LOGINElara's POVLater that evening, I didn't hear from Victor, which should have felt like a relief, or everything to settle and return to some version of normal, but instead I found myself filled with anxiety, checking my phone constantly, waiting for his call.I did get two missed calls and a text from Ryan, though, his name lighting up my screen just annoyed me, because he was the last person I wanted to deal with right now, not after everything, not after what I knew.I didn't call him back.Instead, I replied to his message, keeping it brief, telling him I had plans with my grandmother, which wasn't exactly a lie, just not the full truth, because I did have fittings scheduled for the Whitmore event tomorrow, and the stylist was already on her way to the Sinclair estate to meet us.I had invited Lila as well, mostly because I trusted her opinion on what to wear knowing my grandmother will force me to wear whatever she chose.By the time we arrived at the estate, my grandmother was alr
Elara's POV"Nice to meet you, Elara." His voice was calm.Too calm, like nothing had happened. It was crazy, like last night didn't exist.Like I hadn't—It was hard to breathe, I had to forced breath into my lungs. My fingers still curled tightly around Ryan's arm as I tried to steady myself, I was afraid I would fall if I let go."Nice to meet you too," I finally said realizing they were all waiting for me, and I almost didn't recognize my own voice.Victor Whitmore held my gaze for a fraction longer than necessary, just enough for me to feel it settle somewhere deep and unsettling before he finally looked away, shifting his attention to the rest of the table as though nothing about this moment was out of the ordinary.But it was.Everything about it was."Sit, sit," Courtney said lightly, gesturing toward the empty chairs as if we weren't all standing in the middle of something that only two of us understood.Ryan guided me down beside him, his hand lingering briefly at my back be
Elara's POVI somehow wasn't nervous but I wasn't exactly relaxed either. Then he moved closer to me on the bed. He brought my naked body up against his and God, it felt amazing.His lips touched mine, he kissed me, our first official kiss and that made everything easier. His lips felt amazing, so good that I silently scold myself why we didn't do it sooner. I could only focus on how wonderful the kiss was, the taste of him, the feel of him.Everything felt good, too good it somehow felt unreal. It was amazing. His body was so warm, it was like snuggling up against this big bear. I could feel the hair on his chest, I could feel his perfect toned legs, his arms and his... cock. The first cock I've ever felt, like this.Then his hand that had been holding my face slipped down and cupped my breast, and that was amazing too. He teased my nipple in a way that sent zings of pleasure to between my thigh, my pussy pulsed with need. He used his thigh to gently rub my pussy. I could feel his c
Elara's POVThe next morning, it all came back.Not in fragments, not in pieces, but all at once, clear and vivid in a way that made it impossible to dismiss as something insignificant or fleeting. Every look, every word, every second replayed itself. I had gone out to see Ryan.That had been the plan simple, harmless. And yet, somehow, I had ended up upstairs, alone, with a man whose name I didn't even know, allowing something to happen that I couldn't explain, not in a way that made sense, not in a way that fit into the version of myself I had always understood.I don't know how but I manage to get to class, even though I couldn't stop thinking of the way he had looked at me. The way he touched me and the way I hadn't stopped him.After my class today, I call Paul to come pick me up. I wanted to stop home and see my grandpa. I try to see him at least once every week when I'm in school. He's always like, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in school?" but secretly I think he likes t
Elara's POVI didn't see him again largely because I made sure not to return to the country club.I told myself it was intentional, part of a quiet, rational decision to create distance and return to normal, to step away from something that had no real place in my life. But that wasn't entirely true, and deep down, I knew it. What I was really doing was avoiding him, avoiding the way he had looked at me, the way he had spoken, and most of all, the way he had dismissed me so effortlessly.You're too young for me.The words had stayed with me far longer than they should have, replaying in my mind over and over again. I told myself it didn't matter, that it shouldn't matter, but that didn't stop it from lingering.I tried to focus on other things. Lila and I went out a few times, and it was actually fun easier than I expected, stayed out later, allowed myself to relax in ways I normally wouldn't.But even then, he remained at the back of my mind, slipping into my thoughts at the most une
Elara's POV,It was the first day of classes, and I still couldn't stop thinking about him.Which, in itself, was a problem. Because I don't obsess over men. I don't replay conversations in my head or linger on moments that don't matter. I don't let strangers especially ones I know nothing about, occupy this much space in my thoughts.And certainly not an older man. Yet, somehow, I couldn't seem to let it go.The elevator. The way he looked at me. The way he spoke, controlled as though he had already decided something about me before I had even opened my mouth.It was... unsettling. And completely out of character for me. I exhaled quietly, trying to focus as I walked across campus.Both Lila and I attended NYU, though our paths rarely crossed academically. I was majoring in Financial Technology as a good Sinclair child. Lila, on the other hand, was a Public Relations major, which suited her perfectly.We shared only one elective and today wasn't one of those days. My only class ended







