Controlled By The Billionaire

Chapter 2

The lights were dim as Tristan and Mel were seated at a small table which was secluded in a corner of the restaurant. Confusion swamped Mel; she thought they were going to the bar to have a drink. Tristan sat down, his expression giving nothing away. He took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of his chair before folding his hands in front of him on the table. Mel watched him nervously wondering what he was going to say. Maybe this was the way the label let down someone gently. Get them off the property so they wouldn’t make a scene. None of it made sense but she sat firm in her seat and waited for what Tristan had to say. It was the longest five minutes of her life. Tristan first ordered them both a drink, some sort of wine; Mel wasn’t much of a drinker. He then made a bit of small talk about the restaurant that Mel cared nothing about but pretended interest. If Mel knew him better she would swear he was making her sweat on purpose.

“How is your drink?” Tristan took a sip of his dark amber liquid, which Mel could only assume was Scotch, and sat his glass down with a thud.

“Fine,” Mel mumbled, bringing the wine to her lips but barely taking a sip.

“Alright then.” Tristan unfolded the napkin on the table and made a production of placing it in his lap even though they weren’t having anything to eat.

Mel sighed, the charade weighing heavily on her shoulders. If he was going to let her down he better do it soon or she would just walk out.

“I wanted to talk to you about your music,” Tristan said finally addressing the reason for their being at the restaurant to begin with.

“Ok,” Mel said with trepidation, her heart crashing wildly into her ribcage.

The lust she felt for Tristan in the studio boiled under the surface, making her feel unsteady in her own body. Tristan seemed not at all affected by her though so she knew it was only one sided.

“I really liked that song. You wrote it?” Mel nodded. “I wanted to make you an offer that is a bit unorthodox, which is why we are here in this bar and not in my office over a contract right now.”

Mel frowned, the nerves from earlier resurfacing. Her track record with men, especially powerful men, made Mel uneasy about what he was going to say. Growing up in foster care made her skittish and the lust she felt began to sizzle out as anxiety came to the fore.

“I don’t want you to be nervous.” Mel hated that her emotions played on her face without her intention to do so. “I won’t bite.” Tristan chuckled, it sounded unusual coming from him, the sexy, mysterious brooder, but Mel liked how handsome he looked with a smile on his face.

The look quickly faded into something more serious as he spoke again. “You’re a beautiful woman, Mel Fairbanks. Has anyone ever told you that?” Mel nodded again, unsure of what he was getting at. “I have a proposition for you. Feel free to decline at any time and I will still give you a partial album deal. I want you to be my sub. Do you know what that means?”

Mel’s frown deepened and she was confused for a moment. Suddenly it dawned on her what he meant and surprise made her eyes go wide.

“Uh, yes. I think so,” She answered while trying to fix her features to be free of emotion.

“You may not quite understand what I mean when I say that but I will explain it to you. I will give you a record deal if you will be my sub in the bedroom. I don’t mean BDSM, rooms of torture kind of sub. I want you to submit to me and give me control and I promise you that you will enjoy it. I won’t hurt you, it’s not about pain. It’s about letting me have control so that you can just focus on pleasure. What do you say?”

Mel was frozen, unable to speak, her mouth hanging open like a fish. This was anything but what she thought he was going to say.

“Take your time to think about it. You’re a talented girl, Mel, and I’m going to sign you for something regardless of your answer. But I think we both would benefit, in more than one way, from my offer. Call me when you have your answer.” Tristan stood, not waiting for Mel to respond and walked away without looking back.

What the hell was she going to do?

*****

“Can I have another beer, honey?” Mel nodded as the man winked at her from in front of the bar.

Mel’s shift started twenty minutes after her drink with Tristan and thirty minutes later she still had no idea what to do. It was degrading right? He shouldn’t have asked her that. But a part of her wanted to do it so bad. Not just for the album but because she was attracted to him and any excuse to be in his bed sounded like a great one. Looking around for the fourth time, Mel wondered when Blake would show up. The other bartender told Mel that Blake called ten minutes before the shift and said she had car trouble and wasn’t sure when she would be in. Typical of Blake. Who knew if she really had car trouble or not? Mel guessed not but didn’t want to say it to Lisa, the other bartender, because she’d be pissed. They were busy for a Monday and Mel was silently cursing Blake under her breath. She needed to talk to her about this Tristan thing or her head would explode.

“Sorry I’m late!” Blake breezed in, her red curls bouncing behind her as she appeared to float behind the bar.

Mel almost snorted; Blake could get away with anything, and continued to pour a drink for a guy waiting at the bar.

When she was finished she crept up behind Blake who was tying on her apron.

“Where have you been? I have something to tell you,” Mel whispered in Blake’s ear so as not to call attention to their conversation.

“I had a date. But officially it was ‘car trouble’. Don’t say anything, okay?” Mel nodded as Blake headed towards the counter where several customers were lined up waiting for drinks.

Mel grabbed Blake’s arm and pulled her back towards the doorway to the supply room that was located off the back end of the bar.

“I really need to talk about something, Blake. Can you just stand still for a minute?” Frustration gripped Mel but she knew it wasn’t really Blake she was angry with.

“What’s up?” Blake asked, finally giving Mel her full attention.

“I played for Tristan and he loved my music. But I’m not sure if I should take the deal he offered.” Mel began to tell her story, reluctant to explain exactly what the deal entailed.

“That’s great, Melly! Why won’t you take it? It can’t be that bad.” Blake looked at her with confusion and Mel sighed.

Pulling Blake even further into the supply room so there wasn’t a chance others would hear, Mel told her everything, including the way she felt about Tristan.

“What the fu*k, Mel? You can’t do that. It’s illegal. You aren’t a prostitute. Does this guy think you’re a hooker or something? No, fu*k that.” Blake’s face showed exactly what her words didn’t and more. She thought Mel was crazy for even thinking about agreeing to his terms.