2.

They passed through velvet curtains into a private corridor lit by wavering light fixture. Every step he took was slow, and she followed her without asking much questions.

“You’re quiet,” he said, voice deep and silken.

“I’m watching you.”

His head tilted slightly. “You like control.”

“Sometimes.”

“I’ll ask once. Do you want this?”

Nina’s lips separated. Her body stopped, breath catching in her throat. Her thoughts tangled in heat and curiosity and something more dangerous. Her thoughts went back to her dream, she needed to say that word "Don't stop..." to someone who would bury his head to eat her pussy. She wanted dominance.

She nodded.

“I need to hear it,” he said firmly.

“I want this,” she breathed.

Her fingers brushed over her phone screen on the sink. She tapped her “Midnight Mood” playlist and let the sound of R&B music fill the bathroom as she danced to the music slowly.

She stepped into the shower, still dancing.

The water was warm as it rushed down her back. It soaked her hair, dripped all over her breasts, and went down slowly on her stomach. Her eyes closed as she moved her face up to face the water as it ran down her face letting the vapour cover around her skin.

The dream came back in perfectly in her mind, his mouth, the desire, the pain between her thighs. Her hand moved to her chest, her fingers feed over the nipples which was already firm from the memory. She moaned softly as her lips hummed slowly on the music.

Her other hand moved lower. She didn’t rush. She just let herself feel the contrast of hot water on her skin, the way her fingers danced slowly in familiar places. They moved into her opening slowly as she throbs. Her breath deepened, her hips shifting slightly against the tiled wall as her imagination ran wild.

She let herself feel everything. No guilt. No rush. Just the warm slide of her own touch. She imagined his mouth again, his tongue, the way traced every part of her body like he knew her.

Her fingers moved in slow, intentional circles, making fun of it and building desires as her breath quickened. The music vibrated in her ears as her body trembled and pleasure filled her body.

She was almost there...

Buzz. Buzz.

The vibration of her phone on the sink made her come back to reality immediately. She blinked, gasping briefly as she tried to stand in a place. The moment had being stopped by the buzz and she can't abandon it.

Covered in water vapour, she turned the shower off and stepped out of it. She wiped off her wet body with a towel slowly as she still felt the slow throb of fluids under her skin. Her body hummed. She didn’t feel embarrassed, not anymore. She felt... awakened.

She picked up her phone, wiping at the screen. One new message.

Zee:

“Don’t be late tonight, Nina. This isn’t just some party. It’s a door. You ready to open it?”

Nina stared at the words for a long second. Her heart fluttered. Elise always had a way of saying too much with too little.

She tapped out a reply with damp fingers:

“I’m already halfway through it.”

She threw the phone on the bed as she turned from the window.

The black dress was on the back of her chair, untouched since the wedding that didn't take place later on. She put it on. The fabric was soft, clinging to her curves and the neckline was low, her back bare to the waist. She moved to her dresser and picked up the lace mask as her fingers was steady now, she put it behind her head and tied it comfortably.

In the mirror, a new woman looked back. Still Nina… but sharper, her, braver.

She saw a woman who was no longer content to wait. Not for love. Not for permission. Not for life to magically fix itself.

She held it to her face, looking into the mirror.

The city outside her window glittered through the glass as she grabbed her purse, put on her heels, and walked to the door.

Tonight, the mask wasn’t just a disguise.

It was permission.

Nina wouldn’t be the woman left behind. She wouldn’t be the one who cried quietly while others laughed. She wouldn’t be the second choice, the afterthought, the fallback plan.

Tonight, she would be an unknown and maybe, just maybe, someone out there would be waiting for her, unknown.

She walked into the night, into the rain, into the streets and somewhere deep inside, the dream came back again.

The music beat with vibration and the moment Nina walked into the ballroom, the world outside disappeared. Her black mask was stick to her face, hiding every trace of doubt. A soft golden glow flashed across chandeliers as shadows danced over silk gowns and sharp suits. Every guest was faceless, mysterious, dangerous.

