Chapter 8

The Valente Penthouse loomed over Manhattan like a silent watchtower, glass and steel glinting beneath the bruised dusk. Inside, the atmosphere was heavy…precise. The city stretched beneath Dominic like a map of his empire — every building, every street, every shadow, a reminder of what he ruled… and what could burn if he ever lost focus.

He sat at the long obsidian table, sleeves rolled to the elbows, a half-drunk glass of whiskey in front of him. The faint hum of the city filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a steady pulse matching the quiet storm under his skin.

Dominic Valente didn’t do mistakes.

Yet he’d made one — and she had a name.

Aria Cole.

He said it in his head like a curse, but it came out more like an ache. The reporter who’d appeared out of nowhere, flashing those sharp eyes, those questions, that dangerous curiosity that had brushed too close to his truth. He should’ve cut her out of the picture weeks ago — should’ve erased her from the grid the moment her name appeared in his files.

Instead… he’d touched her.

He leaned back, exhaling through his nose. That night wasn’t supposed to happen. He’d gone there to tie up loose ends…to make sure the journalist poking at Valente accounts knew how close to a fire she was standing. One drink, a conversation, a warning. Nothing more.

But Aria Cole hadn’t listened.

She’d looked at him like she saw more than a businessman… like she recognized the fracture he’d buried beneath the fine suits and the money. And in that moment, control slipped.

Dominic pressed his thumb against the rim of his glass. It was one night. One night doesn’t mean anything.

Still, his chest burned with the memory of her skin — the heat of it. The way her pussy trembled beneath his hands.

He took a drink, cold and sharp.

Across the table, Carlo, one of his men, shifted uncomfortably. The man was built like a wall and had the sense not to interrupt when his boss was silent for too long, but even he could feel the tension.

“You’re quiet tonight,” Carlo said finally.

Dominic’s gaze flicked up. Just one look..... enough to silence him. “Quiet means I’m thinking,” he replied evenly.

“About her?”

The glass stilled in his hand.

“I don’t pay you to make assumptions.”

Carlo nodded once, eyes dropping. “Of course.”

But the question lingered. The whole room seemed to breathe it.

Dominic stood, crossing to the massive window. The city stretched infinite — sharp lights cutting through the dark like veins of power. He rested a hand against the glass.

“She’s not a problem,” he said after a beat. “Just a variable I haven’t solved yet.”

“Sir, the photo....”

“I know about the photo.” His voice cut clean through the air. “It was necessary.”

“You think she’ll connect it back to us?”

Dominic’s jaw flexed. “If she’s smart enough to do that, then maybe she deserves to know what she’s playing with.”

A quiet moment passed. Outside, lightning stitched the horizon.

Carlo cleared his throat. “You always said no loose ends.”

Dominic turned, the faintest hint of a smirk touching his mouth. “I also said no unnecessary blood.”

“She’s a journalist. They talk.”

“She’s not talking,” Dominic said sharply. Then, lower: “Not yet.”

He moved past Carlo, retrieving his jacket from the back of the chair. “Keep an eye on her. Don’t interfere unless she does something stupid.”

“And if she does?”

Dominic paused at the door. “Then we remind her that some stories aren’t meant to be written.”

He stepped into the elevator. The doors slid shut, cutting off the room’s air like a guillotine.

Dominic descended into the lower floor of his penthouse — a space no one outside his circle ever entered. Exposed brick. Dim lights. Maps. Files. The entire operation, pulsing in a quiet rhythm.

He keyed in a code and approached the table at the center. Photos spread across the surface — surveillance stills, marked transactions, coded ledgers. And there, among them, her face.

Aria, frozen mid-laugh, hair tumbling around her face. A surveillance shot — taken from a street camera two days ago.

Dominic stared at it longer than he should’ve.

He’d built his life on precision. Discipline. Every emotion filed neatly away. But Aria had slipped past the order. She’d touched the part of him that still remembered warmth— and that was dangerous.

He picked up the photograph, studying it. Then, with quiet finality, he slid it into a folder marked CONTROL.

“Delete the others,” he said to the shadow by the door.

“Yes, boss.”

Dominic straightened his tie. “And find out who else might’ve seen that picture I sent her. If it circulates, we’ll have a problem.”

