JUNO HAYES
I didn’t cry.
Not when I got home. Not when I locked the door. Not even when I looked in the mirror and saw the bruise blooming on my cheek like a secret I couldn’t hide.
I just… sat on the floor.
Cassie was out with friends. The house was quiet. Too quiet.
And my mind wouldn't stop replaying that moment—Rhett’s voice, his eyes, the way my body reacted.
Because the voice I heard in that lecture hall…
It wasn’t familiar.
It was too familiar.
But no. That was ridiculous.
Rhett Voss was my client. My student, technically. Younger. Brash. Not at all the man who—
I shook my head hard.
It had been months. I ended that part of my life. Closed the door. Locked it. I wasn’t going to let one deep voice undo everything I rebuilt.
Buzz.
My phone lit up beside me.
Unknown Number:
Room 806. Midnight. Kneel.
My stomach twisted.
My heart pounded.
I stared at the message, thumb frozen.
He hadn’t texted in months. After I cut contact, I figured it was over. Maybe it was. Maybe this wasn’t even him.
But it was the same room. Same tone. Same three words.
Kneel.
I set the phone down.
Don’t go.
That should’ve been the end of it. I should’ve blocked the number. I should’ve curled into bed and let the night pass.
Instead… I stood.
And walked to my closet.
The hood was still there. Buried in the back of a drawer I swore I’d never open again.
I ran my fingers over the soft fabric, breathing in deeply. It still smelled faintly of leather and something darker. Something that made my knees go weak.
No. Not now. Not with this bruise. Not with Drake’s voice still echoing in my head.
And yet… my body ached for it.
Not to control.
To let go.
Even just for one night.
My fingers brushed the lace lingerie still tucked inside the drawer, and before I could stop myself, I was packing it.
Not for him.
For me.
The Velvet Crown hadn’t changed.
Gold lighting. Velvet walls. A front desk clerk who didn’t ask questions.
Midnight came fast.
The elevator dinged. I stepped in.
My pulse roared in my ears.
I wasn’t here for answers. I wasn’t here to confirm anything.
I was here to breathe.
The eighth-floor doors opened.
I exhaled for the first time in hours.
Room 806 stood exactly as I remembered. I stepped in. The door closed behind me.
Silence.
The penthouse was warm, dimly lit, everything exactly as it had been months ago.
I stood in place, staring.
My chest rose and fell fast. I could barely catch my breath. Not from fear. Not even from the bruise on my skin.
Arousal.
Thick. Dangerous. Thrilling.
He would be here soon.
I reached into my bag. Changed quickly.
Lace. Hood. Skin exposed.
Heart racing.
I walked to the center of the room and knelt.
Back straight. Hands on thighs. Head bowed.
Waiting.
Every second stretched like a thread ready to snap.
The door behind me clicked.
Footsteps.
Measured. Calm
. Heavy.
A familiar presence swept in.
I didn’t turn.
I didn’t breathe.
Then…
His voice. Low. Dark. Close.
“Good girl.”
RHETT VOSSHer hands fumbled at my belt, trembling. I smirked. She was nervous today—that much was obvious. We hadn’t seen each other in weeks, and the tension had built between us like fire beneath ice.Finally, she freed my cock, and as it sprang out, it slapped against her cheek. She bit down on those succulent lips—the same lips I needed wrapped around my length. Her hand slid around my shaft, fingers trembling, eyes wide with need.She leaned in, taking the fat, swollen head between her lips, and a deep groan rumbled from my throat. I’d been on edge for weeks—my injury, the pressure, the ache for her mouth. Her submission. It had all piled up inside me like a bomb waiting to go off.She lowered herself further, licking up the underside of my cock, base to tip, no hands—just that wicked tongue. Then she wrapped her fingers around the base, lifting it upright, her strokes slow and deliberate.Her mouth was hot, wet, eager. She circled her tongue around the head, teasing me, holding
RHETT VOSSShe pushed my hand away again.“Please don’t touch me without asking first, Mr. Voss. That’s not okay.”Her voice was tight, but not cold. Not quite. It shook slightly, like it wasn’t just the touch that startled her—but something deeper.I held up both hands and took a step back. “Fair. Sorry.”She turned away, straightening things on her desk that didn’t need straightening. Her hands moved too fast, too precise. She was trying to distract herself.“You’re tense,” I said.“I’m fine.”“No, you’re not.”She paused for just a second, then exhaled and turned around, arms crossed. “Are you always this forward?”I gave her a half-smile. “Only when the professor looks like she’s about to bolt.”Her eyes flicked away—and then back. Like she couldn’t help herself.“I don’t bolt,” she muttered. “I leave. Like a normal person.”“Sure you do.”That got me a look. Sharp. But her mouth twitched—almost a smile.There it was again. That flicker. Not just in her face, but in how she moved.
