Chapter 20

Laura's POV

My legs refused to move at first.

Even as the club remained in chaos, even as people tripped over themselves in their hurry to escape, my body stayed rooted to the spot.

Because that single gesture, the slow curl of his finger, beckoning me forward, held more weight than the bullet he had just fired.

He had always had a way of making demands without words, without force. A look, a tilt of his head, a flick of his fingers. It was enough.

And God help me, I always found myself dripping and obedient. I've always known I was abnormal with my attraction to danger and adventure, but I was beginning to think I was crazy. Getting close to him was like a moth being attracted to a flame. I'd only get destroyed.

I stepped forward, my breath tight in my throat, weaving through the panicked stragglers. Each step felt heavier, as if I was walking straight into the devil’s den.

But wasn’t I already there?

He hadn’t moved from his seat. His body was still draped in lazy elegance, the gun now carelessly resting on the table beside him, his fingers tracing the rim of his whiskey glass.

Yet his eyes…they hadn’t left me once. If only I could get to the gun and…

And what?

There was nothing I could do. His look alone was a warning to not try anything stupid. Especially after the deal I made with him that night.

I reached him, stopping just inches away. Close enough to feel the lingering smell of gunpowder and to see the faint smirk playing on his lips.

Before I could speak, before I could process the shift in the air between us, he moved.

Fast.

A gasp caught in my throat as he grabbed my wrist, pulling me down onto his lap in one fluid motion.

The world tilted. My breath hitched.

I landed against him, my legs draped over his thighs. My body half-twisted to face him and his arm wrapped around my waist was steel, holding me in place like I was meant to be there.

And the way his breath ghosted over my ear as he leaned in, his lips barely brushing my skin.

"You look like a demon straight out of hell," he murmured, voice dark, sinful.

The words sent a violent shiver down my spine.

I held my breath, my fingers curling into fists against his chest.

Because the only demon here was him.

Kelvin was hell itself, wrapped in expensive suits and deadly charm. A walking temptation. A nightmare in disguise.

And I was trapped.

He tilted his head, his nose grazing my jawline, sniffing and inhaling deeply like he wanted to memorize my scent.

"Red suits you," he continued, his hand pressing firmer against my waist. "Like blood. Like sin."

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to ignore the way my pulse thundered in my ears.

"You’re insane," I whispered, though my voice betrayed me, shaking at the edges.

Kelvin chuckled, low and amused. "You’re just figuring that out now?"

His fingers trailed up my spine, slow, deliberate, making my breath hitch.

I hated how easily he did this, how effortlessly he undid me.

"Let me go," I tried, even though we both knew I didn’t mean it.

A sharp heat pooled between my legs, betraying me in the worst way possible. I clenched my thighs, shifting slightly on his lap, but all it did was make it worse.

Kelvin noticed. Of course, he did.

His grip on my waist tightened, just enough to remind me that I wasn’t going anywhere. That I belonged exactly where he had put me.

“You feel it, don’t you?” His voice was a lazy whisper, warm against my skin. “That need.”

I bit my lip hard, refusing to answer.

But he already knew.

Because that night, the night he had rewritten the contract, he had made sure of it.

No panties.

That was his order for the party tonight. A demand laced into the fine print of the deal I had signed was that I had to do whatever he asked in the period of one month without question.

It was a deal I had no choice but to accept.

For my dignity. For the doubled money.

For my mother….

The thought of her sent a sickening wave of shame crashing over me.

She had struggled, had given everything to keep me safe, to raise me right. And here I was, straddling the lap of a man who had bought my submission with ink and paper.

If this was a game, then I would play to win.

He had made it clear that I was a piece on his board, a toy for his amusement, a means to satisfy his depravity. But if he thought he was the only one who could play dirty, he was mistaken.

I could use him too. Just like he was using me.

A slow smirk curled my lips as I shifted deliberately in his lap, grinding down just enough to make his grip tighten. His fingers dug into my waist, a silent warning, but I only pressed closer, tilting my head so my lips brushed the shell of his ear.

“Careful,” I whispered, my voice a silken taunt. “I might start to enjoy this.”

He merely smiled an evil smile that didn't let up if I was causing him enough torture that could qualify as revenge. He looked at me like I was joking around and it made me feel stupid .

His control was ironclad, but I wanted to see it crack. Just once.

But before I could torment him further, the heavy sound of approaching footsteps shattered the moment.

I felt him stiffen beneath me, his entire demeanor shifting from indulgent predator to cold, calculating menace.

I turned just in time to see a group of men stride into the private lounge.

At the front of them was a man smoking a pipe, his presence as commanding as Kelvin’s. He moved with the same quiet danger, his dark eyes scanning the room before landing on me.

A shiver prickled down my spine.

He was dangerous. Just as dangerous as Kelvin.

But it was the woman behind him that caught my attention.

She was petite, barely reaching his shoulder, and she wore a silk robe that did nothing to hide the tremble in her posture. Her head remained bowed, her hands clasped in front of her as if she had long accepted her place in the shadows.

Something about her silence unsettled me.

The man took his seat across from us, exhaling a slow curl of smoke before flicking his gaze back to me.

“New bitch?” he commented, amusement lacing his tone.

Kelvin’s fingers flexed against my waist, but his smirk remained intact.

“You’re late,” he said smoothly, completely unbothered by the man’s words.

Tension crackled between them like a storm waiting to break.

I could feel it in the way Kelvin’s grip hadn’t loosened, in the way the other man’s eyes lingered on me just a second too long.

Whoever he was, he wasn’t just another guest.

And something told me that whatever deal they were about to discuss…

I wanted no part of it.