LOGINI barely had time to process his words. Wrapping one strong arm around my waist, Lucien flipped me over, laying me back first on the couch with no effort at all. He lifted my legs, placing them over his shoulders as he took his position between them.And then, he slammed back inside me.Hard.“Oh my god.” I cried out, my hand clawing at the arm rest above me as he pistoned into me. I was still sensitive from my orgasm so the sensation was different now. Richer.It felt so good, it was devastating.My pulse raced everywhere — in my chest, my neck, my finger tips.“Fuck, Scarlett,” he gritted, gripping my hip and pulling me tighter against him. “You feel like heaven.”I clenched around him at the sound of his voice.A low groan left him.“Come for me,” he growled. “Come all over my cock. Now.”And I did.Harder this time.My orgasm hit hard, dragging a sharp cry out of me as my body convulsed beneath him.He followed moments later with a low, guttural groan, stilling as he finished ins
The elevator ride up to the penthouse felt endless, tension humming between us like something seconds away from detonating.Lucien stood beside me, facing forward, expression unreadable except for the faint tightness in his jaw.I couldn’t tell if it came from impatience, the fact that we were stuck in a public elevator, or both.Then his eyes flicked toward me briefly, and I had my answer.They were still dark with the same intensity he’d worn in the car.The sight of it sent warmth curling low in my stomach, my knees suddenly less reliable than they should’ve been.Finally, the elevator stopped at the last residential floor before the penthouse. The two other occupants stepped out first, both casting us mildly confused glances when neither of us moved to follow.Lucien waited until the doors slid shut again before stepping forward and pressing the button for the private penthouse level.The elevator lurched back into motion.And for the next thirty seconds, I focused entirely on the
..... “I’d hope she is.”Khalid spoke first, before I could, the corner of his mouth tilting slightly.“She’s excellent company.”My eyes shut briefly as I exhaled through my nose.Then, before Lucien could react, he straightened and extended his hand across the counter.“Scarlett’s boss, I presume,” he said, voice smooth, with no edge like I’d have imagined. He really was just putting that out there. “Khalid.”I nearly sighed into my drink.Lucien looked at the offered hand for a fraction of a second before taking it.“Lucien.”The handshake was brief. Firm enough to mean something.Lucien’s gaze lingered on him for a beat longer and the air shifted subtly. Not hostile, but charged with the quiet awareness of two men sizing each other up without making it obvious.I cleared my throat softly, cutting through whatever was happening.“Your meeting’s over?” Obviously. This was a just a disastrously mundane attempt to quell the awkwardness.He nodded once, sliding a hand into his pocket
....The soft clink of ice against glass cut through the low hum of the bar as he set the drink down in front of me.“Careful,” he said, sliding it closer. “This one doesn’t announce itself.”I glanced at it, then back at him. “What does that mean?”His gaze met mine briefly. “It means, you won’t realize how much you like it until it’s already done something.”I paused for a second.That felt... intentional.My fingers curled around the glass anyway. “Is that a warning?”“Depends on how you take it.”I chuckled lightly and took a sip.Oh.My brows knit, not in displeasure, but surprise. The citrus hit first, crisp and clean, before something warmer settled underneath it. Whatever it was, crept up on you slowly.“See?” he murmured, studying my reaction.I exhaled, setting the glass down. “Alright. I’ll give you that.”“High praise.”“I hope it’s memorable enough.”A faint smile ghosted across his lips as he reached for a cloth, wiping down a spot that didn’t need wiping.“You’re not fr
....The next hour felt unnecessarily long as expected.Not because of the traffic—though that didn’t help—but because Lucien, apparently, had decided to commit to his playlist.Entirely.Echelon bled into Echelon, track after track, like he had something to prove. I endured the first few songs in what I’d generously call easing silence. By the fourth, I’d considered opening the window just to give myself something else to focus on. By the seventh, I was convinced he was doing it on purpose.I glanced at him.He looked… fine. Relaxed, even. One hand on the wheel, attention on the road, completely unbothered.“You don’t have anything else?” I asked eventually.“No.”No?That was ridiculous. I knew he was edging at me for questioning his music taste. Not like I’d gone overboard with it. Echelon was not my cup of tea— which, in very rational terms, meant they were overrated and we needed a change of track.“Really?” I asked, voice flat. “Are you always this committed to your bad decision
Scarlett:“New York City,” Lucien had said earlier. “Eden just acquired a new property, you’ll need to take a look. And Glenn decided to wrap up the final merger discussions during his gala over there. We’ll wait until he settles in.”So here I was, packing — partly giddy as I hadn’t been there in years, not since my college internship, and partly on edge at the fact that it was just going to be Lucien and me. Who, for the record, had worn a very particular expression when he mentioned it wouldn’t be just work. Something about ‘other things.’What other things?I had no idea.But history had proven that very little about us ever stayed… decent when we were left alone too long. And now we were about to spend days together in New York City.A slow breath left me as I shoved the last of my clothes into my bag. Once it zipped shut, I let myself fall back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling for a moment longer than necessary, tracing the patterns to keep my mind from wandering. While t
“I’ll send a text when I’m ready,” I told the driver as I stepped out of the car.Red had taken Scarlett back to the hotel after the luncheon. She needed time to prepare for dinner with Glenn tonight, so the rest of the afternoon’s schedule had been shifted.Which worked perfectly for me.Because i
“I understand why this may feel unsettling, Ms. Bennett. But at the moment, there isn’t enough evidence to open a formal investigation.” Officer Klein’s words hadn’t left me in forty-eight hours. “Stay aware of your surroundings. Avoid isolated areas. Call us if anything changes.” I’d tried. For
I woke too fast, sore all over, heart pounding, every nerve still humming from the night’s aftermath.My lashes fluttered open to sunlight pouring over my face through the tall windows across the room. I was in bed, the sheets tangled around me, my body sticky with sweat and something else.I turne
The hospital smelled of antiseptic, with something faintly metallic beneath it.My heels clicked too loudly against the polished floor as I crossed the lobby, the sound sharp enough to make a few heads turn. I barely noticed them. My pulse was still trapped somewhere between disbelief and dread.‘S