JUNO HAYES10:00 a.m. – Hudson University“Good morning, Professor Hayes,” one of my students called as they passed.I nodded with a smile, clutching my tablet as I left the lecture hall. Class was over, but my day wasn’t.I was due at the Hudson Peak Wellness Center. Rhett Voss’s first official rehab session was at eleven.Technically, he was just a client.But after yesterday? It didn’t feel that simple anymore.My steps slowed as the memory crept back in—his voice, his eyes, the way his hand brushed my cheek like he already knew me.No. That was yesterday. Today, he was just another injured athlete with a bruised ego and a bad shoulder.I reached my office door, thirty minutes early. Just enough time to calm down—or pretend to.Before I could unlock it, the office next door opened.“Juno, back from class already?” came Daniel’s voice.I sighed without turning. “Yes, Daniel.”“That offer still stands, you know. Smoothies, coffee, back rub—purely professional,” he added with a grin I
RHETT VOSSI walked into the elevator leading to the penthouse, anticipation to see her thrumming through my veins, but underneath the arousal I was feeling, my mind kept going back to what happened earlier today.Walking into that hall, what I had seen was not what I had expected. When he slapped the professor, I thought it was a student—until I got closer and realized something else was going on.I gritted my teeth at the memory—his stare, his words, the mark on her face. I didn’t know any of them, but I hated abusers. I’d lived through enough to recognize the type.“Fuck, why are you still hung up on that,” I growled, raking my hand over my hair as I watched the numbers on the elevator go higher and higher.“It’s none of my business,” I said to myself, but the image of her face kept flashing across my eyes—the second thing I never expected: my rehab specialist to be so fucking pretty and young.When Coach Carter called me yesterday and told me I still had to undergo monitored rehab
JUNO HAYESI didn’t cry.Not when I got home. Not when I locked the door. Not even when I looked in the mirror and saw the bruise blooming on my cheek like a secret I couldn’t hide.I just… sat on the floor.Cassie was out with friends. The house was quiet. Too quiet.And my mind wouldn't stop replaying that moment—Rhett’s voice, his eyes, the way my body reacted.Because the voice I heard in that lecture hall…It wasn’t familiar.It was too familiar.But no. That was ridiculous.Rhett Voss was my client. My student, technically. Younger. Brash. Not at all the man who—I shook my head hard.It had been months. I ended that part of my life. Closed the door. Locked it. I wasn’t going to let one deep voice undo everything I rebuilt.Buzz.My phone lit up beside me.Unknown Number:Room 806. Midnight. Kneel.My stomach twisted.My heart pounded.I stared at the message, thumb frozen.He hadn’t texted in months. After I cut contact, I figured it was over. Maybe it was. Maybe this wasn’t ev
JUNO HAYES“Let me go, Drake.”I backed into the cold wall. He followed, closing the gap.My eyes flicked toward the now-empty lecture hall, the doors half-shut. No witnesses. No help.This is Drake Mayas—my annoying ex-boyfriend who doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of ex. Meaning he's in the past. No one returns to their vomit. But Drake? Drake never listens. And now, the guy has the nerve to show up at the university where I work as a Sports Rehabilitation and Wellness lecturer.The moment my students left and I began packing up, I felt a hand grab my ass. I turned, ready to tear into some cocky student—only to find him.“How can I let you go,” he said with that slick grin, “when I know we’re perfect for each other? A match made in heaven.”It was moments like this I really regretted not filing that restraining order.“That’s not going to happen, Drake. So please, stop. I have somewhere I need to be—”I didn’t even finish before he stepped closer and grabbed my shoulder.“Who?