“Understood.”

The shadow disappeared.

Dominic exhaled, setting both hands on the table. “What the hell are you doing, Valente?” he muttered under his breath.

His reflection in the dark glass wall didn’t answer.

Hours later, he stood on the rooftop balcony, watching rain drift over the skyline. Cigarette smoke curled into the night, a slow ghost.

He’d spent years turning his name into power, feared, respected, untouchable. But one woman, one stubborn journalist, was threatening to unravel that control, not through exposure, but through presence.

By noon, Aria was back in her tiny office, the one she rented in a converted warehouse by the docks. Files lined the walls, notes pinned in a chaotic web. Dominic’s name was everywhere, surrounded by arrows, leads, question marks.

She stared at it all for a long time.

He wasn’t just a story anymore. He was the axis around which her entire world had started to tilt.

Aria pulled out her recorder and hit play. “Valente Group; offshore holdings, laundering through shell companies…” Her own voice, recorded weeks ago, filled the room. Then she stopped it, listening instead to the silence.

Her phone lit up. A message. Unknown number.

Unknown: “Stop digging.”

No punctuation. No threats. Just a warning.

Her pulse kicked. “Dominic,” she whispered to herself, though she wasn’t sure if it was accusation or instinct.

She grabbed her bag and her coat.

If he thought she’d scare easily, he didn’t know who he was dealing with.

Dominic was leaving the Midtown office when she stepped out of the elevator. She hadn’t planned the timing, but maybe she didn’t need to.

He stopped. The faintest flicker of surprise crossed his face before it smoothed away into something unreadable.

“Miss Cole,” he said. “You’ve got a habit of showing up where you don’t belong.”

“Maybe that’s because you keep showing up in the wrong stories.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, not quite a smile. “Is that what this is? A story?”

She stepped closer. “You tell me. You sent me something.”

“I send a lot of things. Be specific.”

“A photograph.” Her voice was steady, though her heart was battering her ribs. “Of us.”

His eyes didn’t move, but the temperature in the air shifted. The silence stretched, taut and dangerous.

“Where did you get it?” he asked finally.

“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t act like you don’t know.”

Dominic’s gaze sharpened, steel beneath the calm. “If I wanted to threaten you, you’d know.”

“Then why send it?” she shot back. “What are you trying to tell me?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Just studied her… the defiance in her jaw, the fear she was trying to hide.

“Maybe I wanted to see what you’d do,” he said softly.

“Then you’re watching now,” she said.

Something flickered behind his eyes, not anger. Something else. He took a slow step toward her. “You’re in over your head, Aria.

“Then pull me out.”

For a heartbeat, neither of them breathed.

Then he leaned in, his voice low. “Careful what you ask for, Cara Mia, because there's really no going back from this.”

He took a step closer. Then another.

No smirk. No shield. Just raw honesty.

“I want you so bad I can’t breathe,” he said, voice almost a whisper. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

His jaw tightened, like he was fighting the urge to touch her.

“You walk into a room and my whole body reacts. I can’t think straight. I can’t focus. I want you, every part of you, and it’s driving me insane.”

Aria’s heartbeat wasn’t just fast. It thudded.

Something warm fluttered low in her stomach, spreading like heat through her veins.

She wasn’t blind…she’d always noticed the way he looked at her. The tension. The restraint. The want. But hearing it… like that… with that voice… it was different.

Her breath caught.

Her skin tingled, hyper-aware, almost expectant.

The memory of their last meeting turning her cheeks rosy.

And the strangest part?

She wanted him to.

He looked at her like she was oxygen and he was starving.

Aria swallowed, the air suddenly feeling too thick around her.

“Dominic…” she breathed, barely saying his name. “You can’t just say things like that.”

His eyes didn’t move from hers. “I’m not saying it to play with you. I’m saying it because it’s the truth. I’ve been trying to hold it in, to be respectful, to give you space, but I can’t anymore.”

He stepped closer. Close enough that she could feel the warmth of him, but still not touching her.

“Tell me to stop,” he said quietly. “And I will. But if you don’t…”

He exhaled, eyes flicking down to her lips and back up.

“…I’m done pretending I don’t want you.”

