The door clicked shut behind her, sealing her in.
Eva Lane stood just past the threshold of the penthouse suite, her heart banging wildly against her ribs like it wanted to escape. Her heels sank slightly into the plush white carpet, the silence around her more dangerous than any noise.
The room was cathedral-high and flooded with warm golden light from a chandelier that hung like a frozen firestorm above. Marble floors, obsidian countertops, art she didn't recognize but instinctively knew cost more than her life.
And him.
Enzo Stone stood at the far end of the suite, back turned, hands in the pockets of a sleek, tailored suit. He gazed out over the city through floor-to-ceiling windows. His reflection shimmered against the glass like a ghost. A rich man's ghost. Powerful. Dangerous. Inevitable.
"You came," he said softly, not turning.
Eva swallowed hard. "You sent a contract. I signed it."
Still, he didn't look at her. "You read it?"
"No names. One night. Ten thousand dollars up front, ten after."
His head tilted slightly, like her voice was music he couldn't quite place. "And no questions."
"I remember."
He turned.
Her lungs locked.
Enzo's face, sharp as if chiseled by an unforgiving artist, was unreadable. His dark hair was tousled just enough to be artful, his jaw shadowed with stubble that shouldn't have been seductive but absolutely was. His black-on-black attire made him look like something out of a dream if dreams could bleed.
"You're trembling," he said, stepping forward. Slowly. Like a predator gauging the distance. "Don't worry I like them afraid."
Eva's pulse flared. Fight or flight. But her legs didn't move. She wasn't sure if she was frozen… or ready.
"I'm not afraid of you," she lied.
He stopped just short of touching her, close enough that his cologne dark spice and something addictive wrapped around her like a noose.
"Good." His voice dropped. "Because I don't want to hurt you, Eva."
Her name in his mouth did something to her. Something wicked.
"Why me?" she asked, quietly. "You could have anyone."
Enzo's eyes darkened, a flicker of something haunted crossing his expression. "Because you look like someone I used to know. But more than that… because I saw you, and I wanted you. Simple."
Nothing about this was simple.
"You don't know me," she said.
"I know enough." He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing her cheek. "You live in a one-bedroom apartment with your brother. You haven't eaten a real meal in days. Your mother's dead. Your father disappeared. You work two shifts and still can't afford rent."
She stiffened. "You had me investigated."
"I always know what I'm paying for."
The coldness in his voice stung more than she expected. She hated how it reminded her this wasn't about her. She wasn't special. She was a transaction.
But then
His fingers slid to her jaw, tilting her chin up. His gaze dropped to her lips.
"I also know you've never done this before," he murmured. "That your first time will be mine."
Eva's breath hitched. Shame and heat warred in her belly.
"Does that excite you?" she asked.
His eyes flickered. "No."
She blinked.
"It ruins me," Enzo whispered, thumb brushing her lip. "Because for the first time in years, I'm not in control. And I hate that."
He stepped back and nodded toward the bedroom.
"Come."
...
The bedroom was colder, quieter, painted in tones of charcoal and ice. The king-sized bed looked untouched, sheets folded in military precision. A single black box sat atop it.
Eva lingered in the doorway.
Enzo undid the buttons of his blazer and tossed it over a leather chair. "In there," he said, nodding toward the box. "You'll find everything you need."
She approached it slowly, fingers trembling as she lifted the lid.
Inside: black silk lingerie. Nothing else.
Her cheeks flushed.
"I_"
"There's a bathroom. Change. When you come back, leave the past behind."
She swallowed.
"And the rules?"
"No safe words," he said, voice low. "But if you say 'stop,' I will. Just once."
Just once.
She nodded, disappearing into the bathroom like a girl about to step into fire.
Fifteen minutes later, she returned.
The silk clung to her skin like a second thought. She felt bared, exposed, her heart fluttering like a trapped thing. Her hair was down. Her lips had color again. She looked like someone else.
Enzo's eyes traveled slowly across her body. And this time, they weren't cold.
"You're beautiful."
"Is that part of the deal?"
"No," he said. "That's just truth."
He walked to her, hands steady as he reached for her waist. His fingers brushed the curve of her hip, trailing fire.
"You can still walk away."
"I signed."
"I'd tear it up if you asked."
She didn't answer.
Her hands lifted, touched his chest. His heartbeat was slow, steady. Nothing like hers.
"I don't want to be bought," she said, barely audible.
He cupped her cheek again, gaze unreadable. "Then don't be. Let this be a choice. Yours."
Eva stood on the edge.
Of sanity.
Of surrender.
And then she whispered
"I'm not afraid."