chapter 2

Chapter Two

Myra

I had officially lost my mind.

There was no other explanation for why I was standing inside one of the most expensive buildings in Manhattan at nearly midnight, staring through enormous windows at New York City glittering hundreds of feet below me.

My appointment wasn’t until tomorrow.

I knew that.

The Dragon knew that.

The confirmation on my phone definitely knew that.

But tomorrow was no longer an option.

Father had ruined that.

Three hours earlier, I had been halfway down the staircase when I’d heard his voice coming from his study.

“Tomorrow evening.”

I stopped.

My father’s office door had been partially open.

Mother was inside with him.

“You haven’t even told Myra,” she said quietly.

“She doesn’t need to know until everything is settled.”

“Angelo, she’s your daughter.”

“And that is exactly why I will decide what is best for her.”

My stomach had dropped.

I knew that tone.

I’d heard it when Katrina’s future had been decided.

Business.

Marriage.

Obedience.

My mother’s voice dropped so low I almost couldn’t hear her.

“She’s not Katrina.”

“No,” Father replied. “She’s worse. Myra still believes she has choices.”

I hadn’t waited to hear anything else.

I’d gone upstairs, locked my bedroom door and stared at the Dragon’s confirmation until my vision blurred.

Tomorrow suddenly felt too late.

So I’d changed clothes, climbed out my bedroom window and done the craziest thing I’d ever done in my life.

I’d come tonight.

Now that I was actually here, however, courage was becoming considerably harder to find.

The place was incredible.

Dark hardwood floors stretched beneath my feet. The furniture looked expensive without trying to look expensive. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around one side of the room, revealing a nighttime Manhattan that looked almost unreal.

I took another step toward the glass.

Maybe if I looked at the view instead of thinking about why I was here, I could stop shaking.

Two more steps.

I almost reached the window.

Long fingers suddenly closed around my forearm.

I gasped as I was pulled backward.

“What are you doing here?”

Every thought disappeared from my head.

I turned.

Oh.

My.

God.

The Dragon.

I’d seen him online.

I’d watched his videos more times than I would ever admit to another living soul.

None of them had prepared me for Nicholas Aspen in person.

Not that I knew his real name yet.

To me, he was simply the Dragon.

He stood barefoot in gray sweatpants, his chest bare. Water still clung to his skin and the ends of his black hair, making it obvious he’d recently stepped out of the shower.

And his eyes—

Blue.

Sharp.

Annoyed.

They traveled over me once before returning to my face.

“I asked you a question.”

My mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

One dark eyebrow lifted.

Excellent, Myra.

I’d broken into the Dragon’s private space and apparently forgotten how language worked.

“I—”

His grip loosened, although he didn’t release me immediately.

“I never book more than three in one night.”

Three?

My stomach did something strange.

Of course I knew I wasn’t the only woman.

That was literally his business.

Knowing it and hearing him say it were apparently two very different things.

“I have an appointment.”

“Not tonight.”

“Tomorrow.”

His expression hardened.

“Then come back tomorrow.”

He released my arm and turned away.

Panic shot through me.

“I can’t.”

He stopped.

“Please.”

Slowly, he looked over his shoulder.

“It has to be tonight.”

His gaze narrowed.

For one terrifying second, I wondered whether he could see every lie I’d ever told written directly across my forehead.

“If you can’t make your appointment tomorrow, I’ll issue a partial refund.”

He started walking toward a room on the left.

I stood there.

He expected me to leave.

I should have.

Normal people would have.

But I’d climbed out a second-story bedroom window and crossed Manhattan in the middle of the night to meet a man called the Dragon.

Normal had abandoned me several hours ago.

I followed him.

He stopped without turning around.

“I didn’t tell you to follow me.”

My feet froze.

Something about his voice made obedience immediate.

Which irritated me.

I’d come here because I was tired of being ordered around by men.

Yet one sentence from this stranger and suddenly my shoes had developed roots.

He turned.

“Why can’t you come tomorrow?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I don’t do complicated.”

“That’s convenient.”

His eyebrow rose.

Oh, God.

Why had I said that?

A tiny movement touched the corner of his mouth.

Not quite a smile.

“What’s your name?”

My stomach tightened.

The website had told me not to give him identifying information.

“Nova.”

That was the name I’d registered under.

He studied me.

“Nova.”

Hearing the fake name in his voice sent a ridiculous shiver down my spine.

“Yes.”

“How old are you?”

I told him.

His expression remained unreadable.

“Identification.”

“What?”

“ID.”

I hesitated.

He held out his hand.

“I verify every client’s age. That’s not negotiable.”

At least that made sense.

I dug into my purse and handed him my identification.

His eyes moved across it.

Then stopped.

My heart nearly stopped with them.

He looked at the card.

Then at me.

Then back at the card.

“Myra.”

Crap.

He knew my real name now.

“Give that back.”

He did, but his attention had changed.

“Why did you register as Nova?”

“Privacy.”

“Yet you came to my home outside your scheduled appointment.”

“I was desperate.”

“That’s the part I’m trying to understand.”

He walked toward the kitchen.

This time I stayed where I was.

Apparently I’d learned something.

