we ate our dinners, I began to loosen up and forget I was supposed to be putting on an act for him. He had seemed to relax as well, which made me all the more attracted to him.

He was looking at me in the most amazing way. Like the world could crumble around us, but he wouldn't even notice. If I had been standing, my knees would surely have felt weak.

The alcohol only increased the electric pull I felt towards Ben. It was bordering on insanity by the moment.

"I don't want you to think I'm a drinker," I told him with a smooth laugh after ordering my fourth glass of wine, "I can stop whenever I want to. Only, I don't want to."

He gave me an almost knowing look, "you're drinking to make this seem less weird."

I blinked slowly, before quickly shaking my head. After deciding not to bullshit him, I nodded once.

Ben chuckled and nodded understandingly, "that's fine. Just don't get drunk."

"Why?"

"I want to be able to have proper conversations with you," he brushed it off, his answer not even close to the truth.

I was debating on if I should excuse myself to go to the restroom to text Mr Capra Sr. Maybe he knew what Ben was after with wanting me to treat him like a client.

"Do it, Sofia," he spoke after a moment. I looked up at him from my dinner and gave him a confused look.

"Do what?" I shook my head.

"Make me fall for you. Whatever you do to all those other men, sweetheart. I want you to do it," he seemed so dead-set on this idea.

"Why?" I shifted in my seat, my voice much softer than before.

"You don't need to know why. You don't want to go against me, do you?" His brows raised, intimidating gaze challenging me to go against him.

This was the side of him I didn't like. The frustrated, mean and too powerful side of him. He knew his power all too well, and used it to his advantage in situations like these, when he really shouldn't.

"Sofia?" His low voice broke me out of the anxious thoughts I began having in one huge tidal wave.

I had never felt so pressured to do my job, and I hated it. I didn't want to do this.

"Tell me all the bullshit you tell those other men, sweetheart," Ben continued, cool and collected as if nothing was wrong in the world beside me not flirting with him now, "nothing's going to happen, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to see what you do. I need to know who to hire when you're no longer working for me."

I blinked slowly, studying him and trying to read whatever was going on in his mind. He was after more.

Ben was interested in me as I was interested in the good part of him. But he didn't like the fact that he was interested in me. Maybe he was in denial? Why else would he be acting like this?

As I hadn't replied yet, and continued gaping at him, he sighed deeply and leaned closer to tell me in a lowered voice, just to make sure no-one else heard.

"Don't forget who I am," the threat was strong between his lines. He was reminding me that he could make my life hell - or even end it - without anyone being able to do or say anything.

"Please, don't threaten me. I-I don't want to do this..." my voice was barely above a whisper after I had gathered up enough courage to actually go against him.

I lifted up the napkin from my lap and placed it on the table in front of me, deciding to get out of here before things got out of hand.

His gaze softened and he relaxed, realisation hitting him slowly but surely.

"No, don't go. I'm sorry, I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing," Ben ran his hands through his hair and leaned back in his seat, breathing out a breath in defeat.

The regret in his dark eyes enabled me to calm down, and the feeling of being cornered started fading away from my mind.

"Do you like me?" I had to then ask, eyes focused solely on him and his reaction.

He looked away and laughed. I couldn't tell if it was a genuine laugh or a laugh to hide his feeling of awkwardness due to my question.

"Ben?" I pushed, frowning. His gaze met mine again and he calmed down, his signature grin staying on his lips after, though.

"Why would you think I'd like you?" The smugness of his voice hurt me a little, until I understood he was using it to cover up the truth. He did like me, I knew it.

"I know you like me. You can just say it, it's not like—"

"Sofia, you don't know anything. You don't know anything about the job I've been pushed into, you don't know what kind of person my father really is, you know nothing," his jaw tightened, heated gaze burning into mine, "I'm not twelve, I don't 'like' people."

As much as I still wanted to leave this very troubled man, I couldn't.

"Three people died yesterday because of me. Because of me saying 'sure'," he continued, his voice lowering more just incase someone was listening.

My heart sank at him saying he had people's blood on his hands now. I wasn't naïve enough to think people didn't lose their lives because of the work I did as well as by the orders of the Don, but it was still uncomfortable hearing it like that.

"You must feel horrible," I replied after a short moment of silence consisting mostly of him glaring at me. For a moment it seemed as if he hadn't heard me right.

I could start telling him some bullshit about how the circumstances he was forced into weren't the best and were the cause for his actions, but I didn't. Instead, I waited for him to reply.

"Have you ever..." Ben nodded at me briefly, hinting at me having done something in the ranks of what he'd done.

I shrugged, "not exactly. I know, though, that if I didn't do my job here, countless people wouldn't lose their lives."

He frowned, shoulders relaxing as he studied me, "they're bad people, they deserve—"

"People aren't so black and white, Ben," I offered him a small shake of my head and the softest smile.

I had learnt through a few twists and turns that people aren't either bad or good. We're all capable of bad and good; some better and some worse than others, but that's due to so many different factors.

"You're doing more good than bad, Sofia. I don't want you to feel guilty enough to want to leave," it warmed my heart how gentle this dangerous and rough man was being now.

I shook my head, my soft smile remaining, "I'm not leaving because of that, exactly. There's reasons—"

"Reasons such as what?" He was very intent on knowing, as he leaned closer to me again.

"I'll bore you," I assured him, hoping to change the subject to a slightly more pleasant one.

He wasn't letting me leave, I was positive of that at this point, so I might as well make this dinner less uncomfortable and try to forget what he'd intended on me doing here in the first place.

As soon as I was alone in my hotel room, I'd call Mr Capra Sr to find out what the hell his son was up to.

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