The clock on the nightstand reads 9:47 AM. I haven't slept past six in a decade. Even after a night of exceptional sex, my body wakes at 5:45.
Routine. Discipline. Control.
I already know she's gone, but I check anyway because the alternative is impossible.
No one leaves Adrian Nero's bed without permission.
The living room is pristine. The housekeeper doesn't come until noon, which means Seraphina picked up her dress, found her shoes, and let herself out.
Normally, something like this is my dream. Leo is normally helping me force the women I sleep with out of my bed. Sera did that work for me. And I'm pissed about it.
I walk to the window where I fucked her against the glass. Her handprints are still there, small and smudged, overlapped by mine. I press my palm against one, feeling thecool surface. I'll have to tell housekeeping to skip this window.
She fit perfectly under my hands. The right height, the right curves, the right sounds. But it wasn't just the physical fit that kept me up all night. It was the way she looked at me.
Not with fear. Not with calculation. Not with the practiced seduction of women who know exactly what they want from a Nero.
She looked at me like I was just a man.
Just Adrian.
When was the last time someone looked at me like that? Maybe never.
I pull my hand back, leaving a fresh print on the glass.
The bathroom still smells like her. It's something floral. Not expensive perfume, just soap or shampoo. Clean and simple. I find myself standing there longer than necessary, breathing it in before I catch myself and turn on the shower.
I shake the thoughts of her from my mind.
At least I try. My mind continues to drum up images of Sera. Her body. The way that she cried out as I licked her clit.
How her skin felt like silk as she rode my cock.
I nearly take myself in my hands, but I refrain.
This is ridiculous. I don't chase women. They chase me. They leave their numbers, their addresses, their availability. They make it easy because they understand the value of one night with a Nero.
But Seraphina slipped out like last night was just another hookup.
I turn off the water and dress quickly. I need to get my head on straight. Sure, Seraphina was interesting, and the sex was explosive, but I have better things to do than to obsess like a fucking teenager.
The elevator announces Leo's arrival before the doors open.
"You look like shit," he says, stepping into the penthouse.
"Good morning to you too."
"It's nearly noon." He studies me with those sharp eyes that miss nothing. "Rough night?"
His eyes glance at the glass, and I watch as he subtly looks in the bedroom.
"She's gone," I say.
He makes a sound in the back of his throat. He moves forward and stops to bend down and pick something off the floor. "Looks like your midnight princess left a piece of herself behind."
He holds up a small, silver earring. It's slightly bent, delicate. "Want me to get rid of it?" he asks.
"No," I say flatly. "Put it on the table."
