I turned toward the man with the paper, then the plane jolted and I almost grabbed Caden’s thigh for dear life.“Easy,” he murmured again. His cologne wrapped around me like sin in a bottle. “We’re just taking off.”“Thanks,” I muttered.I turned back.Newspaper Man was shifting. His jaw, barely visible beneath the edge of the paper was ticking.No.It couldn’t be him.Could it?The flight went on in agonizing awareness.Caden scrolled his phone calmly, occasionally leaning close to explain some “business sites” we’d be visiting.I tried to pretend I wasn’t hyperaware of every movement behind me.Newspaper Man occasionally turned a page with the kind of hostile precision that could stab someone.At one point, the flight attendant leaned over me to offer champagne, brushing close to Caden.RIP.I swear I heard the newspaper tear.Then from behind—Then the flight attendant squealed, “Mr. Salvatore! It’s really you—I’m such a fan…”His eyes flicked sharply toward me before he lifted the
I knew that voice.Damian.Except… not really. He wasn’t even here. I was just imagining how he’d react if he knew where I was, if he knew what I was planning.This was like a dream vacation, even if it wasn’t real-real. Traveling the world, working on art with someone who actually mattered. Someone who looked like he could pin me against a jet wall and call it team-building.“As a married woman, did I need permission to travel for work?” I muttered under my breath. Then, out loud, all sweet obedience:“Yes, sir.”Caden’s amber gaze slid to me, sharp enough to slice my underwear drawer in half.“No excuses,” he said, stepping closer. His voice dropped to that CEO register that made my knees want to write resignation letters. “If you can’t keep up, you’re out.”Huh.So dominating. Just like the books. Just how I liked.“I’ll… head home now, Mr. Voss,” I managed, before my brain went somewhere X-rated.He nodded and returned to his table like a man who owned everything including my next
Then the door to the studio swung open.A shadow fell over me. A voice, deep and smooth, rolled across the room.“Is this the new hire?”My neck stiffened. My body knew the voice before my brain processed it.I turned.And froze.Dark suit. Sharp jaw. Eyes like he ate the sun for breakfast.Who eats the sun, forgive my description. I’m just smitten by his amber eyes.Caden.Oh, of course. The universe couldn’t give me a break.He strode closer, the confident rhythm of a man who owned this building, this city, probably the air we were breathing.“Mrs. Salvatore,” he said lightly, a smirk tugging at his lips.I snapped my head toward the receptionist like she might suddenly produce a gun so I could end it all. “Ssshhh!” I hissed, throwing a hand over his arm. “We do not say that name here. I’m Arianna. Just Arianna. Don’t attach me to that scumbag.”Caden’s smirk deepened, but his voice stayed all-business. “So…you’re the new employee.”I muttered in my head, Why is he acting like we di
The smoke thickened. Heat crawled up my spine like an animal with claws.Why can’t I fucking moveMy chest tightened as if invisible fingers were crushing my lungs. “Move!” I growled at myself, my hands shaking violently.Vivian’s voice sliced through the haze. “You’re pathetic,” she said, pushing at the door that refused to budge. Her nails clawed at the handle. “If we die, I’m blaming you. Come here and help me.”Her fake composure cracked for the first time. She was scared. And seeing her panic almost woke something feral in me.I staggered forward, grabbing the walls for support “I’m not dying here. I don’t know about you.”A loud boom sounded outside the hall, and flames licked at the bottom of the door. The heat seared. I coughed, my throat raw, my eyes stinging as smoke clouded everything.Then—“Arianna! Vivian!”Damian’s voice.“Damian!” Vivian screamed, her voice shrill with terror. “Help me! I’m trapped! I don’t want to die please.”“Damian, I’m here!” I yelled, coughing ha
“Surprised?” I said with a soft smile, letting the pen drop with a deliberate clink.Of course, Arianna only knew how to be a housewife and a puppy to Damian, always tail-wagging, dinner-cooking, emotionally starving. But me? I was the best in my art major. And unlike my sweet predecessor, I knew how to draw blood without ever raising my voice.Vivian opened her mouth, then closed it again. Cat caught her tongue. Then she finally sputtered, “You… you couldn’t have possibly drawn that. It’s… impossible.”Oh, sweet denial.“Impossible?” I tilted my head, feigning innocence while amusement curled in my chest like mischief. “What are you saying, sister? Don’t you like the gift? I thought, since everyone else is drowning you with expensive jewelry and designer bags which you already have closets full of, God knows you already own everything. I thought I’d give you something unique. Something close to my heart.”Her lips twisted. “This is fake!” she suddenly yelled, her voice sharp enough t
“You’re not supposed to be here.”The voice slithered into the room like an accusation dipped in disbelief. I froze mid-bend, the whip still dangling from my hand like a crime scene prop. Damian stood in the doorway, face unreadable but that sharp judgmental eyebrow of his doing enough talking for both of us.Oh, he was alone.“I… this isn’t what it looks like,” I said, hastily shoving the whip behind me like I was hiding a cucumber in church.Damian stepped in.The room shrunk.The muffled moans of the gagged waiter tied to a chair in front of me didn’t exactly help my case. Nor did the vibrator lying innocently on the table beside a bowl of whipped cream and regret.“Is that a ball gag in his mouth?” Damian asked dryly.“...No.”“It is.”“Okay, fine,” I snapped. “Yes. But listen, I wasn’t enjoying it. This is an interrogation, not a kink dungeon.”The waiter moaned again, as if to say ma’am please define the difference.Damian’s eye twitched. “Is this how you choose to uphold the S