Novels by Queen

He was trapped. Again.He took a deep, shuddering breath and forced himself to think. He had to go to work. He had to act normal. He had to pretend that last night was just a one-time thing, a sordid, secret encounter that meant nothing. He had to show Adrian that he wasn’t broken, that he was still the same Leo, the good little employee.It was a lie, and he knew it. But it was the only weapon he had left.He left the hotel, the walk of shame a thousand times more humiliating than he had ever imagined. He took a cab back to his apartment, his head down, his hood pulled up, trying to make himself invisible. He showered again, in his own bathroom this time, and put on his work uniform, the armor of the good little employee. He chose the blue tie, his fingers trembling as he knotted it. He was a soldier going into battle, and the tie was his flag of surrender.The walk to the office was the longest of his life. Every person who passed him on the street seemed to know his secret. Every c

AfterThe first rays of dawn were creeping through the floor-to-ceiling window, painting the opulent hotel room in shades of pale gold and soft gray. Leo was alone. The space on the bed beside him was cold, the sheets already smoothed into a pristine, unwrinkled state. The only evidence of the previous night’s activities was the dull, persistent ache in his body, a phantom memory of hands and mouths and a forceful, undeniable possession.He sat up, the silk of the lingerie chafing against his skin. It felt different now. Last night, it had been a symbol of his secret desire, a thrilling transgression. This morning, it was a brand, a mark of his shame and his submission. He looked around the room, his eyes landing on the discarded gray hoodie and sweatpants on the floor. They looked like the remnants of another life, the life of a man who no longer existed.He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet sinking into the plush carpet. He felt a profound sense of dislocation, a

He raised a shaking hand and placed it on Adrian’s hip. The fabric of the trousers was cool under his palm. He leaned forward, his breath ghosting over the hard length straining against the fabric. He could feel the heat radiating from it, a testament to Adrian’s desire.He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pressed his lips against the rough fabric. It was a chaste kiss, a gesture of surrender. He felt Adrian’s hand come to rest on the back of his head, his fingers tangling in Leo’s hair, a firm, possessive grip.It was all the encouragement he needed.He began to explore, his lips and tongue tracing the hard outline of Adrian’s cock through the fabric. He could taste the faint, salty tang of pre-come that had soaked through the material. He could hear Adrian’s breathing hitch, a low groan rumbling in his chest. The sound was a drug, a potent aphrodisiac that fueled his own desire.He wanted this. He wanted this more than he had ever wanted anything.He reached up with his free

The world narrowed to the single point of contact where Adrian’s thumb brushed against Leo’s lip. The touch was feather-light, yet it held the weight of a command. Leo’s breath hitched, his entire body tensing in anticipation. He knew what was coming. He had fantasized about it, written about it, dreamed about it. But the reality was a thousand times more terrifying, a thousand times more potent.He could smell the whiskey on Adrian’s breath, a smoky, masculine scent that mingled with the expensive cologne. He could see the fine lines around Adrian’s eyes, the flecks of silver in his dark hair. He could see the undisguised hunger in his gaze. This was not a man who was going to be gentle. This was a man who was going to take what he wanted.And Leo was what he wanted.A part of him, the part that had been craving this for three months, wanted to lean into the touch, to part his lips and welcome the invasion. But the other part, the rational, terrified part of him, wanted to scream, to

The weight on his back was an anchor, dragging him down into a sea of despair. Leo’s face was pressed into the thick pile of the carpet, the fibers scratching his cheek. He could smell the faint, clean scent of the shampoo used by the hotel staff, a mundane detail in a moment that felt utterly surreal. His body was a symphony of aches, his elbow throbbing where he had fallen, his spine screaming under the pressure of Adrian’s foot.Every instinct screamed at him to fight, to struggle, to do something. But he was paralyzed. The sheer, crushing weight of Adrian’s authority, both literal and figurative, held him captive. He was a junior architect. Adrian Sterling was the CEO. He held Leo’s career, his future, his entire life in the palm of his hand. And he was holding it hostage.“Did you hear me, Leo?” Adrian’s voice was a calm, patient murmur, which was somehow more terrifying than a shout. “I said, take off your clothes. Or do I need to do it for you?”The threat hung in the air, heav

The air in Leo’s lungs turned to ice. It was a physical sensation, a sudden, paralyzing cold that seized his chest and stole his breath. He stared, his mind refusing to process the image in front of him, trying to reject it as a hallucination, a product of his overwrought nerves.But it was unmistakably him. Adrian Sterling. The man who ruled their firm with an iron fist, a predator in a world of sharks. He was even more intimidating in person than he was from across a boardroom table. He was in his late forties, with silver threading his dark hair at the temples, and sharp, intelligent eyes that seemed to see right through people. Tonight, those eyes, the color of a stormy sea, were fixed on him with an unnerving, predatory intensity.Adrian held a phone in his hand, its screen glowing, illuminating the sharp, cruel line of his smile. On the screen, Leo could just make out the familiar interface of the chat app. Their chat app.A wave of vertigo washed over Leo. He felt the room tilt