Mag-log inELENA I texted him three days later, at eleven at night.I stared at his name on my screen for almost a full minute before I finally typed.| We can't keep pretending we don't need each other. |I nearly deleted it.Instead, I pressed send and tossed my phone onto the bed.For the next few seconds, nothing happened.Then my phone buzzed.I grabbed it so quickly my heart jumped.| THE SINCLAIR HOTEL. ROOM 1402. THE KEY WILL BE AT THE DESK UNDER THE NAME CARTER. |I read the message twice.There was no question. No hesitation. No attempt to talk me out of it.Just an address and a room number.My stomach tightened.I sat there for another minute, staring at the screen while every sensible thought in my head told me to stay exactly where I was because it felt like a trap but I ignored all.By the time I reached the hotel, it was well past midnight. The lobby was almost empty, the polished floors reflecting the soft yellow lights overhead. I kept my head down as I approached the front de
ELENA Two days later I walked into his office after six with a thin folder in my hand and no real excuse that would hold up under pressure.The floor was quiet. Most of the lights were already off. His assistantโs desk sat empty. I didnโt knock. I just pushed the door open and stepped inside.Julian looked up from his laptop. Whatever he had been about to say died the second he saw me.โElena.โโWhatโฆโโI brought the contracts Dad asked about.โHe closed the laptop slowly. โYour father could have emailed them.โโI know.โI set the folder on the edge of his desk and stayed standing. He rose from his chair like the movement cost him something. The door was still open behind me. He walked past, shut it, and locked it without a word.The sound of the lock turned the air thicker.โYou shouldnโt be here,โ he said.โYou told me if I touched you again you wouldnโt stop.โโThat was not an invitation.โโIt felt like one.โHe came around the desk until only a few feet separated us. His tie was
ELENAThe door to the dining room clicked shut, and the quiet of the penthouse stretched between us like a held breath.My father was still on the phone with Tokyo. I could hear the low murmur of his voice.That left me alone with Julian Vance.He stopped three feet away. Close enough that I could smell the faint trace of his cologne and the whisky he had barely touched.โYou need to stop,โ he said.I turned.โStop what?โโLooking at me like that.โMy pulse kicked hard against my throat.โLike what?โHe didnโt answer right away. His eyes moved over my face the way they never used to, like he was cataloguing every detail and hating himself for it.The black dress I had chosen sat low on my shoulders. I had worn it on purpose.I wanted him to notice.โYouโre twenty-four,โ he said finally.โI know.โโThen you need to start acting like it.โI took one step closer.He didnโt move back.That was the first real mistake of the night.โIโve been acting like it since I turned 24,โ I said. โYou
SiennaAn attack came just after midnight.Gunfire cracked somewhere on the lower floors. Alarms screamed through the halls, red emergency lights flashing against the walls as panic spread floor by floor.Dante was already moving before I fully sat up. He shoved a gun into the hand of the man who appeared in the doorway and pointed at me.โWatch her.โโShe doesnโt leave this room. Anyone who tries to take her dies.โThen he was gone.The man immediately raised the weapon and aimed it straight at me.My breath caught.He stared at me for a long, terrifying second before the corner of his mouth lifted.โBang.โI flinched.He burst out laughing, lowering the gun.Then he stepped closer, invading my space, his expression turning deliberately provocative.โHow about I leave my blueprint in-between your legs?,โ he asked, unlocking his belt.โI would love to have a taste of your smooth legs and your hands bulging my cock,โ he groaned. His hand moved slowly against my thigh.โShhโฆdon't scr
Sienna Dante required me at his side for every public appearance. Charity dinners. Quiet meetings in private rooms where men in expensive suits spoke in coded sentences.I wore the dresses Rosa laid out, stood close enough that cameras caught the ring on my finger, and answered when spoken to. At night the rules shifted.He started with the tie.I came out of the bathroom one evening in one of his shirts and nothing else. He was already waiting, black silk tie loose in his hand.โWrists,โ he said.I should have refused. But before I even realized what I was doing, my hands were already held out.He bound them in front of me, firm but careful not to cut circulation, then guided me to the edge of the bed. He spent a long time with his mouth between my legs, slowly and relentless, tongue circling and pressing until my thighs shook and every breath turned into a broken sound. Every time I got close he pulled back, kissed the inside of my knee, and started again. He only hummed agains
Sienna A week of shared silence and locked doors ended the night someone tried to reach me. I found the note slipped under a serving tray Rosa brought up. Just a folded scrap with a phone number and three words in my fatherโs old associateโs handwriting: โWe can get you out.โ I shouldโve burned it. Instead, I stood there staring at it, unable to look away. Dante found out before the hour was up. I just didnโt know what heโd do when he did. He didnโt knock. He walked into the suite while I was still holding the paper, took it from my fingers, read it once, and said, โCome with me.โ We went down two flights of stairs I had never been allowed to use. Concrete walls. A heavy door. Inside, a man I half-recognized from my fatherโs parties sat zip-tied to a chair, face already swelling, blood dripping from a split lip onto his shirt. Dante closed the door behind us. โThis is Marco,โ he said, voice calm. โHe thought he could contact my wife without consequences.โ Marcoโs
JEZEBEL โ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ 7-๐ข๐ง๐๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐๐ค ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐.โ I sat across from my best friend Sarah on her couch, a half empty bottle of wine between us. "I've known her for sucking a ridiculous amount of dicks
JEZEBEL My phone would not stop blowing up. Missed calls from my uncle. Texts asking where I was. I tried to play it cool when my uncle called again. "Hey, sorry I missed you. I was out late with friends. Is everything okay?"His voice sounded off. "We need to talk, Lila. In person. Come by my p
JEZEBEL โHey, baby,โ Jax said warmly. โStill feeling me from last night?โI smiled, cheeks heating. โMhm.โโMy place tonight, eight oโclock. Marcus will be here. Wear something easy to take off.โMy breath caught. โJaxโฆโโI got you,โ he murmured gently. โWeโll go slow, making sure you feel safe an
JEZEBEL "Dinner at my place tonight. Seven sharp. Do not be late." That was all Jax said. No please, no extra words. Just that deep commanding tone even through a message.I spent the rest of the day distracted, shifting in my chair because I was already getting wet thinking about what he had plan







