ログインDANTEI wake before dawn with Aria sprawled across my chest, her silk nightdress twisted around her waist, and her hair a wild mess across the pillow. The terrace doors are still open, letting in the cool morning air that carries the faint sounds of the city waking up.Last night was exactly what we both needed, a raw, primal release of all the tension that's been building since this nightmare with her family began. But now, in the quiet before the storm, reality settles back in.The estate distribution is in two days.Richard Sinclair is planning something.Torres is still out there.And I still don't know what threat I'm preparing for.I ease out from under Aria carefully, letting her settle back into the pillows. She murmurs something unintelligible but doesn't wake. I pull a blanket over her, close the terrace doors, and head to my office.Viktor is already there when I arrive, looking like he hasn't slept. Knowing him, he probably hasn't."Tell me you have something," I say, pour
ARIAThe spank lands sharp and hot across my right ass cheek, the crack echoing into the night like a gunshot. The sting blooms instantly, like fire under my skin, spreading deep into my muscle and straight to my clit. I gasp, and I jerk my hips forward, my pussy clenching hard around his cock where he’s still buried inside me on the chaise.Dante’s hand stays there; his flat palm rubs the heat in slow circles that make the burn sink deeper, turning pain into throbbing need.“Again,” I breathe, my voice wrecked and shameless.He chuckles in a low, dark, and approving manner.He spanks the left cheek, harder this time, and the impact jolts through me, making my breasts bounce against his chest, and the silk nightdress slides higher up my thighs. The breeze catches the wet spot between my legs, cools the slickness coating my inner thighs, and heightens every nerve ending.I moan, loudly and unashamed, my head falling back so the city lights paint my throat silver.He spanks my ass again
ARIAThe shower is the first thing I do after the day’s weight finally lifts.Hot water pounds my shoulders as I rub them with my jasmine body wash. I stand under the rainfall head until my skin turns pink, letting the heat soak into every sore muscleI step out, towel off, and slip into the emerald silk satin nightdress I bought recently. The fabric is cool and slippery, clinging to every curve, the neckline plunging so low my nipples are barely covered, the hem barely reaching mid-thigh.I pour a glass of the Barolo we opened two nights ago; it's dark, rich, and tastes of black cherry and spice. One glass becomes two. The wine hits fast on an empty stomach; the warmth spreads through my chest, loosening my limbs and making my skin tingle. By the third glass, I’m pleasantly buzzed—head light, inhibitions gone, and my sex drive roaring to life like someone flipped a switch.I carry the glass and bottle out to the terrace.New York glitters below with endless lights and endless lives,
DANTEBack in the penthouse, Viktor's team has transformed every entrance into a checkpoint, with cameras monitoring every angle and motion sensors that track movement on every floor. The elevator requires biometric authentication just to reach our level.And still, I don't feel like it's enough."Torres has gone completely dark," Viktor reports during our 6 AM briefing. "No credit card usage, phone activity, or even digital footprint. He's either left the city, or he's gone to ground.""He's still here." I know it in my gut. "He's being paid to finish the job. He won't leave until he does or until he's certain he can't. He can't leave his job unfinished, else it affects him.""The Sinclair family is a different story." Viktor pulls up surveillance footage. "They met at Robert and Catherine's house until 3 AM. We have audio from the bugs we planted."He plays the recording, and Aria's family voices fill the room, panicked and angry."She knows!" That's Emma, nearly hysterical. "Aria k
DANTEIn the surveillance van, I watch Aria and Vivienne return to the dining room through multiple camera angles."Torres is getting nervous," Viktor observes, pointing to a screen. "He knows the poison plan failed. He might be waiting for an opportunity to use the knife.""Where's Dmitri?""Still at his table. Ready to move at your signal." Viktor adjusts the audio feed. "But boss, something's wrong. Torres keeps looking at the exits. I think he's considering aborting.""Vivienne spooked him. He knows she's trying to stop it." I lean closer to the monitors. "If he runs, we lose our evidence.""If he runs, Mrs. Ashford is safe.""For now. But they'll just try again. Different method, different time." I watch Torres's hand drift toward his jacket, where the knife is concealed. "We need him to make a move.""With Mrs. Ashford in the room? That's too dangerous.""She has the panic button. The moment he moves, we extract her." But even as I say it, I'm not sure. Torres is a professional.
ARIAThe restaurant is exactly as I remember from the surveillance feeds. It is elegant and intimate, with warm lighting that would be romantic under different circumstances.Tonight, it just feels like a stage set for my murder.The hostess...one of Viktor's operatives...greets me warmly. "Mrs. Ashford. Your party is already seated in the private dining room. Right this way."I follow her through the main restaurant, aware of Dmitri seated at a corner table, pretending to read a menu, of the cameras watching my every move, and of Dante in the surveillance van outside, seeing everything.I'm not alone.But when I step through the doorway into the private dining room, my heart still stutters.They're all there. Michael, Emma, James. My parents are in the corner, looking very uncomfortable but present. And Vivienne, standing near the window.Our eyes meet across the room.And I watch her face go from composed to absolutely panicked in the span of a heartbeat."Aria," she breathes. "You







