CHAPTER ONE

The bass vibrated through the room as Elena sipped her champagne and watched the crowd dance beneath the shifting lights. Her dress was shorter than anything she normally wore.

The smooth silk clung to her figure as she crossed the room. The small mask covering her eyes was almost pointless. Anyone who actually knew her would recognize her in seconds, but tonight, she didn't care.

She wasn't supposed to be here. In less than a month, she'd be standing beside Adrian, smiling for family photos and celebrating the future they'd spent years planning together. His engagement ring caught the light every time she lifted her glass.

Maybe that was exactly why she'd accepted her friend's invitation. Pretending everything was perfect had become exhausting.

Tonight wasn't about running away from her life. She simply wanted a few hours where she could breathe without thinking about guest lists, expectations, or the future. She rested against the bar, quietly observing the crowd.

Her attention drifted to a man standing several feet away. Tall and broad-shouldered, he leaned against the marble bar as though he owned the place. He was older than any man she'd ever been drawn to. His gaze met hers, and she found herself staring a little longer than she intended.

He didn't smile. He simply tilted his head, as though deciding something about her, then pushed off the bar and walked straight toward her.

Every sensible part of her told her to look away. Instead, she held his gaze. Her fingers tightened around her champagne glass. This wasn't why she'd come here. A sensible woman would've turned back to her drink before he ever reached her. Instead, she stayed exactly where she was.

When he stopped in front of her, the music faded into the background. She couldn't explain why speaking had suddenly become so difficult.

"You're drinking alone," he said.

His calm voice only made her more aware of her own nerves. Elena tightened her grip on her glass. "Maybe I wanted to."

"Or maybe," he said, leaning in just enough for his breath to brush her ear, "you were waiting for me."

She hesitated before answering. "I don't even know you."

"That's the point," he murmured. "You don't need to. You won't forget me either way." His hand brushed her hip lightly. Common sense told her to step away, but she didn't.

Her gaze dropped to the engagement ring on her finger. She covered it with her hand, wishing she could ignore what it represented. Adrian trusted her. He would never imagine she was standing in a club captivated by another man.

The man took her silence as an invitation. His fingers closed around her waist, guiding her from the lounge, down the hallway, and into an elevator. The mirrored doors slid shut, leaving them alone. "You're shaking already," he murmured, studying her.

Elena let out a nervous breath that almost sounded like a laugh. "Maybe I should go back."

"Maybe you should beg me not to stop what I'm about to do to you," he said, his hand trailing up her thighs, slowly finding its way in between her legs.

The air between them thickened as he pressed her against the wall, the cool glass shocking against her back. "You're fucking beautiful."

His mouth crashed onto hers, teeth grazing her lower lip before sucking it hard enough to make her moan. "God, you taste sweet," he growled. "Tell me you're not some good girl I'm about to ruin tonight."

Her pulse stuttered. "I'm engaged."

That made him pause only a second. He stared at the ring on her finger, then his hand slid down, gripping her thigh and dragging it around his hip. "Even better."

The filthy thrill slammed through her, shame and desire tangling until she couldn't tell them apart. His tongue slid into her mouth, deep and demanding, and she let him take everything.

The hotel room door slammed behind them, and he shoved her against it, lips trailing down her throat. His teeth scraped her skin before his tongue soothed the sting, marking her in places only she would know, places her fiancé had never discovered.

"Say you want this," he demanded, fingers sliding under her dress, knuckles brushing the lace between her thighs.

Elena gasped, already wet, already aching. "I want this."

"Good girl."

Her panties were gone with a sharp tug, ripped and tossed aside. He spread her thighs with his knee, fingers finding her slick heat, stroking until she writhed.

"Fuck. You're soaked for me," he murmured against her ear. "Bet your fiancé's never had you like this. He's the soft and careful type, the kind who asks permission to touch what's already his."

Her moan was answer enough.

"Look at you," he went on, his voice dark and cruel as he slid two fingers inside her tightness, thrusting slowly until her hips bucked. "Dripping all over my hand. You love being ruined by a stranger."

"Please," Elena begged, not even sure what she was asking for.

"Please, what?" He curved his fingers, finding the spot that made her cry out. "Tell me exactly what you want from me."

"I want your cock inside me."

The growl that tore from his chest was pure animal. In a blink, he had her spun around, bent over the edge of the bed, her dress bunched around her waist. The sound of his zipper seemed to lower the air itself. Then he was there, hot and hard, pressing against her soaked cunt.

"You sure?" His hand tangled in her hair, yanking her head back so she could feel his mouth at her ear. "Last chance to walk away."

Elena pushed herself back against him. "Don't you dare stop."

His laugh was rough and dangerous. He slammed in and her world broke apart. Elena cried out, her knuckles white as she grabbed the sheets, her body splitting wide beneath the force of his thickness. He set a brutal rhythm, his hips snapping against hers, one hand fisted in her hair, the other gripping her waist so tightly she knew she'd see bruises in the morning.

"Mine," he rasped with every thrust. "Even if just for tonight. You're mine."

"Yes," she gasped, lost in the rhythm, lost in him and his punishing thrusts. "I'm yours."

The words sent him over the edge. He fucked her harder, his words hot and dirty against her ear, promises of what he'd do to her if she were his, what he wanted, how he'd take until she could barely walk.

Elena sobbed from the intensity, from the way her body clenched tightly around him and shattered in waves she couldn't control. Soon he followed, slamming deep one last time with a groan that vibrated through her spine. They collapsed together, sweat-slick and breathless, her body trembling in the aftermath.

Neither of them spoke. For the first time that night, she couldn't ignore what she'd done. Her thoughts returned to Adrian, and shame tightened around her like a vice.

Elena scrambled from the bed, snatched up her dress and pulled it over her unsteady limbs. The man made no move to stop her. He simply lay back against the pillows, watching her in silence, his expression giving nothing away.

"You'll think of me every time your fiancé touches you." he said quietly.

Elena froze. "I still don't even know who you are." she whispered.

A knowing smile crossed his face. "You will, very soon."