He poured himself water.

“Boyfriend?”

“No.”

“Husband?”

“No!”

That almost made him smile.

“Parents know you’re here?”

I looked away.

There went the smile.

“You’re sneaking around.”

“I’m an adult.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

“No. They don’t know.”

“Why?”

I folded my arms.

“Do all your clients get interrogated?”

“Only the ones who appear in my home unexpectedly.”

Fair.

He leaned against the counter.

“Why tonight?”

I could leave.

I should leave.

But something inside me cracked.

“Because my father is going to choose my husband.”

The amusement disappeared completely.

“What?”

“He already did it to my sister.”

I swallowed.

“Now I think he’s doing it to me.”

His blue eyes sharpened.

“And that’s why you’re here?”

“Partly.”

“What’s the other part?”

Heat rushed into my face.

I couldn’t believe I was about to say this.

“You.”

Silence.

His gaze didn’t leave mine.

“I’ve seen the videos.”

“I’m aware of how clients find me.”

“I wanted…”

My courage vanished halfway through the sentence.

He waited.

I looked at the floor.

“I wanted my first time to be my choice.”

Nothing.

I forced myself to look up.

Something had changed in his face.

“Your first time?”

I nodded.

His jaw tightened.

“You’re a virgin.”

“Don’t say it like it’s a disease.”

“I’m not.”

“It sounded like it.”

He set down his glass.

“No.”

I blinked.

“No what?”

“No.”

My embarrassment turned instantly into anger.

“You haven’t even heard me out.”

“I’ve heard enough.”

“But I paid—”

“You’ll get your money back.”

“I don’t want my money!”

His eyes flashed.

“What exactly do you want, Myra?”

“You know exactly what I want.”

His expression went still.

I could hear my own heartbeat.

“You don’t know me,” he said.

“I know enough.”

“No. You know what you’ve seen online.”

“Women seem pretty satisfied.”

That finally earned a reaction.

His mouth twitched.

My face burned even hotter.

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?”

He pushed away from the counter and walked toward me.

My bravery shrank with every step.

He stopped close enough that I had to tilt my head to look at him.

“The women who come here know exactly what they’re asking for.”

“So do I.”

“No, you don’t.”

“You don’t get to decide that.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Maybe not. But I decide who I take into my bedroom.”

That shut me up.

He wasn’t wrong.

I hated that.

“Fine.”

I grabbed my purse.

“I shouldn’t have come.”

“Probably not.”

I glared at him.

“You’re kind of an asshole.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“And arrogant.”

“Frequently.”

“And your videos make you look nicer.”

That actually made him laugh.

It was brief.

Deep.

And annoyingly attractive.

I turned toward the door.

“Myra.”

I stopped.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Use my name.”

“It’s your name.”

“Not here.”

He watched me for several seconds.

“Nova, then.”

Something about hearing him call me that made leaving suddenly much harder.

I reached for the door.

“Wait.”

I looked back.

He was studying me again.

Not my body.

My face.

“Who’s the man?”

“What man?”

“The one your father wants you to marry.”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“He hasn’t told me yet.”

His expression darkened.

“Then how do you know he’s arranging it?”

“Because I’ve watched this happen before.”

I tightened my fingers around my purse.

“And because tonight I heard him tell my mother that tomorrow evening something involving me would be settled.”

The Dragon went quiet.

“That’s why you came early.”

“Yes.”

“Because you think tomorrow your life stops belonging to you.”

The words hit harder than I expected.

I swallowed.

“Something like that.”

For the first time since I’d arrived, he didn’t look annoyed.

He looked thoughtful.

Dangerously thoughtful.

I should have left.

Instead, I stood there staring at him.

Maybe because I wanted him to change his mind.

Maybe because I wanted someone—anyone—to understand why I’d done something this reckless.

He walked closer.

“One question.”

“What?”

“If your father wasn’t arranging your marriage, would you still have come?”

I didn’t have to think about it.

“Yes.”

His eyes locked onto mine.

“Why?”

I took a shaky breath.

“Because I wanted you before I knew I might lose the choice.”

Silence stretched between us.

Then I did something even crazier than sneaking out of my father’s house.

I stepped forward.

Rose onto my toes.

And kissed the Dragon.

For one heartbeat, he didn’t move.

Neither did I.

Then reality crashed over me.

Oh my God.

I had just kissed him.

I jerked backward.

His blue eyes had gone very still.

“I’m sorry.”

He said nothing.

“I shouldn’t have—”

“No.”

There was that word again.

Humiliation burned through me.

“Right. Obviously.”

I turned and hurried toward the door.

This time he didn’t stop me.

My hand closed around the handle.

“Nova.”

I looked over my shoulder.

His expression was impossible to read.

“Go home.”

The words hurt more than they should have.

I nodded.

Then I walked out.

The elevator doors closed between us.

Only when they did did I finally breathe.

I had wanted one night with the Dragon.

Instead, I’d embarrassed myself, kissed a stranger who didn’t want me, and confessed that my father might be arranging my marriage.

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

I pressed the lobby button and covered my face with both hands.

I would never see the Dragon again.

At least—

that was what I believed.