His gaze drifts down my body, lingering, unapologetic, before settling back on my eyes. There’s something predatory about him—not aggressive, but poised, like he’s daring me to push back, to prove him wrong.
And fuck if I don’t want to.
I lean against the bar, crossing my arms over my chest. “You get off on watching, huh? That’s cute.” My voice drips with sarcasm.
He just smirks. “I get off on watching people like you. People who think they’re in control.”
“Excuse me?”
He doesn’t react to my biting tone, and there’s something both unsettling and alluring in that. Like he already knows what makes me tick.
“What’s your name?” I ask, my voice sharper than I intend.
He tilts his head slightly, as if considering whether or not to answer. “Adrian.”
“Jasper,” I reply, keeping my tone even. My heart, though—fuck, it’s racing.
“You enjoy the thrill of exhibitionism, don’t you, Jasper? The eyes on you, the power of being watched. It’s intoxicating, isn’t it?”
I raise an eyebrow, trying to regain some semblance of control. “You don’t know shit about me.”
He chuckles, a low, rich sound that goes straight to my cock. “I know more than you think. You’re bored. You crave something more, something deeper. Something that will remind you why you started coming here in the first place.”
I snort, though there’s a twinge of truth in his words. I’ve been feeling it lately, the staleness, the monotony. Even the temporary sense of power is beginning to become hollow. “And you think you can offer me that?”
“I can offer you a thrill you’ll never forget.”
I expect a phone number. A line. A key to his place.
Instead, he reaches into his jacket and pulls out a black business card—sleek, unmarked except for an address in silver lettering.
“Tomorrow night.” He extends it but doesn’t just hand it to me. No. He holds the black card just out of reach, making me lean in ever so slightly to take it.
Our fingers brush, the brief contact sending an electric spark that goes straight to my already aching cock.
I look at the card. “This it? A night of sex at your house?”
“There’s more than physical pleasure waiting for you. If you’re ready for it.” His tone is measured, seductive, but it’s the look in his eyes that makes me hesitate. There’s something dark, something dangerous lurking beneath the surface.
I should walk away. I should toss the card in the nearest trash can and forget this ever happened. But the way Adrian speaks, the way he watches me—it’s impossible to shake the feeling will be more than just another random hookup.
“It isn’t about control. It’s about what happens when you let it go.” His voice is barely a whisper, yet undeniably commanding.
He turns and walks away, disappearing into the crowd like a ghost, leaving me standing at the bar, staring down at the black card.
I stare unblinking, palms sweating. Not just from him, but from one phrase.
It’s about what happens when you let it go.
I’ve spent years perfecting this persona, this mask of dominance and control. It’s who I am. It’s what I need to be.
But what if it isn’t?
What if he’s right?
I take in the card again, the silver letters gleaming under the dim lights of the club. My fingers tighten around it.
Control has always been my anchor. My safety net.