Aria didn’t speak. She couldn’t. Her body answered before her voice did…her chest rising, breath shaky, pupils wide, like she couldn't wait to be touched by him.

Her silence was an answer.

And he knew it.

A muscle in his jaw relaxed, like he’d just been given the one thing he’d been fighting for.

“Aria,” he whispered, softer this time…almost reverent. “Look at me… if you want this too.”

And she did.

God, she did.

So she lifted her eyes and met his fully…no hesitation, no escape.

That look was consent.

That look was surrender.

He reached out, his fingers brushed her arm first. Barely there.

A test. A question. A promise.

“Tell me what you want, Aria… and I’ll give it to you.”

She wanted this.

She wanted him.

I want…” her voice came out softer than she meant, her throat tight, her body already answering faster than she could speak. She took a breath, steadying herself.Her voice didn’t shake this time.

“I want you to touch me.”

“Say it again,” he murmured, stepping closer, the heat of him wrapping around her like a promise.

“Touch me, please…”

“You have no idea what you just gave me,” he whispered, almost like a vow. “But I swear to you…I’ll take my time.”

Dominic pulled back just enough for air, his expression hardening, the muscle in his jaw tight. The restraint that had kept him gentle a moment ago had turned into something sharper…not anger, just raw control.

“Get in the car, cara mia,” his voice barely a whisper, the weight in his voice leaving no space for argument. “We’re going to my place”

Aria blinked, still breathless, trying to read him. “Now?”

“Yes. Now.”

He wasn’t shouting — he didn’t have to. His tone alone made her move.

She hesitated only a heartbeat. The air between them pulsed with unfinished electricity as he led her outside to the waiting car. He opened the passenger door, his movements precise, deliberate.

“Inside,” he said, and the way he said it left her no doubt that he wasn’t asking.

The moment the door shut, silence filled the space. The engine hummed to life, headlights cutting through the night. He kept one hand on the wheel, eyes fixed ahead, jaw still tense.

Aria watched him from the passenger seat, her mind spinning. There was power in his composure….not cruelty, but certainty. Whatever storm had built between them wasn’t gone, it was just waiting for the right place to break.

When they reached his house, he killed the engine and finally turned toward her.

“I didn’t want that to happen there,” he said, his voice softer now. “Not like that. If we’re going to talk… or do anything, it’ll be where I can look at you without distractions.”

She didn’t speak. She just nodded, quietly stepping out of the car and following him inside, unsure whether she was walking into an explanation, or the beginning of something even harder to resist.

The door clicked shut behind them, and for a long second neither of them moved. The only sound was their breathing and the faint hum of the city outside.

Dominic dropped his keys onto the table without looking away from her. “You’re shaking,” he said quietly.

“I’m fine,” Aria answered, though her voice betrayed her.

He stepped closer—slow, deliberate.

“You shouldn’t have followed me,” he said, but his tone was low, almost reverent.

“Then tell me to leave,” she whispered.

He didn’t.

Instead, his hand came up to her face, fingers brushing her cheek like he was memorising her. The air between them tightened until it was impossible to breathe normally.

Dominic leaned in, his forehead resting against hers for a heartbeat. “Last chance,” he murmured.

She didn’t move away.

“Want me to kiss you, Cara Mia?” She nodded.

“Use your words.”

“Kiss me..” She breathed out.

As his lips lowered on her, her heart quickened its pace, but that didn’t stop him. Instead, he deepened the kiss, tongues dancing together. She wrapped her hands around his neck, her fingers gripping his strands.

He scooped her up, a loud gasp escaping her lips. “I can't get enough of eating your pussy.” A slight tremor and she she pressed herself harder against him.

“Maybe… maybe I could return the favor.”

The picture her words drew in his mind had him feeling like he could come at the spot.

He shook his head. “Trust me, you don't.”

“I want to see you lose control, Dominic.”

It was the most simple thing anyone had ever said to him, but her words seeped straight into his soul. She’d been in his heart since he set his eyes on her, but with her every kiss, every word, and every touch, she was taking over him.

His body and soul came to life whenever she was near him.

He stopped in front of the bed and she slid down his body, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she reached for the zipper at the back of her dress, pulling it down.

