LOGINThe late afternoon sky painted the mansion's windows with deep, almost liquid orange tones that dripped down the immaculate white walls as if luxury itself were breathing. The automatic gate closed behind Lucas with a metallic boom that echoed briefly, imposingly.He entered with firm steps, though anxiety danced beneath his skin, pulsing in discreet beads of sweat at his temple. His sports bag slid comfortably on his back, an almost light weight compared to what awaited him. His simple uniform—a very tight black t-shirt, outlining his muscular chest, and shorts that exposed his firm thighs—seemed less like work clothes and more like a disguise of seductive armor.He had never set foot in a house like that, imposing, silent, with an air of a luxurious temple where power was worshiped in every detail. Luck had not brought him there. Nothing about it was chance. His profile had been chosen with almost surgical precision: young, healthy, handsome. And most importantly... obedient.Lucas
The loft was submerged in a dense half-light, as if the very space had been saturated by the intensity of what had happened minutes before. The shadows of the sculptures remained elongated, cast by the wall sconces that still glowed softly, but now they seemed less threatening, more complicit. Silence reigned, broken only by their ragged breaths gradually finding a calmer rhythm, like waves receding after a storm.Savanah lay on the sofa, her body still warm and trembling, her damp skin sticking to the rough fabric of the blanket Sebastian had pulled over them in an almost absent-minded gesture. The contrasting texture scraped lightly against her sensitive skin, but there was no discomfort—only a tactile memory of the rawness of this place and the man now breathing beside her.She couldn't close her eyes. The high ceiling seemed to turn slowly, as if the air were too heavy. Her heart still hammered in her chest, and every nerve seemed to vibrate like a tensed string. Vulnerable. Expos
The loft was plunged into a calculated half-light. The wall sconces remained on, casting golden, oblique beams that cut through the vast space, turning sculptures into elongated shadows and walls into canvases of dramatic texture. Dinner was over, but the taste of wine and the unresolved tension still hung in the air. Between them, their breathing seemed louder than the silence, warmer than the cold, raw expanse of the room.Savanah walked beside Sebastian, her heels marking an irregular rhythm on the polished concrete floor. With each step, she felt her heart accelerate, not from fear, but from an anticipation that seemed to swell from within, overwhelming her with an impossible urgency. He guided her without speaking, just with a firm hand at the small of her back, pressing her lightly forward, leading her toward the more open area of the loft.The low sofa was there, an almost insolent invitation, but Sebastian did not hurry toward it. Instead, he stopped her before one of the conc
He sat across from her, his chair creaking softly. For a long moment, they simply looked at each other across the flickering candle flame. The silence was thick, heavy with everything left unsaid."Your sanctuary," she finally managed to say, her gesture encompassing the space around them. "It's... different than I imagined.""What did you imagine?""More order. Fewer... tools.""Tools are extensions of the hands," he replied, picking up a strawberry. He did not eat it. He merely rolled it between his fingers, watching the light reflect off its damp, red surface. "They are what leave the mark of intention on the material. A chisel can create a gentle curve or a sharp edge, depending on the pressure, the angle. The force applied. Every tool leaves its own scar, its own story on the piece. It's those marks that make the work true. Alive."Savanah felt a twinge of familiarity. She picked up a piece of cheese, a creamy brie. Her own hands, her own tools."In the kitchen, we have our tools
The metallic groan of the heavy door shutting behind her was like the sound of a cell being locked. A final sound, severing the connection to the outside world, to rules, to safety. Savanah stood still for a moment, her eyes adjusting to the gloom.The loft was a universe of its own. The ceiling, lost in the heights, was supported by rusty steel beams. Immense windows, checkered like those of an old factory, let in the ghostly light from the streetlamps, painting pale stripes on the stained, worn concrete floor. The air was dense, charged with a symphony of primitive scents: the sweet, musty odor of aged wood, the pungent smell of machine oil, the penetrating metallic tang of iron, and, beneath it all, an earthy note of damp clay and peat.It was chaos. An organized chaos, or perhaps merely tolerated. Sculptures covered with white sheets rose like gigantic ghosts, their hidden forms suggesting slumbering bodies. Heavy workbenches were cluttered with tools she couldn't name—sanders, bl
It was at that exact moment that the doorbell rang.The sound, sharp and intrusive, made her jump. Who could it be? She wasn't expecting any deliveries. She had no meetings. Her heart, still racing from anger, gave a strange lurch. An absurd, electrifying premonition shot through her: it was him.Abandoning the ruined counter, she walked to the intercom by the apartment entrance. Her reflection in the hallway mirror startled her: her face pale, her eyes overly bright, the impeccable bun that now seemed more like a prison than a hairstyle. She took a deep breath, composing herself."Hello?""Delivery for Ms. Phillips," a young, neutral voice replied.Relief and an inexplicable stab of disappointment pierced her. She opened the apartment door. A young delivery driver in a motorcycle courier uniform was holding two things: a bouquet of flowers wrapped in raw brown paper, without any of the usual ribbons or plastic, and a thin, long envelope the color of old straw."Do I need to sign?" sh







