A Dangerous Invitation
Kai couldn't focus at all the next day. Every glance at his phone made his heart skip. Every shadow on the street seemed to stretch with intent. He tried to convince himself it was paranoia.
It wasn't.
By mid-afternoon, his phone vibrated. A new message:
Unknown: Dinner. Tonight. 8 PM. Don't be late.
Kai groaned. "I'm doomed," he muttered, tossing the phone onto the desk.
Leo peeked over his shoulder. "What now?"
Kai glared. "The rich asshole wants me again."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like a date."
Kai's cheeks burned. "It's terrifying. Nothing else."
That evening, Kai arrived at an opulent apartment complex downtown. The doorman greeted him by name. Of course they knew his name.
Lucien's penthouse was waiting, lights low, wine uncorked, music soft and deliberate.
Kai stepped inside. His heart raced. Every instinct screamed to leave. Yet some part of him—stupid, reckless part—moved forward.
Lucien appeared from the shadows, dressed in black, a slow, possessive smile on his lips. "You came," he said softly.
Kai crossed his arms. "I didn't really have a choice, did I?"
Lucien's crimson eyes glimmered. "Choice is an illusion. I merely provide opportunity."
Kai felt his pulse hammer. "You're insane."
Lucien stepped closer, reducing the distance until the air between them felt electric. "Perhaps. Or perhaps I'm exactly what you need."
Kai tried to look away but couldn't. Something about the calm, commanding presence, the dangerous allure, rooted him in place.
Lucien's voice dropped lower. "I've thought about you every night since we met. Every detail. Every move. You fascinate me."
Kai swallowed. "That's… unsettling."
Lucien smiled faintly, brushing a stray lock of Kai's hair behind his ear—deliberate, intimate. "I will be honest. I will be jealous. I will be possessive. And I will not let anyone take you from me."
Kai's mind reeled. Heart, pulse, everything felt out of control. Yet, beneath fear, a flutter of something dangerous and thrilling rose.
"Stay for dinner," Lucien whispered. "Let me prove I'm not a monster."
Kai hesitated. His instincts screamed. Every rational thought said to run.
But some part of him… wanted to stay.
The night stretched long, tension wrapping around them, teasing, dangerous, intimate, with unspoken promises that neither would fully admit.
By the time dessert arrived, Kai realized he wasn't sure if he wanted to leave—or if he even could.
Possession had begun its slow, intoxicating claim.