This wasn’t just a party, it was a secret world where reality put on hold and people gave in to their desires.

“Zee?” Nina whispered as her eyes scanned through masked strangers, laughter and hints of skin under the opening of sexy fabric.

A gloved hand touched her bare shoulder from behind.

She turned sharply.

“Easy,” came Zee’s familiar voice. Her mask was gold and laced with crimson feathers. “You made it.”

“Barely,” Nina murmured, her pulse already quickening. “This place feels... unreal.”

Zee leaned in. “That’s the point. There are no real names here. No pasts. No futures. Just desire.” She winked. “I see someone watching you.”

Nina frowned her face. “What do you mean by that?”

Zee smiled heavily showing off a curly lip. “Don’t look yet. He’s been staring since you walked in. Tall, black suit. All mask, no mercy. And when he moves, it’s like he owns the night.”

Nina swallowed. Her skin tingled.

“I told him you were curious,” Zee added.

“What?”

“I may have also told him you were... available.”

“Zee!”

“He asked for one thing, and that's your consent. And now, I’m telling you: Go with him. Trust me. You want this.”

Before Nina could respond, the crowd seemed to shift, parting like water.

And there he was.

He appeared like a shadow carved from desire.

Tall, over six feet, with a body that can make ladies come. Broad shoulders were perfectly fit into the fabric of his black tailored suit, every inch of it cling on his body with intention. He moved like a predator that's not in a hurry but with the calm sureness of a man who had never once been denied anything he wanted. His presence was attractive and the room seemed to revolve around him.

His chest was solid beneath the open collar of his shirt, which showed a sliver of smooth skin which was just enough to tease. The cut of his suit showed every inch of power: the way his waist wasn't wide, how his arms filled out the sleeves, the quiet strength in the way he positions himself. He didn’t try to appear dominant. He simply was.

But it was his face or what little could be seen of it that truly got her attention.

A black mask covered most of his features, smooth and pointed as it hugged the top half of his face, revealing only a chiseled jawline with some hairs on his face which made him sharp and masculine, with just enough roughness to make a lady cry of desire. His lips were full, firm, and unsmiling with the kind of mouth that could give orders or make promises that ruined you.

And his eyes… even behind the mask, they were the most dangerous part of him.

Dark, calculating, and continuously focused. They didn’t just look at Nina, they learned her, ate her, took her away in the most intimate way without a single touch. There was no friendliness in them, not at first. Just heat. A dark, simmering hunger that said I want you and I will have you.

His hands covered in black leather gloves were large and elegant. Hands made for control. For silence. For pleasure and punishment.

He wore no perfume that Nina could place, but there was a scent that lingered around him: warm spice and something smoky like expensive whiskey mixed with rain-soaked earth and the heat of a storm. It wasn’t overpowering. It was skillfull… and habit forming.

He spoke in low, intentional tones. His voice had the texture of dark velvet, deep and smooth, curling around every word they spoke to each other.

He didn’t need to shout for it.

He didn’t need to beg.

His body, his eyes, and his quietness all did the talking.

There was a story in the way he held himself high, something dangerous that had nothing to do with extreme force and everything to do with control. He had tasted power before, and from the way he stood, it was clear he expected to be obeyed.

He was not the kind of man you met.

He was the kind you surrendered to.

And Nina... she already knew, somewhere deep in her skin and bones, that this man...this stranger named X would be the start of her undoing.

His presence was impossible to ignore. He was too still in a room full of movement. Too calm in a sea of chaos. When he stepped forward, it was slow and deliberate, powerful.

He extended a gloved hand. “Come.”

Nina looked at Zee.

Her friend smiled and whispered, “No names. No limits. No questions. Remember?”

Nina turned back to the man. She took his hand.

He said only three words as he led her away.

“Call me X.”