Chapter Five

Kyle’s POV

I narrowed my eyes at Yvonne standing in my office. How many times had I warned her never to come here? It had been over a year since the breakup, and she still refused to let go.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she lashed out at Aisha.

“I should be asking you that question,” I fired back.

She stared angrily at me, then at Aisha. “You’ve been chasing him since you were a teenager. You didn’t have him then, and you won’t have him now.”

Aisha was too flabbergasted to speak.

“FYI, we are engaged and getting married soon. You better stay away from my fiancé,” she said, pointing at Aisha.

It was my turn to be stunned into silence.

She turned to me. “You better kill whatever you have going on with her before you come home to me.”

With that, she walked out of the office, slamming the door shut.

Aisha stood up and readjusted her blouse. “I should go.”

“You resume first thing tomorrow morning,” I said as I walked toward my seat. “Serena will send in your appointment letter and fill you in on the details of the job.”

She stared at me, and I could feel the tension thickening in the air. Perhaps she wanted me to address the elephant in the room, but I was pretending like my ex hadn’t just walked in and called herself my fiancée.

“Okay,” she said simply.

“Leave.”

She turned sharply on her heels and walked out of my office.

I clicked on the intercom. “In my office. Now.”

A few seconds later, Serena walked in. Before she could speak, I cut her off.

“How many times have I warned you that I don’t want to see Yvonne in my office?”

“Sir, she…”

“The next time I see her here, I’ll fire you.”

She trembled as she nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Get out.”

She left immediately.

My phone rang, and I picked it up. “Yes, Rookie. What time is the race tonight?” I looked at my watch. “I’ll be there.”

I ended the call, my attention drifting back to Aisha.

She had no idea what was coming for her.

Aisha’s POV

“Aargh!” I groaned in frustration as I got into the house and kicked off my shoes. That damned bastard.

“What is it?”

Ethan’s voice brought me back to reality.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were home,” I replied, walking toward him.

“I am. What happened?”

“Did you know Kyle is the CEO of Apex Holdings?”

He raised a brow. “Yeah. So?”

“What the fuck, Ethan? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why would I discuss my best friend with you?”

“Isn’t Kyle supposed to be a drug lord or something? A mobster? A racer? Whatever it is, but not a CEO?”

I crashed onto the sofa, and he laughed.

“He’s not as evil as you think he is. What happened?”

I rubbed my temple. “He’s my boss.”

I expected him to react negatively, but he remained relaxed, scrolling through his phone.

“So, you’re staying back?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t say anything more, and I stood up to leave.

“You know you can come work in the family business if you don’t want to work with Kyle, right?”

“I know,” I replied, but my need for independence wouldn’t let me.

I walked away, got to my room, and FaceTimed Fiona. I explained everything to her.

“We need to go to the club to release all this tension.” She said.

I agreed with her.

•

Fiona arrived later, already dressed like she had been waiting for an excuse to go out.

“You look like you want to commit murder,” she said as she walked into my room.

“I might,” I muttered, grabbing my bag.

“Good. Then let’s go dance instead.”

•

The club was loud enough to swallow my thoughts whole.

That was exactly what I needed.

Music thumped through my chest as Fiona dragged me straight to the dance floor. I didn’t think about Brandon. I didn’t think about Apex Holdings. I didn’t think about the interview. I didn’t think about Kyle. 

Or the way his hands had almost….

“Shots!” Fiona yelled over the music.

“You know I can’t hold my alcohol,” I reminded her.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you. I’ll drive you home safe,” she grinned.

Three tequila shots later, the room blurred at the edges.

We were laughing, dancing, brushing against strangers without rhythm or care.

Then I saw him.

At first, I thought the alcohol was playing tricks on me.

But when I blinked, he was still there.

Kyle Leicester sat in the VIP section, one arm resting casually on the back of the couch, a glass in his hand. His presence commanded attention without effort.

His eyes were fixed on me.

Not wandering.

Not curious.

Locked.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

I panicked, but the alcohol drowned my fear. Instead of running away like the scared little mouse I had always been around him, I stood there and began to dance.

And to an extent, it felt like I was performing a show just for him.

Men flocked around me, taking turns dancing with me, hands grazing my waist, bodies pressing close.

But Kyle’s eyes never left mine.

Not once.

Not even when another man’s hands slid lower on my hips.

His gaze stayed locked on me, dark and unreadable.

Something reckless ignited in me.

