The club hummed with music and conversation, lights flickering across the crowded dance floor. Mia Roselyn Hart moved cautiously through the throng, balancing a tray of drinks, her eyes darting from one table to the next. She had learned quickly which guests were dangerous, which were entitled, and which were to be avoided at all costs.
And yet, danger found her.
A VIP sitting at the far corner of the private lounge caught her eye, his gaze lingering a little too long. There was something predatory about him, something calculating in the way he watched her move. Mia's stomach tightened. She had learned early that men like this were always trouble, especially in this city.
"Careful," she muttered to herself, forcing a smile as she approached his table with a drink.
The man spoke smoothly, his voice low and commanding. "Drink for me, yes? Just a sip."
Mia hesitated. Something about him made her instinctively wary. She wanted to refuse, wanted to leave—but her fear was tempered by politeness, by the rules of her job.
"No… thank you," she said softly, trying to place the tray further from him.
He tilted the glass toward her, a subtle insistence. She took a step back. "I… I can't. I'm just serving."
Yet, slowly, subtly, he maneuvered the drink closer. Her hands trembled, almost spilling the liquid. Her vision blurred. Mia realized too late—the drink had been spiked. Panic flashed in her chest, but before she could react further, the world tilted and her legs betrayed her.
Half-conscious, she could barely register the man guiding her toward a secluded VIP room. The music, the chatter, even the bright lights of the club, all faded into a haze.
And then a voice cut through the fog. Clear. Commanding.
"Alert."
Mia barely registered it, but Asher Lucien Valerius's guards—assigned to watch her at all times—had noticed. They moved like shadows, silent and precise, surrounding the VIP before he could react.
"Take him to the basement," Asher's voice crackled over the earpiece. "Lock the room. I will be there."
The guards complied instantly, moving the man as if he weighed nothing, disappearing with him into the basement corridors. Mia, still trembling and half-lost in consciousness, was laying on the bed.
And as per Asher's command the guards locked that private room from outside.
And after ten minutes the door of the private room opened, and he was there.
Asher Lucien Valerius. Towering, impossibly handsome, his dark suit immaculate, eyes glinting with a dangerous mix of amusement and ferocity. He moved toward her in a way that left no room for argument. Every step he took made her pulse accelerate.
Mia was laying on the bed with her dress disheveled because of her trying to take it off. "It's too hot," Mia says trying to unbutton her dress shirt and now her cleavage is visible to Asher where he can also see her black lace bra. His eyes darkened, he hovers over her and grab and cage her both wrists above her head.
"Are you trying to seduce me?" he asks in his deep husky voice, which was filled with dominance, Mia being in her intoxicated state pulls him closer and says, "Please... help".
Asher's deep chuckle was heard in that silent room along with Mia's deep breath.
"Should i my little human, will you able to handle me?" his voice was felled with a teasing hint. Mia was confused and pouts her lips slightly and stare at his dark eyes which was already staring at her with a kind of intensity that scared her immediately and tries to push him off her, but to no avail.
"Tsk are you trying to push me my kitten?" Asher asks tightening his grip on her wrists and whispering in her ear. Mia feels his hot breadth on her neck and ear a shiver runs down her spine sensing the danger in his voice.
Seeing her trembling form under him Asher's lips curve into a satisfying smirk. "Is my kitten scared?" he again teases her and inhales her intoxicating scent into his senses and then slowly plants a small kiss on her neck right where her pulse is.
Mia came to her scenes a little bit and pushes him more strongly, but he learns his face closer towards her face, and then he suddenly starts to inch his face close to her neck again, his breath was hitting her sweaty skin. "You smell so sweet kitten, should i taste you a bit?" Asher's lips were touching and sliding through her skin like it belongs there, and Mia couldn't resist a small whimpering moan escaping her lips.
His dark eyes drank her in, studying every reaction, and he leaned closer again, inhaling her scent like a predator testing his restraint.
Asher smirks and then learn toward her cleavage, her chest was falling up and down too fast. He plants an open-mouthed kiss on her cleavage's valley. Her scent was stronger there and because of her soft whimpering and moaning he was losing his control.
Slowly, he draped his coat over her shoulders, the leather warm and heavy, protecting her while also claiming her. Her body leaned instinctively against his, her pulse a chaotic rhythm he could feel through the subtle press of her form.
"Let's go," he murmured, and before she could respond, he lifted her effortlessly. Her legs dangled, weak, yet she felt strangely safe against the strength of his body. Every instinct screamed danger, but the predator who held her was the only one who could keep her alive right now.
Outside, the city blurred past, the lights casting fleeting patterns across the car as he carried her silently. Her head rested against his chest, faintly aware of the rhythmic, terrifying beat of his heart, steady and commanding.
You're safe now," he murmured, voice low and intimate, sending shivers down her spine.
Even in her haze, she could sense him—the faint tang of power, danger, and control. Her scent must have reached him; she saw the subtle flex of his jaw, the tilt of his head, and the dangerous restraint in his eyes.
She whispered softly, voice trembling: "It's… too much."
He smirked, predatory and restrained, leaning close so that every breath of hers filled his senses. He inhaled the faint scent of her blood, controlling himself, every muscle taut, every movement precise.
"You…" he murmured, voice husky. "You tempt me beyond reason."
Mia's heartbeat raced. She tried to pull back, but her weakened state made her futile. And he did not force her, did not overstep—but the tension, the danger, the desire in his presence was suffocating.
Her limbs were weak, her head spinning, but instinctively, she clung to the small thread of consciousness she had. Yet even in her haze, she could smell him—the faint metallic tang of power, danger, and dominance, mingled with something uniquely him. Her scent must have reached him. He froze slightly, breathing it in, his head tilting closer to the curve of her neck.
She felt his weight, the quiet, terrifying strength he exuded, and a shiver ran through her. His restraint was palpable. Every muscle in his body screamed to claim her, to bend her to him, yet he did not. Not yet.
He smirked, predatory yet restrained, leaning closer, his face brushing her hairline. Every breath of hers filled his senses. He inhaled the faint scent of her blood, controlling himself with effort she could not comprehend.
"You smell… intoxicating," he whispered, voice low and husky. "Do you know what you do to me?"
Mia's heart thundered in her chest. She tried to pull back, but her weakened state made her futile. And he did not force her, did not overstep—but the tension, the danger, and the desire in his presence were suffocating.
Outside, the city blurred past, the lights casting fleeting patterns across the car as he carried her silently. Her head rested against his chest, faintly aware of the rhythmic, terrifying beat of his heart, steady and commanding.
And then the mansion. Dark. Luxurious. Untouchable. It smelled of leather, cedar, and faint hints of something unearthly. Every shadow seemed to lean closer, as if the house itself recognized its master and his claim.
He set her down gently on the bed in the grand chamber, covering her with his coat again. His gaze lingered, intense and smoldering, even as he stepped back slightly, letting her regain her bearings.
"You're safe," he whispered again, though his eyes betrayed another truth—he wanted her, he needed her, but he would wait. For now.
And Mia, still trembling, barely conscious, only knew that nothing in her life had ever been this terrifyingly intoxicating.