life, but nothing had prepared her for the moment she walked into the wr

ury catering company, pouring overpriced champagne for Manhattan's elite in heels

up in a tight bun. The manager barely spared her a glance before barking instructions. She followed, clipboard in hand, down polished halls lined with gilde

erve, smile, and

g under her breath, she ducked out of the ballroom to find a quiet corner and got to regroup and rearrange herself. A sta

d hobbled dow

r, she opened it, a

and surrender. The lighting was dim, casting everything in gold and shadows that flickered like whispered lies. Velvet drapes hung from the ceiling, thick and heavy, muffl

ica f

like anything s

. But not like at

. The men were in tailored suits, their jackets open just enough to reveal hints of muscle beneath crisp shirts. The women wore silks and satins

s that held her in place.

d trust as a voice whispered promises and commands in her ear. Another couple danced slowly, impossibly close, his hand gripping the back of her neck

n't a

thing far m

cross the room, near the sha

stillness and a gaze t

it, he had the kind of presence that made the air bend around

's heart

she hadn't seen anything. But she didn't. She couldn't.

but her heel caught in the r

en he

step befo

see the flecks of silver in his midnight eyes, the precise cut

supposed t

deep, smooth

g to step back, but her b

ut, catching he

teady and co

sped i

didn't

neath the panic, something darker, more curious stirred. The man's grip was not just about c

mean to interrupt." She

d to her name t

eath c

name, it wasn't casu

ave," she

didn'

ou wa

inked.

t to leave,

shivers down her spine, each

didn't have

dn't want to return to the clinking glasses and fake smiles. Not when ther

what this is,"

irk curved

eople who crave con

roat w

he asked, his voi

hest rose. "

aid. "Then y

Her manager would be looking for her. Her tips would be docked. She couldn't

go," she

n't release her w

inked.

Tomorrow.

go, slowly, like a secret being released. Then

d frozen, hea

e hell

e already know

-

ext M

idn't

coul

at

looked and touched he

ndered but decided

into the corner booth of an all-ni

rch bar before she typed in the

e pop

en C

blin

art st

stared at the screen as a sick

o is reclusive, bril

he man who'd held h

as the man behind it. The one whose company funded

foundation she'd just su

s stomach

n't just

he power to decide whether

cide

ething

ruthless business deals, of people bending to his will-willin

eath c

-

Night –

dress borrowed from her ex-roommate and heels held to

own, she k

apped in the velve

-

lk in like he'd been

ut her, the fire in her eyes, the way her lips tre

Owned them, even.

would be

ould break

maybe... she'd

-

fading behind them. He stopped only inches from her. The hea

mooth as silk, dark as sin. "You wear defiance like a secon

opened her mouth to retort b

ances. You've wandered into my worl

pulled out a small black enve

w. Noon. If you'r

, the thick matte pap

t is

smile. "An invitation... or a contr

turned and vanished into the crowd, leavi

d down at the

itched to

cts scream

body? He

red one dan

ure she want