Before I could stop myself, I walked toward him like a seductive temptress. Unaware of what I was doing or whether I had an effect on him.

When I reached him, I tugged his tie and leaned in.

“You seem to be everywhere I’m at since I returned. It has me thinking that you don’t actually hate me like you claim.”

He reached up, his fingers gripping my jaw, his thumb brushing slowly and deliberate over my lips.

He smeared my lipstick, his gaze dropping briefly to my mouth before darkening.

He tasted it.

Desire flickered in his eyes.

It turned me on instantly.

“Go home, Aisha. Your brother must be waiting for you.”

“I’m no longer a kid, Kyle Leicester,” I leaned closer, my lips almost brushing his. “In fact, I will stay here and have fun with one of these men, and you can’t stop me.”

His expression hardened.

“Go ahead.”

The words hit harder than I expected. I hadn’t expected him to give me permission.

I turned back to the dance floor and kissed the first man who touched me, careless and heated. I forgot about Brandon. This was about spiting Kyle.

I turned back to the dance floor and kissed the first man who touched me, careless and heated.

My eyes flicked back to Kyle.

He did not move.

The man led me toward the counter.

“Come on, let’s go back to my hotel and have some fun,” he said.

Reality slammed into me.

I had gone too far.

“No, I’m fine. The fun ends in the club, right?” I smiled.

He grabbed my waist.

“No. It ends with an happy ending,”

I shoved him away.

“No, thank you. I’ll pass.”

He grabbed my wrist forcefully.

“Oh no, you’re coming with me.”

“The lady clearly said she doesn’t want to.”

Kyle’s voice cut through the noise.

The man turned.

“Fuck off, man. This is none of your business.”

Kyle moved.

In seconds, he slammed the man over the counter. Glass shattered. People screamed.

Then he pulled out a gun.

The shot echoed through the club as he fired into the man’s thigh.

Chaos erupted.

Kyle turned calmly to his bodyguard.

“Take care of him.”

Then his grip closed painfully around my arm as he dragged me out.

“Fiona!” I screamed.

“Tom will take her home safely,” he replied without looking back.

He shoved me into his car.

“Get me out of here!” I yelled.

The doors locked.

“Open this damn door!”

He drove off at high speed until he slammed on the brakes abruptly.

I gasped, nearly smashing my head into the dashboard.

“You…”

He grabbed my face and crushed his mouth against mine.

The kiss was brutal.

Possessive.

Hungry.

I froze for a second before kissing him back, my body betraying every rational thought I had left.

His hands gripped my waist, dragging me closer.

Before I knew it, I was straddling him, grinding against him.

I knew I would regret this.

He didn’t stop me at first, and it almost felt like he might lose control.

Then his hands tightened, holding me in place.

“Enough,” he said, voice low, dangerous.

My chest hitched as I looked into his eyes. They were dark, predatory, unyielding.

“You think you can walk in, tempt half the men in the club, and come sit on me like this?” he whispered, each word a razor against my skin.

“And what if I want to?” I breathed.

His thumb brushed across my lips, smearing the lipstick.

“You don’t decide that, Isha,” he said, voice darkening.

I felt heat coil in my stomach, something primal and terrifying.

“When I take you,” he continued, slow and deliberate, “it will be when I decide to. You’re about to be tortured more than you ever imagined.”

The words were ice and fire, possession and promise.

I reached for his belt, reckless.

He caught my wrist in a firm grip.

“Not tonight,” he said.

The rejection burned, but there was something deeper in his eyes. Danger, control, desire, and the faintest flicker of something unspoken.

“All I hear,” I whispered, voice trembling, “is that you don’t want me.”

His jaw tightened.

“I don’t… not because I don’t want you. But because I choose when, how, and why,” he hissed. Dark. Absolute.

“Is this how you plan to torture me?”

“You’ll learn to obey before you even understand what’s coming,” he murmured, leaning close enough for his breath to ghost over my ear.

Cold. Sharp. Ruthless. Sending desires down my spine

“Get off me,” he snapped.

I climbed down, heart hammering, humiliation and something else roiling inside me.

The door opened. Cool night air hit my face.

He didn’t stop me.

Engine roaring, he drove away.

I stood there, shaking, my mind a storm of heat, fear, and longing.

My phone died as I tried to call a taxi.

“Fuck you, Kyle Leicester,” I muttered through clenched teeth.

Eventually, a taxi took me home.

I collapsed onto my bed, mind racing.

“Damn you for stirring feelings I buried a long time ago.”