The bartender sets down two glasses of champagne. Abram hands me one, his fingers grazing mine.
“And how am I looking at you?”
“Like you’re trying to figure me out.” I take a sip, holding his gaze over the rim.
“Good luck with that.”
He laughs, low and arrogant. “I like a challenge. So. You’re not from New York?”
“Just passing through. Leaving tomorrow back to Denmark. Early flight.”
“Shame.” His eyes travel over me slowly, appreciatively. “One night doesn’t leave much time to get acquainted.”
“Depends on how we use the time.”
I tilt my head, letting my eyes trace over him—the expensive suit, the silver-fox hair, the arrogance bred from decades of power.
“You look like a man who’s used to getting what he wants.”
“Usually.” His gaze drops to my mouth, then lower, cataloging every curve the dress reveals.
“Though the best things are worth working for.”
The music shifts, something slower, heavier with bass. Bodies on the dance floor press closer together, the energy in the room thickening.
“So what brings you here?” he asks, turning fully toward me now. “Besides the obvious.”
“Curiosity.” I let the word hang between us for a beat.
“And boredom. But you caught my attention. I prefer older men. Younger guys are all ego and no substance. They think they know what they’re doing, but they’re fumbling in the dark.”
“And what is it that you like?”
I meet his eyes directly, letting heat simmer beneath the surface. “To be in control.”
His interest sharpens into genuine intrigue.
“Interesting choice of words.”
I take another sip of champagne, letting the moment stretch.
The dress I’m wearing isn’t accidental — black silk, structured bodice, leather accents at the waist.
The kind of thing that whispers dominance without screaming it.
“You don’t strike me as someone who gives up control easily,” I say, voice dropping lower.
“But maybe that’s the appeal. Letting someone else take the reins for a while.”
His pupils dilate. Got him.
“You’re perceptive.”
“I pay attention.” I set down my glass, angling my body toward his.
“How do you feel about continuing this conversation in a private room?”
His hand finds my lower back, possessive and eager. “I can work with that.”
