I lean in closer, maybe too close. Beneath that thing she’s passing off as clothes linger the faint scents of magnolia and honey clinging to her skin.
“That’s where you’re wrong,love.” I give her a full-blown smile and wave the contract in front of her face. “This little document means you’re mine.”
“I’m not yours. And I am not your love.”
“Yes, you are,love.” My voice drops, low and deliberate. “Everything in your world belongs to me, including you. Given the power I have to take everything from you, I wouldn’t piss me off if I were you.”
That shuts her down. The fire in her flickers, then dies.
Her lips part, but I already know she won’t say anything. Silence stretches between us before I break it.
“You’ll be called in a few days with the next steps.” My tone is all business now. “Be sure to answer your phone.”
Her eyes narrow. She looks like she’s summoning courage again yet says nothing. Then she turns on her heel and walks away.
I watch her go, my gaze dragging down to the curve of her hips and the sway of her ass in that dress.
The door clicks shut, but the image of her loiters in my mind.
Something tells me this little arrangement is going to be one hell of a ride.
I can’t wait.
Chapter Five
Isla
The whiskey burnsdown my throat, but not nearly enough to wash away the bad taste of my life. I wrap my fingers tighter around the tumbler, watching amber swirl while the bass from the club’s sound system thrums through my chest like a second heartbeat.
Eclipse House is the last place I should be drowning my sorrows.
Home would make more sense. Me, a blanket, and a pint of triple-chocolate ice cream like a normal woman whose life imploded on schedule. But normal flew out the window the moment I signed Knox Vale’s contract and handed over my future with one shaky signature.
I came here to breathe. To forget.
And maybe coming out alone this late, to a club straddling the shadows between SoHo and Chinatown, isn’t the best decision I've ever made. But I’m here anyway.
And I’m fine—semi-safe. Mia’s boyfriend, Logan, handles security on Saturdays, and half the staff know my face. But staffare one thing. Strangers are another. If something happens to me, it won’t be because of the staff. It’ll be one of the strangers watching from the dark corners, pretending they aren't.
A chill runs down my spine. I shove it away before it digs in. Panicking isn’t on tonight’s agenda. Not yet, anyway.
The bar's sleek marble surface feels cool against my forearms as I lean forward, letting my hair curtain my face. Around me, the club pulses with life. Bodies move on the dance floor to the latest mix, laughter blends with the music, and people are living their uncomplicated lives. I’d bet I’m the only person here who has to get married to save their family's restaurant.
Save?
No, that’s not entirely true. Saving would imply that I get to keep it in the end. But I don’t.
I don’t even know what will happen. Knox holds the power to that knowledge, too.
I keep seeing him in his office.
Forget wolf in sheep’s clothing. Knox Vale is a fire-breathing dragon in a tailored suit and Berluti shoes.
He and his brother—Dorian—had that foreboding presence that could frazzle your nerves and stop your heart with their unnatural good looks. But Knox was different.
Dorian was all poise and polish, the kind of handsome that looked untouchable.
Knox was danger wrapped in charm, the kind of man who made the air shift when he entered a room.