She stood like a goddess, wearing nothing but her lacy white panties and a bra. Bare and exposed, while he stood there still fully dressed.

She unfastened his tie gracefully and discarded it on the ground as she said;

“I mean it Dominic. Give me all or nothing.”

Her hands around his neck, her kiss turned demanding. His hands roamed her soft body, traveling down until he could grip her ass with his fingers. Tightly, needing every inch of her.

Letting go of her ass, he brought up one hand and pushed it into her golden strands, gripping them gently. Needing her to be under the same spell.

“Look at me,” he demanded against her mouth, her soft breaths fanning his cheek. Her eyes fluttered open.

He took her chin between his fingers, gently but firmly.

“I’ll give you my everything, but remember you asked for it,” he growled, letting a hint of darkness seep into what he said. “And I will never, never share you.”

She remained silent, watching, while his heart pounded, worried she’d change her mind.

“You made that plenty clear,” Her lips curved into a smile and she lifted onto her tiptoes, her lips brushing against his.

“I’ll kill any woman who dares come near you too.”

He peppered kisses over her neck and down her chest. “You have yourself a deal.”

He brushed his lips over the lace of her bra and reached around to unclip it.

“These are my tits,”

He murmured against her chest, hands

trailing down her flat stomach. She gasped when he cupped her through her panties, his fingers digging into her sensitive flesh. She was soaked.

“And this is my pussy.”

His attention still on her full breasts, he tugged on her panties until she moaned at the friction. Wanting to hear it again, he removed the flimsy material, then gently slapped her pussy.

She yelped, shifting away from him, but Dominic refused to let her put distance between them. When he pulled away, she was breathless, her cheeks stained red and her eyes shining like diamonds.

“Tell me,” he demanded.

Stop talking and…” he silenced her with another kiss

Her body melted into his and her hands fisted his shirt as if she couldn’t get close enough. He moved his mouth down her jaw, over the soft skin below her ear. Her hips ground against him, her moves jerky and unpracticed.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he rasped, nipping her neck and hoping to leave a mark for the world to see.

With his hand between her thighs, he pressed long fingers to her soaking core. She rocked her hips, grinding herself against him as her head fell back.

“Ohhh,” she breathed. Dominic increased the pressure and her pink lips parted as they both stared at each other. “Please.”

“Please what? Use your words, Aria,” he demanded, tightening his grip on her hair and tilting her face up so she’d watch him.

She peered up at him, her gaze heavy-lidded. “I need….” She ground her hips against his hand harder and faster.

“What?” he growled, needing to hear her say it.

“I need to come.”

“Good girl,” he groaned, rewarding her by thrusting a finger inside her tight entrance.

Her blue eyes darkened and a sense of satisfaction filled him. He kept sliding his finger in and out of her, watching her face, not wanting to miss the flicker of every single emotion that crossed her features.

Aria’s eyes dropped to hi lips as her tongue swept across her lower lip.

“Kiss me, please.”

He kissed her, sliding his finger in and out of her folds while his thumb circled her clit. She was so fucking tight, and he couldn’t help how she held him the last time. Her insides greedily clenched around his fingers as she moaned softly into his mouth.

He guided her gently onto her back, the sheets getting tangled in her blonde hair. And all the while, his fingers rubbed her clit and his tongue teased hers. Her body shivered. Her hips rising frantically to rub against him.

God, she was so responsive. So fucking beautiful.

“Dominic,” she moaned, needy. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her fingernails digging into muscles as she quivered underneath him.

“Dominic, oh… ohh…” Her body rocked against his strong hand. He could taste her impending orgasm almost as if it were his own. Her arousal, sweet and delicious, permeated the air. Her juices drenched his fingers but he refused to let up.

She writhed under him with her head thrown back, the sheets surrounding her head like a halo.

“Look at me,” he ordered as he guided her closer and closer to the edge.

Shudders rolled down her body and she panted, her mewling getting louder.

Dominic rubbed at her clit faster and picked up the pace of his thrusting.

She was close, and he reveled in the knowledge that he was the only man who’d seen her through an orgasm.

Her hands tightened around him, and he loved how she needed him as she came unraveled, her body shivering and her pussy convulsing around his fingers with his name on her lips.

This woman would be the death of him.