Evelyn stood on the edge of something she couldn't name.
His touch was just a whisper, but it left scars of fire on her skin. The city lights outside his penthouse flickered like a thousand silent witnesses to her undoing.
"Do you trust me?" His voice was low, velvety, wrapping around her like a slow-burning spell.
Evelyn didn't trust herself.
But she nodded anyway.
And just like that, her world shattered.
---
The next morning, she awoke in silk sheets, in a bed too big, in a room too unfamiliar.
But the scent of him lingered—a dark, intoxicating memory.
She sat up, her body sore, her mind a tangled mess.
And then she saw it.
A note.
One line, written in bold, elegant script.
"Meet me at midnight. Wear nothing but red."
Her pulse skittered.
This was dangerous.
But she was done being afraid.
---
The nightclub was nothing like she had ever seen before. Hidden beneath the city, behind doors guarded by men in black suits, was a world that shouldn't exist.
A world of power, control, and secrets.
Men in tailored suits, women in dresses that barely clung to their skin. Laughter laced with danger, whispers thick with seduction.
And there—standing at the center of it all—was him.
Watching her. Waiting. Claiming her with his eyes before she even reached him.
"You came," he murmured when she finally stood before him.
She swallowed. "You told me to."
He smiled. A slow, predatory smile. "And you obeyed."
Something dark curled inside her.
And for the first time, she didn't fight it.
---
But just as she thought she was drowning in him, the air shifted.
A presence.
A new set of eyes watching her from across the room.
And when she turned—her breath caught.
A man.
Sharp features. Cold gaze. Power draped over him like a second skin.
And the way he looked at her?
Like he knew her deepest secret.
Like he wanted to unravel her, piece by piece.
---