His To Ruin (Of Lust, Desire and Obsessions)

e again. Shar

man I'd drawn, the one whose face I'd left in shado

s time, her face was tense, pale, eyes flickerin

, "your father asked me to remind

hat could mean a hundred th

as a warning in it. A quiet echo of power I'd learned to fear

d hard. "H

it would be unfortunate if

e it

n the side of my pants. Charcoal s

be ready in f

r. The click was soft, final. I sat in sile

*

othing to say, but because the words woul

ed to impress. Chosen not by me, but by Victor's assistant wee

ying to find the woman who c

n't loo

ime we arrived, the city was a smear of lights outside the tinted window. The estate's private dr

t of the car, fla

rse th

ed like old mone

tever charming story he was telling. He looked effortlessly perfect in a midnig

en he

it up the e

him, pretending I wasn't

ng away from his group. "I was beginning t

arely. "I'm

, hand gently resting on my waist. "Yo

my face, like he

. Victor Wolfe didn't feel

ke every g

?" he ask

a hea

ing for my waist. His lips brushed my cheek.

led.

ess in my eyes, maybe. "You've been distant lately," he murmured u

I said aut

concern creasing his brow. "If

I'm fine

and offered his arm. "Come on, then. L

Like a stage dressed up as purity

sionals, silent scre

ossip. Diamonds catchi

knew all the right people, all the right words. He introduced me with pride,

Victor Wolfe was t

e he rea

as the br

louder than the sce

ut unmis

xpensive. Da

it since the ga

did. My breath caught. My sto

ll

ve to see h

on my skin. On my pi

eath caught

en I s

r swept back, that unreadable gaze cu

wasn'

s arm like she

ked like it had been poured onto her. She

ng low near her ear, and she be

mall of her back, just e

fr

ticed. "W

ng," I

nothing. It

d when he saw them, his smi

lly decided to show up. And with a plus-one, no les

mach t

llian l

ght a

ocked acro

how to

ppeared. The lights. The noi

saw wa

he s

on. But that was all. No reaction. No surprise. Just

faintest flicker of som

gnit

mo

gr

o

re

ses

ing in me.

ed the shift

g me now. Care

voice soft again, "y

d. I turned b

of hair behind my ear. "Because t

e a glass of champagne and kissed the side

a lon

ngered in my nose like a

felt his gaze burnin