I felt his breath catch, just barely, and when his hand twitched toward me, I bolted, flying toward the row of elevators like I hadn’t just deliberately set his blood on fire.
My heels kissed the floor just as the air around me shifted, and Ifelthim, lust and intention wrapped in male flesh.
Mr. Lucus Kingsley stood right in front of me, smiling down at me like he was taunting me, proving that I couldn't get away from him that easily.
“Would you like to continue the tour,” I asked, my tone laced with suggestion as I took a step forward, “or have you had enough?”
This was the moment. I knew it. Not just a flirtation or routine evaluation for membership…. This was a test to see if he was worth my interest.
He might have a banging body, the outline of a dick I would ride like a stallion, and enough money to fill my indulgent side, but would he keep my interest past a conquest?
His expression shifted, and the heat in his smile melted into something darker. His body tensed, rippling with energy, and a heartbeat later, he was behind me.
A cold, hard arm wrapped around me in a flash, yanking me back into his chest, possessive and unapologetic. The air left my lungs in a gasp, swallowed by the solidity of him, yet I didn’t fight it.
His fingers gripped the side of my waist before they slid up my side until they brushed my throat. With two fingers, he lifted my chin like he owned it, like he wanted to ownme.
My body arched into his touch, breath hitching as my thoughts ran through my mind.
What if I let him? What would he do if I gave in? What would I do?
His lips hovered at my ear, his hot breath creating a burning bonfire of hunger and temptation.
“Enough,” he murmured, deep, dark, and full of sin, “is not a word in my vocabulary.”
And just as fast as he came, he was gone. Cold air rushed in where heat had been, and I spun around in a daze, pulse pounding in places that called up my animalistic side, telling me to take him here and now, only to see him calmly studying the elevator panel like he hadn’t just set off a goddamn riot inside my body.
“What’s on these floors?” he asked casually.
For a second too long, I couldn’t answer. My whole body throbbed, every nerve singing the wordmine. And worse, some wild, reckless part of mewantedhim to be.
But that was impossible. Dangerous. Stupid.
Not with the pact I’d made with my siblings the night we became bosses. Not with the weight of the Syndicate on my back. Notwhenattachmentswere liabilities I couldn't afford. I wasn’t a woman who got to fall into attraction with abandon. I was the madame, a wolf in a silk dress, and he… was just a man with a tempting body and an equally amusing personality.
I looked down at my rings and my shoes, studded in those diamonds, rubies, and sapphires I enjoyed. Something that could sparkle to catch the prey’s eye.
He might be a great fuck—maybe even unforgettable—but that was all he could be. That was all I wouldlethim be.
So, I put on the smile I’d perfected through years of power plays and bedroom games, strutting toward the elevator like he hadn’t just made me question my sanity.
My watch buzzed against my wrist, telling me it was midnight and reminding me of the person waiting for me upstairs. Biting my lip, I eyed this posh Englishman and had an idea.
“Oh, this…” I said with a purr and a wicked glint in my eye, “this is where the funreallybegins.”
* Song: Push/Slap by Yummynoodz
5
ANIYAH
“What’s a Sleeping Beauty room?” His curious tone almost made me laugh. He had taken off the mask, telling me he would need to get used to that. When I told him practice made perfect, he glared at me, keeping it firmly in his hands. We had a few members that were similar, but they always requested private rooms and specific talent—not to mention paying a hefty fee for that exclusivity. I’d have to mark this in his file.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. A room available for private use, for a fee, or open access with a kink-approved employee who enjoys somnophilia.”
When his eyebrow lifted, I fought the urge to sigh. “Every specialty room is staffed by volunteers. These aren’t just employees, they’re people with real kinks or curiosities. We give them a safe space to explore and a way to get paid for doing what they already desire. Some of them even find healing in the process.”
This was why the Winged Palace worked so flawlessly. Rule number one in the skin trade: keep your talent happy and well-compensated. When it came to kink, especially the taboo kinds, it wasn’t just about selling the fantasy. It was about trust, control, safety, and the perfect pairing.
